?Jist some tea or water, whatever we got left.? He needed some hydration more than he needed tha old, familiar comfort of a beer jist then. His post nearby tha door o? their RV remained what it were, his arms crossed ovah his chest as he waited fer tha knock which would come.

?Yah wanna get intah somethin? tahnight? Mehbe gah out after yah grab another cat nap or something?? He was breaking waters he figured the answer to which would be no, but that didn?t mean he weren?t gonna ask. The sound o? a knock at the door got him twisting around, catching the handle and bringing in tha plastic bags o? Italian goods. Were important tah note that it was two, and they was heavy with meaning, enough that it sent Mark tah smirking as he said, ?Got us leftovers for days, love.?

Nodding, she turned back to the small refrigerator and pulled out the pitcher of tea she?d made. There was just enough left for two servings, and she split what was there between two cups with faded beer logos on them. Bringing these to the table next, the girl sat on the bench seat and then scooted in towards the middle, a pointed if unspoken suggestion that he sit next to her and not opposite.

Grace watched as he brought the bags in, lifting her shoulders in response. She didn?t look even the tiniest bit sorry about it. ?You might be underestimating how hungry I am, but we?ll see.?

?Underestimating? Yah gonna need a procedure or somethin? iffin too much of this goes tah yah.? The bags were set on the kitchen table, the plastic crackling with tha touchdown. Somethin? about it all made him feel like they was kids, orderin? food with nah real sense and all the intention in tha world tah be staying up late and watchin? the things they ought naht.

Mark got her little hint, mehbe, without even thinkin? about it, and came tah take his place beside her. His hands undressed the plastic from tha folded up mouths o? tha tah go boxes as he spoke, ?Yah nevah said iffin you was wantin? tah do something afterwards.?

Despite his ribbing, there really wasn?t that much food. She?d ordered three entrees and a side dish; a lasagna, stuffed shells, some kind of alfredo dish with chicken, angel hair with tomatoes, garlic and spinach. It came with salads and breadsticks, but she hadn?t actually ordered them. Sure it would feed them for at least two, maybe three meals, but Grace saw that as the point of ordering in: if you were going to do it, you should make it count.

Her stomach rumbled audibly when he started opening the bags and lifting out the containers. The stylist grinned at herself and leaned into him at the same time, laying her head briefly against his arm. ?I heard you, I was just? focused on the part about the food,? she replied shamelessly. ?An? I haven?t decided yet. I like it when we go out, but like? that sounds like having to put on real clothes and, well,? Grace wrinkled her nose. ?That reeks of effort.?

?Oi, I hate tah make yah put in any effort and naht be a blob o? Italian food on tha couch all day. Whut was I thinkin? Totally inconsiderate.? Mark shrugged a bit and began dispensing some assortment o? tha italian food from the styrofoam boxes ontah their plates. Based on little cues from her, maybe some yummy sounds or othawise, would affect how much he gave o? her of whut was there.

?Naht tah worry, love, I?ll be buying you some oversized sweat pants tah match tha lifestyle you is so desiring of. I was told about this,? he took a bite of a bread stick and, after swallowing, pointed its crusty end towards her, ?About how the wommins get all comfy after bein? married and jist let demselves gah. Screw thin?s like gettin? dressed, you got a ring on it.? Mark were definitely feeling like he was earning an elbow to tha ribs, and maybe it woulda all seemed sah much more legit if naht for the stupid smile he got when he was delivering it. The man couldn?t help but grin at his own jokes even before they was delivered.

Grace lifted her brows at him. The commentary would absolutely have earned him an elbow to the ribs if that was a thing she did; instead she caught the end of that breadstick and bit off a piece. ?Thought you were pretty positive on me not getting dressed, Mister. An? needing bigger pants for awhile, for that matter. Y?changed your views??

Once he'd filled her plate with an assortment of flavors, the little dancer picked up her fork and dug in, apparently as ravenous as she was tired. ?But seriously,? she said after a few bites. ?Was there something in particular you were wanting to do??

?Naht anything o? real importance, jist been feeling a little trapped at camp with this and tha goin? on.? There were plenty of reason fer that. Figuring out who was coming and where those bodies would go weren?t something that got decided with a snap of fingers. Also, sometimes folks arrives needing things like clothes or cash. Sometimes they came with their own RV and there weren?t nothing to do but maybe move one or two o? the trailers. It was hard cause some folks didn?t have the answer yet. Mark jist thought it was best tah prepare for the worst sorta outcome.

?Eh, mehbe a lazy day is tha way to be, tho, considering that it?s gonna get a bit busy here, soon. Whut do yah think?? The muscles of his jaw jumped as he chewed, pushing several twists o? pasta into his mouth. His left hand still had the offending breadstick, he could feel the butter on it and the sand-like salt rub up against his fingertips.

He hadn?t commented on either of her playful jabs, and that perhaps was more indicative of his need to get away, that trapped feeling he?d described, than anything else. Grace lowered her fork to the plate, turning her body more towards his, her wide green eyes studying his face for a few seconds. She knew how heavy the mantle of responsibility could be on his shoulders, and times like this when the camp was in transition, it wore more heavily than others.

Leaning in, she nuzzled his shoulder with her cheek. ?I have a better idea. Let?s do one of our little vacation escapes? Just? get in the car and see where we end up.? Her smile was spreading as she put the idea together. ?Maybe we camp on the beach??

Tha idea was one he approved of, fer sure. It was apparent by the way his smile came jist right after she suggested it, tho his eyebrows got to lowering afterwards as if he was in tha need tah calculate jist how possible it all were. If tha timing was right or if it was jist some discussion tha was better tah smile about and let rest. Her cheek was on his shoulder, which got him smilin? at her, lookin? at her sleepy lil? way she got. ?Think you got the energy fer that??

There were two sides tah that question. One being that the trip tah the beach was usually something of an exercise, and the second side bein? them enjoyin? one another without tha concern fer tah much interruption.

Grace scoffed. ?I always have the energy for you,? she countered, lifting her head to look up at him with her nose all scrunched up, kittenish. It seemed there was some life to her yet as she sat up straight again, plucking an olive out of the salad and popping it into her mouth. Her expression grew increasingly animated with the prospect of a little mini-vacation to perk her up.

?C?mon? it?ll be fun. We can just run away before dinner and be back before business starts up in the morning.? She urged him, doing her best to be convincing as she slid her right hand into his lap to rest lightly along his thigh. She picked the fork up in her left, spearing a bite of lasagna. ?It?s been ages since we did that.?

?Oi, yah think sah little miss couch-potatah?? He nudged her with his shoulder, but the truth were that he didn?t need much in tha way of persuading. She already got a good idea, her hand already made a path down his thigh and he was tiltin? his head tah tha side tah look at her, ?Ages, yah say? Lucky you, naht aging even a day.? He leaned in tah kiss her on the cheek, ?Let?s finish up here and hit tha road befer either o? us get a call. We gonna jinx ourselves by stayin? tah long.? At the worst, she might just fold and take a nap. At best, someone with a real need may come hollering.

Mark did well tah be quick about pickin? over his food and urgin? her tah focus and dah tha same sah that they could wander their way tah the cars and then tah this mini vacation, the one where half the time they spent believing they would really be gone and that there was nothing more tah worry about but jist tha two of them.

There was so much boyish defiance in the way he said ?they can just wait? that Grace?s grin spread ear to ear. Tucked into the far corner of the seat so she could angle her body towards him, the little dancer spent a few minutes just looking at him, admiring the man she?d married as he navigated the car away from Camp. ?Yeah,? she echoed after a time. ?Everybody can wait.?

Balling one tiny fist up against her mouth to suppress a yawn, she slipped the other into his upturned hand, her fingers slithering into the spaces between their likes, tangling them up properly. ?I was gonna say we should find somewhere new, but? sentimental?s got a nice ring to it, now that you mention it?? A giggle spilled from the corner of her lips. ?We gonna end up in the parking lot of that BnB again??

?Tell meh somethin,? he said, givin? her hand a squeeze like tah say that whut he were about tah ask wasn?t of a bad kinda gravity. He wanted her tah know he got something in his brain about her, something which were curious and had tah be said, ?When you was a little girl, you ever think tha this was whut bein? in love would be like?? Cause from whut he saw in the stories given tah little girls, there jist was about no man that could ever measure up. Mehbe that obnoxious .01% could. Tha guys that got all the money and all tha looks and all the everything else. The kinda guys that seem tah be torn outta some romance novels. Why did women write tha stuff? Seemed tah him they didn?t want a man, they wanted a genie, some kinda creature that made all their dreams come true.

Whut about a man?s dreams? Was they not important? How come so many o? tha modern women expected it tah jist be about them? Naht a romance story yet he seen in tha movies, in tha books, which were about tha man achieving whut his heart desired. Then again, romance stories was always about tha only desire ever being love. People had more than tha tah them. They had spunk and wishes and little pipe dreams tha made them tinker and build when they could be restin?. Whut about those?

And whut they got? Whut about that? How was anybody ever gonna define that golden little piece that they cut from the sky and held tahgether?

The car kept rolling along, there was still a half smile stored at tha corner o? his mouth. Mehbe somewhere new, or mehbe somewhere old. He didn?t answer her question, he was mehbe still thinkin? on whut needed tah be done. They was still goin? forward.

Maybe the way he gently squeezed her hand was a direct, if unconscious, response to the way her shoulders tensed at his phrasing. Grace couldn?t help it. Maybe it was just the fact that both Mark and Mac had occupied positions of power and Jasper had desperately wanted to, but the dominant men in her life had a tendency to ask pointed, important questions that were exceedingly difficult to answer. The way her mouth went dry, her senses moving onto alert, was practically instinctive.

She swallowed, reassured by his squeeze. She squeezed back gently, a tacit thank you for the comfort it afforded. A smile found her face again, part amusement and part relief, when the question itself was aired: amused with herself for being so concerned, even briefly, and at the same time relieved that she hadn?t had reason to be. ?...I was raised by a drunk an? a boxer, Baby,? she said lightly, and as she said it she lifted his hand, still entwined in hers, turning them over so she could gently, affectionately, kiss his knuckles. ?This is a whole lot better than what I imagined.?

?With talk like tha you nevah gonna be rid of me.? He went tha road of sentimental. Maybe she knew it, recognizing a few roads or the way the street curved like a woman. It weren?t long until they was there, his hand giving that ?excuse me? squeeze sah it could slip away and handle tha steering wheel as he turned into tha short, gravel drive which was tha parking lot beside the BnB they never seemed tah get close enough tah rent.

?Good,? she said with a grin, kissing the back of his hand at the center before she lowered both to her lap again. ?That?s kind of the goal, isn?t it?? She ran her thumb tenderly over the back of his hand where she?d rested them on her thigh. ?To be like a hundred years old together with a dozen grandchildren?? Grace smiled a little, wistfully, lost for a time in contemplating their future together.

When she looked up at last, she realized just where it was they were going, what it was he?d decided on. Her smile spread even as she released her hold on his hand, letting him guide the car into a parking space.

Chances were, Mark knew she gone tense on him, but he was smart enough tha he said nothin? about it. Didn?t take a genius tah know whut hurt was and all tha little manifestations it got. Grace did tha same fer him on hundreds of occasions. He was sure she seen him pause, tha she knew he got a tiny bit anxious about certain thin?s. Sometimes they was little, like a turn o? phrase or whut somebody said. She nevah squared off with him about tha stuff, she just smiled and played normal and then did tha most reassurin? thin? he could think of, like he?d whispered her some kinda manual on whut tah do next in his sleep. She got that way about her, and he figured that her bein? a dancer sah long had something tah do with it.

?Mehbe, this time, we actually get outta tha car and walk tha beach?? His eyebrow lifted and he turned his head, lookin? ovah his shoulder at all tha things they went tah the trouble of bringing. The savory, sweet smell o? Italian was crawlin? towards them.

The difference between last time and now was that it was still the middle of the day, barely after lunch, the sun high in a clear sky. Even so, her smile took on the devilish edge of a smirk, one side lifting just a little bit higher than the other as her brows rose and then fell again suggestively. ?I think that?s a great idea, yeah. But first, maybe we should re-enact history?? She was already lifting herself onto the balls of her feet, drawing her body into a compact crouch in the passenger seat.

?Oh yeah?? His elbow on the console but tha hand of the arm turned in her direction sah tha it didn?t form a barrier, ?Is sleepin? beauty up fer tha task? Dun think I didn?t see yah yawnin? befer. I was drivin?, naht blind.? His weight leaned towards her, like her were already sayin? yes. The wrist of his otha hand rested atop than hard-wrapped pleather o? tha steering wheel, where his thumbnail picked under tha whites o? his otha fingers whilst he talked.

?I wouldn?a wanna break with tradition, it?s bad luck.? His grin became more, jist then, like he knew it jist weren?t some kinda bad joke he was saying. He was preyin? upon tha fact that they was all superstitious and had their quirks about whut an omen, and what luck, could be. Bit soft, but with urge, tha sound of his voice dropped low, ?Come ?ere, love, yah too far away fer meh.?

?Like I said, I always have energy for you,? Grace laughed lightly, that Christmas bell peal that was high and clear, with the perfect tonality of silver. Once she was up on her toes anyway, it was practically nothing to transfer herself over the console, one delicate set of fingers closing over his on the steering wheel (for ?balance?) as the little dancer positioned herself on his lap and sat down again, her knees settling in snugly to either side of his thighs.

Vivid green eyes like a smear of wet grass in the spring time were alight with mischief as she settled just so, making sure that the skirt she wore wasn?t tucked underneath her. One hand settled on his right shoulder, the other lifted to run her nails lightly, teasingly, over his scalp. ?Well, now, we can?t have any bad luck. Especially not at a time like this.?

?I gotta get better at playin? hard tah get,? he said as she transitioned tah his lap like it were nothin?. His shoulders drew back and din he gave an exhale, wrapping his hand around her backside, under tha skirt, tah give it a squeeze. Mark got a weak spot fer her, he remembered tha first few times he met up with her it was like war tah naht show he wanted tah kiss her. He always figured that would become less sah, and in some respects, it did. Now he knew whut she was like tah kiss, and there were days being tired or cranky could overwhelm it.

On tha other side? Now that he knew whut she was like, he was left knowin? whut he was missing. Tha bells of her laugh, the little last upward tug her hips made when they was having sex. How she could seem sah benign while she was lightin? thin?s on fire. It were near embarrassing that she just dropped the weight o? her hips tah his own, and there weren?t nah hiding that she already got him going. Mehbe it was because mini vacations promised sex and the back o? his mind got him working ovah all the options, all the parameters, o? how that was gonna work out.

?At a time like this? Well, nah, we dun wanna get caught no ways.? He was tryin? tah figure out a smooth way tah get his pants down. He was tryin? tah make a quick check that there weren?t some cop standing ovah tha back o? the car, jist waitin? tah put ?em in the clink.

?Too late!? cried Grace in a triumphant singsong. ?Y?already married me. Not allowed to play hard to get after that.? The kittenish grin of self-satisfaction was there again, in part due to her words and in part due to the way he squeezed her ass, which doubtlessly gave away her little secret. There was nothing there for him to grab but skin and muscle--she?d divested herself of her underwear as she was packing blankets.

Grace glanced over his shoulder, out the back window, as if checking for the proverbial cop waiting to bust them. Finding nothing, her attention focused back on his face, on blue eyes she wanted to spend the rest of her life getting lost in. Lifting her chin, the little stylist leaned closer, pressing her mouth lightly, almost teasingly, to his. ?Coast is clear.?

?Tha sah?? He hoped sah, but she was already claiming a place on his lap jist as he reached down, tugging at the latch to slide the seat back. Her body on his, his hand on her skin and? well, a lot less cloth than he was thinking. She coulda felt it, his fingertips wandering, trying tah find the cloth boundary o? her panties and instead jist finding more skin, more soft spoken places meant tah be intimate. Damn. Well, jist damn.

?Oi, yah had me at vacation,? he reached tah catch tha side o? her face and bring it in, bringin more life tah the kiss. It were the sorta life that came with their mouths closing in tahgether, his tongue wanting fer hers as his hips turned in tha seat, anglin? more comfortably to her as he settled. Tha coast was clear, but tha moment got everything to it but a calm.

Somewhere past the windshield of the car was some trees, some light grain-type o? plant that grew in the sand and the the water, lappin? up tah the shore. Mehbe they jist never would see that beach.

There was a playful little smile on her face, impish, as his fingers gradually fed him the details of what she?d done. It spread into a girlish giggle as the realization crossed his face, so when his free hand slid up to cup her cheek, to pull her deeper into the kiss, Grace went into it readily, hungry for more.

At this proximity, she could hear -- or imagined she could, anyway -- the sound of the waves slapping at the sand just a few short yards away. She could smell the salt in the air, or maybe she was imagining that, too. As they kissed, she tangled her fingers in his hair, dragging her nails lightly over his scalp, her body pressing into his on a mission to seal up the space between them.

Once the door was open, their bodies separated, the panic in her seemed to subside. Completely naked, she was glad in retrospect that the driver?s side door opened to the wilderness before the beach and not to the inn whose parking lot they occupied. She dropped to a crouch, her back pressed to the car, her skin rippling into gooseflesh from the shock of its chill metal surface. It was that more than anything that seemed to cure her, and after several perilous seconds, she tipped her head back against it.

?I think? I think I?m alright.? She said after a moment, rolling her eyes up and to the side to look at him. ?That was really weird, sorry.?

?Babe,? he grabbed his jacket and got outta tha car, still shirtless, and wrapped her up in it right quick. Tha gravel o? the driveway was hard on his feet even though he got socks on. Felt as if tha edge o? all the rocks had turned up to meet his soles.

?Tha Italian food naht settle with yah right?? There was a look about them tah be certain that she weren?t puttin? on a show for no one else. He eased down in a crouch beside her, one hand restin? at her lower back, ?I dun feel funny or nothing,? there was a pause and he added with a smile, hopin? tah cheer her up, ?Naht yet, anyhow.?

Scarcely aware of the cold until his jacket concealed her, the girl blushed suddenly, her cheeks flaming with color. It was like she?d only just realized her predicament, so hasty she?d been to be out of the car. ?Thanks, love,? murmured Grace, fitting her arms into the sleeves of his coat. It was too big for her, but she didn?t seem to mind, leaning away from the car just long enough to let it fall down her back, and then she settled again.

The gravel was like chipped glass under the balls of little feet, but it took her a time to notice. When she did, she frowned, leaning more towards him than away as though to ease, or at least abate, the way they pierced into her skin. She took several deep breaths, gulping air, and then shrugged. ?I don?t think it was actually the food? Just? suddenly the smell of it was overwhelming.? She gave him a weak smile. ?Pretty sure you?re safe.?

?Dun know that I evah gonna be safe,? he adjusted his arm tah bein? around her when she leaned in. His eyebrows lowered a little and he were thinkin?, well, he were thinkin? a lotta things. But he weren?t wantin? tah jinx nothing. Sah he jis kinda kissed her shoulder, ?Sah yah been married and din yah been tired and kinda unda tha weather.? Point A went tah point B and tha went tah point C. He chuckled, ?There be about ten tah thirty thin?s more romantic than whut I gotta say, but when you get your period??

Mark shoulda known, and he usually had a loose idea o? it. Grace weren?t tah moody or tah hormonal when it happened. Sometimes she could get sad and sometimes she could get a little angry, but it weren?t nothing some space and a movie couldn?t fix. This was different, she weren?t kinda sad or moody or nothin?. She?d been smooth sailing up until the mad scramble tah almost puke. Sah point A led to? B or C. Maybe point A led tah point P?

He couldn?t be blamed for not knowing. Grace herself hardly knew. The injectable birth control she?d been using had a tendency to eliminate the cycle, and she was a tiny little bird of a girl to begin with. Between the two, she?d never been the most predictable of women where that was concerned, and it wasn?t something she put a lot of thought into.

Mark had a point, though. Lately, she?d been feeling...weird. Not bad, necessarily, but weighed down, somehow, and just really tired. Grace had chalked it up to a combination of being constantly on the go and the birth control wearing off, but what if? Brows furrowing thoughtfully, she lifted vibrant green to his face, her neck craned back at a drastic angle given that she was still leaned against him. She shook her head slowly. ?I actually...don?t know. Do you think???

?Naht a clue, I?m jist talkin.? He said it with tha most reassurance tha his smile could manage. O? course iffin she was, tha were a good thin?. And if she weren?t? Tha was mostly jist fine, tah. They been married fer a moment so tha expectation were there, that it would happen eventually. Mark weren?t gonna stress his mind ovah it under two or three years passed, cause that might say something about whether or naht she could have any kids. It were kinda a leap tah think one off day was so significant.

?Still a good vacation we got tahgether. Yeah?? He turned his head tah kiss her cheek, mehbe even her lips iffin tha angle was right, ?You wantin? tah go home or still curl up out there?? When he said ?out there? he nodded towards the dunes.

Grace nodded once, letting her chin drop so she could lay her head against his shoulder for a moment. It was a lot to think about, thrilling and a little scary all at once. She pressed a kiss there at his collarbone and then lifted her head, nodding once more. ?Well, guess we?ll find out soon, yeah?? She gave him a little smile, kissed his cheek and then pulled away, wrapping his coat more tightly around her body before she stood.

It fit her nearly like the dress she?d been wearing did, reaching to mid thigh. Her feet were still bare, and she shifted herself to one of them to relieve the other from the sharp pressure of the gravel, only to switch the two a moment later. Making a face because they both hurt, the little dancer continued shifting from foot to foot as she offered Mark a hand to help him up, a smile on her face. ?Let?s stay. If that?s what it is, all the more reason to do something special, right??

She were cute that way, all wrapped up in his coat cause it were enough, the end of it scooping up her bottom tah the thigh as she walked. He stood up, knowin? the look she got on her face and din he smiled, ?Come on, din. Hop up,? He turned his back tah her and crouched sah tha she could climb on his back and spare those feet. He got socks on, which were okay but this was tha kinda burden a man liked tah take fer his woman. A little bit o? pain tah save her from the shark teeth gravel were the sorta little favors a fella wanted tah do fer someone.

?Din let?s get tah tha beach, yeah?? Without his jacket he was shirtless, the BARLOW tattoo between his shoulders aimed up at her as he waited fer her tah climb aboard. Mark was still young, he still got the kinda fire tha let him be a little bit like mischief when she gave him tha slack to be sah. Was easy at times like that tah imagine he was carefree. Mehbe there was somethin?, tah, in the way that there weren?t no worry about kids and pregnancy, that it were something tha would happen when it would happen. Truth be told, Mark was on the verge of being a bit peculiar, and old, tah naht have one of his own. Grace got a shadow about her fer that, and he was figuring that iffin she was with child? It?d be like remembering or something.

Sah mehbe it were all cause she weren?t sure that he figured it must naht be the case. There were gonna be plenty o? other times tah try fer such a thing. Right now, it weren?t even trying. They was jist being, enjoyin? whut it were like tah be tahgether.

Giggling when he stood only to turn around and drop down again, Grace found herself grinning ear to ear. She gave an affectionate shake of her head. She stooped slightly and spread her arms, and as she did, the two sides of the coat fell free again. The show it afforded was short lived as she stepped forward, bending her knees enough to slide them alongside his waist, little fingers curling along his shoulders.

The girl bowed her head to kiss the Barlow tattoo once before she latched herself to him completely, her arms forming a loose collar to his neck as she clasped her wrists with each opposite hand. Her naked body as anchored to his back as she could make it, Grace snickered a little at the spectacle they were probably making. Whatever. She cared very little who saw what so long as she was with Mark and they were having fun. They?d certainly proved that on the morning after Beltane.

Still, his words had planted a seed in her mind, and the little stylist found herself re-examining the past few days for clues one way or the other. Trying to push the preoccupation aside -- whatever would be, would be -- she leaned forward to nip playfully at the back of his ear.

?Oi, tha be tha path tah trouble,? he said when he felt her teeth make a remark at his ear. Tha complaint, tho, didn?t have tah much weight in it. Seemed more like he was encouraging her than discouraging by tha way his voice sounded and how he was smilin? jist shortly after it.

Weren?t nothing to complain about when a naked woman got her body wrapped around you and your coat was like a cape fer her. Right now, it didn?t seem obscene. Weren?t like they was at a playground or something, with a young audience or, well, any audience at all. The beach area got a quiet tah it, but he was sure somewhere down the length of it there was dragons, minotaurs or lovers tha was up tah tha same ol? same ol?.

With her weight tha gravel was far more brutal than befer, but he weren?t gonna let her down. It weren?t but ten yards tah the rickety gate that was already open. When he walked through it, his feet relaxed under the dry forgiveness o? the beach sand. Made walking a lot harder, jist a lot less painful, ?Sah, you think there gonna be a spot for us??

It bein? a weekday meant folks had tah get up early and do whut they needed tah do. Tha also meant that they weren?t gonna abandon tha beach until about five or so, which meant naht far off a few families could be spotted. Without glasses or whatever that was a whole like easier.

?You like trouble, though,? responded the naked woman clinging to him, calling him out on the so-called admonishment with a grin. She still felt strange, but the fresh air and the piggyback ride did a lot to restore her color and her spirits. Her grip on his neck eased as she settled into the rhythm of his footsteps, her fingers curling around his shoulders instead.

It felt good to be here with him, like this. That impression of getting away with something, of stealing the time to just enjoy being together and actually have a little fun, returned to her as she propped one elbow atop his shoulder so she could use her hand to shade wide green eyes as she scanned the beach. The fact that there weren?t many people around, that it was a business day in the middle of the week when the sun was still high in the sky and warm enough to swim, but all the local kids were back in school anyway, it only added to the sense that they were doing something they weren?t supposed to. It felt indulgent and just a little bit naughty, especially given how conscious she was of her nakedness.

?There?s always gonna be a spot for us somewhere, Baby,? she murmured gently, right there next to his left ear. ?No matter what. There---? Grace pointed suddenly, her bent arm extending to show him where there was a bend in the beach just a little ways off, the trees growing closer to where the water continuously flirted with the sand than anywhere else. ?I looked this place up after we were here last time one day when it was slow at work. There?s a more secluded beach just over there and I bet there won?t be as many people.?

Grace lifted her chin to track his face as Mark moved closer. The expression in his eyes, that pleased with himself boyishness, it made her heart melt at the same time that it warmed her lower belly. ?Think so?? She murmured, lifting her hands to trace lightly over his bare chest. ?How could I be sweeter, you think?? Her grin was playfully expectant as she caught the corner of his jaw in her fingers, tugging him down into a kiss aimed at more than just her cheek. Her mouth found his greedily, and when she released him at length, she shrugged. ?Like that??

Mark spoke of building forts and making trouble. Her full lips stretched back from her teeth into a grin that was wide and getting wider. ?Promise??

Tha kiss was the sort that got a man to gettin? ideas, and mehbe he woulda pushed the envelope with her iffin he hadn?t just had a go at those ideas about an hour ago. She knew all that, well enough, it were said in the little grin she got when she looked at him. Askin? fer a promise o? trouble he reached ovah, given her bare little ass undah the jacket a squeeze, ?Yah know I plan on givin? yah tha kinda trouble as often as yah let me.? His lips pressed tah hers in one more kiss before he broke away, reachin? intah tha so-called Mary Poppins bag tah discover tha sorta sheer cloth that were there, good fer makin? fort walls and whut naht.

He did prettah good. A branch hanging ovah was the support, causing tha blue semi-sheer cloth tah become a thin tent which surrounded them. He used a few light rocks sah tha the ends of the ?tent? stayed where they was, jist a tiny bit taut. On his hands and knees at the outskirts o? the set up, he grinned, ?And there! Home sweet home.?

Grace grinned, squirming a little when he grabbed her ass. ?Good.? She nodded, stepping away to let him build that fort. While Mark worked, Grace laid out the second, heavier blanket, the one that would give them a little cushion against the friction of the sand. She pulled out one of the water bottles and twisted off the cap, helping herself to a little sip before it was offered out to him for the taking. He was the one doing all the hard work, after all, what with carrying her across the beach like that and now building their little ?home?.

When he finished, she looked suitably impressed, retreating underneath the pretty blue makeshift tent and curling up against the pillows. The sun filtered through the translucent cloth, and with the salty breeze and the steady rush of the waves, it felt a little bit like being underwater. She held up one hand, fingers splayed, looking at the way the blue light changed the tone of her skin, and her smile spread when she saw the deep, sapphire vibrance it gave to his eyes. ?I think I like this home,? she said after a moment. ?Let?s stay here awhile.?

?I thought tha was tha plan,? he countered, but he knew whut she meant. He jist played along in the grey areas, was all. There was a long look ovah her, ovah the whole situation befer he smiled, ?Got a way about you tha makes me wanna be where yah are.? He crawled tah her, dropping his side tah the blanket, one leg wrappin? ovah her own tah tuck her in a bit closer tah him.

One hand lifted out to him. ?Hand me your phone, hm?? She wiggled her fingers beseechingly, and when he handed it over, Grace quickly maneuvered it to the camera app and snapped a picture of him. She wouldn?t give it back, either, despite his protests, until she?d sent it to herself in a text message. Her own phone was presumably in the car along with the rest of the bags, and any stitch of clothing she?d brought with her.

The phone was returned to him once she had her picture, and the girl lounged luxuriously against the pillows, stretching with cat like contentment. The fact that his coat had fallen away from her body entirely wasn?t lost on her, but she didn?t do anything about it, either. Let him look. Or touch, or anything else he felt like doing, really.

?Oi, yah silly thin?,? he didn?t protest fer her too much, mostly cause it weren?t til she snapped tha photo tha he knew whut she were up tah. Finally, tho, when it was returned he were shakin? his head at her for it.

?Sah, I gotta wonder,? pushin? some o? those seafoam locks from her face, like a wind combing back a wave, ?you got some kinda fantasy, some kinda sexy little daydream you hopin? tah come tah pass befer you gah and get twisted up by fatha time??

Mark pushed her hair from her face and she found herself leaning into that touch, tipping her chin at the last moment so she could kiss the palm of his hand. His question had her rolling her shoulders helplessly. ?...Like what??

?Dunno, s?why I asked yah. I got mine from yah already. Well, I think I dah. I mean, yah nailed it fer my birthday.? He made a face at her, takin? tha phone back when she were done and givin? tha image a look, ?Oi, look like I need a haircut.? There mighta been a glint tah his eyes which said he liked tah slip those words tah her.

She were all laid out, lookin? comfy, with his coat like some kinda backdrop fer her. Yeah, his eyes went back ovah her again, his lips pressin? tahgether as he did sah. He?d be damned iffin she didn?t jist have the proper curves, lookin? like svelte mischief in that coat o? his. There was one look about tah be sure tha the privacy o? tha beach hadn?t been compromised tah bad, then he climbed atop of her, claiming that spot between her legs with his elbows holdin? up mosta his weight, put somewhere against tha ground jist above her shoulder. His mouth was flirtin? with hers, nudgin? at her tah see iffin he couldn?t get tha kiss.

?Mm, that reminds me. S?almost your birthday again, gotta figure out what I?m gonna do to top last year.? Grace grinned at the memory, and maybe it had a lot to do with why she wasn?t all that self conscious anymore. Her brows rose together, lips pursing slightly when he commented on his hair. ?Actually, I like it a little long,? she replied loftily, not quite giving him the rise he was looking for.

Then he was crawling over her, and that suited Grace just fine. Sure, they?d had their fun in the car, but wasn?t the point of these little vacations to overindulge in each other? The dancer slid her legs apart, her knees pressing lightly into his thighs, her hands grazing the tarot cards on his ribs on their way over his back. Mark wanted a kiss and he got it, her lips opening readily, eager.

Mark indulged in her when he could, it was somethin? of a need fer him. He was lucky that Grace weren?t the sort tha was satisfied with less. He liked tah connect with her every day, mehbe even every other day iffin he had tah. The gypsy king didn?t do well tah not have his hand held, his lips kissed and his bed used. She were kissin? him with tha kinda zeal tha made him take another go again.

?Oi, hey,? he managed when his mouth broke away from hers. One hand rested on her cheek and then melted down befer he continued, ?I love you. Like tah the moon and back or whutever else tha kids are sayin?. I jist wanna be with yah all tha time cause those are the times tha are happy.?

Grace didn?t mind his needs. She craved him nearly as much, nearly as often, and they were the kind of couple that could lead perfectly separate, independent lives up until the moment they were in each other?s presence, and then they became a conjoined, cohesive unit with twice the usual number of eyes and fingers and teeth.

She let his mouth break from hers only reluctantly, her small fingers already threading into the space between them, her thumb catching the lip of his belt. She paused when he spoke, her deep, wild green eyes blinking once or twice to focus as he began to speak. A crooked smile, all soft and melty along the edges, found her features. ?I love you, too. Like crazy. An? I only ever wanna be by your side, wherever that is.?

Planting her hands on the blanket, she twisted the sand underneath it in her knuckles as she pushed herself up to meet him, to kiss him anew.

(end scene)