Chapter Four. The woman pulled Elizabeth up effortlessly and kissed her

The woman pulled Elizabeth up effortlessly and kissed her. Soft, delicate kisses at first, their breath mingling as the smells of paradise surrounded them. The surfer stepped closer and Elizabeth wrapped her arms around the woman’s neck, pressing against the damp flesh. Her kisses became impatient and insistent. Elizabeth struggled to keep up with the demands of the tongue invading her mouth and raised herself on her toes to get closer to the mouth, causing delicious tremors through her body.

The woman pulled away and they stood together in the moonlight. Elizabeth looked up into dark eyes that tempted her to pick up the gauntlet laid at her feet. She had no doubt she was to decide how far this would go. She could choose to stop right now or continue what she instinctively knew would be a mutually satisfying experience. The steamy, sensuous look in the woman’s eyes, and what she had seen today in the sunlight, reaffirmed that sex with this stranger would be incredible.

But this was ridiculous. She didn’t know anything about this woman. Elizabeth barely heard her common sense over the roar of the pounding between her legs. Something about her kept drawing Elizabeth, something different from anyone she’d ever known. They had barely spoken to each other, but she sensed the woman probing the depths of her soul with her keen eyes. She dropped her hands from around the stranger’s neck and, with a subtle nod, took her hand. She didn’t know where they were going, but she knew exactly what would happen when they got there.

The surfer retrieved her board, which she’d dropped in the sand sometime during their embrace. Elizabeth didn’t say a word as she walked beside her, wanting to memorize every detail of this moment. Something about this entire interlude made her realize she would remember it forever.

She finally saw the woman was taking her to a place not far from where she’d been sitting—a cluster of trees that had sprung up in the soft sand. The area had created a natural umbrella from the sun earlier in the day and now served as the perfect spot for a very private rendezvous. The ease with which the woman had seduced her gave Elizabeth the impression that she had done this often. She was probably just another notch on this woman’s surfboard, but at this particular moment, she didn’t care. She wanted only for the woman to kiss her again.

After only three or four steps into the stand of trees they were practically engulfed in darkness. The woman sank her board into the sand next to a large tree and turned Elizabeth around, pinning her back against the smooth board. She moaned when the woman’s hands started to roam over her. When they slipped under her T-shirt and cupped her breasts, she was sure her knees would buckle.

The woman’s actions were bold. Elizabeth practically danced when she pinched her erect nipples. Arching into the caress, she instinctively grabbed the back of the woman’s head, twisting her fingers in the short dark hair. The woman got the message and in an instant Elizabeth’s T-shirt was gone and her bikini top quickly followed. In the second it took to complete the maneuver she felt as if the loss of physical contact had lasted for days. The stranger lowered her mouth again and Elizabeth was swept away.

It had been a long time since another woman had touched her. Longer still since she had been taken. She allowed herself to be transported in her primal need for this complete stranger. She needed the caress of soft, insistent hands that knew what a woman’s body needed. A warm hand drifted down her stomach and was sneaking under the waistband of her shorts. Awash in sensation, she let her head fall back against the hard board. Somehow the woman’s sports bra had disappeared and Elizabeth was exploring small breasts with very tight nipples.

The image of how they must look flashed in Elizabeth’s mind. What would someone see if they were discovered? One woman bent at the waist, feasting on the breasts of another who was obviously only moments away from orgasm? Elizabeth was too far gone in her passion to care. She needed to feel this woman against her. Her hot body on top of her, hard muscles trembling beneath her fingers. Elizabeth began to sink to the sand.

Somewhere in the fog of desire she heard phrases like, “Holy shit, it’s a couple of girls” and “Oh, yeah.” She dragged her eyes open and looked right into three pairs of eyes staring back at her. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her head. Over her anonymous lover’s shoulder she saw a trio of teenage boys. The woman hadn’t noticed their audience yet, and by the boys’ expressions that was perfectly fine with them. But it was not perfectly fine with Elizabeth.

Now she cursed, and the woman lifted her head, her face a mass of confusion. Seeing Elizabeth’s expression she looked over her shoulder.

“Fuck, ” the woman said, repeating the word Elizabeth had just used.

“Yeah, ” one of the boys said, the growing tent in his swim trunks mirroring his words.

“Get lost, ” the woman said, straightening up and effectively blocking their view of Elizabeth’s nakedness.

She could have died from embarrassment. She couldn’t face the boys, choosing instead to bury her face in the woman’s shoulder.

“I said get the fuck out of here, ” the woman repeated, her voice stronger and more threatening this time. Elizabeth could feel the woman’s chest as she gulped in air to control her erratic breathing. She heard a rustle and risked a look and saw that the gawkers had indeed fled.

Suddenly she was mortified at her behavior. She didn’t know what to do first—get dressed, say something, or simply dissolve into the sand. The woman didn’t appear to be terribly concerned with their state of undress or being caught with her mouth on another woman’s breasts. Elizabeth wanted to say something but had no idea what.

The woman stepped back, her eyes darting back and forth between Elizabeth’s bare breasts as if memorizing every detail before they were taken away. Elizabeth forced herself not to cover herself with her hands. It was a little late for that anyway. She was proud of her body. She looked better than most other thirty-seven-year-old women, though certainly not as good as the woman standing half naked in front of her. Elizabeth had worked hard, going to the gym four or five times a week, and the way the woman was gazing at her now made all the sweat and pain worthwhile. She felt more beautiful and desired than she had in a long time.

For a moment, she forgot that she was standing on the beach bare from the waist up. She was looking at the body of the woman who had led her here. It was dark where they were, but she was able to discern the stark suntan line of the woman’s top. Her arms and chest were well-defined, and the muscles in her stomach looked as hard as they had felt moments earlier.

Elizabeth started to say something but stopped when the woman retrieved their clothes. Silently handing Elizabeth her top, she took another step back and tugged her sports bra over her head. The surfer’s hands were still shaking, and Elizabeth watched with regret as the tantalizing breasts were quickly covered.

“I’ll walk you back, ” the woman said quietly.

When she stepped toward Elizabeth, she thought she might take her in her arms again, but she reached around her and grabbed her surfboard. Elizabeth followed the woman out of the trees and down the shoreline to where she had been sitting as silently as they came to this place. The woman hesitated, as if trying to decide if she should stay or go. Elizabeth watched the questions form on her face and her make the decision. The woman stepped forward and kissed her gently on the cheek.

“You’re very beautiful, ” she whispered, and walked away.