Sun-chapped Lips

By Gina

            One…two… three! She sprung from the rough, rock ledge and felt a moment of weightlessness before the water slapped against her legs and the foaming surface sucked her under. Her hair swirled in front of her face as she sunk in the water, before feeling the soft spongy sand beneath her toes. She pushed off lightly and let her body float to the top. Her hair clung to her face and she dunked back under, shaking off the strands that stuck desperately to her wet skin. She came back up, gasping and laughing from the exhilaration.

            He watched her tread water, smiling to herself as the moon cast a silver veil across the water and a shimmer along her skin. He threw his shirt and pants into a bundle on the ground and kicked off his sneakers. He ran along the rock and sprung into the air, letting out a whoop of excitement as his body plummeted to the water. He twisted around to see her face, surprise and happiness clearly showing, before the water engulfed him and the salt stung his eyes. He sputtered to the surface and whipped his hair away from his face. He swam over to her quietly, keeping eye contact the whole time. Her chin dipped in and out of the water as she moved her arms to keep up at the surface, and he knew she was trying to hide a smile.

            “Hey Sera,” he whispered, his voice catching in his throat. He cleared it, and grinned as he finally reached her. She rolled her eyes and swam away, kicking his hand away as he tried to hold onto her ankle. The anklet in his hand was his only reward. He grinned and swam after her. She turned her head back and yelled as he chased her, swimming out further to the floating dock. He watched the water drip down her legs as she climbed onto the bleached wood. He swum after her and had to hold back a laugh as she peered cautiously at the water, looking for him. He took a lungful of air and dove into the water, and felt as it grew noticeably cooler as he passed under the dock. The cool water rippled over his skin, and he broke to the surface as quietly as he could. The only warning she had of his arrival was the slight dip of the dock as he climbed silently on. She turned around only to meet with his arms wrapping around her body.

            They fell to the deck in a heap, laughing loudly. The water from his hair dripped onto her face and she ran her hands through it, shaking the water away. He kissed her chin and propped his elbows on either side of her head. She wriggled under his weight, her own laughter dying. He stared down at her, his gaze continually flickering to her lips.

            “Sera?” he asked quietly, and she looked up at him.

            “Yeah?” she breathed quietly, not knowing what to do with her hands. She decided to push his hair behind his ears, then fingered with the strands at the nape of his neck. He sighed and rested his forehead against hers, and they both closed their eyes.

            “I’m really glad you said that you would go out with me to eat that night,” he whispered, referring to the day over a two months ago when he had taken her apple and joked about wanting her to mooch dinner off him. He masked his nervousness quite well, she thought. She hugged him close to her and rested her face on his shoulder, her lips next to his ear.

            “Me too,” she murmured and kissed his cheek, suddenly shivering from the cool night air around them. She felt him smile against her neck and before she realized what he was doing, he had wrapped his arms around her and was rolling them off the dock into the water. It was not surprisingly warmer than the coolness of the bay, and she welcomed the warmness it offered. He kept his hands on her waist as they swam to the shore. They climbed up the rocks, careful not to slip and she felt his hand on the back of her thigh as he helped push her up to the ledge. She turned around as he pulled himself up. She watched the little rivulets stream down his chest and arms, and turned around to put on her pants, blushing. She didn’t notice his gaze linger on her back and arms and shoulders as she slipped the jeans up her thighs or pulled the shirt on over her head. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her stomach, pressing her back against his chest. She instinctively reached an arm around him and tilted her face to his neck.

            They walked slowly down the path, fingers intertwined. The back of their shirts were drenched from the water leaking from their hair and Sera joked that they looked like they had wet themselves. They crept quietly into the house, whispering to each other until Sera realized Kay had gone to Eric’s. In her room she thrust a T-shirt into Steve’s hands and he went down to his truck to grab shorts he kept in the back. While he was gone, she changed into a dry bra and her favorite soft Capri pajama bottoms. She dragged her blanket and a pillow behind her as she softly slipped down the stairs and out to the back porch.

            She was greeted with Steve’s hands and lips, to which she responded quite happily. After spreading the blanket and pillow out, they collapsed onto the hammock and relaxed with the gentle swaying. Snuggling into the crook of Steve’s arm, Sera wrapped her arms around his torso as he rested his head on hers. His tanned and calloused fingers traced languidly along her forearms, and they were both acutely aware of the others warmth.

            “Steve?” Sera whispered, staring at his fingers as they continued their lazy patterns. She felt her heart hammering in her throat when he took his other hand and carefully brushed her hair away from her face.

            “Yeah?” he breathed back just as softly and she tilted her face up to see his. He watched her bite her lip and glance away, only to look back with a new determination shining through. He had the strongest urge to tell her what he’d wanted to that morning he’d first asked her to dinner, but bit back his comment. He knew she had something to say and he waited patiently, though that was hard.

            “I-” she glanced at his lips and he smirked, “I think… I may be… falling in love… with you.” Once she had said ‘falling’ he had full out smiled. Before he answered her he had pressed his lips against hers and kissed her hard.

            “I love you too Sera,” he said and she rolled her eyes.

            “The smile made me feel better. Like I wasn’t going to completely regret those words,” she smiled softly and kissed him tenderly, sighing as he started to kiss her neck. His hands traced her stomach and hips and they shifted their weight. She put her hands on his shoulders when he began tugging on her pant bottoms. Staring at each other, she broke their gaze to look out at the ocean.

            “Three hours ‘til sunrise,” she whispered, and when she looked at him again, she had a glint in her eye. He pulled the condom out of his pocket and glanced between it and her.

            “You’re sure?” he asked quietly and she answered by kissing him again and lifting off his shirt. He kissed her back and picked up where he’d left off.

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            He sighed happily as he slowly kissed her bare shoulder. She was curled up next to him, back on the hammock. He pulled the blanket around them tighter and she snuggled into his arms, his hands slipping over her stomach. After they had made love, they had lain on the floor, shaking and panting. Their skin was slippery with sweat and she had kissed his face slowly, the droplet salty on her tongue. She couldn’t get over the memory of his lips on her skin, his rough, chapped lips that set her skin on fire and her left her legs trembling. They had laughed and exchanged stories of past lovers and their adolescent fantasies of what they thought their first time was going to be like, and just how wrong they’d been. They were both happy that, at least for their first time together, instead of a big, fluffy bed, they had had a hammock (and then when that had proved impossible, the porch). Instead of candles they had had the moonlight. And instead of soft music, they had had the gentle rhythm of the waves crashing on the beach.

            As they drifted into deep slumber, Sera whispered so softly that Steve almost missed it, “I love your sun-chapped lips.”

A/N: Did you think it was too soon for them to make love? I don’t, but… I wrote it so obviously I don’t think so. Anyway, I only have a few more chapters or so. Review por favor!