Monique had just taken off her dressing-gown and was about to get dressed when the door opened and Shane walked in, bold as brass.
“Who gave you permission to just walk into my room?” she demanded, hands on hips. In the past, she would have covered up to hide her curves but that was before she had come to accept and be proud of her appearance. She even became an advocate against body shaming.
“We’re going to finish what we started,” he informed her as he walked right up to her. His expression was dead serious. The air crackled with the tension between them. The way he looked at her made her heart pound heavily against her chest and her breath quicken.
Her chin raised just a fraction higher and her eyes were wary as they met his. “What do you mean?” she asked.
He was standing very close now. Their bodies were almost touching. “Don’t tell me that you’ve forgotten what happened the last time we saw each other?”
No, she hadn’t forgotten. She had thought of nothing else since it happened. They were at a mutual friend’s barbecue and after having something to eat, she decided to go for a walk on the beach. She was standing at the water’s edge, facing the ocean, enjoying the feel of the sun on her face and the breeze on her skin when he joined her.
It was the first time they had ever been alone together and it made her very nervous. She was bare-feet and carrying her sandals in her hands. The floral print sundress reached just above her ankles and it flattered her. Her hair was pulled back in a French knot with a few strands framing her face.
Shane was dressed in a yellow tee shirt and khaki shorts. He looked absolutely gorgeous. She tried not to stare at him but she couldn’t help it. The expression on his face as he looked at her made her mouth dry. “I hope you don’t mind me being here,” he said.
She glanced away. “Why should I?” she replied. “You have as much right to be here as I do.”
“What are you afraid of?”
His question caught her by complete surprise. It took several minutes for her to recover enough to declare, “I’m not afraid of anything.”
“I think you are, Monique.”
“All right, you seem to know me better than I know myself. What do you think I’m afraid of?”
He moved closer. “I think you’re afraid to be alone with me.”
She swallowed hard. “Why should being alone with you make me afraid?” she wondered breathlessly. She wanted to step back but she couldn’t seem to move.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned over and kissed her. His hands went around her waist and held her tightly against him when she responded. The feel of his lips on hers was her undoing and she clung to his shoulders, her nails digging into the sleeves.
The sudden ringing of his cell phone was like being doused with a bucket of cold water. At first he ignored it and let it ring but when it rang again a couple of minutes later, muttering under his breath, he released her to answer it. She turned and ran up the sandy slope as fast as she could. When he returned to the house, she wasn’t there. She had left. That was a couple of weeks ago. She hadn’t seen him again until now.
“I see that your memory has returned,” he murmured. “We were interrupted by that call.”
She turned away. “Maybe it was a good thing we were.” 
“You don’t believe that any more than I do. And there isn’t anything to interrupt us now. I don’t have my cell on me and we’re the only ones here. Everyone’s gone into the city. We can finish now what we started that day on the beach.”
She felt her resolve weakening and when he pulled her roughly against him, his eyes dark with desire, she didn’t resist. When his mouth hungrily sought hers, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and feverishly kissed him back.
An hour and half later, they showered and got dressed. He took her into the city for a romantic, candlelight dinner with a spectacular view of the sea.
This was written for the Ragtag Daily Prompt for today’s prompt, Finish. If you’re interested in participating, click HERE for more information.
Notes to Women 