Page 137 of Legally Mine

With considerable effort, Brandon tore his gaze from my body and turned toward one of the small cliffs sticking out from the beach.

"Because I've got cold water, baby," he said with a grin that seemed brighter than the sun above us.

Then he scampered up the cliff and hurled himself off the edge, landing in the sapphire waves with a giant splash. I watched in shock when he emerged, flipping water back with a flick of his head and a laugh that echoed through our little canyon.

"Come on, Red!" he called. "It feels great!"

He didn't have to ask me twice. I grinned and climbed up the cliff myself. I jumped off with a whoop, landing beside Brandon with a slightly smaller splash.

"Wooo!" I howled with glee as I burst back into the sun.

Beside me, Brandon's thousand-watt smile showed that he was as happy as I was. We were surrounded by cliffs and trees, the sky and water mirroring one another's colors in perfect harmony. No one around for what felt like miles. It was perfect.

Perfect, that is, until I realized I felt freer than I probably should. I looked down and shrieked.

"Shit!" I cried as I splashed frantically, twisting around like a dog chasing its tail.

"What? What is it?" Brandon asked, concern marring his relaxed features. "Did you see something in the water?"

"No, I lost something in the water!" I yelped. "My swim top. It fell off!"

I was now completely naked from the waist up. And my bandeau was nowhere in sight.

"You're kidding." Brandon stopped looking around while an impish grin spread over his face. His long arms continued to tread slowly in the waves.

"No, I'm not!" I continued to paddle around, looking for signs of my absent top while trying to keep my body below the water and out of sight.

Brandon just watched with obvious amusement, and eventually started laughing as he made his way back to the shore and sat down in the shallow surf. The more I looked, the more he laughed, his loud guffaws filling the canyon while he held his belly in check.

I glared from where I still tread water, my body submerged with the exception of my head.

"You think this is funny?" I demanded. "You're not even going to help me look?"

Brandon propped himself back on his elbows and grinned down his long body at me. "You have to admit, it's pretty hilarious, babe."

I scowled, which only made him chuckle again. "It's not funny. I have nothing to wear now except a sweaty tank top!"

My frustration just made him laugh harder, and when he caught me glowering at him, he collapsed back on his back, stomach shaking. That was it.

"All right," I called as I swam back to the beach. My feet touched the ground, and I started to walk in toward Brandon.

Brandon propped himself up on his elbows again. His eyes, which were the same color as the sky-blue waters that surrounded us, popped open as he watched my progress to shore.

"What-what are you doing?" he asked, all signs of amusement wiped from his face.

I stood up fully as I walked, topless in the afternoon sun as he stared, all signs of amusement gone. Water cascaded down my bare skin, and Brandon's gaze was riveted as I continued onto the beach.

"Maybe it's not that big of a deal," I remarked as I kneeled beside him, careful not to let any part of me touch his wet skin. "It is France, after all. Everyone here goes topless."

Brandon sat up fully, ignoring the tiny pebbles stuck to his elbows and back. He pushed a hand through his hair, not even bothering to shield his fascination with my naked breasts. I sat a little closer, bringing my nipples only an inch or so from his face. His mouth fell open, but he didn't move. His eyes flickered to my face, then back down. A drop of water fell off one nipple. Brandon bit his lip.

"Not...going....to work," he said with considerable effort, although he made no move away. His shorts, now soaked, did nothing to hide his arousal.

I smirked and stood up. Did he really think that's all I had? I swayed my hips as I retrieved the sun lotion, then came back to sit next to Brandon in the shallow water. He still hadn't moved, just watched silently as I squeezed another bit of lotion into my palms and rubbed them together.

"What are you doing?" he asked again after clearing his throat.

I glanced at him. "Time to reapply," I said, then started to rub the lotion over my chest again, this time making obvious circles around my breasts.