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XAVIER

Ten Years Later

I t's taken ten years to finally get a week-long vacation with my wife, but from the looks of our suite and private beach, it's all about to be worth it. Our three children are with my mother, and I’m already buzzing at the thought of having Maria all to myself.

The only thing making me pause is the hesitation on Maria's face as she unpacks her new white bikini. She's biting her bottom lip the way she does when she's thinking too hard, her brows drawn together.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, I don't know." She turns to look out the floor-to-ceiling window at the Amalfi Coast beyond. "I think I just overestimated my self-confidence, is all."

I walk up behind her, slipping my hands around her waist and leaning in close. "Are you kidding me? You're gorgeous."

"Flatterer." She smiles, leaning into me. "It's just … it's been a decade and three kids since we've had an adults-only beach vacation, and my bo dy certainly doesn't look like it did back then. I don't want to disappoint you."

"Maria," I say firmly. "You're hotter than you've ever been. Your curves drive me wild, and I love knowing you can take all I can give without breaking. Now put on the damn suit and let me see you."

It's supposed to be lighthearted, but when she turns in my arms to look at me, her eyes are suspiciously misty. "You mean it?"

"Let me see you in that bikini, and I'll prove to you how much I fucking mean it. That's the only thing you're going to be wearing on this beach, and I'm going to spend all day thinking about how many ways I can rip it off you later tonight."

She laughs, shaking her head. "Okay, okay, I get the hint."

She changes in the bathroom, and I watch as she adjusts the triangles over her full breasts once she comes out. When she turns around to face me, I whistle low. Her body is a work of art to me, and the thin bathing suit fabric is a torturous temptation for what’s beneath.

"You look good enough to eat.”

"You already did that," she teases. "Twice this morning."

"I know. I've got a big appetite."

Maria huffs, all the tension in her gone as she grabs towels and heads toward the door. "If you're lucky, I'll let you have dessert first tonight."

"Deal," I reply, following her out into paradise.

The End

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