Emily stretches

Emily didn’t look away.

Instead, she stretched—arms overhead, fingers laced, arching her spine slightly as she pushed her chest forward, shoulders rolling back. The red bikini lifted with her, cups shifting precariously as the bottoms pulled snug over her hips. She yawned, slow and feline, letting the sun coat her skin in gold.

She didn’t have to glance their way to know they were watching.

She felt it.

A few minutes later, another shadow fell across her towel.

This one broader. Thicker.

“Sorry about him,” said a voice—deeper, smoother than Dan’s. “He gets competitive with his throws when someone pretty’s nearby.”

Emily lifted her sunglasses.

The guy in front of her wasn’t as tall as Dan, but more solid—defined muscle under tanned skin, black hair tousled and damp from a recent dip. His board shorts hung low on his hips, wet in places that drew the eye.

“And you are?” she asked, lips curving with just enough edge to challenge.

He smiled. “Charlie. The more polite one.”

She smiled back. “Emily. The one who almost got frisbee’d.”

“Worth the risk,” he said smoothly. “Though I think Dan just needed an excuse to get a better look.”

Emily shifted slightly, turning onto her side, hip peeking from beneath the towel, her bikini bottom stretching tight over her ass.

“Then I hope he liked what he saw.”

“Oh, he did,” Charlie said, eyes glinting. “We both did.”

She let her hair down then, pulling the tie free and shaking it out across her shoulders. His jaw ticked. His eyes dragged from her wet collarbone to the bounce in her breasts, to the gentle roll of her hip.

“You in town long?” he asked.

“Long enough.”

Back by the dunes, Dan called out, “You coming back or just going to steal her umbrella?”

“Working on it,” Charlie shouted back without taking his eyes off her.

He stood up, brushing the sand from his legs. “Catch you later, Emily.”

“Looking forward to it,” she said, watching the way his abs shifted with each step.

As he rejoined Dan, she turned onto her stomach, letting her hips sway slightly with the motion. Her bikini bottom rode high—higher than she’d normally allow—but she didn’t adjust it.

From under her shades, she watched them talk.

They were laughing—but serious, too.

She couldn’t hear every word, but caught enough.

“…no fucking way you get her first…”

“…two nights. You’ll see…”

“…winner picks what the loser does.”

Dan slapped Charlie’s shoulder.

Charlie just nodded.

Then looked straight at her again.

And smiled.