Only a handful of determined travellers ever stumbled upon this beach—a crescent of sand carved into the old rock face, sheltered from the bustle of the main shore and softened by the sigh of the tide.

You had thought of it as your hidden oasis, the one place where summer might finally loosen its grip on your weary bones.Of the scattered clusters of sunbathers, none had held your attention for long.Not until your gaze drifted to the water—
and found her.She rose from the sea as though the ocean itself were offering her up, a goddess reclaiming a forgotten throne. Light clung to her sculpted form; every line of muscle seemed hewn from marble, her abdomen a flawless study in strength. Only the short, dark ponytail falling over her shoulder betrayed her humanity.In that instant, desire struck you with the force of a wave. You needed to know her—those curves, that impossible poise, the story written in every deliberate movement. You needed to speak to her, to say…