By the shoreline, Rosalind pointed ahead. "We’ll run to the boulder and back."

Rowan glanced at where she pointed before saying,"Agreed."

Then he gestured for her to start first.

Rosalind immediately took off.

As Rowan watched her from behind, he had to admit that she was quite fast. She ran along the edge of the water, kicking up droplets with every step.

After a few moments, Rosalind glanced over her shoulder to check if he was following.

Her eyes widened when Rowan finally started running towards her.

Determined to beat him, she quickly faced forward again and pushed herself forward. Yet despite the head start she had been given, she soon saw him pulling ahead of her.

Her mouth fell open.

Putting even more energy into her stride, Rosalind chased after him, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t close the distance. "Rowan, slow down!" she shouted.

"That wasn’t part of the game!" he called back, his voice carried away by the wind.

Rosalind couldn’t believe him.

By the time Rowan reached the boulder and turned around, Rosalind was only just arriving there herself.

She immediately turned back too and tried to continue, but her breath caught in her throat. "Rowan," she called, slowing to a stop.

Her loose braids had nearly fallen apart by now, and some of the flowers had already scattered into the sand.

"Rowan." This time her voice cracked slightly.

At once Rowan stopped and turned around.

He saw her bent over with her hands resting on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. Without hesitation he abandoned the race and hurried back toward her.

"Are you alright?" he asked with concern all over his face.

"I..."

Rosalind tried to steady her breathing. "Just a moment..."

His brows immediately pulled together as he reached out to hold her, "What’s wrong? Do we need to head back?"

Rosalind used that short moment to gather herself before suddenly darting around him.

For a second Rowan simply stared before he snapped out of it. "Rosalind!" He called after her, but she was already running away, her laughter floating through the air.

He couldn’t believe she had made him stop only for her to continue racing...

But Rowan wasn’t about to let her win. Immediately he took off after her.

When she heard him coming, she pushed herself faster, but the sound of his footsteps kept getting closer.

She genuinely didn’t understand how he could move that quickly.

Soon her amusement turned into panic when she realized he was almost upon her.

Just as she almost reached the finish line, Rowan caught up, wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting and spinning her away from there.

Rosalind kicked helplessly in the air, and her frantic movements caused them to lose their balance and tumble onto the sand, with Rowan taking the impact of the fall beneath her.

Rosalind immediately pushed herself up slightly, her breathing uneven as concern flashed across her face.

"Are you alright, Rowan?" she asked, searching his eyes.

Rowan let his head fall back against the sand while his gaze remained fixed on her. "What am I supposed to do with you?" he asked, although there was more fondness than frustration in his voice.

Rosalind’s lips curved into a sly smile. "Nothing," she teased. "You’re stuck with me now"

For a moment, neither of them moved. The sound of the waves filled the silence around them while the wind carried strands of Rosalind’s loosened hair across her face.

Rowan looked at her quietly, taking in the sight of her sitting on top of him with sand clinging to her skin and playfulness lingering in her eyes.

Then he lifted a hand and brushed a grain of sand from her cheek with his thumb.

Rosalind’s smile softened. "You have sand everywhere," he murmured.

"And whose fault is that?" she asked lightly.

Rowan shook his head, although the corner of his lips curved upward. His fingers slipped into her hair, pushing the loose strands away from her face before resting against the back of her head.

Neither of them looked away.

Rosalind felt her heartbeat slow and then quicken all over again as she held his gaze. The teasing faded, the laughter faded, and suddenly all she could think about was how close he was.

Rowan’s thumb brushed her cheek once more. "Rosalind..."

She didn’t let him finish.

Leaning forward, she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his.

****

Rowan could only think about how bold she had become as her fingers moved slowly, and he breathed heavily beneath her touch.

Rosalind sat up slightly, her gaze fixed on him as she loosened the ties of his trousers.

"Keep your eyes on me," she said calmly, meeting him with a bold, teasing look that made him sigh heavily.

She freed him before she guided him to exactly where she wanted, teasing him against her while the anticipation steadily built between them. Slowly, she lowered herself onto him, her lips parting and her brows drawing together at the sensation.

His lips parted too as she settled against him, rocking her hips slowly while his hands brushed over her thighs before settling firmly on her waist.

He held her there as she moved against him, and she could feel him reaching every place inside of her that made it difficult for her to think clearly. Leaning down, she cupped his face and kissed him deeply, her breath mingling with his as his grip tightened around her hips.

"Rowan...," she breathed against his ear before straightening again.

Taking control of the moment, she moved against him slowly at first before finding a rhythm. He tilted his head back against the sand, his hands tightening at her waist while she continued moving. Their breaths grew heavier, and the pace gradually increased.

"Rosalind," Rowan called, already losing himself because of her.

She answered with his name too, and as he guided her movements, every sensation built higher. Her hand pressed against his chest while she moved against him, and he met her rhythm from beneath. The tension continued to climb until neither of them could focus on anything else.

A loud moan escaped her lips as the pressure became almost unbearable.

Rowan’s jaw tightened while he held onto her, feeling himself being pushed closer and closer to the edge. His fingers dug into her waist as she continued moving, and eventually everything became too much to hold back.

With one final motion, they both came apart.

Rosalind collapsed against his chest, breathing hard while Rowan wrapped his arms around her.

They simply lay there listening to each other’s breathing and the distant sound of the waves.

Rowan pressed a kiss against the side of her head before letting his arms fall loosely beside him.

Rosalind was definitely going to ruin his sense of control, he thought to himself as he stared up at the bright morning sky while the sea breeze drifted around them.