“Wake up!!” Addison jumps up, startled in bed. Krissy was beside her bed and itched with excitement. “This is my last day here and I have yet to see the beach up close. Put your swimsuit on lady because we’re laying low today.”

“Are you serious? Kris, I would have at least thought that in my first few days here I’d be able to have a morning where I slept in.” Addison stated.

“Sleeping in can wait until I'm gone. Come on! Kurt and the guys are waiting for us.” Kris announced.

“Huh?” Addie looked at her in confusion. Krissy furrowed her brow.

“You can’t tell me that you don’t want to go. Nathan’ll be there.” She chimed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Addison asked. “What are you trying to pull?”

“Nothing.” Krissy looked at her with an exaggeratedly angelic and innocent face.

“Fat chance of that.” Addison stated. Krissy giggled, gave her a peck on the cheek and headed out of her room, down the hall to the spare room and shut the door.

Half an hour later, Addison and Krissy were both in their swimsuits and wearing their beachwear over-top. They crossed the way and headed to Kurt’s house. Nathan answered the door. He was delighted to see Addison standing there with Krissy and flashed them both a smile. He was seriously regretting about bailing on Kurt for an extra shift at the station. He frankly would have rather had sat on the sand, relaxed and gotten to know Addison a bit better. He really did enjoy talking with her last night. Kurt had put up a fuss like the diva he could sometimes be and told him to quote on quote, get his dick in line.

“What’s up with you lately? It seems like you’ve changed over the summer. Should I call Lara and get her over here to remind you of what you could be getting? Or maybe Candice? Or should I call Stephanie?” Kurt had asked him. Sure Nathan had changed. With some recent family issues, he was still trying to overcome, he realized that life was too short to simply waste it on one-nighters. Sure he still enjoyed it but the thought hadn’t crossed his mind since he first saw Addison. Normally, he would have jumped at nights like last night to find himself a new flavor as Kurt would call the girls but since seeing Addison, he couldn't help but wonder about the sexy and mysterious girl next door.

“Kurt, I’m just not into it.” He had told him.

“Bullshit! I saw the way you looked at Kris’ friend the other day.” Kurt stated. “You should definitely do ‘er dude.” He added.

“Fuck off Kurt! I don’t think she’s into me like that.” Nathan said and found himself wishing that he knew what she thought of him. She was hard to read.

“Seriously dude, grow a pair will ya?” Kurt asked him.

Nathan then proceeded to tell him that he had decided to take a shift and that he wasn’t going to be able to make it.

Later that afternoon, Addison was laying on the beach, feeling the cooling breeze on her back and shoulders while enjoying her latest thriller of a book. She discovered this love for thrillers shortly after Carter’s attack, when she was bedridden because of her wounds. She couldn’t bring herself to trust anyone and dreaded being around those she used to hang around with so she secluded herself and lived through various novels. That's when she discovered James Patterson. She loved the variety of written works that he was able to pull off. Her current read was his The Postcard Killers. She was deeply enthralled with it. She was glad that she had packed a book considering she knew that Kris and Kurt were pretty much spending their time together, God knows where. Damon, the fourth wheel had disappeared with a bunch of ladies a while earlier so that left her by herself. She was so engrossed in her book that when a shadow was cast over her, it annoyed her.

“Do you mind? You’re…” Her voice trailed off as she looked up and realized who it was and she finished. “Blocking my sun. Nate! But aren’t you supposed to be working?” She asked, embarrassed for the rudeness. “I’m sorry. Foot in mouth disease I suppose.” She blushed.

“It seems like you’ve developed a trend where you apologize every time we see each other.” He said and laughed lightly. “My boss sent me home early.” He informed her. She couldn’t help but blush again when his eyes looked her over from head to toe. “Maybe you should think about rolling over.” He added. “You might regret this day later tonight if you don’t. You’re getting red.” Addison sat up and checked her shoulders. He was right. Shame on her for thinking he was checking her out. Maybe because of this redness, he never noticed the blushing. Wishful thinking lady.

“I guess this sun isn’t the same as back home huh?” She stated and gave him an oops kind of smirk. He sat down beside her and found himself nervous all of a sudden.

“Didn’t you put sunscreen on?” He asked her. She nodded. “Maybe you need more.” He added. She'll never fall for that one. He thought. Seconds later, she handed him her bottle, rolled back onto her stomach and waited for him to put some on her back. He sat there not moving. She eventually lifted her head, looked over at him and explained:

“I can’t reach certain spots and there’s no one else to help me out right now. Do you mind?”

Nathan quietly shook his head no and proceeded with applying her sunscreen. He couldn’t help but notice at how unusually hot her skin felt compared to other girls he’s been with. It was almost an electrical impulse of sorts. He also wondered why in the world a girl like her would be wearing a plain black one piece. Her curves definitely warranted a bikini. The one great thing he saw about it is that it left more to his imagination. Stop it! He told himself.

Addison couldn’t believe herself. She wouldn’t allow anyone but Krissy put the lotion on her earlier and now she’s chucking the bottle at Nathan, no hesitation. True enough, no one else was around to do it but normally, she would have picked the option of burning, moving to some shade or going home before getting a sexy guy like Nathan to lather her up. His hands came hot, smooth and soft onto her back. She closed her eyes behind her sunglasses to savor this moment and smiled peacefully. She began to wonder what those hands could really do, especially when he reached the small of her back, above her bottom to cover the last of her exposed skin. She shivered. Magic hands.

“Everything okay?” He asked her.

“Umm. Hmm.” She began with a sexy undertone and popped her head up, surprised at herself. “Uh. Yeah.” She barely knew this guy and she surely wasn’t looking for anything with him, let alone anyone. But what if? She wondered. No! You can’t. You shouldn’t. Arrgghhh! Frustration set in.

Nate loved the way Addison shivered beneath his hands.

“Everything okay?” He had asked her.

“Umm. Hmm.” She had answered. Although she came back with a slightly more structured answer almost immediately, he knew that he wasn’t the only one feeling the heat. That initial answer made him want to keep rubbing. You barely know this girl. What the hell are you thinking? Then again, it's never stopped you before. But she's different somehow. Slowly, Nathan was realizing that this girl wasn’t disposable like all the others that had come and left almost as quickly, out of his life. There was something that pulled him toward this girl. He shook those remaining thoughts out of his head.

“Get up!” He told her.

“What?” She looked at him in confusion and pulled her sunglasses down on her nose. He held out his hand. She laughed at it and looked back at his face seeing that he was serious. He had a great facial structure with the strong jaw bone, the dimples in his cheeks and his dark brown hair simply made his bright blue eyes seem even brighter.

“You look like you can use a dip.” And he nodded towards the ocean. “Hurry up before Krissy and Kurt get here.” He told her as the latter were heading their way. Nathan had decided better the water than watching Kris and Kurt make out like a bunch of nymphomaniacs. He picked up that it seemed like Addison didn’t care to be around it as well. He grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it off over his head in one swift move. He knew he could get someone’s attention with that but he didn’t think that Addison would notice, let alone blush of all people. He grabbed her sunglasses off of her face and chucked them, along with his shirt onto her towel and dragged her to the edge of the water.

“Slow down!” She giggled.

“Speed up!” He teased her. With one swift movement, he scooped her up bridal hold and ran into the water.

“Nate! Put me down!” She laughed. He sported a teasing grin and continued moving further into the water until a wave knocked him over and they both fell face first into the water. Nathan was the first to surface laughing. He looked around and didn’t see her. He furrowed his brow and wondered what she could be up to and then his feet got pulled from under him. As he surfaced almost immediately, Addison surfaced shortly after him. He got a glimpse of the water sliding off of her body, her lips, and her long hair that looked so soft. He couldn’t help but fantasize what it would feel like to be that water. She flashed him a mischievous smile. STOP!! He thought to himself. But he couldn’t. His old primal ways wanted to take over yet, he didn’t act. He realized he wanted to know more about her. He wanted to know her. Maybe even in every way.