School wasn't out yet and it was still too early in the season for beach trips, so we had the sand to ourselves. It was late enough in the afternoon that a cool onshore wind whipped at the shoreline, but the brisk, relentless breeze didn't tamp down Ella's excitement.

She stared down at her bare feet as her toes wiggled back and forth. "The sand feels colder than I expected."

"That's because it's late in the day. You walk across this sand at noon on a hot August day, and I guarantee you'll be hopping along like you're on hot coals."

"Then we'll have to come back here on a very hot day." Ella continued on to the water. Boone followed close at her heels with his favorite tennis ball clenched in his jaw. Whatever had overtaken Ella on the drive seemed to be gone now, almost as if it'd never happened. I was relieved to see her back to her cheerful self.

After treating myself to the luxury of watching Ella stroll along the water's edge with her long legs and perfect curves, I jogged to catch up to her. Boone dropped his ball directly at my feet. I picked it up and threw it.

"It sounds like you've been on this beach many times," Ella noted. "How far is your grandfather's farm?"

"About three hours away in Fairfield County, but I grew up in Langston."

Ella tried to tame back her long strands of hair as the wind kicked them up in every direction. "You did? You never told me that."

"Didn't I?"

"No, I would have remembered if you had. That's why you knew about Vernon's egg salad sandwiches." She stared at me as if she was trying to decipher why I'd never mentioned it. I kept my face like stone.

"I was sure I told you." Boone had returned the ball for another round. I used it as my excuse to finish the conversation.

Ella, too, had found her own diversion. The choppy water had attracted a flock of seagulls. They circled above the white crests searching for food, screeching as they worked hard to stay aloft in the wind.

Ella waded in far enough for the water to reach her knees. She lifted her hand to shade her eyes and watched the birds hunt. With her free hand, she grabbed hold of her hair, and held it like a ponytail.

The icy water circled my ankles as I walked into the tide to stand next to her. "So is it everything you imagined?"

"The size of it is sort of overwhelming. I mean it just stretches on and on." She ran her tongue along her bottom lip, a gesture that did not escape my notice. "I can taste the salt." She took a deep whiff of the air. "I think I can even smell it." She reached over and brushed her hand down my arm. "Thanks for bringing me here. I know it sounds silly, but I feel just a little less small town now that I've actually experienced the beach."

"You're welcome." I pulled her around to face me. "I've got a big blanket in the back of the van. We could drag it out and huddle on the sand . . . and stuff."

"Stuff eh? Well, since my entire body is covered with gooseflesh because of this brittle wind, a big blanket and a huddle next to your warmth sounds very inviting."

The three of us trudged through the deep sand toward the van. Boone climbed in back and curled up in his bed, letting us know his beach adventure was over. I pulled the blanket off the mattress I'd shoved into the van for my road trip. It blew in the wind like a giant sail. Ella laughed as she grabbed for one of the loose ends. We were able to tame it into a ball before carrying it back down to the sand.

We sat down just a few feet off the parking lot. Ella had to turn her face to avoid getting sand blasted as I tried to pull the blanket around us like a two person cape. As I moved it behind her, she reached up to grab the corner. The wind whipped it from her grasp, and the blanket took off like a big, unwieldy kite. I jumped up to chase it and Ella followed.

I snatched it just before it landed on the trash dumpster.

Ella was still fighting her hair as the strands curled up in every direction. "Ugh, this is what Medusa must feel like when all the snakes are awake. I love the beach, and I love the idea of snuggling with you on the sand, but I think we should climb in the van. It's parked on the beach, so it's technically still snuggling on the sand.”

I shoved the blanket under my arm and took hold of her hand. "I like the way you think, Starshine."

We hurried to the van and crawled into the back. I tossed the blanket over the mattress. "You'll have to excuse this place. It's not quite as luxurious as my motel room."

The wind rocked the van back and forth and a hurricane of sand sprayed the outside. I sat on the mattress and pulled Ella in front of me. "I'm thinking we get straight to the stuff. Starting with you getting naked."

Ella laughed. "I guess my mom was right when she told me boys only buy vans for one reason. Of course, she cut herself off before revealing to me what that one reason was, but I think I'm about to find out."

"You are and I think you'll approve." I pushed up her shirt, and she lifted it off her head. I took hold of her waist and brought her bare stomach closer for kisses. My fingers fumbled with the buttons on her shorts as she worked at taking off my shirt. I paused my trail of kisses long enough for her to draw my shirt off. She dropped it on the mattress.

"Take your pants off," she said in a bossy tone that she punctuated with a flirty wink.

"Yes ma'am." I slid my pants off and grabbed a condom from the pocket before tossing them aside. I held my hands out to the side. "Will that do?"

"Oh yes, that will do just fine."

I pushed her shorts and panties off, and she stepped out of them. I kissed the mound of her pussy as I wrapped my hands around her ass. She braced her hands on my shoulders as I pulled her closer.

She combed her fingers through my hair and tugged to lean my head back. She gazed down at me, and all I could think was how the hell did I end up with this angel?

Ella straddled my lap and leaned in to kiss my mouth as she slid down over me. Her warm, breathy mewls tickled my skin as her pussy absorbed every inch of me.

"Fynn," she sighed.

"Hell, Starshine, you know how much I fucking love to hear you say my name, especially when I'm inside of you. I want to stay buried in your pussy forever."

My hands cupped her ass as she lifted up and dropped back down over me, milking my cock with her pussy as she moved. She wrapped her arms around my head, cradling my face against her breasts as she rocked against me. The mound of her pussy rubbed against me.

Her head lolled back, pushing her nipples harder against my tongue as she moved over me.

"You are so fucking tight, Ella. Like fucking heaven. Your pussy was made for me and no one else." My words brought her closer to climax. She braced her hands on my shoulders and we crashed together.

Her head dropped back and her eyes drifted shut as her body vibrated with waves of pleasure. Watching her face as she came brought me to climax. I held her tightly over me as our bodies exploded together.

As our breathing slowed and the pulsing waves decreased in intensity, Ella dropped her head to my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her and held her for a long time. The wind shifted the van back and forth, and the roar of the ocean sounded like thunder.

A shiver went through Ella. I reached back and pulled the blanket around us. "See, we're still huddling, only no sand in our eyes."

She kissed my shoulder and lifted her head. "Or other important places."

"Good point. I suppose we should get back on the road." I reached up and brushed the hair off her face. "Do you think you'll be all right?" We hadn't discussed the panic attack once it had passed, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed clear that it wasn't the motion sickness but the road itself that had caused it.

Ella climbed off my lap, and I draped my arm around her. "I'll be fine. It was just a little carsickness, that's all."

"That highway," I started and then a little voice told me to drop it. That same voice had been picking at me, trying to start trouble with a double-edged question. Why did you really invite Ella to the beach? You could have spent the day with her anywhere, but why the coast?

"That was the highway where the bus went off." She finished what I'd started. "But I'm sure it was just motion sickness."

I squeezed her against me. "We'll leave the windows cracked on the way back. That should help."