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He sighed "You’re always so practical, Professor"

"You "

"Yeah, that’s what I meant" He rol ed his eyes at her and shook his head He stood and helped her to her feet While she brushed the sand from her skirt, he scooped his boots and her sandals fro the doors When he returned to her side, he clairy surf The cool wind froainst her face and her skirt tangled around her legs

"Great day for a walk!" she cal ed over the crashing waves "I think we’re going to get caught in a downpour"

Brian glanced up at the sky "We , her hand tucked in his The wet sand squished between her toes She curled the the way it felt A ashed across her feet and she danced sideways "That’s chil y"

"The water’s real y churning If you want to go back--"

"A crab!" Myrna bent to snatch a half-dol ar-sized crab out of the sand She held it up by the edge of its shel to show Brian The creature’s legs wriggled as it tried to run away in mid-air "Isn’t he cute?"

He chuckled "He’s a little sood meal"

"I wouldn’t let you eat him" She turned the crab to look it in its stalked eyes "Isn’t that right, Pinchy?"

"You named him?"

She careful y placed the little crab back in the sand and nudged it toward the surf "Run for your life, Pinchy I’ve seen the way this ers digging into her ribs She laughed and struggled out of his grasp, taking off at a ful sprint along the edge of the water She could hear Brian’s steps just behind her She slowed slightly so he could catch her He col ided with her back and she stumbled Her arms shot forward to catch her fal , but Brian rescued her fro arazed up at hiuess it would be sand You rescued me"

"Does this rinned and rol ed his eyes "Yeah, right I’ve neverless than you do"

"That’s not true You’ve saved me from loneliness" She kissed him "And sexual frustration" And she hadn’t heard Jeremy’s accusations in her head for a while now

He chuckled "Then you ain, her ar with the long silky hairs at the nape of his neck

"Don’t get ainst her lips

"Why not? We’ve got the beach al to ourselves"

He groaned into her ed her closer She deepened the kiss He pul ed away "That’s enough of that"

He set her to her feet and she wobbled unsteadily He took her hand and started walking again She walked beside hi his reluctance This wasn’t like hi?

"Have you worked up the courage to ask yet?" he asked, scooping a piece of driftwood fro it into the waves

"Huh?"

"Why I’ around on you in the sand yet?"

"Oh that I hadn’t noticed"