She had known him and his wife, Donna, for years and they had been on a number of trips together and countless tournaments and events for their kids but she had never really had the opportunity to sit and talk with him more than just the idle chat that happens in a group of parents. He was kind and handsome but that was all she had ever though about him.

The second day of the trip, however, most of the others had taken some boats across the water to go and visit an island in the middle of the lake while her and Mark had stayed behind. She had wanted to sit in the quiet and read in the sunshine instead of paddling across a lake and drinking all day and had settled into her perch near the cottage deck when he had wandered out to the deck.

She knew he was there but he hadn’t come over to talk so she’d continued reading and enjoying her time without giving him a second thought. It was why she didn’t noticed that he had wandered down from the deck and why he startled her when he settled into one of the nearby chairs.

“I hope you don’t mind me staying behind as well,” he said. “I wasn’t in the mood for the type of day they are intending on having.”

“I don’t mind, Mark. It’s nice to have some peace and quiet, isn’t it?” she said.

“It is. Feels like it’s been forever. Anyway, don’t let me bother you.”

“No bother at all,” she said.

The quiet between them was comfortable and the sunshine and the terrific book she was reading had her completely satisfied. A weekend without her kids around had allowed her to think about herself for the first time in what seemed like years and her needs had come rushing back to her like an avalanche all at once.

She shifted and turned over onto her front to even out her tan but as she twisted, she noticed Mark watching her. While she wouldn’t normally have even noticed, it was the intensity of his stare that caught her off guard. In a moment of panic, she wondered if there was something on her or she looked strange in her bathing suit.

“What’s up, Mark?” she said, her heart racing.

“Hm, what? No, nothing’s wrong,” he said.

“Does the bikini not fit? It’s been a couple of years since I’ve worn one,” she said.

She could feel her face flush with the thought of looking strange in her suit.

“No, it fits like it’s painted on. I mean, no, you’re good,” he said.

She looked over at him, surprised at his response, and followed his eyes to look over her shoulder at her ass. It looked good from where she was sitting and, evidently, Mark thought so too.

“Like it’s painted on, huh?” she teased. “More like glued on - like your eyes on my ass.”

“Shit, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking I swear. I was just zoned out,” he said, shifting his gazed back down to his lap.

“Don’t worry about it, Mark,” she said, and smiled at him.

As she settled in to keep reading, she found herself feeling flush. She had liked the thought of Mark starting at her. It felt incredible to feel sexy and desired.

“Maybe one more desire that’s waking up,” she thought, shaking her head.

Still, she allowed herself a small glance in her peripheral over at Mark and found him staring again, biting his lip as he looked at her.

Her heart started to race slightly but she didn’t let him know she had seen. She didn’t know where the desire was coming from but she figured that having him check her out wasn’t entirely that terrible. In fact, she found herself wanting to lean into it more.

She shifted again to lay on her back and adjusted her glasses so that she could keep watching him without him noticing. She wasn’t in the best shape she had ever been in her life. Kids and life and stress had piled on year after year but she knew she had a terrific chest and was making sure that Mark knew it too. She arched her back slightly and watched as his eyes wandered over her, taking in every inch, right down to her toes. Her heart started again as she watched his eye move back up her body. It was as though she could feel his touch everywhere he looked, but she found herself breathing heavy and lost in his eyes when he ended up staring long and hard at her lips.

“What in the world is he doing?” she thought.

She watched until she couldn’t take it anymore and then moved to look directly at him.

He quickly averted his gaze but she smiled at him as it was not subtle in the least.

“Are you headed back up to the house at all?” she said.

“I can be if you need,” he said.

“Fuck, I like that,” she thought.

“Mm, good. I was craving a Tom Collins,” she said.

“I don’t actually know how to make that,” he said.

“No? What am I going to do with this craving then?” she said.

She heard the words come out of her mouth and knew they sounded ridiculous but the more she teased, the more he responded, and the more she wanted to push it further.

“I think I have exactly what you’re looking for,” he said.