She kneeled next to Nate, naked and beautiful under a sheet. He’d grabbed one from the bed last night and brought it out to the deck so they could sleep under the stars. The sheet slipped down to his waist and she couldn’t help but admire the strong muscles in his back and his shoulders as well as the trim taper of his hips. He had a pretty fantastic ass too, so she gave the sheet a gentle tug, revealing a few more inches of that firm, rounded rear that she loved to hold on hard to when he was inside her. He stirred from the movement, turned over, and blinked. Flashing her a drowsy smile, he shielded his eyes from the sun, and said a husky good morning.

“Good morning to you too,” she said, matching the wattage with her own grin. “I just decided that kissing you under a waterfall is on my bucket list and we’re going to go check that off right now.”

“Ah, I see you’re enjoying the perks of the best villa on the property. Or I should say, you’re about to.” He sat up. “Give me one minute.”

As he retreated up the stairs and across the deck, she watched him walk, enjoying the view of his backside as he headed into the hut. A minute later he returned, still in his full birthday suit. His eyes raked her over from top to bottom. He scratched his forehead as if something didn’t compute. “What I don’t understand is why you have on a bikini.”

She held her hands out wide as if the answer was obvious. “Because we are about to go in the ocean.”

“The way I see it, this whole bucket list thing should be satisfying to both of us. And mine has skinny dipping in the Indian Ocean with you on it, so get out of that right now,” he instructed. Then added, “This area of the beach is private. There’s no access to the lagoon except from this hut. So, if I were you I’d strip.”

She laughed and rolled her eyes, even as she did what he asked, leaving two pink scraps of fabric on the wood floor. “You just love being the alpha male, don’t you? Giving me orders.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “I do, and I love all your orders too,” he said, then dropped a quick kiss on her lips. His breath was fresh, just the way she liked breath to be in the morning, and all day long, for that matter.

Casey walked down the final set of steps that descended into the ocean. A former swimmer, she would’ve preferred to dive in, but the water was shallow by the hut. Soon, it deepened and she and Nate swam naked to the lagoon.

Serenity took on a new meaning here in the tranquil water with the sun caressing her skin. The world was calm and not a care was to be had, not a concern existed, and nothing at all could ever go wrong. This was the true escape, and she understood why people wanted to make island getaways for life. This kind of paradise had a way of working a magic spell on you.