I showered and shaved, ate a quick breakfast, then headed down to the beach in my shorts and sunglasses, ready for some much needed rest and sun.

The condominium had reserved chairs on the beach. Helping myself to a chaise lounge and a handful of towels, I scanned the coastline.

Lying on her stomach close by the water's edge was a woman in her early twenties. My eyes targeted shoulder-length brown hair and a white thong that was wedged so deep into the crack of her yoga- firmed buttocks that it was nearly invisible. The bikini top that barely contained her dark, baby-oiled breasts was unhinged, preventing tan lines.

God, I love South Beach …

I set my chair within ten feet, spying on her from behind my tinted sunglasses. I waited until she rotated her head, then offered, "Beautiful day."

No response.

Goofball, you're coming off like Sir Alfred.

Playing it cool, I moved closer, flexing my muscles with every movement. "I'm Zack," I said, kneeling close to her basting body. "And you are?"

"Not interested."

"Right. Sorry. I just, I dated a lot of athletes back when I played football in college, so I have a thing for physically fit women."

She looked up. "Leesa Gehman."

"Hi, Lisa."

"Not Lisa, Leesa."

"You're uh… not a student, are you?"

"Not anymore. Why?"

"Just curious. My former fiancée was an undergrad."

"So now you're on the rebound. Good luck."

She laid her head back down, then looked up again. "Wait, did you say your name was Zack, as in Zachary Wallace?"

"Guilty as charged."

"I read about you in the paper. You drowned while saving some guy, right?"

And Wallace catches the ball in the end zone for a touchdown!

In South Beach, fame is the key that unlocks all chastity belts. In the next twenty minutes I learned Leesa was from Allentown, Pennsylvania, had worked in an architect's office in Miami, and taught aerobics part-time. She told me what schools she'd attended, her brother's name, her favorite books, the meaning of the Chinese symbols tattooed on her left ankle, and where she wanted to go to dinner that evening.

At any moment, I expected to be discussing her favorite baby names.

"Zack, do you like it in the water?"

"I'm a marine biologist. I'm always working in oceans and—"

"No, Zack, I meant sex." She rehooked her top and stood, taking my hand. "I've never done it with a dead guy. Come on."

God, I love South Beach …

Hand in hand, we walked into the water, the thought of what lay ahead pumping blood to my already alerted groin.

We hurried through the shallows, our feet splashing one another, my heart pounding—

—my chest suddenly hurting, my vision impaired by purple spots. The blood rushed from my face as we waded into hip-deep water.

Not now …