Pacey grabbed a beer for himself and a soda for Joey from
the small fridge in the galley and headed up on deck, raising
his arm against the bright midday sun. The sea was maddeningly
calm that day, and while he was a bit miffed that they wouldn't
make port at Charleston that night as he'd hoped, he couldn't
feel too badly about being forced to spend the entire day in
a completely lazy manner with the woman he loved.

He shook his head at that last thought, realizing he was being
a bit giddy, but he figured he was entitled -- and the sight
that greeted him above deck only confirmed the notion.

Joey was lying on her stomach on a beach towel she'd
spread out on the upper deck, and was wearing board shorts
and a bikini top she had picked up back in Long Island. Her
slender form had been bronzed by the sun over the past few
weeks, and golden highlights glinted in her brown hair. She
had steadily plowed her way through the meager collection
of reading matter he had brought with him - comic books,
mostly -- and was now devouring a trashy Hollywood novel
he had surreptitiously bought for her at their last stop. He
always knew when she reached a particularly juicy sex scene,
as her eyes invariably widened in shock. This despite the fact
that they had been having sex regularly since the trip started.
He grinned. She never ceased to surprise him.

She didn't move or look up as he approached, which only
seemed to underscore the way they'd become so at ease with
each other over the course of their nautical adventure. Where
before he'd always felt assaulted by pins and needles in her
presence, now he was comfortable. Comfortable, but still
invigorated, tantalized. It was an unexpected and amazingly
arousing combination.

Unable to resist, he touched the cold can of soda to her nearly
bare back, jerking it away when she flinched.

"Pacey! Just when I think you're finally starting to grow up..."
She turned over on her back and looked up at him, a familiar
scowl crossing her features - although he couldn't help but
notice the way her mouth twitched at the corners, as if she
were trying to keep from smiling. "I guess I should have
known better."

He handed her the soda. "Don't even try it. You knew full
well what you were getting into when you boarded this boat,
Potter," he said. "You're not allowed to complain about it now.
I'm afraid you're stuck with me."

"Stuck in the middle of the ocean with Pacey Whitter, it =must=
have been temporary insanity on my part," she drawled, taking
the soda can from him and popping it open.

She took a long drink, and Pacey couldn't keep himself from
staring at the movements of her throat as she swallowed. A
trickle of sweat was working its way down the tanned column
of her skin, and he had to use every shred of willpower he
possessed not to lean over and taste it, savor the saltiness on
his tongue. Get those hormones under control, Witter, he
admonished himself. You're not fourteen anymore.

Right. "To hell with it," he said, and Joey had just enough time
to put the soda down before he tackled her, pushing her down
onto the deck and covering her mouth with his. The boat
rocked pleasantly beneath them as they kissed, tongues
meeting and dueling, breathing each other's breath. Joey
tasted of Coca Cola and cocoa butter, warm and sweet.

He moved his lips to her neck and almost groaned at the tang
of her sweat on his tongue, mixing with the flavors from her
mouth and setting his head to spinning. She kneaded his
back through the thin material of his Hawaiian shirt, and her
knees bent slightly, her back shifting, allowing him to rest more
comfortably on top of her.

"You still make me crazy, Potter," he whispered against her
ear, nuzzling her hair. "And believe me, I mean that in the
best possible way."

"I never would have thought in a million years we could make
love as well as we fight," she said.

"Don't underestimate us, Jo," he said as he cupped her breast
with his hand, pushing aside the flimsy material of her bikini
top. "I think we make love even better than we fight."

"I'm not sure that's possible," she retorted, even as she arched
beneath his touch.

"Only one way to find out," he murmured, and bent his head to
her breast.

They made love slowly, lazily, knowing that they had all the time
in the world, savoring the feel of skin against skin, their sweaty
bodies kissed by the faintest sea breeze. Pacey had to admit
that he sometimes wondered if even all the time in the world
would ever be enough time to be with her, to touch her, to hear
her cry out beneath him as she came. He thought he could do
nothing else for eternity and still never quite be satisfied. He only
hoped he'd have the opportunity to find out.

When it was over, when they had exhausted themselves completely
and lay on the deck, panting and sweating, hot and satiated, Joey
stretched her arms above her head and gave him her trademark
impish grin. "I was going to go swimming, but it seems a little
redundant after all that exercise."

"Sometimes, Potter, redundancy is a virtue." He caressed the
smooth planes of her stomach absently and rested his forehead
against hers. "I say we go for a dip just as we are, the way
God intended. In our birthday suits."

"You mean skinny dipping," she said flatly.

"Why not?"

"I don't know, Pacey, it's just...gross."

He leaned up on one elbow and looked down at her, his own
little study in contradictions. He couldn't help but let his dis-
belief creep into his tone when he responded. "We just did
the wild thing on top of the deck, for all the world to see, and
you're afraid to go in the water naked? Take a look around, Jo -
there's no one in sight for miles. We are," he said quietly, kissing
the tip of her nose, "completely, utterly alone. Time to shed the
last of those Potter inhibitions and take the plunge. Literally." He
stood up and held out his hand to her. She hesitated. "I dare
you."

"You always play dirty," she said, scowling, but she let him
help her to her feet.

He tried desperately to keep his eyes above her breasts,
suspecting some understandable but testosterone-laden
ogling would ruin the moment. "Not always, Jo," he said
softly. "Not about the important stuff."

She had no answer for that. Instead she dipped her head, then
grinned in a way that made her look like a kid again. "Last one
in's a rotten egg!"

He followed her over the side, letting out a war whoop as he
hurtled toward the water. She shrieked when he hit the surface,
splashing her full in the face, but recovered quickly and darted
out of his grasp when he reached for her. "If you want me, you're
going to have to catch me, Whitter," she taunted, turning and
freestyling away from him.

"I can do that," he said, swimming after her. Because he already
had.

end.