SINGLE STATUS Excerpt:

She wore a plain maillot as he had expected but the unrelieved style outlined every perfect curve of her well-proportioned body. The suit was a shade of blue that shone silver in the underwater lights and he was reminded of an exotic tropical fish . . . or a mermaid. Desire shot through his body like a bolt of lightning and his voice was husky when he spoke. "Come on, let's explore the deep."
He swam slowly toward the other side of the pool, matching his powerful strokes to hers. She swam gracefully, as she did everything else and when they reached the deep end he dived below the surface and pulled her down with him, then placed his hands on her small waist and brought her up again.
"No fair," she spluttered. "I wasn't expecting that."
"Swimming isn't fun for a guy if he can't dunk someone."
"That's too juvenile to merit a response, Thomas."
He rolled onto his back and gazed at the star-studded sky. "What a view."
She turned and floated beside him, her eyes scanning the heavens. "Looks almost close enough to touch," she said softly.
"I'd rather touch you," he reached out and took her arm and pulled her into a vertical position, holding her away from his body by sheer willpower. He turned her to face the same direction as he, then whispered softly, "Look. The full moon above and the lights of Christiansted below. It's enchantment."
She moved back against him as she looked skyward and he felt a rush of desire. Turning her toward him, he pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair. Her arms slid around his neck and he raised his eyes to meet hers and saw a mirror image of what he felt. Slowly he bent his face until his lips were almost touching hers, stopped as if he would pull back from the brink of temptation, then surrendered and crushed her mouth in a searing kiss that seemed to go on forever. The flavor of fruit juice and rum left a lingering sweetness on her tongue and he lost himself in the sensation.