Archive of Our Own

Penelope sipped her espresso, trying to steady her large floppy hat from blowing away in the strong breeze coming in off the sea. The cafe she was sitting outside of had only a few customers this early in the day. The local Greek community wouldn’t awaken for several more hours, and most tourists would either have jet lag or be partied out by now. But it was her first full day on the island of Paros and she didn’t want to waste a single second.

After a few more moments listening to the small village square surrounding her slowly come to life, storefronts opening, the sounds of steamed milk in cafes, and jingles of change exchanging hands over the register, she collected her bag and made her way down to the beach. It was early enough she managed to find a section that wasn’t quite so crowded. 

She laid her large newly purchased beach towel across the pillowy sand, sat down on top, and pulled off her black crocheted cover up dress. She normally wasn’t comfortable wearing two piece bathing suits, but decided to let herself be a bit more free and unencumbered by her own doubts and insecurities for the first time in a long time. She glided her hands smoothly over her fair skin, around the edges of the emerald green bikini she wore, rubbing down every exposed inch of her body with suncream.

The sun rose high in the sky. Helios was the Greek God of the sun. She imagined he was greeting her, welcoming her. The same sun that shone on the ancient Greeks thousands of years ago cast its rays upon her now. She felt small and insignificant, but also connected to something larger and more important. She smiled to herself and reveled in the juxtaposition. She closed her eyes, soaking it in, before she laid back on her elbows and began to read her book.

The prospect of going on holiday by herself initially seemed terrifying. She would never want to go with her mother or sisters. They weren’t that close and didn’t understand one another. Her closest friend Rae is working as an assistant and doesn’t have as much expendable income. Penelope just published her first novel at the age of twenty four, and it afforded her a bit of money, time, and freedom to finally enjoy something she never dreamed she’d be able to. So she booked a flight to Greece and picked an island.

After the first two hours, the sun was high enough in the sky that she began to feel its intensity, and the breeze wasn’t as strong. She was beginning to melt. Admitting it was time to search for some cold water and then find a new spot that was a bit shadier, she stood up putting her cover up back on, and folded her towel, tucking it back into her bag.

She popped into a nearby ice cream shop to purchase a large bottle of water, and then spent a few moments walking along the storefronts that had opened. Passing a few cafes with longer queues now that it was normal waking hours for Greece, she paused looking inside a stationery store, admiring the leather bound journals in the front display.

As she went to move onto the next storefront, she immediately smacked into a large, stonelike figure.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going,” the man she’d run into said. 

Once she regained her balance, his hands coming up to her upper arms to steady her from falling over, she looked up at him. Tall, wavy brown hair, gorgeous dark blue eyes, incredibly fit, hence the feeling like she was walking into stone. And he was… British?

“It’s alright, I’m alright,” she said, feeling her throat go dry despite the bottle of water in her hands.

“A Brit. How nice,” he smiled. An insanely gorgeous crooked smile.

She laughed. “You’d be surprised how many people guess Irish. Must be the red hair and pale skin.”

“Nah, we’ve got loads of those too,” he said. “Besides, the accent gave you away.”

“Yeah, figured as much.” She looked over his shoulder at the sparkling sea. “Anyway, I wasn’t paying attention. Sorry for almost plowing through you,” she said with a glint in her eye.

“Oh yeah, all five feet of you. Really could have done some damage to me,” he smirked.

“Hey now, I might be small, but I pack a punch.”

“Do you, now?”

“Yes. I have to hold my own. And I do.”

“Noted. Well, I don’t mean to keep you from wherever you were barreling off to,” he said with an amused look on his face.

Penelope rolled her eyes at the stranger. “Probably just back to the sea. Maybe I’ll find a spot in the shade, you know us fair skinned Brits can’t really take much more sun like the rest of em.”

He shrugged. “Sorry, I’m not one of the ones with that issue.”

She had noticed that his skin was perfectly bronzed, not a hint of red. It was infuriating.

“Well, it was nice to meet you. Sorry again,” she said, turning away from him, her face turning red, this time not because of the sun.

“Hey,” he called out to her back. She swiveled back around to face him again. “You don’t have any other plans today?”

“Oh, um, I was just going to–”

“The sea, I know. But if you’re interested, my siblings and I rented a private boat for the day that we’re about to head out on. They’re just in the wine shop picking out champagne to bring with us. You’re welcome to join us, if you’d like. No catch.”

“No catch?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. “There’s always a catch. I don't even know you. You could be a murderer. Or a vegetarian.”

He roared out a laugh at that. “I’m neither. I know I can’t exactly prove that to you, but… I just figured I’d ask. You can bring whoever you want with you, we’ve got loads of space.”

She shifted on her feet, scrunching up her toes in her sandals. 

“Yeah, I didn’t want to assume or make you uncomfortable or anything… but you’re on your own, aren’t you?” He asked. She noted that his voice was quieter this time.

“I… yeah. I’m not exactly embarrassed about it, I just–”

“It’s a safety thing, I get it. I travel solo all the time, but I guess it’s different... I know you don’t know me, but I swear, I wouldn’t go shouting out about that or put you at risk.”

“Says the strange man inviting me out on a boat for the whole day. All the way out at sea…” she narrowed her eyes at him playfully. The fact that he even acknowledged her safety immediately unlocked the first layer of her own self preservation.

“Well, I’ve got an idea. Take out your phone.”

She pulled it out of her bag and held it up in her hand tightly.

“Open the camera and take a video recording of me.”

Penelope raised her eyebrows amusedly, and did as he said. She began recording the strange man. “Go for it,” she said.

“Hi. My name is Colin Bridgerton. I’m twenty seven years old and I’m from London. I’m here in beautiful Paros about to take my lovely new friend… this is where you say your name...”

She couldn’t help but giggle. “Penelope.”

“Penelope,” he repeated. “Out for a day at sea with myself and my siblings and friends. We’ll be traveling with Paros Expeditions boating company on a catamaran for twelve, even though we only have seven people, maybe now eight. There will be plenty of food and water to keep us sustained throughout the day and we should be back in port by five o’clock at the latest.” He then did a fake tip of his non-existent top hat. “Cheerio,” he said exaggeratedly.

She stopped recording at his signal.

“Great, now all you have to do is send that video to a family member or friend, and you’ll know that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you joining us today. Should you want to, that is.”

Penelope looked down at her phone, smiling at the thumbnail of the video. His brown waves blowing in the breeze, the bustling square behind him, sparkling turquoise blue waters of the Aegean beyond that.

“Lead the way, Mr. Bridgerton,” she smiled.

He smiled back, falling in step beside her, drawing her attention to the market where two similarly chestnut haired people were exiting and bickering.

“Eloise and Benedict,” he said, leaning down closer to her height. “Younger sister, older brother.”

“Got the champagne, I’m trying to squeeze it into your rucksack, but it seems we bought a bit too much anyhow.”

“Great, I’ll take that,” Colin said, grabbing his bag from his brother and rolling his eyes. “This is Penelope. I invited her to join us today.”

The brunette girl, Eloise smiled with raised eyebrows. “Ran into a friend of yours in Paros? How very Colin of you.”

“New friend,” he said.

“Really new,” Penelope added, wrinkling her nose. “Um, I can take that in my bag if you need,” she said to the other tall man, gesturing at the additional bottle of champagne he was holding.

“Been here all of twelve seconds and already trying to steal the good stuff? I like your style,” he said, handing over the bottle that she then tucked away safely, cushioned by her beach towel.

They made further introductions when the rest of their group joined from the nearest cafe where they were getting cappuccinos and made their way down to the dock. Amongst them was another sister named Francesca, along with her boyfriend John and his cousin Michael, as well as Benedict’s girlfriend Sophie.

They climbed aboard the large vessel, swaying slightly in the uneven waves rolling into the shore. The captain assured them it would be smoother when they got out to sea.

Penelope took a seat at the table in the stern of the boat while everyone got settled. She sat quietly, watching the group move comfortably amongst one another, handing out drinks and offering to rub suncream on each other’s backs. 

Colin brought her a soda and settled in next to her, smiling out at the dock disappearing slowly behind them in their wake. Benedict and Sophie joined them at the table while Michael and Francesca were inside trying to figure out how to connect his phone to the speakers to put on the playlist he painstakingly created for the day.

“Are you guys old friends? Random to run into each other here of all places,” Sophie asked.

Colin laughed. “Never met before this morning.”

“What?” Sophie almost shouted. “Penelope, you don’t even know this man! He could be a psychopath or a cat person!”

“Oh no, you’re not a cat person, are you? I might have to jump off and swim back to shore,” Penelope joked.

“Dog person, I’m not mad,” Colin responded with his hands up defensively.

“He did actually give me quite the list of credentials in video format and I sent it off for reassurance, so if there’s any funny business, it’ll be traced back to you lot for sure.”

“Credentials?” Benedict asked. “What, like ‘aimless, single, non-smoker, trust fund baby’?”

“Nice, Ben,” Colin said, smacking his brother upside the head.

Penelope smiled, pushing her sunglasses higher on her face. Given the wind on the boat as they sailed across the sea, there was no chance she’d be able to wear her hat while they were moving, but it was much cooler once they moved away from the island.

The music eventually came on overhead and the group cheered, immediately popping the champagne and starting to truly relax and enjoy the day. Penelope pulled off her cover up, grabbed a small plastic cup filled with champagne, and went to lay with Sophie across one of the net beds where they could feel the breeze and the rush of the waves underneath them. The sun continued to beat high overhead. It was simply paradise.

“Not to be crass, but you’ve got an incredible set,” Sophie snorted as she laid back. “I’m flat as a board.”

Penelope couldn’t help but laugh. While she might have been insecure for a long time that she didn’t have a flat stomach, and she thought ‘curvy’ was a euphemism for ‘fat’, she realized as she got older that having a body like hers was actually an asset in a lot of ways. It all comes down to how you wear it. She was recently learning to wear hers with a bit more confidence.

“Thanks, I grew them myself,” Penelope said cheekily, leaning her head back, letting her chest enjoy the moment of attention they were getting.

“You’re gonna want to cool it on that, or Colin may fall overboard. I can smell him drooling from over here,” Sophie said.

Penelope giggled. She didn’t hate the idea of the incredibly hot stranger ogling her. She could sense him looking in her direction from his spot back at the table where he was rubbing in a suncream that was way too low in SPF for her.

A little while later, Francesca and Michael joined them on the opposite net bed.

“So remind me how this gorgeous stranger made her way onto our boat?” Michael said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. 

“Purely by chance,” Penelope said, sipping the last of her champagne. At that moment, a large figure cast a shadow over her, blocking out the sun. Colin smiled down at her, leaning over to refill her cup with the bottle in his hand. His smile morphed into a smirk as he stood looking down at her, his entire silhouette backlit with the glittering rays of the sun, making him look like he was on fire. She felt her body heat up as well, noting the lines of his abs and swirls of chest hair littering his upper body now that he’d taken his shirt off. She mouthed ‘thanks’ to him and turned back to Michael when he asked where she’s from.

“London, but I went to uni at Cambridge. I’m in Shoreditch now.”

“And do you live with a flatmate or anything? Sibling? Boyfriend? Girlfriend?”

She laughed at his obviousness. “Nope. I live on my own.” She wasn’t going to make it that easy though. She saw Colin pause briefly out of her peripheral vision, as he was walking around and refilling champagne cups, seemingly still listening in on the conversation.

“Michael, leave her alone,” Francesca said.

“What? I’m just trying to get to know her. Besides, of one of the only single people on the boat, I think I deserve to know if the hot redhead is single and straight.”

“She’s single and she’s straight,” Penelope said, referring to herself in the third person to play into Michael’s antics. “She’s just not really interested.”

Michael slapped a hand across his chest to his seemingly bruised heart. “Ouch, way to stick the dagger in,” he said as he mimed it out. Michael was undeniably very attractive, but her mind was continuing to wander over to the man who was watching her out of the corner of his eye.

“What can I say? I’m a straight shooter,” she spoke, looking directly at Colin as he filled his own cup. He set down the bottle and wandered over, scooting in between Sophie and Penelope. Sophie rolled her eyes and vacated her spot so Colin could slide down onto the net laying next to her, his long bronzed body stretching out in stark contrast to her own much lighter, creamy complexion, both outlined against the dark blue depths of the waves rolling underneath them.

“Shoreditch, huh? I’m in Bloomsbury,” he said, his gaze roving over her body again, not bothering to hide it this time around.

“Fancy. I take it that has to do with your trust fund baby status your brother mentioned?”

Colin rolled his eyes. “Yeah sorry about that, Ben was being an ass.”

“It’s fine, I was amused. Besides, I appreciated his version of your credentials as well,” she said, raising her eyebrows.

He threw his head back with a laugh. “Yeah, he paints a really great picture of me, doesn’t he? Ironic given that he actually is a painter for real.”

“Is he now? That’s kind of hot,” Penelope said, closing her eyes and laying her head back.

Colin chuckled and laid back next to her. Their bodies were painstakingly close to one another. She could feel the heat radiating off of his skin, already slick with sweat and flecks of water from the sea spraying them from under the net.

“Single too, I heard in those credentials, did I?” she asked.

She couldn’t see his face, but she could hear the smirk as he said. “Yeah, and I believe I heard that about you as well via your interrogation from Michael.”

“Oh, don’t be upset with him. Can’t blame the guy for shooting his shot.”

“And yet you denied him. Not many women tend to deny Michael, I have to admit.”

“Is that so? Well, I guess I’m not like most women.”

“You did not just say that,” Colin cackled.

“God, I know. I cringed the second it came out of my mouth,” she giggled, turning to face him. He was facing her now as well. She couldn’t see his eyes through his sunglasses.

“You’re not, though,” he said quietly. “That’s for damn sure.”

Penelope smiled and wrinkled her nose. She didn’t want to be the first to look away.

After an hour of drinking, singing along to the music, and occasionally dancing up and down the boat horribly, they pulled up to a secluded beach along a small uninhabited island. One by one, everyone jumped off the boat and into the crystal clear turquoise water.

Penelope held her nose and launched herself off the back, her body gliding smoothly into the salty, cool water. When she finally resurfaced she laughed looking up at Colin.

“Not as sexy as I’d have liked, but I think I’d rather not get that much salt water up my nose.”

“I think you made the right call, I feel like I just took a damn neti pot and then some,” Colin laughed, shaking out his wet salty hair beside her. “Besides, it was plenty sexy.”

They swam over to the pristine untouched beach and looked out at the horizon. They could see nothing other than their boat and each other. It was eerie and magical all at the same time.

Even Eloise who spent most of the boat ride reading her book at the table managed to jump out of the boat, she and Francesca were bobbing around on a couple of pool noodles and floats the captain had tossed out for them. Benedict and Sophie walked off hand in hand to explore the other side of the beach.

Colin and Penelope mozied up and down the beach, identifying some of the little volcanic stones mixed in with the sand. He spoke about how he had eight siblings and while it was fun to have a big family, it could often be overwhelming. She talked about her own siblings and how they weren’t close, and it left her hoping to someday have a family of her own that she would treat differently from how her parents treated her. It was a pretty deep conversation for two strangers who just met.

Penelope walked down to the end of the shore where the rocky cliff jutted out, staring out at the jagged edge and the waves jumping off of the cluster of small boulders down below. Colin walked up and stood behind her.

“What made you decide to come with me today?” he asked. “You came to Paros on your own for a reason. You could have just kept to yourself.”

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and letting the salty air fill her nostrils.

“I wanted to take a risk. I don’t know you, but I think in a way, I wanted to.”

His fingers reached out and lighty trailed up and down the side of her waist, leaving fire in their wake. “I want to know you too,” he said, his voice low and gravelly. She squeezed her thighs together at the sound of his admission.

“Good,” she said. His fingers squeezed into her flesh, his thumb digging into her back. She almost crumbled right then and there. She could feel his breath hot on the back of her neck.

“You know, we didn’t get a chance to check out the cave in the rocks yet,” he said, eyeing the small dots of the remaining members of their group further down the beach.

“We should do that,” she breathed.

Colin grabbed her hand and they made their way into the section of rocks carved out in a small round cave. The sunlight didn’t reach inside of it, but the reflection from the sand just outside the cave cast a small amount of dim light bouncing off the dark rocky walls.

The air was cooler inside the cave, shielding her temporarily from the blinding heat outside now that they weren’t in the water or enjoying the breeze created by the boat. She gathered her long red hair behind her and pulled it over one shoulder, letting the cool air reach her back. She closed her eyes and released a long slow breath. When she opened her eyes, Colin was staring at her.

“What?” she asked, her blue eyes appearing much darker in the cave.

He took a few steps until he was standing right in front of her “Are you hot, Penelope?”

“A little bit,” she said, biting her lower lip. “But the cave is nice and cool. I like it in here.”

“Me too,” he said, swallowing slowly. His hand came up to rest on her waist again, this time, joined by his other one as well. She took the tiniest step closer to him to make it clear that she was okay with him touching her.

Colin leaned down to the side of her neck that was fully exposed and dragged the tip of his nose along the skin there, slightly sticky with salt from the water. He breathed out slowly, sending goosebumps all over her body. She bit down harder on her lip to keep from moaning.

He pulled back until his face was level with hers, breathing out slowly. “Can I kiss you?”

She nodded, letting out a ragged breath, reaching her hand up to his neck until it was tangled in the back of his wet hair, pulling his face down to hers until their lips met in a searing kiss. Colin pulled her body closer to his, the heat they were generating together a stark contrast to the chill within the dark, damp cave.

His hands roved down the sides of her body until he was squeezing her bottom, kneading and massaging as his lips moved fervently against hers. She whimpered against him, standing up on her tiptoes, sucking on his bottom lip and releasing it with a pop. He immediately captured her lips again, this time, sliding his tongue along her bottom lip until she opened her mouth and let his tongue inside to mingle with her own. The noises they were making reverberated off of the walls of the cave, filling their ears with nothing but the sounds of their kissing.

Colin walked Penelope back a couple of feet until she backed up against the wall of the cave, his hand reaching out to cradle the back of her head before leaning on the rock behind her. His hands moved up to rest against the wall, caging her in while his tongue continued to explore her mouth, and her hands grazed up and down his chest, her nails raking through his chest hair.

He let out a ragged moan as she did that, her fingertips ghosting over his nipples. His lips fell away from hers, his forehead falling down to rest on hers while her hands explored him. She reached up to his neck, pulling him down and to the side so she could trail wet hot kisses across his jaw and down his neck, sucking gently when she reached his pulse point, and swirling her tongue along the shell of his ear. He groaned and his arms went a bit more slack against the wall, his body faltering and pushing down against hers again.

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” he said, grabbing her face between his hands and kissing her senseless. She pushed up on her toes, arching her back, and pressing her breasts against his chest. He groaned into her mouth, she whimpered against him as his hand roved back down her body, groping at the side of her thigh. Her skin felt electric, coming to life everywhere he touched her. The arousal coiling within her seemed to be blooming with an unexpected speed. She just met this man, and she’d never wanted anybody so badly before in her entire life.

He disconnected his lips from hers, both of them puffy and panting, before he trailed his lips down the side of her neck. She moaned as he dropped ridiculously gentle kisses on her sensitive skin, the comparison to the way he was trying to eat her face a moment ago incredibly jarring and ridiculously sexy.

His tongue licked the skin at her neck, before he blew on it, sending a shiver down her spine. Her footing faltered at that, she could feel her bones melting in her body.

She reached up and ran her hands through his hair, pulling his lips back to hers, kissing him like she’d never kissed anybody before. He leaned his entire body into hers, pressing his hot skin flush against hers, causing her nipples to become hard underneath him through the fabric of her bikini. As his lower half joined the party pressing against her hips, she could feel his erection against her through his swim trunks. The thought of him getting hard for her sent another fresh wave of arousal between her legs.

She pulled her lips away from his after a few moments with a wet pop. 

“Colin,” she breathed against him, his forehead resting against hers while he gasped for air as well. “I think we should be getting back to the boat now. Wouldn’t want the others to think we were abducted by cavepeople,” she laughed.

He laughed humorlessly and leaned down to press his lips against hers one more time. “I’m gonna need a minute here.”

She ran her arms up and down his back, dragging her fingertips lightly over his skin.

“That’s not helping,” he said into the side of her neck. She giggled against him.

“C’mon, the water is cold. We can swim back over.”

With that, she pushed him back and stared up at him. Even in the dim cave lighting she could tell how pink and puffy his lips looked. She must have looked the same. She hoped in a few minutes once they’d cooled off and the water soothed them over, it wouldn’t be as noticeable.

She walked out of the cave and after clearing most of the rocks, waded her way back out into the sea, hearing him splash in a few steps behind her. They swam quietly for a few minutes until they reached the rest of the group climbing back into the boat.

“There you are,” Eloise shouted. “We thought you got lost, almost sent out a bloody search party.”

“We’re fine,” Penelope laughed as John reached out a hand to help her back into the boat. “Just were exploring that weird looking cave at the end of the shore.”

Francesca handed her a soda with a smile. “That sounds kind of neat, I think I’d be a bit too freaked out to go into a cave though.”

“It was actually nice,” Colin smiled. “Much cooler in there, and I think this one needed a break from the sun for a moment,” he said, with a thumb pointed in Penelope’s direction.

“I’m practically transparent! My poor skin can only take so much.”

They sat around the table, wrapped in their towels, and began feasting on the tray of fresh fruit the boat’s skipper had set out for them.

Later on, the boat started its path away from their beach and secret cave, setting out to the open waters once again. They shucked their towels, lining them up to dry.

“I don’t want to be the mum of the group, but everyone really does need to be drinking water,” Francesca said as Colin grabbed water bottles from the cooler and began handing them out.

He sat back down next to Penelope, their bare thighs pressed up against one another, sharing heat while they drank their water to cool off. 

“Are you still hot?” he asked, looking down at her intensely.

“You’ll have to be more specific,” she said in a low voice so that only he could hear. She purposely crossed her legs, squeezing them tightly together. She could see his throat bob.

“From the sun,” he clarified, desire clouding his eyes still.

“No, I’m perfectly fine from that.”

Not long after, they made their next stop. There wasn’t a beach to swim to this time, but a few large rocky cliffs and boulders jutting out from the sea like massive sculptures.

Benedict went first, jumping off the highest deck of the boat and into the water, sinking in deeply until he bobbed back up.

Francesca dove perfectly off the back of the boat, barely making a splash. Eloise and Sophie canonballed in.

“How should we do this?” Colin asked. “You can hold my hand if you want?”

Given her less than sexy entry in the water the first time around, she figured she would take Francesca’s approach. She’s not much of a diver, but given that going face first would prevent her from inhaling too much salt water, she figured that was her best bet. Plus, she could probably make a dive look sexy.

She shook her head, smirking at his deflated expression.

“I think I can manage,” she said, stepping up to the ledge. “But you can watch.” She winked and turned around, putting her arms up and arching her back before launching herself off of the boat into what turned out to be a perfect dive.

When she resurfaced, she heard the rest of the group cheering behind her in the water.

“Amazing!”

“Perfect ten.”

“That was so much better than mine!”

She looked up at the boat where Colin was standing, his jaw still a little bit slack. Penelope bit her lip as she watched him.

His expression grew a bit darker and he turned his back to her, bending his knees, and launching himself off the ledge of the boat in a perfect back flip, landing with a soft thud into the water.

“Woah!” Sophie shouted from behind her “Someone’s showing off,” she laughed.

“Idiot,” Eloise mocked.

“That was pretty dope though,” Michael added.

When Colin resurfaced just in front of Penelope, she couldn’t help but smile at him.

“Okay, that was pretty hot,” she said quietly so only he could hear.

He grinned, shaking out his hair, spraying her face with saltwater.

“Yeah, yours wasn’t so bad to watch either.”

“No?” she asked with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah, I had the best view,” his crooked grin was now shooting straight between her legs, leaving a pulsing ache in the hollow. She was glad she was in the water, otherwise her entire body might have burst into flames at the look he was giving her.

She paddled slightly away from him, leaning back and letting herself float staring up at the sky for a few moments. Even though her ears were underwater, she could hear the groaning sound he made at the sight of her large, round breasts floating above the water, fully on display for him to ogle. She was never so glad she decided to wear a bikini.

They swam around for a while longer, enjoying the cool water and the warm sun, occasionally splashing one another, mostly when Michael or Benedict said something foul.

“Honestly, how am I related to you fools,” Eloise said exasperatedly.

“We’re not related, El,” Michael said. “There’s still time for us to get married,” he said, making a kissy face at her.

“Over my dead body,” she said, splashing him again.

“Leave her alone, Michael,” Francesca rolled her eyes.

“No, let him, he deserves to get splashed by El as much as possible,” Sophie said.

“So Penelope, how long are you in Paros?” Francesca asked a little bit later while she floated next to her on a pool noodle.

“I just got in yesterday, and I’m here for the next week.”

“Oh that’s lovely. John and I are here for three nights only, and then we have to fly back to Scotland, he’s got a work thing. We live in Glasgow. Ben, Sophie and El leave Thursday and Michael is off to Mykonos that day as well. Colin’s a bit of a wanderer so I honestly don’t even know how long he’s here for. He could stay a month for all I know.”

“That’s interesting. I haven’t been away from home much throughout the years. I’ve gotta admit, I’m enjoying my first full day of my holiday, but I’m not sure I could really be away that long.”

“I get that. Home is an interesting concept. For a while I wanted to get out, but it wasn’t that I wanted to leave home. Just that I hadn’t quite found my home yet.”

“And have you now?” Penelope asked.

Francesca smiled and looked over at John, quietly floating on his back next to Michael. She nodded. “Yeah, I have. It’s like I can breathe again.”

Penelope reached out a small hand and squeezed Francesca’s shoulder. She glanced over at Colin goofing off with Benedict and Sophie. His eyes squinted against the sun. His jawline was chiseled and strong, his nose slightly crooked and sloped. His lips were soft and pillowy, lips that she had kissed not long ago.

“I know we all only just met you and maybe you have no reason to believe me,” Francesca started. “But Colin really is one of the good ones. He’s kind, generous, and thoughtful. He’s a very much ‘what you see is what you get’ kind of person. But he can be quite sensitive. It’s not a bad thing, I just want you to be aware.”

Penelope nodded. “I get that. I can be quite sensitive too. I’ve just had to learn how to build a bit of a thicker skin sometimes, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.”

“Well, you sound like quite the catch as well.”

They climbed back onto the boat eventually and enjoyed a freshly cooked lunch while they idled amongst the waves. Plates of Greek salad, pastas, mussels, chicken, potatoes and roasted vegetables lined the table.

“This is incredible,” Penelope mumbled, taking a bite of a piece of juicy lemony chicken.

Everyone was quiet while they ate. She laughed when she noticed Colin had double the amount of food on his plate than anyone else.

“This might be the freshest tomato I’ve ever eaten in my entire life,” he said as he took a bite from a large wedge, the juice squeezing out and dribbling down his chin, leaving a few seeds behind as well. He stuck his tongue out to lick the residue off, sending a shiver down Penelope’s spine.

She laughed and used her fingers to pick up a piece of bread dipped in tzatziki, tossing it in her mouth, and licking the excess tzatziki off of her fingers slowly. She watched Colin go stiff next to her, his gaze meeting hers in a daring battle of wills. His eyes crinkled and she almost detected a wink from him as he smiled and continued eating his food.

As the day wore on, they made two more stops where they could jump out and swim around. At their last stop, another small beach, they hopped off and wandered the shore where they could see a collection of larger volcanic stones and pebbles had washed up.

“Holy shit,” Colin said, bending down and picking up a large pinkish reddish stone, with a thick swirling pattern inside. “That’s pretty cool.”

“It looks like a little volcano erupting inside the stone,” Penelope said, leaning over it.

“It reminds me of you,” he said.

“What?”

“It’s small, smooth, pink and red swirls, and I can’t stop staring at it.”

She felt a strong blush rise to her cheeks at his words. “You could probably sell it for a lot of money, you know,” she joked to break the tension.

“Nah, maybe a few quid. It’s worth more than that to me, though.”

“Is it now?” she asked, her eyebrows raised.

Francesca and John were scanning for additional stones nearby, so he didn’t press on. He pocketed the stone in his swim trunks and shrugged.

The last hour of the boat ride back to the island was peaceful. The sun and breeze dried them off for the most part, leaving them covered in a crusty salt cast that their boat captain said would be a “great exfoliant” and leave them with silky soft skin. Penelope’s curls had dried more wild and curly than ever before. She threw her cover up dress back on and sat back against the cushioned bench at the front of the boat, watching the turquoise waves part smoothly for their vessel.

Colin sat next to her, while the rest of the group remained at the table and net beds in the back. He used the opportunity to put his arm around her and pull her into his side.

“Thank you for coming,” he said.

“Thank you for asking.” She turned to face him, looking up into his dark blue eyes. The sun was behind them and she could see them clearly for the first time. She wondered if he was going to kiss her again, but he just stared at her. His hand was rubbing along her upper arm, fingertips drawing circles against her skin. She wanted to feel him against her again.

Before they could enjoy the rest of their moment, they heard the voices of Eloise and Francesca approaching to grab more drinks out of the cooler. He dropped his arm and reached out to grab his beer that he was drinking before they got caught up in one another again.

Not long after the boat docked back at Paros, just a few minutes before five. The boat captain helped them each off, warning them to take small steps for a while until they felt sturdier on solid land again. Colin thanked him and handed them a large tip, grabbing his rucksack and following the rest of the group off the dock.

Penelope felt her stomach begin to sink at the prospect of being separated from this group and going back to her solo holiday as she initially planned.

“Okay, you lot can feel free to get lost for a few hours, but dinner’s at nine. I don’t care if you’re late, but Soph does, so don’t be late,” Benedict said.

“And then we’re going out after, there’s a bunch of clubs and cocktail bars near the square,” Sophie added.

Colin was fiddling with his rucksack, trying to get his wallet tucked back in, while Francesca and Eloise were discussing some shops they wanted to head to before they went back to the hotel to shower.

“Well… thank you guys for inviting me out with you today. I had a great time,” Penelope said awkwardly.

Colin looked up at that.

“Wait, you’re gonna come to dinner with us, right?”

“Oh. I–”

“Unless you’ve got other plans. Do you have other plans?” he asked with a sly smile.

“Well, no. But–”

“You’re coming to dinner with us. It’s settled. And then we’re going out after. You really don’t want to piss off Sophie, so don’t be late.”

“Colin…”

“Barbarossa at nine. See you then?”

Penelope took a deep breath and swallowed the rest of her protest. “See you at nine.”

It was only a ten minute walk back to her hotel. The hot shower felt amazing, rinsing the salt residue off of her body, leaving her with skin smoother than she’d ever felt before in her life. She got dressed in a tank top and shorts and went back out to the street, letting her curls air dry with some styling cream. Even though she’d brought a few decent outfits in her luggage, she hadn’t anticipated meeting a guy as hot as Colin and she certainly hadn’t anticipated how badly she wanted him.

Paros was known for its boutiques, so she wound her way through the grey and white cobblestone streets and alleys, finding a shop with an array of colorful dresses. She found a short navy blue lightweight linen dress that wrapped around her waist, a sparkly gold thread braided through the straps, and a flowy yet daring plunging neckline. She even nabbed a pair of matching dangling gold earrings from a nearby jewelry shop.

Surprisingly, she also came upon a lingerie store, and while it wasn’t the type of place she normally shopped for under garments, she found herself embracing the version of her that made out with a guy she just met in a cave on a secluded beach. After perusing for a few minutes, her eye caught on a stunning matching set of sheer lace light pink garments. Even though at first they didn’t look like they would fit her, the bra in the largest cup size they had, she tried them on, and the lace had a bit more give than she was expecting. It certainly didn’t provide the level of support her usual stuff did, but given that she was hoping to be seen in these, when she admired her reflection in the mirror behind the dressing curtain, she knew she was buying them.

Luckily, Penelope had enough time for a nap when she got back to her hotel to feel more refreshed before getting ready for dinner. She laid in bed for a few minutes when she woke up scrolling aimlessly on her phone. She reviewed some of the photos and videos she’d taken throughout the day on the boat, marveling at how huge her smile was in some of the images Sophie had airdropped to her. She paused momentarily on the video Colin made her take of him in the square when they met that morning. She never did send it to anyone else. This one would just be for her.

With her new lingerie and dress on, she examined herself in the full length mirror on the back of the bathroom door before sliding on her straw block heels and heading out to the restaurant.

It became immediately clear that this was the hottest place on the island to be for dinner. The square was full of intermingling restaurants, the streets lined with tables pressed up against one another. You couldn’t tell where one restaurant ended and another started. It was one giant party and no one seemed to mind. The energy was electric.

She found Francesca and John first, holding hands and walking in her direction from a nearby fishing pier.

“Holy hell, you look hot,” Francesca chirped.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “You guys look great too. Where’s everyone else?”

“I think most of them are down by the restaurant, our table should be ready by now.”

By the time they made their way over, Sophie was smiling and chatting to the hostess. She turned around and waved everyone over when she caught Penelope’s eye.

“You made it!” She squealed. She not so subtly reached over to where Colin was standing and smacked him on the back. He whipped around to chastise her when he locked in on Penelope. His eyes darkened as he drank in her appearance. She walked up to him while Sophie grabbed Benedict’s arm and yanked him to follow the hostess to their table with the others.

He was weaning jeans and a white linen button down, a classic holiday look. His hair was perfectly tousled and his tan was even deeper after a full day in the sun. She couldn’t help the jolt of heat between her legs at the smirk on his face as he scanned her up and down.

“You look incredible,” he said as she walked up to him, standing a bit too close to be friendly. He reached a hand out and placed it on her waist, squeezing lightly. She felt her body start to melt again at his touch.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she said, pressing up on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

“That’s all?” he asked in a hot sultry voice.

“For now,” she whispered, turning away and walking towards the table where the others were waiting.

Colin took his seat next to her, and Eloise immediately began pouring wine in their glasses. Penelope held hers up once everyone else’s was full.

 “I’d say to new friends, but I’m the only new one here. So to… the sea,” she said wrinkling her nose at the cheesiness of her proclamation. 

Colin smiled down at her and lifted his glass. “To the sea.”

Everyone clinked their glasses together and repeated the mantra.

The food was unsurprisingly fresh and delicious, but Penelope hardly noticed as she was expending all of her energy on not spontaneously combusting into ash sitting next to Colin the entire meal.

The best surprise, though, came from the restaurant bringing out a few massive Greek flags, waving them enthusiastically, playing loud traditional music, and encouraging everyone to stand on their chairs, wave their napkins in the air, and dance through the aisles between tables. It might have just been an experience to egg on the tourists, but she appreciated what felt like an authentic Greek experience all the same.

She laughed and swirled her napkin over her hand, standing on her chair with Sophie on her other side, swaying their hips to the music.

Benedict and Michael had gotten swept up into the crowd linking arms and dancing through the aisles, Sophie shouting and wolf whistling watching her boyfriend try to keep up and being manhandled by the crowd. It was madness, but absolutely incredible madness.

Once the dance party ended, they resumed their meal and couldn’t stop laughing and watching back some of the photos and videos of them all dancing. Penelope had barely even noticed Colin leaning over her to show Sophie a video on his phone, his large hand resting on her thigh underneath the hem of her dress. The feel of his skin on hers felt so natural and yet she could feel every hair on her body standing on edge at the newness of the sensation.

The end of their dinner bled into them wandering into the nearest club around the corner, immediately sauntering up to the bar and doing a round of shots. They all stayed together as a group for their first drink, but then the club got darker and the music got louder. 

Francesca and John were the first to peel off, preferring to find a different quieter bar. Penelope sat chatting to Eloise for a while, finding out that they actually had a ton in common. They’d read a lot of the same books and shared similar frustrations with the daily ongoings of being a woman in a man’s world. 

Colin came back from the bar alongside Benedict and placed another dirty martini in Penelope’s hand, sitting down next to her on the other side. He leaned back to talk to Benedict while Penelope continued her conversation with Eloise. The whole time, he had his hand placed against the small of her back. His fingers drawing miniscule circles, sometimes barely moving, but sending vibrations down her spine all the same.

Not long after, Eloise and Sophie threw back a few more shots and dragged Penelope out onto the dancefloor. Her steps were messy and uncoordinated. The crowd was getting thicker. She saw Benedict come up and scoop Sophie into his arms, while Eloise was enamored with a tall Greek gentleman who asked if he could buy her a drink.

Penelope let herself get lost in the music for a few more moments, until she felt a now familiar large hand on her hip, and a tall, muscular body come up behind her. His voice was gravelly in her ear.

“Do you have any idea how fucking hot you are?” Colin asked, his hips pressed up against her ass, swaying alongside her body now. “Watching you from the sidelines was killing me.”

She leaned her head back into his hard chest and closed her eyes, her hands resting on top of his at her hips. “So don’t watch. Be with me.” She let her body melt into his, her hand sliding behind her, along his neck and up into his hair, tangling in his locks. They were getting lost in the crowd, swept away by a current of people, everyone adrift in their own moment.

He leaned his head down and placed a kiss on the side of her neck, sending goosebumps like wildfire spreading over her skin. One of his hands left her hips and grazed down the side of her thigh, sliding inwards, his fingertips grazing the inside of her thigh. He drew tantalizingly light circles on her skin. She felt the hardness of his erection pushing against her back. She couldn’t breathe. She was choking on her own need for him. If she held out any longer she thought she might explode.

“Colin,” she moaned. She felt her insides clench around nothing as his fingers trailed higher, grazing the material of her thong.

“Penelope,” he whispered in her ear. “Can I–”

“Yes,” she whimpered. The pads of his fingers traced over the damp lace, pressing down on her.

“Fuck, you’re so wet.”

“I’m wet for you,” she moaned, grinding herself down against his fingers. He applied a bit more pressure, his lips attaching themselves to her neck again.

“W-wait,” he said. “I can’t… not in the middle of a club. We…”

“Right,” she panted. Her eyes snapped open. “We can’t.”

He grabbed her hips and spun her around so they were face to face. He dipped down and pressed his lips against hers, pulling away before she had the chance to deepen it.

“Come back to my hotel with me,” he said, his pupils blown wide. He didn’t pose it as a question. 

She was breathing heavily, taking in his wrecked appearance. She nodded and within the next breath, he grabbed her hand and led her off the dancefloor and out of the club.

As soon as they hit the cool air outside, it became clear that the entire island turned into a party after hours. The streets were full of life and energy, everyone smiling and sharing drinks and laughs. Colin held tightly onto her hand as he wound them through the alleys.

“My hotel is only a few minutes from here,” he said, taking long strides, her much shorter legs jogging to keep up with him. She didn’t ask him to slow down. She didn’t want to. She knew where they were headed and she wanted to get there as fast as possible.

If the hotel was nice, she didn’t notice. They flew up a winding staircase and down the hall. Colin pulled a key out of his pocket and shoved it into the door, wrenching it open, yanking her inside, and throwing her up against it once it was closed again. His body covered hers and he was kissing her like she’d never been kissed before in her life. It was slow and deep, his lips and tongue sending sparks through every inch of her body. She moaned into his mouth, which only egged him on further.

He pulled back and looked at her desperately.

“Do you want this?” he asked breathlessly.

She took the opportunity to give him a hard time.

“Want what?” she asked innocently. “What do you plan on doing to me?”

He took a long breath, exhaling slowly through his nose and pressing her further into the door with his hips.

“I’m gonna fuck you,” he said darkly, drinking in the way her jaw dropped slightly at the bluntness of his words. “That good with you baby?” he asked.

She bit her lip. “Depends on how well you fuck me.”

He grabbed her waist, spinning her around walking towards the bed, his lips attached to hers again. She reached for the buttons on his shirt, moving as quickly as possible until she pushed it completely off of his shoulders and to the floor while he yanked off his shoes and socks. She kicked off her heels, suddenly standing a few inches lower, looking up at him.

He reached his arms down to the hem of her dress and pulled it up slowly over her head, dropping it to the floor.

“Fuck,” he said looking down at her. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

She stared at him blankly, playing dumb. “What? Is there a problem?”

With one hand reaching for her waist, he reached out with the other to grab one of her tits through her bra, his thumb brushing over her pebbled nipple as it hardened under his touch. She couldn’t keep up the stony facade any longer, whining and melting against his hands.

He leaned down and kissed her neck while he rolled her nipple between his fingers. She continuously whimpered against him.

“Yeah, you like this? You like how I touch your tits?”

She grunted and nodded pathetically against him.

“Good.” He pulled back slightly, placing both hands on her waist, and tossing her onto the center of the bed. She landed tauntingly, her tits and thighs jiggling, giving him a real show. He unbuttoned his jeans and shucked them quickly, kneeling on the bed in front of her in his boxer briefs.

He leaned over and placed a hot wet kiss in the middle of her belly. She bit down on her lip to jail the moan that tried to break through. He kissed down her body to the lace slung across her hips, dragging his lips down the front of her thighs, to her knee, and then back up again. She was itching with need, panting deeply, waiting for him to touch her where she needed him.

“I really like this lacy thing,” he said, sliding a finger under the band, snapping it against her skin. “But I’m gonna need it to come off now.”

She smiled as he slipped his hands underneath the fabric and dragged it slowly down her legs. He kissed back up her leg again, ghosting over her center, causing her to clench around her emptiness, dragging his lips back up her chest until they landed at the top of her cleavage.

“This one too,” he breathed into her skin. “It’s so fucking sexy. But I need it gone.”

She sat up a bit so she could reach her arms behind her and undo the clasp. “I’ll help you out with this one,” she said, shucking it from her body.

His eyes raked over her, and he immediately leaned down and sucked a nipple into his mouth. The groan she let out was guttural, her entire body jerking at the sensation. He used his other hand to come up and grasp her other breast, kneading the flesh deeply between his fingers.

His tongue swirled around her hard nipple, teasing and sucking at her flesh, groaning into her skin, the vibration sending a strong wave of wetness down to her cunt. 

“I need you to touch me,” she said, deciding to take some control of the situation. “I don’t want to wait. I want it now.”

His mouth detached from her with the sound of a suctiony release, and he moved his attentions to her other breast, his hand sliding down her body, fingers swirling lightly around the soft skin at her belly button, before continuing their path down until they found their target.

The pads of his fingers drew a light circle around her clit, causing her hips to jump up. He shifted his stance so that he was kneeling more directly between her legs as she spread them wider, his knees holding her thighs more open.

His fingertips lightly grazed her, drawing lazily up and down her slit, making occasional contact with her bundle of nerves. She whined against him, his lips still roving circles around her nipple.

“Your tits are incredible,” he panted. “So big and full, and your nipples are perfect. Rosy and pink.” his finger came up and drew a light circle around her wet nipple, then he blew a stream of cool air across it, causing her to shiver and whine again.

“Please,” she started. “I need it now. I need to feel you.”

His finger at her pussy began to trail down again, fingering around the perimeter of her opening, dipping down and sliding inside of her. 

“Christ, you’re soaking wet.”

“I’m so fucking wet. I’ve never been so wet,” she cried. He moved his finger slowly in and out of her as he crawled back up her body, his lips finding hers again. They kissed sloppily as her breathing became uneven from the feel of him inside of her. 

“I need more, please.”

His tongue dragged across her bottom lip until her mouth opened, letting her inside. They tangled together, breathing each other in deeply as they kissed, as another finger tapped at the outside of her entrance.

“You want another finger Penelope?”

“Yes. Please.”

He kissed her deeply and pulled back. “Okay, baby. You can have another,” he said as he pushed his middle finger inside of her as well. The stretch was gratifying, but his speed was still too slow. She was getting annoyed with him dragging this out.

“It’s funny, you said you were gonna fuck me, but so far all you’re doing is tickling me,” she squeaked out.

He smiled against her neck. “Oh, is that what I’m doing with my fingers inside you?”

She ground her hips up against his hand and she pulled his face back up to look at her. “You know what I want. Make me come, Colin.”

His stare was dark and sultry. “You wanna come?” He continued moving his fingers at the same angle and pace. It felt good, but she wasn’t as close to the edge as she wanted to be.

“I can come whenever I want, baby. That’s not my problem.”

His eyebrows knitted together as his fingers stilled inside of her momentarily.

“What I’m saying is that I want you to make me come. Force it out of me and don’t let me stop until you say so.”

His jaw was set so tightly, his breath coming out in short spurts. “Okay, love. I’m gonna make you come.”

His fingers slowly started moving again. This time, they were curled ever so slightly. Her eyes fluttered closed as he began finding that delicious angle. Slowly but surely, he ramped up the rhythm of his movements. She ground her hips up against him more harshly.

“Uh huh,” she whined. “Like that.”

After another minute, his fingers were thrusting in and out of her, curled up to tap on her inner wall each time they pushed back in. It was making her legs go weak. Suddenly he began lightly circling her clit again with the rough pad of his thumb and she let out a pained whimper. 

“P-please. More.”

His thumb began flicking across her nub harder, his fingers fucking her more intensely than before. Her body was on fire, she was skating dangerously close to the edge of her orgasm. She began nodding her head fervently, encouraging him to keep going. His lips were back on her neck, sucking at her pulse point.

“Oh god,” she moaned. “Oh my god. Colin. Y-yes.” His wrist action was intense, his fingers flying in and out of her at a relentless pace, the wet squelching sounds filling the room around them. Her fingers fisting at the sheets, knuckles turning white.

“You’re… you’re gonna make me c–” she couldn’t even finish her sentence before a scream was ripped from her throat, an orgasm so intense wrapping her entire body in it’s hold, Colin’s thumb rubbing furiously at her clit, his fingers pulsing and curling inside of her.

Her body jerked up as if it was about to fly off of the bed, but Colin leaned on her to hold her down. Her entire body clenched and seized as her pussy convulsed around him, a fresh wave of wetness surging through her. His fingers continued moving inside of her, their pace not slowing down. She was starting to come down from her high, but he wouldn’t let her. Her body continued to jerk and flail against him, her legs trying to close, but he pinned her thighs open with his knees.

“Colin, oh my god, fuck, fuuuck,” she moaned as she writhed underneath him, the end of her orgasm extending between her legs as he continued to fuck her through it. His thumb was relentless, boring down on her clit even faster and harder than before. Her walls clenched again, a familiar oozing feeling taking hold in her lower belly, spreading through her limbs. She jerked and thrashed, trying to make a sound, but nothing coming out as her jaw hung limply open. Suddenly she burst, another orgasm tearing through her with immaculate speed and precision. Her entire body went lame under him, his fingers slowing down their assault, his lips drawing pathetically soft kisses up and down her neck, licking the sweat from where it had accumulated.

Penelope was nothing but a raw nerve, flayed open on the bed, so sensitive that even the slightest puff of air could send her into a tailspin. She laid panting and gasping, her head lulled to the side, as Colin’s lips cointuned dropping kisses up and down her neck to her collarbone, shoulder, and back again.

“Fuck,” she whispered once she’d regained her senses a bit. She stretched out her limbs, pointing her toes, feeling lighter than air. “That was unreal.”

Colin laughed against her skin. “You said you wanted me to make you come. So I made you.” His tongue grazed over the shell of her ear, sending another shiver down her spine.

“I think you said you wanted to do something else to me too, but I’m just not remembering correctly, my brain is a bit jelly at the moment… you’ll have to remind me,” she mused, turning to face him.

Colin slid his hand up and down the side of her body, his finger skimming the outline of her breast, watching as she shivered under his touch. He leaned forward until his lips were pressed up against her ear. She could feel every ounce of him as he whispered to her.

“I’m gonna get my cock inside of you and fuck you until you can’t see straight.”

She had to bite her lip to keep herself from whining just at the idea of it. She wanted him now.

“Do it,” she said, reaching her hand down to grab the band of his boxer briefs. She slid the tips of her fingers slightly below, running them back and forth along his skin to tease him. He took a harsh breath, the rest of his movements stilling, waiting for her to make contact.

Once her hand reached its destination, his body became taut. She wrapped her small hand around him and stroked him as smoothly as she could from this awkward angle.

“Shit,” he said, his forehead rolling onto her shoulder. “I need to be inside you.” Before she could even take another breath, he was off of her, standing next to the bed, rummaging through his rucksack sitting on a chair nearby. He pulled out a small plastic shopping bag, tearing into the box inside, until he ripped off a small foil packet. He shucked his boxer briefs down his legs, tore the packet open, and rolled the condom down his throbbing hard length.

Penelope watched, her jaw hanging slightly open at the sight of what is by far the biggest cock that would ever go inside of her. She was suddenly glad that he managed to force that second orgasm out of her. She’d also never been so wet in her life, and even though she wasn’t sure if she could take him, she wasn’t gonna go down without a fight.

He crawled back on top of her, crashing his lips to hers desperately, his tongue seeking hers out in what has become a familiar and sensual dance between them. She loved the feel of his mouth on hers. Ever since the first moment in the cave, his lips set her entire being ablaze. She’d never felt more alive.

Colin’s hands rubbed up and down the insides of her thighs, with each pass, spreading her more and more open for him.

“Open up, pretty girl,” he smirked against her lips, as he pushed on her knees, spreading them outward and hiking them up.

Her heart was beating out of her chest as he ground his cock through her folds, sliding up her slit, bumping against her oversensitive nub, causing her to jolt. “Fuck” she whispered.

His forehead leaned against her shoulder as he grabbed his length and pressed the tip against her opening.

“I’m gonna go slow at first, okay?”

She nodded silently against him. She didn’t have a quip or barb for him. She found herself more nervous than she was even a few moments ago, given his sheer size.

He pressed the tip inside of her, causing her body to tense up. It was such a good start.

“Keep going,” she said against his neck, her fingers digging into the muscles of his back.

He pushed further inside of her, pulling back slightly, and pushing forward again, seeking the right angle to help him glide in. He bit down on her shoulder.

She swallowed slowly, taking deep breaths, adjusting to the slightly painful stretch.

“Please. More.”

He pulled back to look at her. “I-I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“You won’t. I’m okay, I swear.”

He hiked her thigh up against his hip, trying to spread her open more, and sank down the rest of the way until he was completely buried inside her tight warmth.

His head lulled down again resting against her forehead. “Fucking hell, you feel unbelievable,” he panted against her lips.

Penelope was stretched to her absolute limits. He was splitting her in half. She couldn’t believe she took him completely inside of her like that.

“C-can you move? Please?” 

He pulled back slightly and pushed back inside. He began a slow rhythm of shallow thrusts, with a death grip on her thigh, holding her spread as wide as he could.

Colin grunted against her neck. “You’re so fucking tight, holy shit, Pen.”

The burn inside of her walls started to scratch a particular itch inside of her, giving way to a wave of pleasure as he angled his hips and began tapping up inside of her. It caused her to flutter around him, resulting in another groan from him.

“Fuck, I felt that. You like when I do that baby?” he asked, angling his hips again, hitting her deeper in that spot. Her toes curled up and she nodded against him. She knew immediately that she was gonna come on his cock, he just needed to keep doing what he was doing.

“You’re so fucking huge, Colin. I didn’t think you’d fit inside of me. Now I can’t ever imagine anything else, I never want you to stop fucking me.”

The pace of his hips picked up, fucking her in earnest now. His thrusts were steady and deep, rolling up with each pass.

“Yeah? You like how I’m fucking you? You like how your tight little pussy takes my cock?”

“Yes. Make me take it, Colin.”

He doubled down on his pace at that point, leaning down to swallow the moan flying out of her mouth with his lips. His tongue rolled around inside of her mouth the same way his cock was rolling around inside of her cunt, sending a jolt down her spine to the tips of her fingers and toes. It was ecstasy.

Penelope slid her hand that was in his hair down to her own body, grabbing her tit in her hand, squeezing and massaging while her eyes fixed on his face above her while he pounded into her. His expression looked completely wrecked.

“Oh god, when you’re grabbing your tit like that, Penelope,” his voice was straining, his breaths coming in faster while his hips rolled against her.

“I’m… I’m c-close,” she moaned. “Fuck, I’m gonna come again. M-make me come.”

Within the same movement, Colin pulled out of her and slunk down underneath her, attaching his lips to her clit, shoving two of his fingers inside of her fluttering pussy. He sucked her bud between his lips, his fingers pulsing and curling in and out of her. She clamped down on him, her hand on her breast grabbing and pinching at her nipple as the swirl of piping hot volcanic lava burst through her veins. His tongue lapped excruciatingly on her clit, her mouth falling open pathetically in one continuous moan, somehow then going completely silent as she came on his tongue.

He pulled his fingers away, letting his mouth absorb her final wave, licking the hot path from her slit to her nub and back again, feeling the trembling of her walls against his tongue all the while, swirling it in her, tasting inside of her, licking up the remnants of her euphoria.

The sound of her panting filled the room, while she grabbed at his hair, her nails scratching at his scalp. He dragged his tongue back up her body, swirling over her belly button and one of her nipples before capturing her lips again.

“Turn over,” he demanded. She could barely move, but managed to get on her belly with his help. He grabbed the flesh of her ass, pulling it up in the air, tilting it backwards. He spread her cheeks and then immediately pushed back inside of her with his cock. The moan she released at the feel of him entering her swiftly quickly turned into a growl.

“Fuck, baby,” she whined. “Take me.”

He didn’t wait another second before his hips started slapping against her ass, the lewd, wet sounds filling the room. She laid on her stomach and took it, eventually pushing up until she was leaning on her forearms, pushing back against him. She could hear his shallow breaths.

“You feel even tighter like this, Jesus Christ.”

“Don’t stop. Don’t stop, Colin.” She felt like she was breaking in half every time he slammed inside of her, and each time he pulled back he wove the pieces of her back together. It was an excruciating song and dance, of pain and pleasure bound so tightly together. She could feel herself inching back towards the highest plain of satisfaction, where he would likely toss her off the ledge again and again and again. And she would leap happily each time.

“Do you even realize how hot you are?” he grunted into her ear as he leaned over her, his large body covering hers while his hips continued to snap against her. “Do you know how fucking bad I’ve wanted you all day? It was bloody torture being around you.”

She keened at his words, feeling the familiar fluttering in her cunt, warning her of another orgasm sneaking into her bloodstream. This man was going to be the death of her.

One of his hands slid from her hip where he’d been gripping, up the skin of her back until it reached the back of her head. He threaded his fingers through her hair at her scalp, gathering as much of it as he could into his fist, and began to pull. He pulled hard.

“Oh my god,” she moaned. “Oh my god, don’t stop. Fuck.”

“Are you gonna come for me again, Pen? I’m so fucking close, but I want to feel you come on my cock first,” he grunted against her ear as he pulled her head back by her ponytail. 

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she panted as he cock continued to take her apart. “Y-yes… oh god…” she moaned as he began hitting her deeper and harder than before. She snaked her hand down the front of her body, finding the raw sensitive bundle of nerves that held the controls to her body’s pleasure. She began rubbing lightly over it, and that’s all it took until she felt a large, slow wave creeping up her body, starting from her belly and working its way out to her fingers and toes.

“I’m c… Colin I’m…” She couldn’t get the words out, her mouth hung pathetically and her throat was completely frozen as a silent scream wracked its way through her body. Her entire being convulsed, clenching around him as Colin’s cock drove her higher and higher and then pushed her headfirst over the ledge until she was falling, flailing, writhing, jerking, flayed wildly underneath him and her limbs collapsed underneath her until she fell into the mattress.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he called out, hammering himself into her tight heat, one hand on her hair, the other digging a bruising grip into her hip as his cock speared her one last time, and he shuddered, jerked, and cried out. “Penelope, fuck.” And he went utterly still before collapsing on top of her.

He rolled off to the side to avoid crushing her completely, but the two of them laid gasping for air, bodies depleted and milked for every last ounce of pleasure possible

After several minutes, Penelope rolled over until she was laying on her back. Colin managed to stand up to go dispose of the condom, finding his way back into the bed, pulling her into his side.

“That was…” he started to say before trailing off. Penelope still hadn’t quite gotten her vocal cords working again, so she just grunted against his chest that he’d pulled her head against. She placed a lazy kiss against his skin there, closing her eyes and listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

She could have easily drifted off to sleep like this, his hands strumming softly through her sweaty messy hair, a sharp contrast to how he’d been tugging them a few minutes ago, the delicious sting on her scalp still lingering.

“Did you think this would happen when you barreled into me this morning?” he asked a few moments later. She could hear the smile in his voice.

She leaned up a bit to look at him, her hand snaking around his neck to grab the side of his face. “Now you’ve called me out on my master plan.” She pulled his face down to hers, kissing him softly, their lips swollen and puffy from how they assaulted each other’s bodies with them not long ago.

His hand grazed down her body to rest on the soft, plump skin at her bottom, his fingertips lightly squeezing into her flesh.

“I was down for the count the second I saw you,” he whispered against her lips. “Not sure I’ve ever seen someone so beautiful. You kind of knocked me on my ass.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she mused. “You might actually be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen in real life.”

He chucked at that. “I guess we make quite the pair then.”

She traced the pads of her fingers lightly along his chest, swirling through the coarse hair, drawing patterns in his skin.

“I’m gonna fall asleep…” she mumbled against him.

“Me too,” he whispered. “Sleep.” He pulled the covers up over them, helping her shimmy underneath the sheets, and pulling her up against his body once she was laying on her side. He wrapped a long arm around her, grabbing her waist, his hand splayed across her belly. He breathed in her hair, dipping forward to place a kiss against her bare shoulder.

“Night, Pen.”

The last thing she saw before she drifted off was a small stone sitting on the nightstand that caught her eye. A pink and red volcanic stone, the colors swirling and intermingling inside like an eruption of color. She let her eyes close once again, imagining that it was the two of them, solidified in the rock of the earth before exploding to the surface, leaving behind traces of disruption and beauty in its aftermath.

Sunlight broke through the crack in the curtains, slithering into the darkness of the hotel room, disrupting the blackness of their deep slumber. Penelope roused first, extending up her sore limbs, letting the stretch permeate through her body while she twisted like a cat, letting the looseness back into her extremities. When she moved her legs she felt a definite ache between her thighs that didn’t go away with a simple stretch. The soreness persisted, a delicious reminder of the feeling of Colin expanding her insides last night, pushing her to the brink.

She felt him move against her, his hot breath against her neck, his hands snaking around her waist, pulling her body into his.

“Morning,” he grunted with a rasp in his voice.

“Hi,” she whispered with equal rasp. “Sleep okay?” she asked, turning over in his arms. His eyes were still closed as he nodded, pulling her closer into his chest. She burrowed into his warmth, not wanting to move. They stayed in that position for several more minutes, the pattern of their breathing synching together, harmonious and peaceful.

After a few more moments, Penelope nuzzled her nose against his chest. “What happens next?” she asked into his skin.

His fingers trailed down, hooking under her chin and pulling her face up to look at him. He dropped his lips to hers in a soft, chaste kiss. 

“Now, we get up, get dressed, and go down to the beach.”

“Oh, we do, do we?” she smiled up at him. “I don’t have any of my stuff here.”

He rubbed his thumb back and forth over her cheek. “I’ll come with you back to your hotel so you can change. I can grab us some espressos while you get ready. And then there’s an incredible beach club not too far from here with daybeds and great service. I’ll get us a private canopy.

“You will?” she asked. “Don’t you want to hang out with your siblings? Or… will they be there?”

He furrowed his eyebrows together. “My siblings are going to a beach club much closer to here. We’re gonna go to one just a little bit further out.” He dropped a kiss on top of her eyelid. “If that’s okay with you.”

“Just us?” she asked. “Are you sure about that?” He began trailing his kisses along her jaw and neck at this point. Her eyes fluttered closed again.

“Never been more sure.”

“But you came on holiday with them…”

“Christ, Pen. I don’t give a shit about them. I want to be with you.” His tongue darted out to lick a spot under her ear.

She leaned away from him, placing a hand on his shoulder so she could pull him back to look at him. “I’m only here for a week, you know. How long are you here for?”

He shrugged. “I’m flexible. If you’re here a week, then maybe I’m here a week.”

“You don’t have anything to get back home to? A job or a… pet?”

He laughed. “My job is kind of on the road. I post stuff on instagram and write travel articles freelance. And no, no pet to speak of. I’d love a dog someday, but I travel too much right now.”

“So like Frannie said, maybe a week in Paros, maybe a month. The world is your oyster,” she giggled gingerly.

He laughed. “No, definitely not a month. I mean I could, but I don’t want to.”

“Oh? You don’t want to stay on this island that is practically paradise on earth? Whyever not?”

He rolled his eyes. “I suddenly find myself wanting to get back to London at the end of the week. I think I could find some enjoyable things to do in the city for once.” He examined her, his hand coming up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Do you really want to be talking about what happens when we leave this paradise right now? Or do you want to just enjoy ourselves for the next week and see what happens after that?” she asked.

Colin’s fingertips skimmed up and down the skin of her back, leaving a line of fire in its wake.

“I think I want to be in the moment with you. But I also need you to know that I’m not letting you get away from me so easily,” he smirked.

Penelope bit her lip and leaned in until she was breathing directly on his lips. “I’m counting on it.”