"I've never been on the beach at night," Rachel admitted with a sigh. She leaned back in the sand as the warm breeze brushed her arms. This was the second evening Etienne had taken her out to show her the night. Their first jaunt had been a night walk in the woods. They'd walked hand in hand, listening to the sounds of animals and catching glimpses of them. Surprisingly enough, Rachel hadn't had any trouble navigating the uneven path beaten into the dirt. It seemed her senses were really improving--she had been able to see almost as well at night as in daylight. Etienne's eyes shone silver in the night, or perhaps they simply reflected the moonlight, so she asked if her own eyes were glowing. Etienne smiled and nodded, and Rachel contemplated that. She was now a nocturnal animal. She was a vampire. A hunter.

Rather than alarming her as the idea had once done, the thought gave Rachel an odd surge of confidence. As a woman in the modern world, working at night, she was rather used to being threatened by any number of perverted sickos out there. She had spent most of her life darting from her vehicle to wherever she was going, ever alert for trouble. Now she was experiencing the first tastes of her new strength and abilities.

Her vision wasn't the only thing improved. Last night they had climbed and run and played in the woods, and she had learned that her body was stronger and faster than ever. Much stronger. Inhumanly strong, though she wasn't sure how the nanos managed that. She hadn't bothered to try to figure it out. She was enjoying it too much to care.

"It's a nice night. Want to go for a swim?"

Rachel glanced over the deserted beach and the water reflecting the moonlight. It was a nice night. While yesterday was unseasonably chill, tonight was warm as a summer evening should be, and a moonlight swim sounded enticing. But they hadn't brought any swimsuits.

She smiled to herself and peered up the beach again. They had it all to themselves, which would have been impossible during the day. The few policemen who patrolled at night were watching for under-aged partiers who had already arrived and been sent away by Etienne. Really, she supposed, a swimsuit wasn't absolutely necessary. Etienne had already seen her naked. Several times.

Rather than answer his question verbally, Rachel tossed a wicked grin Etienne's way. Reaching for the hem of her T-shirt with both hands, she raised it up and over her head.

"Beautiful," Etienne murmured as her breasts were bared.

His suddenly serious expression made Rachel laugh, and she tossed her T-shirt in his lap as she got to her feet. She hadn't bothered with a bra tonight. Actually, she didn't wear them much at all anymore. There was no need. Her breasts were firm and perky, as they had never been, the nanos keeping them that way. She was going to save a ton of money in the future.

Standing before him, Rachel unsnapped her jeans and shimmied out of them. She felt herself blush as she did so, but he had seen her naked before, and besides, she was aware that her body was now flawless. It was really rather freeing. Well, mostly. Someday she could actually envision managing undressing without blushing.

A featherlight caress up her calf made her glance down. Etienne was looking heatedly up at her, trailing his fingers lightly along the sensitive skin of her inner leg. If she gave him the chance, Rachel knew they would be rolling around on the sand within minutes, growling like animals--but he was the one who had mentioned a swim, and now she really wanted one. She danced lightly out of his reach and, leaving him seated upon the blanket holding their picnic basket, Rachel turned away to jog lightly to the water's edge.

Her first step into the water was a bit of a shock. While the night was warm, the water was cold. It closed around her foot, but she barely let that slow her down. Rachel continued determinedly forward for several steps until the water reached her waist, then raised her hands and dived under the rounded waves. She swam underwater for what seemed an impossible time, surprised by the fact that she could. When she finally surfaced, it wasn't out of a need for air so much as a curiosity as to how far she'd swum.

Deciding she had a lot more questions to ask Bastien about the effects of nanos, Rachel swiveled in the water. She stopped treading water and nearly sank under the surface upon seeing how far she was from shore, but she then caught herself. Stronger and faster didn't begin to describe her new state. Rachel hadn't been swimming very hard, but she had propelled herself an incredible distance.

A dark shape broke the surface of the lake on her right, and Rachel smiled as Etienne appeared. His hair was slicked close to his head, his eyes again aglow in the moonlight. He swam closer.

"You look beautiful," he said solemnly.

Rachel glanced down at herself. Her breasts were half-revealed above the water, and the silver moonlight gave her skin a pearlescent sheen. Etienne shifted closer, reaching out to catch her hand and draw her forward. As her breasts brushed his chest, he rolled onto his back, taking her with him so that she draped half over his floating chest with her lower body in the water beside him. He began to paddle his feet, propelling them back toward land.

Rachel slid her arms around his waist and went with him, kicking halfheartedly to aid. At last, Etienne stopped and stood. The water reached to just above her breasts as Rachel also stood, but she barely noticed before he pulled her into his arms. She went willingly and lifted her face as he claimed her lips. Rachel first let her legs brush his under the water, then wrapped them around his hips as she twined her arms around his neck. She arched against him, her body stretching and lengthening with awareness. She was conscious of several sensations: the night air now slightly chill on her damp skin; the water itself, warm and silky around her now that she had adjusted to the temperature; his body hot everywhere it touched hers; her passion feverish as it built inside her.

They had made love several times now, each time more explosive and better than the last, so the rush of excitement Rachel felt was overpowering. She had felt like this before--this hunger for him, this pleasure in him, this desire--but this encounter would be even better. Their minds opened to each other, and his desires joined hers. The first rush was almost unbearable as it attacked her nerves, making Rachel swoon.

She heard the half-growl, half-purr that erupted from Etienne's throat as she slid her hands into his hair and scraped her nails across his scalp. She responded with one of her own as the sensations echoed inside her. The feeling was so enjoyable, she did it again, then again, before finally sliding her hands down his neck and running her nails over his upper back and shoulders. Rachel had never known that such a simple action could be so erotic, but her own back muscles rippled in sympathy and desire.

Etienne's hands were wandering over her body at the same time--caressing her back, following the curve of her hip, cupping her bottom then squeezing briefly, before smoothing along her legs. The combination of their caresses and pleasures quickly had Rachel trembling. Etienne had stripped off his clothes on the beach, and she could feel his erection, hard and excited, where it was trapped between their bodies. Rachel tightened her legs around him and shifted herself upward. Rubbing against him, she stilled and groaned deep in her throat as his urge to climax swamped her mind.

Recalling every time they had made love, and the way she had fainted after each, Rachel wanted desperately to break their kiss and suggest they move back to the blanket--but it seemed too much effort, and breaking the kiss seemed impossible. It was as if she needed it to breathe.

"Rachel." Her name was a growl in her head, for Etienne was still kissing her and not speaking. It took her a moment to realize he was speaking mentally; that with their minds fevered and wide open, they needn't speak to communicate. "I want you."

Rachel sighed and tried to answer mentally that she wanted him too, but she wasn't sure he got the message. She had no idea if she had attained the ability yet. Still, she didn't repeat the thought aloud when he broke the kiss and propelled her backward through the water. Rachel felt sure he was taking her to the blanket, but he stopped while still in the water and urged her up to the surface. She floated on her back with her knees bent. He grasped her legs and shocked her by suddenly pulling them wide open.

Rachel nearly sank under the water in surprise, so she dropped her hands to keep herself afloat. In the end, she didn't have to paddle; her arms hit sand almost at once and she realized Etienne had moved them closer to shore--close enough that she could hold her upper body up out of the water. He shifted between her legs and bent his head to caress her hot flesh with his tongue.

Rachel jerked, her feet shooting upward and splashing water everywhere as he set to work. Her mind went through myriad emotions--shock, embarrassment, and the brief mad desire to scoot away from the delectation he offered all shot through her in rapid order, but then pleasure took over.

Moaning, she caught the soles of her feet on his shoulder blades and used them to pivot her hips. Her legs spread wider apart, opening farther to facilitate him. This was... Well, Rachel had never experienced such intense pleasure. She almost feared she might die of it--but it was a heck of a way to go, she decided as the throes of her first climax struck, echoed out to Etienne and then were reflected back even more intensely.

A soft chuckle drew her back to consciousness, and Etienne unhooked Rachel's legs from over his shoulders and crawled up her body. He settled on top of her where she lay on the damp sand. Obviously, he had moved her farther out of the water, which was probably a good thing. She would have drowned if he hadn't. She had fainted again, and even now she didn't have the strength to hold her head or anything else up. It was even an effort to force her eyes open, but she did and dazedly stared at him.

"How? Where did you learn... ? How?" she asked incoherently.

Etienne grinned and brushed a damp strand of hair off her face. "Do you remember the garden?"

Rachel's mind was still so befuddled that she had to actually think for a moment. Understanding dawned at last, and she distinctly recalled feeling what he was experiencing as she had licked, kissed, and caressed him. Obviously he had experienced the same thing tonight, allowing him to hit just the right spots with just the right pressure to send her over the moon. And probably himself with her, Rachel realized, recalling that she had shared his ecstasy.

"Oh," she breathed, and found herself grinning foolishly. The sex was definitely a plus about being a vampire. She was beginning to discover all sorts of pluses to this business. What had she made all the fuss about? "You're good."

Etienne grinned back. "Yes, I am. And so are you. We're a pretty good pair."

"Yeah." She sighed happily and stretched beneath him. The way she was arching forced her breasts up until they rested mere inches from his mouth, and Rachel grinned when she felt his sex begin to stiffen again. She already knew from experience that vampires had boundless stamina. Another plus. It was starting to look as if those pluses were boundless, too.

Catching her while she was still arched, Etienne scooped one hand under Rachel's back, then shifted to kneel in the sand and caught her under her knees. Lifting her into his arms, he got to his feet. Rachel laughed huskily and caught her hand around his neck as he carried her to their blanket. He took a moment to straighten the cloth with a foot, then dropped to his knees and laid her out. He started to stand, but Rachel tightened her hold on his neck, preventing him and trying to draw him down for a kiss.

Etienne allowed it, but only for a moment. Then he muttered, "Food," and swiveled to grab their picnic basket.

Rachel was hungry, but not for food. Not for blood either--which was rather surprising, since she had been hungry for blood almost nonstop since he had turned her. She wondered briefly if that meant she was nearly finished with the change but was distracted when Etienne began to pull items out of the basket.

"Strawberries?" she asked with surprise. He set a bowl of the ripe red fruit on the blanket.

"Yeah. Strawberries dipped in chocolate," he announced with a proud grin. "It's called fondue or something."

Rachel arched an eyebrow at the squeezable bottle of chocolate syrup he retrieved and set on the blanket beside the strawberries. When he closed the basket and pushed it away, she tried to hide her amusement. "I think fondue is warmed chocolate that you dip the strawberries into."

Etienne shrugged. "Rachel, honey, I'm a guy. A three-hundred-year-old guy but still just a guy. This is fondue to me."

Rachel laughed.

Etienne picked up a strawberry and squirted some syrup on it, then popped it into his mouth. He grabbed and squirted chocolate sauce on a second, this one for her. Rachel laughed and opened her mouth for it, then shook her head as she chewed and swallowed. She commented, "I don't think I've ever seen you eat real food before."

He shrugged then grinned. "I don't very often. Only on special occasions. But I didn't think a picnic basket full of blood bags felt right."

Rachel grimaced. "No. Not nearly as romantic."

Etienne laughed at her expression then suggested, "Well, perhaps if we both drank it out of the same champagne glass."

Rachel arched her eyebrows, and they grinned at each other. Then Etienne shook his head and they both said, "Nah."

"Ah, well. Guess impressing you with my romantic nature is out of the question," he said good-naturedly. Pushing the strawberries and basket aside, he added, "Guess my sexual prowess will have to be enough." Rachel burst out laughing.

Etienne dropped to lay on top of her and covered her open mouth with his. Her laughter soon turned to moans of pleasure. Then Rachel shifted, and she managed to turn him onto his back. The only reason she managed was that she took him by surprise. Unwilling to give up the advantage, she quickly climbed on top of him. Bracing her hands on his chest, she grinned down at his startled expression. "You don't have a problem with me being on top, do you?"

His surprise slowly gave way to passion. He shook his head. "But now that you're there, what do you plan to do?"

Rachel considered then suggested, "Ride you like a wild pony?"

Etienne's eyes widened incredulously. Giving a howl of mirth, he flipped her onto her back, caught her hands, and raised them over her head, holding them both there with one of his own. Arching one eyebrow at her wickedly he said, "I should have brought my handcuffs."

"Handcuffs?" Rachel squealed. "That sounds kinky."

"Hmm." Etienne dropped his head to catch her nipple in his mouth, and suckled delicately. Lifting his head, he informed her, "In a hundred years or so, when we get tired of straight sex, you'll appreciate my kinkiness."

Rachel shook her head, amused. Sighing as he bent his head to her breast again, she watched him lave her nipple with his tongue then nip lightly at it. Arching, moaning, and squirming as he did, suddenly his words registered in her mind. In a hundred years or so, when we get tired of straight sex, you'll appreciate my kinkiness.

Did he really mean that? Did he expect her to be in his life in a hundred years? Was this more than an affair? They hadn't been together long, and she knew it was too soon to ask his intentions--if there ever really was an appropriate moment in this day and age for such--but the thought nagged at her. Where were they headed? What was she to him besides the woman who had saved his life and whom he had saved, the woman his cousin had tricked him into sleeping with.

"What am I doing wrong?"

Rachel jerked back and met Etienne's gaze with confusion. "What?"

"Your mind is closed to me," he explained quietly. "Which means you aren't excited. I'm doing something wrong. What is it?"

Rachel managed a smile and shook her head. "Nothing. I was just thinking."

Before he could ask what about, she lifted her head and claimed his lips. She had no desire to let him know what she had been thinking. If he had intentions or hopes for their future, she didn't want to put him in a spot where he felt he had to announce them before he was ready. And if he didn't have any intentions, she'd really rather not spoil this by knowing. Life held no guarantees, even for vampires, it seemed.

They frolicked and made love on the beach until well past midnight, then decided to head home to feed. Etienne's home, Rachel corrected herself as she picked up the blanket and folded it. Etienne rinsed out the bowl and two champagne glasses at the shoreline. They had eaten the strawberries and every last drop of chocolate, at a couple of points using each other's bodies for plates. Then Etienne had produced champagne and two glasses. Rachel had been curious to know how the drink would affect her now that she was a vampire. She had never been much of a drinker; two drinks had always been enough to put her under the table. As it turned out, making love on the beach was a thirsty business, and she had managed to put away half the bottle Etienne produced without much effect.

Etienne finished replacing everything in the basket, picked it up, then straightened and held out his hand. "Let me take that."

Rachel handed over the blanket and watched him lay it atop the basket under the handles. She placed her hand in his when he held it out again, and they started up the beach toward the parking lot.

The path was narrow and they had to walk single file. Since he knew the way better, Rachel stepped behind Etienne, allowing him to take the lead. They were several feet onto the wooded trail when he stopped, turned sideways, and whispered, "Look."

Rachel stepped to his side and peered where he was pointing, then sucked in a breath. The air was full of brightly shining miniature lights.

"What are they?"

"Fireflies."

"Fireflies?" she asked with disbelief. She shook her head. These weren't like any she'd seen before. They were much brighter, like tiny stars, really. She couldn't believe these brilliant lights were insects. Etienne apparently recognized her incredulity.

"Your eyesight is different," he explained. They'll appear a little different now than before the change."

"Oh." Her gaze locked on the tiny lights. Rachel was so enthralled, she hardly noticed Etienne slipping his hand around hers to clasp it. He tugged her gently sideways to lean into him, and they simply watched in silence for several moments. At last Rachel sighed and said, "It's beautiful."

"Yes," Etienne agreed. He gave her hand a squeeze and bent to press a kiss to her forehead.

Rachel glanced up at him with surprise, but he was already looking back at the fireflies. She stared at him silently, wondering what he'd meant. He had kissed her in passion, made love to her even, but this kiss had felt different. It had been affectionate, perhaps even a loving caress. It was the first sign that he might feel something besides desire for her, and she found herself cherishing the idea. Her own feelings were confused and slightly muddled, but she knew they went beyond desire. Rachel liked Etienne Argeneau. She also respected and was learning to trust him. She was starting to think things could get serious, at least on her part. But she wasn't sure what his feelings were on the matter, and frankly, that left her nervous.

"We should go," Etienne murmured. "The sun will be making an appearance soon, and I didn't bring any blood."

Rachel nodded and straightened, then fell into step behind him. They continued along the wooded path. This time she didn't even bother to try not to stare at his behind as they walked. The man had a butt you could bounce coins off.