Swept Away by Elizabeth Seckman

he heard her door close. Hopping up, he looked outside as Josie stepped off her porch. She was only wearing a little nightgown, so Tucker immediately worried she was sleep walking. He grabbed his shoes and followed behind, whispering her name. She didn’t seem to hear him.
    She went down the road, past the cemetery, back into the thicket of woods she’d led him to earlier. Tucker got more nervous with every step. He tried to remember what he knew about sleepwalkers. Should he grab her? Yell at her? In the middle of the clearing, she turned to him. The moonlight made her skin glow. She smiled at him and said, “Did you hear them, Tucker?”
    “Hear what?” he asked.
    “The shells.”
    He shook his head as he stepped toward her. “Come on, Josie. I think I better take you back.”
    “No, I heard them. I heard the call. They called you too. You’re here for me.”
    Smiling, she backed to the edge of the water, turned, and dove in. It seemed like she was under forever.
    “Josie?” He kicked off his shoes and dove in. The water was so dark, it mirrored the moon. He couldn’t find her anywhere. He called her name again. No response. Diving under the black water again and again, he reached out with his hands feeling for her body. He took a gulp of air as he broke the surface. “God damn it, Josie,” he said, panicked. Then she emerged, her hair slicked back, eyes closed. When she opened them, she seemed shocked to see him there.
    “Tucker,” she said. “Why are you here?”
    “Better question is, what are you doing? You scared the hell out of me. Do you sleepwalk?”
    “I was dreaming. And I felt hot, so I came for a swim.”
    “You weren’t following shells?”
    Tipping her head to one side, she looked confused. “No, just needed to cool off.”
    Swimming toward her, he said, “Then turn up your AC. It’s not safe for you to be out swimming by yourself.”
    “I’m a good swimmer.”
    Tucker thought of the many men visiting the island. Any one of them would follow a half-naked chick into the woods. He started to tell her that, but something made him stop. Frustrated, he swam to the bank and climbed out. The grass was tender and cool, a nice contrast to the heat of the night air. He sat, knees bent, arms around his legs and watched her swim toward him.
    “You mad at me?”
    He sighed. “You scared me. I’m not mad.”
    “Good,” she said, stepping out of the water. The thin nightgown was soaked—clinging to her body, nearly transparent.
    “No way,” he said, forcing himself to look to the moon. The cosmos was screwing with him. That had to be it. She couldn’t be this clueless.
    Sitting beside him, she untangled her wet curls. “It’s sweet of you to worry.”
    He looked back at her. Her smile was guileless. She wasn’t even trying to turn him on, yet every red blood cell in his body had traveled south of his belly button.
    “I suppose we should get back,” she said.
    Thinking of her near nakedness and a boner he could never hide, he shook his head. “No, we should stay here a bit.”
    “And talk?”
    “Yeah. Talk.”
    Crossing her legs under her, she leaned back, throat exposed along with everything else.
    “Josie,” he said looking her up and down.
    She looked down at herself. With a squeal, she sat straight up and hugged her knees to her chest. “I’m sorry. Oh my God, I didn’t realize.”
    “That’s why I mentioned it.”
    Laying her cheek against her knee, she squeezed her eyes closed. “That’s so embarrassing.”
    “Don’t be,” he said. “You’re beautiful.”
    She smiled. “Thank you…did you see very much?”
    “No.” He lied. He’d seen everything. He wouldn’t need porn ever again.
    Tucker couldn’t formulate thoughts that didn’t involve scooping her up and laying her back on the grass. They sat in silence for quite a while. His pulse was headed back to steady, and he was about to suggest they go when she said, “Tucker? Can I ask you a