4. The Lure
4
THE LURE
T heo
I drew my hand away, a bemused smile on my face as I watched the stubborn determination play in Lux’s eyes. Those eyes—I’d never seen eyes like hers before. They were the colour of fog over the lake on a rainy day, and the moment I’d looked into their depths, I felt something stir and take shape within me, making me feel complete.
She was out of her element. Even if Jasmine hadn’t told us in advance, as experienced as I was, I could always tell a beginner. The way Lux’s face had paled when she put one foot into the canoe had been indication enough. I’d wager she’d never set foot in a canoe until that very moment. My response to steady the canoe for her had been automatic, and I would have done it even without being immensely attracted to her.
But it appeared Lux didn’t need my help this time. She jumped out, her feet splashing in the two inches of water the front of the canoe rested in. Jasmine hopped out too, the water going up to the middle of her calves, and the two of them began to pull the canoe the rest of the way onto the beach.
I could tell when my services weren’t needed, and it didn’t bother me any. I went back to my kayak and started grabbing my gear; my tent, mattress and sleeping bag, my cooler and food, and set them on the beach. Once my kayak was empty, I carried everything over to the wooded hill on the left side of the beach. I found a spot and began to set up my small two-person tent.
My hands and fingers worked blindly out of habit, as I’d done it hundreds of times before. My love of camping had been spurred from my nature-loving father and grandfather. My father worked at the nickel mine—like his dad before him, and his dad’s dad. Whenever Dad did have time off, we’d spend it outside, be it fishing or camping. My grandpa and little sister, Olivia, would usually join us, too.
Over the years, we’d camped in all the provincial parks in Ontario. Although Dad loved the outdoors, he wasn’t as knowledgeable as my grandpa had been about the land.
It was because of my grandfather that I’d decided to be an environmental geoscientist. Now, I got paid to collect rock and mineral samples for an international consulting firm. I still worked in the mining sector, travelling to different mines to test ground and rock samples. I mostly worked out of our facility in Sudbury unless they needed me to travel to a site.
My job was rewarding and challenging, but it consumed a lot of my time. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken a trip for pleasure, not work.
I arranged my sleeping bag and pillow inside the tent, then tossed my hiking bag inside and zipped it up. With that task completed, I stood up and stretched, working the kinks out of my back and shoulders, and risked another glance in Lux’s direction.
She was remarkable; and for some unexplainable reason she felt like both a memory and a premonition. If I were a betting man, I could count on the fact I was looking at my future.
I’d never bought into the whole love at first sight thing before, but then again…I’d never been struck quite like this upon meeting someone before. I wanted to get to know her, to find out why she called to me.
I thought about offering to help but it looked like they were catching up, and I didn’t want to intrude.
With my tent set up and nothing else to keep me on the hill, I made my way to Desmond’s tent. He’d already finished setting up his one-person tent and was sitting on his cooler in front of it, drinking a beer. He spotted me coming and stood up to open his cooler, fishing one out for me.
“Thanks,” I said, grinning. We were on vacation, and vacation beers were always a good idea. He tossed me a can, and I caught it, popping the tab. I took a deep sip, the cold liquid refreshing in my dry throat, and looked over to where Lux and Jasmine were setting up their tent.
Lux was fluid in her movements, like a dancer. Gracefully crouching and standing, reaching and pulling. It was hard to believe she’d never set up a tent before, what with the easy way she moved, but I could hear Jasmine giving her instructions.
Her tank top rode up enough to reveal a sliver of porcelain skin, and I felt the blood rushing south. I turned back to Desmond and tried not to focus on the sound of her voice.
“How’s work been?” I asked him, before taking another sip of my beer.
“It’s good.” He replied, shrugging. “Back on nights next week.”
“Brutal.” Desmond worked as an operator in the mines—another generational miner. His dad had worked there, too.
Lux let out a laugh, the sound of it light and airy and free. I looked over, watching her fight to recover from whatever funny thing Jasmine had said. Even from twelve feet away, I could see the dimple appear on her right cheek above the corner of her pink lips.
I caught her watching me, her grey eyes raking across my chest before they dropped slowly, following the trail of dark blond hair that disappeared into my swim trunks. When she saw that I was watching her, she turned her head quickly, the apples of her cheeks flushing with embarrassment at having been caught.
The slow slide of her eyes across my skin had done little to ease the heat I felt for her, and I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading. Clearly, Lux was affected by me, too. Affected, but still hesitant.
“Let’s see if Talia needs any assistance getting firewood,” I joked, doubting it. Talia was more than capable of getting the firewood chopped on her own.
We headed toward the beach, passing Kai and Zoey as they set up their tent beside Baz and Rhiannon’s. Rhiannon was discreetly creeping around the campsite with her camera, getting candid shots of everyone setting up while her two-year-old dog, Moose, roamed about beside her with the happiest dog grin on his face.
He spotted us and wandered over to me, sitting at my feet, his large tongue hanging out the side of his mouth as he panted. I stroked his soft head for a few minutes, until he caught sight of a chipmunk and took off after it, bolting away without a second glance.
It wasn’t the first time he’d joined us for a camping trip, and I knew he wouldn’t go far. He always had to be within five feet of Rhiannon, or at least have her in his line of sight, and she’d made her way up to the top of the hill to talk to Lux and Jasmine.
I resumed the short walk to the beach. There was a fire pit on the beach, and another one halfway up the rocky hill. When we used this site, we usually used the beach fire pit.
Talia was chopping logs that the previous campers had left with a small axe. She’d already ditched her shirt and was soaking up the sun in her bikini top and shorts. Baz sat in his camping chair, music pumping from a waterproof speaker ball with a cord attached to his phone. His head was bopping in time to the beat, but his eyes were fixated on his girlfriend, a slight smile playing on his lips as he watched her do her thing.
It wouldn’t be long now before Baz was popping the question, too.
“Already set up?” I asked Talia, watching while the head of the axe split a piece of wood in two. Talia left it in the stump and looked up at me with a wide grin.
“I cheated and brought the pop-up tent,” she shrugged. “Figured the less time I spent on set up and take down, the more time I’d have to drink and jump off cliffs.”
“Jump off cliffs?” I turned at the sound of her voice. Lux, Jasmine, and Rhiannon had joined us on the beach. The corner of Lux’s lips pulled in a concerned frown, and she looked to Jasmine for explanation.
“Yeah, cliff jumping,” Jasmine explained as she set up her chair. “It’s a lot of fun. There are a couple spots you can jump from here, but the really good cliffs are down the river.”
“Oh,” Lux said, setting up her own chair beside Jasmine’s. “Is it safe?”
“Well…” Jasmine hesitated. “I guess it can be dangerous, but we know what we’re doing. We know the safe spots to jump.”
“Don’t be scared, Princess!” Talia grinned, straightening up as she wiped the sweat off her brow. She wedged the axe into the stump.
Lux frowned upon hearing the nickname, unsure of whether or not it was meant to be a dig.
“In fact, I’ll show you how it’s done. Right here, right now! There’s nothing to be afraid of. Anyone else in?”
“Fuck yeah, I’m in!” Baz shouted, hopping up from his chair.
Jasmine smiled warmly at her friend. “You don’t have to jump if you don’t want to, Lux, it’s not mandatory,” she added, reaching into their cooler and grabbing two cans of hard cider. She tossed one to Lux, who caught it easily, the concerned frown still etched across her pretty lips.
We made our way up the rocky hill. The incline didn’t seem steep from the beach, but once we’d made it to the top of the hill, the drop was drastic—at least for novice eyes.
Jumping from the top of this cliff would mean broken limbs if not a broken neck, but to the right of the cliff, there was a small pathway that led to a ledge halfway down. You had to press your back against the rocks and move sideways to reach the narrow ledge. It wasn’t as high as the other cliffs down the river, but it was still fun for a quick swim. The better cliffs would come tomorrow, when we’d rested enough to make the paddle down river.
I followed Baz, Talia, and Desmond, gripping the edge of the rock with my hand before dropping easily to the lower level. I moved along the lower ledge, my toes easily finding purchase against the narrow rocky ledge.
I swore by water shoes for this reason alone. Water shoes felt about as close to bare feet as you could get, and the textured grip prevented my feet from getting cut up and helped me find tenure on the slippery rocks.
Glancing up, I caught sight of Lux’s copper hair billowing in the wind as she stood at the top of the cliff, looking down, Jasmine and Rhiannon beside her. I knew she was watching us, and I couldn’t help but show off a little, kicking off the edge of the ledge with my feet and racing Talia to the water.
I couldn’t tell who broke the water’s surface first, as we’d jumped at the same time, but when I came up for air, I couldn’t see Lux anymore. Letting out a sigh, I waded for a moment, eyes closed against the sun’s rays.
“So…the new girl is hot,” Talia’s voice came from behind me, and I cracked open an eye at her. She was treading water beside Baz, her eyes focused on the rocky edge Rhiannon, Jasmine, and Lux were carefully walking. There was a perch about half a foot from the water for those who didn’t feel like lunging off the side of the cliff.
“Yeah. And?”
“And it seems like you’ve got your eye on her. You gonna make a move, or can I?”
I snorted, which brought water into my nostrils and made me cough. “I don’t think she swings that way.”
Talia grinned. “I overheard Jasmine and her talking; she’s just broken up with her boyfriend.”
“So?”
“Perfect time to get beneath someone new,” Talia’s grin widened with mischief, and she waggled her eyebrows at me. “It’s also the perfect time to experiment with…well, the other team. Who knows, she might really hate men after her heartbreak. I can offer her comfort.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” I said, thinking about how Lux’s eyes had raked over my body. “Besides, aren’t you with Eliza?”
“We’re not official,” Talia replied, shrugging and trying to act indifferent. I could tell that mentioning Eliza upset her, but she seemed to shove that thought from her head.
I looked back at the cliffs. Lux, Jasmine, and Rhiannon were waiting on the lower ledge, looking up to the ledge we’d jumped off. Kai and Zoey were perched on it, waiting to jump in.
Zoey had her attention on Kai—worry and concern in her eyes, although she worked to keep her smile unaffected. Kai had epilepsy, and although he was on anti-seizure medication, Zoey had to keep a close watch on him. Sometimes, he’d forget to take his meds, or a seizure would happen anyway. Zoey was well versed in reading the signs, and she could always predict when he was going to have another seizure.
I’d known Kai since we were kids, and he was as independent as they came and didn’t like having his epilepsy hold him back. Kai liked to experience all the adventures life had to offer. Zoey knew this well, and did her best to give him his space, but I knew she worried.
A couple of years ago, Kai had a stroke and had fallen off the roof of a house he was working on with Baz. He’d broken his leg and terrified us all, especially Zoey.
Zoey watched him closely as he pushed off the ledge and jumped into the water below. She didn’t seem to breathe again until he’d resurfaced and swam out of the way. She waited until it was clear before jumping in herself.
On the lower ledge, Jasmine, Lux and Rhiannon hung out. Lux was finishing up putting sunscreen on—the sight of her hands rubbing it over her shoulders made my throat constrict. I looked away, and immediately got splashed in the face by Talia.
“Thought you needed help cooling down,” she told me, pausing to splash herself in the face. “I know I did,” she added with a wicked grin.
A splash sounded, and when I looked back over, Rhiannon had jumped in, with Moose following right on her heels. Moose swam while still managing to hold onto his stick, heading straight to Rhiannon.
Baz saw how hard he was working to catch up with Rhiannon and raced him, swimming toward her as fast as he could. Moose barked around the stick as he swam, almost losing hold of it.
When Baz caught up with Rhiannon, he wrapped his arm around her waist under water. She let out a squeal as he pulled her toward him that quickly dissolved into laughter. He tugged her away from the cliffs, swimming out a little way from the rest of us. Moose swam quicker, finally losing the stick with his attempts at reaching them.
I turned my head to avoid the large dog as he splashed by, and when I looked back, Lux was testing the water by dipping her manicured toes in. The white string bikini she wore gave me heart palpitations.
Jasmine crept up behind her and shoved her in, and Lux let out a startled yelp before disappearing in the water. She resurfaced, teeth chattering.
“You asshole! It’s freezing!” she laughed, swimming toward the ledge. She tried to hoist her body up, and when she couldn’t find purchase on the slippery edge, she lunged forward, reaching for Jasmine’s legs.
But Jasmine dodged her hand, leaping over her head into the water, splashing the rest of us. Wiping the water from my eyes, I was greeted with the affecting visual of Lux biting her lip as she watched me.
Lux swam out to join us, stopping in front of me. She treaded water, her face low in it, her eyes to the left behind me. Jasmine let out a squeal and tried to swim away when she realized Lux was coming for her.
And she was. There was a determination playing in Lux’s eyes that sparked a fire in my blood. That determined spirit was such a turn on for me. Lux swam after her, splashing her a little before relenting when Jasmine started reverse kicking water at her. They broke out into fits of laughter.
“Okay, okay! I give. No more revenge,” Lux giggled, swimming away from Jasmine and back towards the ledge. “Right now, anyway.”
She swam past me, her eyes meeting mine once more. When she reached the ledge, she tried to climb out, struggling to find purchase on the slippery ledge.
I swam up beside her. “Need a hand?”
She eyed me with consideration, arching a delicate auburn brow. “Sure.”
I moved closer to her, my fingers splaying out to cup her rear. My fingers tingled where they made contact with her skin, as if I was touching an electric current.
As much as I wanted to linger, I pushed her forward, holding her while she found her footing on the ledge and scrambled up.
“Thanks.”
“No problem,” I told her. She smiled at me over her shoulder, wringing out her dark red curls, the water cascading down her body to pool at her feet.
As tantalizing as the view was, I had to force myself underwater to stop from staring greedily at her. She wasn’t putting on a show for me, so why did I want to watch her like she was? Like every movement, no matter how slight, was designed to capture my attention?
The cold and momentary lack of oxygen zapped some of my senses back, and when I came up for air, Lux was gone from the ledge and so was her towel.