11. Floating
11
FLOATING
T heo
It continued to rain for the rest of the morning. We hung out under the makeshift shelter, and Zoey brought out a deck of cards. We played a few rounds of friendly poker before lunch.
Time seemed to be passing slowly, but I didn’t mind in the slightest. It gave me the opportunity to keep sneaking glances at Lux, taking in her shy smile and the subtle blush that coloured her cheeks each time I caught her gaze.
We had lunch—cold sandwiches and pasta salad, prepped by Jasmine and handed out by Lux. Once we’d eaten and cleaned up from that, the temperature had warmed up enough to go swimming, even though the rain was still coming down.
Everyone changed into their swimsuits. Zoey and Jasmine collected everyone’s life jackets so we could float carefree in the river, dropping them in a pile near the pathway while Kai carried a cooler with beer.
One by one, we picked up our life jackets and carefully walked the lower pathway on the side of the cliff. We wouldn’t risk trying to cliff jump today, not with the rocks as slick as they were, so we made our way to the lower ledge.
Talia was the first to jump in. She wore her life jacket like a diaper and bobbed up the second she went under. “Toss me a cold one!” she called out, and Kai threw her a beer.
I tossed my life jacket in and dove in after it, the shock of the temperature zapping my senses awake. I broke the surface, pushing my soaked hair back and wiping the water from my eyes.
It was cold but refreshing. I felt more awake than I had all morning. I’d been in a bit of a fog after not getting much sleep the night before. My inability to shut my brain off had been a factor, but then I got a taste of Lux’s lips, awakening the hunger I felt for her. Sleep was futile after that, though I’d tried.
I think I might have gotten about two hours of scattered sleep total before giving up and getting up for the day. I was going to crash eventually, but I didn’t want to miss a second of time with this woman.
Talia was already busting my chops about it. She hadn’t said anything yet, but I could tell from how she was watching me and Lux at breakfast that she knew something had transpired between us.
Zoey and Kai jumped in. Zoey adjusted her life jacket so that she was sitting on it, and Kai rested his upper body over his like I was doing. He reached out, putting his hands on her thighs, and smiled at her. Zoey let out a giggle, trying to stop Kai’s fingers creeping up her thigh.
Another splash of someone jumping in sounded behind me, water droplets hitting the back of my head and I turned, giving them privacy, and glanced back towards the ledge to see who’d jumped.
Lux and Jasmine were the only ones still standing on the ledge. Desmond had jumped in while my back was turned, and he was still beneath the water. He popped up a moment later, shaking the water from his hair and beard before swimming back to the ledge and reaching into the cooler that he’d left there to help himself to a beer. He grabbed one for me too, making eye contact with me and nodding before he tossed it.
I caught it one handed and grinned my thanks at him before opening it and taking a deep sip, my eyes once again going back to the woman that had captivated my attention with her kind heart and her newly awakened sense of adventure. She was wearing her black bikini again. It was just as tantalizing as her white one. I’d never wanted to be a scrap of material before, and yet I found myself envious of the way the bikini bottoms hugged her hips.
Lux hesitantly dipped her toe in and pulled her foot back as if the water had electrocuted her. “It’s freezing!” she said to Jasmine.
“It’ll feel warmer once you’re in it, promise,” Jasmine assured her, jumping in. Lux deliberated for another moment, holding her life jacket closer to her body like it could keep her warm. The rain was coming down a little harder now, so either way she was getting wet. Her hair was down and damp, curling around the ends.
Lux looked so exquisite, the epitome of a natural beauty. She took my breath away more effectively than the shock of cold water had. Her grey eyes met mine, her cheeks pinkening beneath my gaze. I wonder if she felt the desire rolling off me in waves. I couldn’t help but smile wider, lifting my chin, daring her to jump.
She drew in a lungful of air, preparing herself before tossing her life jacket in. Then she jumped. She disappeared beneath the dark surface before coming up, teeth already chattering.
“Nope, it’s still freezing!” she exclaimed, grabbing for her life jacket, and Jasmine laughed.
Jasmine floated over to the ledge, grabbing beers for herself and Lux. “Want one Zoey? Kai? Theo?”
“Sure!” Zoey called out, and Jasmine tossed the beers over to us while Lux got situated in her life jacket, sitting on it the way Zoey and Jasmine were.
Talia was still wearing hers like a giant diaper, both legs in the arm holes and the strap around her waist.
Baz and Rhiannon were still up at the camp, taking their time, but they’d be along shortly. I knew from previous camping experiences with the two of them that damp, rainy weather was hard on Rhiannon’s body, and Baz did everything he could to make sure she didn’t suffer too greatly.
Rhiannon didn’t complain outwardly, but we could always tell if she was in pain. She’d be quieter, move slower, her joints stiff and unyielding. Most of her pain came from the spinal surgery she’d had as a child to put rods in her back and straighten it. She dealt with more pain than the average person and typically didn’t let it slow her down too much. She was tough as hell, and busy running her own photography business.
During her free time, she and Baz loved camping. They went more than any of us combined. Slowing down completely wasn’t in Rhiannon’s vocabulary, and she’d once confessed to me that she’d be in pain whether she took it easy at home or went camping—and that she’d much rather have the adventure than the regrets.
Rhiannon and Baz appeared at the top of the pathway, Moose running in front of them. The dog had his life jacket on too, so that Baz wouldn’t have to worry about him getting tired while we lazed about in the river.
Baz helped Rhiannon down the pathway, holding her hand and supporting her weight. She said something to him and he smiled, shaking his head. Once they’d made it to the ledge, Rhiannon pulled her hand away and tucked her blonde hair behind her ear, her eyes going to the river.
“Is it cold?” she asked us, sliding her legs into the arm holes of her life jacket like Talia had done. According to the two of them it was the comfiest way to sit on the life jacket, even if it looked like they were wearing giant orange diapers.
“Freezing!” Lux chattered. She was about five feet away from me, floating near Jasmine.
I wanted to bridge the gap but also didn’t want to appear over eager, so I stayed where I was, keeping my distance and my gaze off her, but I was still painfully aware of her every move. It was as if each movement that made a ripple in the water made a ripple through me, too.
Rhiannon smiled and shrugged before jumping in. She resurfaced, letting out a sigh of contentment. “It feels good though,” she murmured, dipping her head back and letting the rain fall over her face.
Moose jumped in too, swimming over to Rhiannon like he couldn’t bear to be apart from her. He sniffed at her, checking that she was okay, then swam after the stick Baz had tossed in for him.
Baz jumped in, and once he resurfaced, he swam to the ledge to grab beers for himself and Rhiannon. “Anyone need a refill?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Me!” Talia called out, paddling a little closer to the ledge so she could toss her crushed empty on it. We’d pile the empties there and bring them up after we were done soaking in the river.
One of the best things about camping with this group is that they were serious about leaving no trace behind. We brought back everything we couldn’t burn, and we often did a clean sweep before we left to ensure we got everything people before us had left. I’d been camping with others who hadn’t cared as much, and that was always frustrating.
Baz tossed her a fresh beer, and she caught it with a grin. “Thanks!”
The rain was beginning to let up, though if the dark grey clouds in the distance were any indicator, the storm was far from over.
Lux leaned back and looked up at the sky, her red hair fanning out in the river behind her. She was gently moving her legs, propelling herself backwards as she kept her chin tilted towards the sky, her eyelids closed against the raindrops.
She floated until she bumped into my shoulder. I knew it’d happen and hadn’t bothered moving because I’d wanted her to bump into me. It gave me the perfect excuse to talk to her.
“Oops, sorry!” she exclaimed, her eyelids popping open she turned her head to look at me.
“I’m not,” I grinned, loving how her cheeks heated. She bit her lower lip, her eyes dropping down to my lips, and I knew she was thinking about last night too. I couldn’t resist touching her a little, so I reached out and gently tugged on her leg, turning her so that she was facing me, and then I left my hand there, stroking along the underside of her knee.
“Oh,” she murmured, her breath caught on an exhale. She blinked at me, her eyes—so much like the grey in the sky above—darkening with desire.
“Still…enjoying yourself?” I asked, cocking a brow as my hand worked her calf muscle beneath the water and hoping like hell she didn’t regret our kiss.
“Despite the rain? Yes, actually,” she replied, a knowing smile gracing her lips. It was as if she was thinking of the night before too. She bit her lip again, her gaze dropping to my mouth, and I knew without her saying so that she had zero regrets.
I moved on to her other leg, massaging her calf and letting my hand travel above her knee. Not enough to be completely inappropriate, but enough to make her lids flutter with wanton need.
“It’s supposed to stop soon,” I replied, lifting my chin to look up. I pushed my hair back from my eyes with my free hand so it wouldn’t obscure my vision. It was still raining, but not as much as before. The water droplets were smaller and less frequent, and in the distance, I could see a slice of the blue sky. “We should be able to have a fire tonight.”
“Won’t the wood be soaked from the rain?” she asked, drawing my attention back to her.
“No, Desmond covered our firewood with a tarp last night, so it’ll be dry,” I answered.
“He thinks of everything,” she grinned, glancing over at Desmond. He was floating near Jasmine, and they were talking.
“He does, he’s a good guy.” I remarked.
“I wish Jasmine would follow her own advice and take a chance,” Lux murmured, watching the two of them together.
“She gave you advice to take a chance, huh?” I inquired, bringing her attention back to me. Her gaze settled on me, her cheeks heating at my proximity.
“Sort of,” she shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. For some inexplicable reason, the fact that she’d been talking about me made my heart soar.
“Personally, I love taking chances,” I told her, my gaze falling to her lips. I wanted to kiss her again, wanted to feel her body against mine.
“Well, here’s to taking chances, then,” Lux said, lifting her beer in a toast. We clicked our cans together and both took a sip at the same time.