16. Sudbury Seclusion
16
SUDBURY SECLUSION
L ux
I kept Rhiannon company on the top of the cliffs while the others jumped several more times, Theo included. It was a good opportunity to get to know her a little more, and I found I really enjoyed her company and her outlook on life.
“I’m from Scarborough, originally. I grew up there and then went to school in Guelph.”
“How’d you end up in Sudbury?” I asked, teasing a little. It was a far cry from Guelph. Rhiannon seemed to be a few years younger than me, and she had her whole life figured out—her business was thriving and so was she, and she fit in as perfectly as everyone else, despite growing up in the city, too.
“Once I graduated from my photography program, I started getting some wedding jobs here and there. One of those jobs led me to Baz’s sister, and I ended up doing the photography for their wedding in Parry Sound and fell in love with the area. And Baz,” Rhiannon explained, giggling. “I moved to Sudbury to be with him, mainly. But there’s something magical about northern Ontario. The terrain is gorgeous, but the sunsets and sunrises are next level.”
“They really are,” I nodded my head in agreement, gazing back out over the top of the cliff.
“I didn’t really start camping until I met Baz,” Rhiannon admitted. “It’s not something my family did with me when I was a kid. Probably because they worried that I’d get injured. They were a little overprotective of me growing up.” She let out a rueful chuckle, shaking her head.
“How are they now?”
“They’ve come to terms with it,” Rhiannon replied, grinning. “They had no choice, really. I’m an adult and can live my own life on my terms, but it helps that they adore Baz and trust him to keep me safe.”
“You guys are really great together,” I told her.
Rhiannon seemed to light up from within. “I agree! I wasn’t sure of him at first,” she admitted, laughing a little. “He’s like a golden retriever. Definitely not the kind of guy I usually go for, but I’m glad I gave him a chance. He’s changed my whole world for the better.”
“What kind of guy did you usually go for?”
“The bad ones, the boys with commitment issues and anger problems. The ones that wouldn’t take care of me if I dislocated something.” Rhiannon wrinkled her nose with disdain.
I nodded slowly, thinking about how uninvolved and disinterested Scott had been throughout our relationship. We always had to do what he wanted, or he’d get sulky and mad and punish me with silence. I was so glad that relationship was behind me forever, and now that I’d gotten away from it I could see how problematic it had been for years.
She’d done me a favour, in a twisted roundabout way.
A chorus of voices interrupted our chat, the group rejoining us on the top of the cliffs. Baz came over to check on Rhiannon, pressing a devout kiss to her lips and dripping water all over her.
“Arg!” she laughed, trying to move her paperback out of the way.
Theo sat down beside me; he was just as wet as Baz but kept the droplets as much to himself as he could.
Zoey and Desmond passed around hot dogs in buns that had been cooked up before we’d left. They were cold, but they hit the spot. I washed mine down with the rest of my water.
“Want to join me on a little hike before we go?” Theo asked, his green eyes smouldering with intent. I knew he wanted to get me alone for a minute, and I didn’t mind in the slightest. I nodded, standing up and following him.
There was a pathway halfway down the cliff that led to a rocky enclave that provided shade from the bright overhead sun. It was perfectly secluded, too.
Once we reached the enclave, Theo splayed his palms against the smooth rock on either side of my head. Our chests were touching, my nipples hardening against the heat of his bare chest, pressing against the thin material of my onyx bikini top. His eyes bore into mine, darkening with need—need that I mirrored, that I felt stronger than anything I’d ever felt before.
Desire rolled through me like a monsoon, and I thought of nothing as my hands reached to wrap around his neck, pulling him against me. I shivered while I burned for him.
He lowered his head, his lips brushing across mine. Savouring me as if I were a delicacy, Theo let his hand drop gently to my neck, and he held me, his fingers tangling in my hair. The intoxicating scent of him encircled me, making me feel dizzy with potential.
I moaned when his tongue brushed against mine. He smiled and deepened the kiss. I dropped my hands so I could tug the waistband of his swim trunks. He got the hint and moved toward me, using his knee to separate my legs before he pressed harder against me, driving his hard length against my lower belly, pressing my back flat against the rocky enclave.
His kisses seared me in the best way possible, and I felt like I was freefalling into something wonderful.
It was akin to the way I had felt when I jumped off the cliff. It was utterly terrifying; a moment that stole the very breath from my lungs, and yet I’d never wanted to fall into anything more.
Theo pulled away, and the look in his eyes was like the way I felt. Struck.
“I don’t think I’d ever tire of kissing you,” he murmured, his eyes lighting me on fire. The words spilled from his lips with reverence, like a prayer.
I smiled, my heart thundering in my chest, and a small laugh escaped. I looked down at our feet, feeling a thousand different things. I wanted to tell him I wouldn’t get tired of kissing him either, and I knew in my heart I wouldn’t, but before I could get the words out, Theo brought his lips to mine again, tasting me ardently.
And then I felt it. That horrifying sensation of an insect with far too many legs crawling against bare skin. I looked at my shoulder and let out a terrified screech, seeing an ugly dark brown spider the width of a beer can crawling over my shoulder. Before I could run screaming back down the pathway, Theo was carefully scooping it up into his hands.
“Don’t like spiders?” he asked, releasing it on the ground. It scurried away, eager to get away from us. The feeling was mutual, and I shivered, this time in disgust.
“No,” I wheezed, my chest still heaving with adrenaline.
“It’s a striped fishing spider, he won’t harm you. They eat tadpoles, fish and insects.”
“Lovely,” I said, my voice an octave higher than a squeak. I cleared my throat, my eyes landing back on his.
His eyes danced with amusement, and he went right back to kissing me, his lips making me forget all about the silly, not-so-little spider. The goosebumps that broke out over my skin came for an entirely different reason, and I couldn’t help but rub brazenly against him.
“Lovely indeed,” Talia whooped, and we both turned to look at her. She stood before the pathway we’d used to climb up the cliff.
“How long have you been standing there?” Theo asked, equal parts amused and irritated. He made no move to step away from me, and I found I didn’t want him to.
“Long enough to have witnessed some serious tonsil hockey,” she responded with an arched brow. “I heard a scream and thought you were murdering Lux.”
“No murdering is happening,” I assured Talia, blushing. “Just a spider.”
“Ah, yes. That can evoke the same terror as being murdered,” Talia nodded with understanding. “Well, if you don’t require a rescue, I’ll be on my way.”
“Alright, see ya,” Theo said without looking over his shoulder, his gaze still on me.
“I think we’re packing up to head back now, though. So you might want to wrap up whatever illicit things you’re doing here,” Talia added before she turned around and headed back to the pathway.
Theo looked back at me, the amusement and irritation gone, replaced with a smouldering intensity. “Guess we should head back,” he said, his eyes flitting to my lips again. I felt his erection jump against my thigh, and I sighed.
“You’re right.”
He tilted his head down, his swollen lips lifting in a sideways smile that made the butterflies explode low in my belly.
“Feel like jumping off the cliffs again before we leave?”
I thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. But are you sure jumping with that is safe?” I asked, looking pointedly at the erection he was still sporting.
“I’m sure it’ll go away before we reach the top of the cliffs. But stop staring at it, you’re not helping,” Theo joked, adjusting himself before taking my hand. I laughed as we started back up the pathway to the top of the cliff.
Rhiannon and Baz were collecting their things. Jasmine and Desmond had come up to help carry things down, and Jasmine offered to carry down our bags so I could jump with Theo.
She was encouraging me to get time alone with him, I could tell by her delighted smile when she saw us walking up the pathway hand in hand.
Theo was still holding my hand. He squeezed it, drawing my attention to him.
“Ready?” he asked me, cocking a brow. I nodded and took a deep breath, pulling oxygen into my lungs before we made a running start.
This time, I let out a screech as we fell. Theo held my hand the whole way down and tugged me to the surface after we hit the water. The cool water was exactly what my heated skin needed.
“That was amazing,” I laughed breathlessly.
Once I’d caught my breath, Theo tugged me closer to him and kissed me again, only stopping when someone started catcalling us.
“Time to go, lovers!” Talia shouted. “Unless you wanna paddle back to the marina in the dark!”