Chapter Twenty-Three
Ria
“Should I be concerned you’ve basically kidnapped me and are taking me out to the middle of nowhere?” Ria asked jokingly, glancing over at Lissa in the driver’s seat.
Lissa’s text message had been so mysterious Ria was practically vibrating with curiosity.
LISSA: Hey, my fave witch. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at noon. Dress comfortably. Sneakers, for sure. I’ll take care of the rest.
When Ria asked where they were going, Lissa had just followed up with a winking kiss emoji.
She had basically spent the entire morning trying on every item of clothing she owned, wondering what Lissa’s definition of “comfortable” was.
She’d eventually settled on a pair of khaki shorts and a white, short-sleeved button-down with a blue, polka-dot tank top underneath in case she got too warm.
Sneakers weren’t really her vibe, but she’d dug out an old pair of canvas shoes from the back of her closet she hadn’t worn in maybe a decade. Close enough.
Keeping her eyes on the road, Lissa slid a hand over to rest on Ria’s thigh, her fingers playing with the edges of Ria’s shorts. “I mean, maybe you should be concerned,” Lissa said. “I could be taking you anywhere.”
“That’s true,” Ria replied, scooting her leg over in hopes Lissa’s fingers might want to explore a little more.
“You could be a serial killer playing the long game. How much do I really know about you, anyway?” She’d meant the comment to be lighthearted, but Lissa’s hand stilled on her thigh for a moment, her body going rigid.
“That was a joke,” Ria added, placing her hand over the top of Lissa’s. “I trust you.”
Lissa muttered something under her breath Ria didn’t catch, but something about Ria’s joke definitely hit the wrong way. Obviously Lissa wasn’t dragging her out of town to murder her, so why the tension in the air?
“Is something wrong?” she asked, absently rubbing Lissa’s hand.
“What do you mean?” Lissa replied, pulling her hand away to clench the steering wheel. “No, of course nothing is wrong. I’m just a little nervous. I hope you like where I’m taking you.”
Ria eyed her curiously, noting Lissa’s white-knuckle grip. “I’m sure whatever you have planned will be amazing. Though, I’m not sure how you’ll top the sea lions. That was beyond incredible. Well, right up until the fish attack.” She chuckled, hoping Lissa would join in and relax a little.
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Lissa mumbled in reply.
Ria leaned over and ran her hand up the inside of Lissa’s thigh. “I’m serious, Lissa. Wherever we are going will be the most magical date ever because it’s with you. I don’t need big gestures or expensive adventures. I just want to spend time with you alone, away from the rest of the world.”
That finally drew a smile out of Lissa. “Well, I can at least guarantee that wish will come true,” she replied.
Lissa slowed the car and turned off down a dirt road. They drove for maybe five seconds before the road ended at an open gravel space that could only loosely be considered a small parking lot.
Ria hopped out of the car and glanced around. “Where are we?” They’d driven directly south from Seacliff for at least an hour so they had to still be near the coast, but Ria didn’t see anything notable except trees, trees, and more trees.
Lissa grabbed a backpack from the car and locked the doors. “Follow me,” she said with a smug grin, grabbing Ria’s hand and dragging her off toward the woods.
Ria tossed one last glance at the car. “Okay, but can we revisit the whole axe murderer thing? I was really hoping to not die today.”
Lissa chuckled. “Do you think I could fit an axe in this backpack?”
“I don’t know,” Ria replied, throwing up her hands. “I never took ‘Murdering People 101’ in college. Maybe you guys have become more flexible. I’m sure a butcher knife would be just as effective. I do have a tiny neck after all.”
“And a kissable one at that,” Lissa remarked, leaning over to nip at the space behind Ria’s ear. “Guess I’ll have to let you live.”
“So magnanimous,” Ria replied dryly, a hint of amusement behind her words.
“Only for you, Ria,” Lissa said, pushing aside a low hanging tree branch.
“Okay, but all joking aside. I’m not really what you would call outdoorsy.” Ria chewed on her lip as she took in the lack of anything even remotely close to a designated path. “Don’t get me wrong, I love nature, and I wish I did more hiking, but I’ve never been in great shape.”
“Babe, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your shape,” Lissa replied, her eyes scanning up and down Ria’s body.
Ria smacked Lissa lightly on the shoulder. “You know what I mean. I’m not going to be climbing a mountain anytime soon.” She paused, then added, “Of course, if it’s something you like to do, I’d be happy to get better at it. Maybe next weekend we could go for another hike?”
Lissa’s footsteps stuttered, then she gave Ria a small smile. “Yeah, sure. Next weekend. I’d like that.”
Nodding to the thick foliage surrounding them, Ria said, “So long as we avoid places that need a machete to get through.” A cobweb brushed Ria’s face, and she panicked, going full kung fu master on it.
Just because she was a witch didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified of spiders.
She caught Lissa watching her with a bemused grin, so she hurriedly wiped her hands on her shorts and tried to look unbothered.
“Well, since I left my machete at home,” Lissa replied, thankfully letting Ria’s arachnophobic moment slide without comment, “it’s probably a good thing there’s a trail.” Lissa pushed through a dense patch of bushes, and when they popped out on the other side, a clear path was waiting for them.
A path with a “closed for maintenance” sign blocking access to it.
“Crap,” Ria said. “I don’t think we’re going to be doing any hiking today.”
Lissa walked around the sign and held out her hand for Ria. “Come on, babe. Live a little.”
Ria chewed her lip and looked at the very official Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept. sign. “I don’t want to get into trouble.”
“And you won’t,” Lissa replied, shaking her hand at Ria.
“The trail isn’t actually closed. Daria knows a guy in the department.
He put up the sign to make sure we have the place to ourselves.
It’s pretty secluded to begin with, but a bunch of locals know about it, so I wanted to guarantee it’ll be just you and me. ”
Ria glanced from the sign back to Lissa. “You did this for me?”
Lissa shoved her hands in her pockets. “Well, I mean Daria made the call, so…”
Ria joined Lissa on the other side of the blockade and slipped her hands around Lissa’s waist. “Why do you always do that? You keep trying to give the credit away. The sea lions, this adventure… Daria might know some people, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t all you. So let me be appreciative, okay?”
Lissa pulled a hand from her pocket and brushed back one of Ria’s wild curls. “In that case—” She leaned forward, her lips just shy of meeting Ria’s. “—it was all me.”
“That’s better,” Ria murmured before closing the gap between them to press her lips to Lissa’s.
They lingered there in the forest for a long moment, enjoying each other for the first time without the weight of magic gone wrong between them, and Ria couldn’t imagine a more perfect moment.
The birds chirping, the fresh Pacific Northwest air, the privacy, and of course, the taste of Lissa that made Ria weak in the knees.
Lissa pulled back, panting lightly. “I think we better get going, or we’ll never make it to your surprise. You are way too gorgeous, and I don’t want our first time to be up against a tree in the forest.”
Ria blushed, her cheeks exploding with crimson as the visual popped into her head. “I don’t know, that might not be so bad.”
Sex with her ex had never been classified as anything more than vanilla, but that didn’t mean Ria didn’t occasionally read a romance novel that made her curious about taking things to another level. Something about Lissa made her want to explore those possibilities a little deeper.
Lissa’s eyes widened, and a little smirk spread across her face. “My, my, little witch, there’s a bit of a wild side to you, isn’t there? A little kinky hidden under those tight, button-down blouses you wear?”
“You know what they say,” Ria said, running a finger over Lissa’s collarbone and down into her ample cleavage. “The more composed on the outside, the naughtier on the inside.”
Lissa’s hazel eyes darkened, and she leaned in close to Ria’s ear. “I’m going to hold you to that.” Then she grabbed Ria’s hand and dragged her down the path.
Ria let herself be pulled along, pleased whatever had been bothering Lissa before seemed to have dissipated. With the spell no longer hanging between them, there was no reason for them to be anything but happy.
Right?
The trail was actually fairly short, something Ria was immensely grateful for, given her lack of hiking boots or anything remotely appropriate for trekking through the woods.
Maybe five minutes after they started, Ria saw sunlight poking through the branches up ahead.
The sound of gentle waves filtered through the forest, and she perked up, whirling on Lissa.
“Are we at the coast?”
“You could say that,” Lissa replied coyly, moving ahead to hold back another large branch. She swept a hand out grandly. “Sangria Christmas Lewis, welcome to Secret Beach.”
Ria stepped past Lissa and stumbled at the sight before her. Lissa gripped her from behind so she remained upright, but she couldn’t even form words to say a thank-you, she was so entranced by the sight before her.
Ria had heard about Secret Beach in passing. In fact, most coastal Oregonians knew about its existence, but due to its remote location and difficult access, few actually sought it out, and it wasn’t in any guidebooks. Ria wanted to kick herself for not investigating it sooner.