Page 19 of Riverside Reverie

Where my sister wouldn’t have hesitated, it wasn’t like me to be that bold, and the prospect of facing yet another rejection didn’t exactly appeal.

And really, having Theo Whitmore’s hands on me in any capacity might be the worst idea. I’d felt the electric heat of his touch when he helped me out of the water earlier—I’d nearly had a coronary when he effortlessly lifted and pushed me up onto the rock.

Theo seemed to be a very deadly combination: attractive, strong, funny, kind…and I knew myself well enough to know that this little crush could quickly develop into a case of the feels, especially if the large quantities of alcohol had anything to do with it.

I felt his eyes on my retreating back, and the pull to stay up along with it. But my body was depleted. If I wanted to make it through canoeing to the cliffs, I’d need sleep.

Theo

I waited until Lux had safely reached her tent before returning to the beach. On my way back, I passed Kai and Zoey, who were also calling it a night. They were off in their own little world, barely noticing me as I passed.

My thoughts ricocheted back to the pretty redhead at the top of the hill, and the desire that had flashed in her eyes when our hands touched as I’d given her the cream. She’d bitten her bottom lip, tugging it between her teeth. I couldn’t believe I’d offered on the spot to apply it for her, internally I cringed at how awkward that had been. I didn’t blame Lux at all for darting off with a quick goodbye.

I couldn’t help but watch her as she crouched to unzip the tent. She didn’t look back, and it was a good thing too—or she’d have caught me full on checking out her ass. I had it bad for her, and if circumstances were different I would have made a move.

But she’d just broken up with her long-time boyfriend.

When I got to the beach, things were beginning to wind down. Talia was sprawled out in her floaty, which was doubling as her mattress, still controlling the music, her head bobbing to the beat. She’d hit the whiskey harder than anyone else, but she appeared to be feeling no pain. I sat down in Lux’s recently vacated chair, turning my head to Jasmine, who watched me expectantly.

“So?” she asked eagerly, waggling her eyebrows at me.

“So what?” I responded gruffly, pulling my gaze to the fire.

“What’d you think? Of Lux?” she whispered, leaning forward so I could hear her.

“She seems nice.”

“Really? That’s it? ‘She seems nice’?” Jasmine repeated, scoffing, as Desmond stood and walked away, heading to the grass along the beach to relieve himself.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to set us up,” I replied, addressing her sternly.

“I’m not trying to set anybody up,” Jasmine argued stubbornly, folding her arms across her chest. “I picked up on all the longing glances and lip biting. The sexual tension between the two of you is unmistakable.”

Talia grunted in agreement. “It really, really is. You should do something about it, Theo. I’m pretty sure I saw some balls beneath your tube sock.”

Before I could respond, Jasmine interjected. “I give you my permission to ravage her and show her what multiple orgasms are all about, because I’m not all that sure she’s had that experience before. You’re a good guy, I trust you not to break her.”

“How much have you had to drink?” I countered, cocking a brow.

“Probably too much,” she laughed. “But that’s not the point. The point is…” Jasmine trailed off, her nose wrinkling with concentration. “I can’t remember the point.”

Talia cackled with laughter, tipping her floaty backwards. Her feet went over her head and she tumbled, her laughter reaching uncontrollable levels as she attempted to detangle herself from the bush and stand. Desmond sauntered over and grabbed her hand, helping her up effortlessly while Jasmine lost it laughing.

“I rest my case,” I sighed, shaking my head.

Still, I’d be lying if I said the idea hadn’t occurred to me already.

* * *

Lux

The pressure on my bladder was too strong to ignore anymore. Rolling onto my side, I lifted my head to peek at Jasmine. She was snoring softly with her sleeping bag pulled up over her head, only her curls were visible.

I didn’t know what time she’d ended up coming to bed—I’d fallen asleep the moment my head touched my pillow, my body so worn and exhausted that my head didn’t even put up a fight about it.

I moved about quietly, dressing in a pair of denim jean shorts and a tank top. I ran a comb through my tangled waves and grabbed my bag of toiletries before ducking out of the tent.

The campsite was quiet, save for the symphony of snores coming from a few of the tents. Some were soft, but they were drowned out by the louder, more nasally snores. From the top of the hill, I could make out the top of Theo’s capped head as he crouched in front of the fire, getting it started. With one day of ogling him from afar, I’d grown familiar with the shape of his muscular shoulders and back.

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