Page 17 of Riverside Reverie

“Moose has four legs,” Lux deadpanned, and Jasmine laughed at her look of discomfort.

“Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds.” Zoey assured her. “The hike up, I mean. If you don’t like heights, you won’t like the fall.”

“I don’t jump, it’s too high for me. You can keep me company if you’d like,” Rhiannon offered, and Lux sent her a relieved smile, relaxing a little.

“Okay, that sounds fun. I’ll get a camera’s-eye view of the action that way.”

“Ah, you noticed. Sorry about that,” Rhiannon giggled. “I’m always looking for that perfect shot, you know? It’s the curse of a photographer.”

“I get it,” Lux laughed lightly. “I always strive to get the right shot, too. Especially the first time around. Nothing sucks more than having to re-do x-rays because they turned out blurry.”

“Ha! That’s true. Well, I’m excited to get some shots tomorrow of everyone jumping.”

Lux winced. “I’ll try to stay out of your way. If you took my picture, you’d get endless captures of me being awkward—I’m not perfect shot material.”

I found that hard to believe. She was too beautiful to not be the focal point in the room, any time she went anywhere.

“You’re far too graceful to be considered awkward.” I found myself commenting.

“Theo’s right. I snuck a few shots of you and Jas setting up the tent. You definitely don’t look awkward, you’re a natural!” Rhiannon assured her. “But I get it, a lot of people aren’t comfortable in front of the camera.”

“How long have you been into photography?”

“Since I was twelve. My poppop was really into photography, and gave me my first camera,” Rhiannon said, pausing to take a sip of her drink. “I’ve always loved documenting moments, so I specialize in weddings and lifestyle photography.”

“You can officially call yourself a high-profile wedding photographer now,” Baz bragged, and Rhiannon playfully slapped his chest with the back of her hand.

“Hardly!” Rhiannon giggled.

“What! It’s true. Travis Channing is high-profile.”

“Baz is right, Travis is one of the most popular country musicians right now,” Jasmine added.

“Yeah, he’s pretty cool, and his wife is a sweetheart.”

“They covered travel expenses and I was even able to go as Rhi’s assistant,” Baz grinned with pride. “She nearly fainted when she saw who was getting married,” he added, and we all laughed.

“Actually, you nearly fainted. I was fine,” Rhiannon argued, rolling her eyes, although the smile never left her face.

6

WHISKEY WHISPERS

Lux

We carried on, discussing work and life and other random topics. Close to midnight, Talia brought out a bottle of whiskey. My brow furrowed; I didn’t usually drink hard liquor. I didn’t usually drink at all, really.

Jasmine leaned over and whispered, “Again, it’s not mandatory, Lux. But try to remember you’re on vacation!”

“Want some?” Talia asked, grinning benevolently, and offering me the bottle.

I studied it for a moment before lifting my eyes, finding Theo watching me. His heated gaze made my throat dry. “Sure,” I said, surprising myself as I reached for it.

Bringing it to my lips, I drank from the bottle. The harsh liquid hit the back of my throat and burned the whole way down—it was disgusting. I passed it to Jasmine, who did the same before handing it to Kai. I watched the bottle go around the fire until Theo took it.

His eyes locked on mine, his larynx working as he swallowed. The fire crackled and burned like the desire beneath my skin.

My skin prickled with awareness and arousal, the burn from the whiskey intensifying. I’d never felt seduced by a look before, and it was the most pleasantly peculiar thing. Still, I wasn’t sure I wanted to act on the palpable attraction between us.

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