on her wall, proudly displaying a raft with six people battling their way through rocks and white caps. “Tubing? What about the rapids?”
“Oh, honey.” She laughed, snapping a piece of gum between her teeth. “Haven’t had any rapids for two years now. Whole region’s had a bit of a drought and some odd weather. No rapids now. Just a slow and steady float down the river. Perfect for the elderly or children!”
“Aw, we should have brought Bast,” Elle said.
No. This was all wrong. “Look, there has to be rapids somewhere.”
“Best I can tell you is to travel down to Maryland or up to New York. Weather changes have affected us all. The rapids used to be a big tourist draw here, but now…we tube! I can also rent you bikes if you like. There’s a lot of trails.”
Elle pointed at me. “No bikes. You’ll jump right off a cliff. The tubing sounds great.”
I nearly swore. “I wanted rapids, Elle. This was supposed to be something fun.”
“Tubing sounds fun. You’re not getting a do-over on this one, Mr. Reed. Are you in or out?”
She dropped her bag and peeled off her shirt to reveal a deliciously wicked, vibrantly purple bikini top. The violet material caressed her curves with an almost vulgar modesty. Her dark skin complimented the decorative beading, shimmering across good and perfect in the sunshine.
She took a tube from the clerk. “You coming, Lachlan?”
“Not if I think about baseball.”
“Get in a tube before I drown you.”
I paid for the event—including an extra inner tube to carry an overpriced cooler and her photography supplies as the river had to have some beautiful landscapes to shoot.
The clerk showed us to the cement ramp loading us into the river. Elle squealed as she fell backwards into the tube and paddled off the shore. The most excitement I’d get was nearly toppling out of the tube and into the clear water.
And we were off.
At a breakneck speed of stationary.
But Elle seemed to love it. She relaxed in the tube and sighed, letting the sun warm her already toasted body. She kicked her toes—painted the same coral purple as her bikini.
Was she really content to let the river carry her in this fucking monotony?
“How long is this trip?” I asked.
“She said four hours.”
“And how long have we been in the water?”
Elle peeked open her eyes. She pointed behind me, to the little bend in the river that was only now hiding the trading post.
“Five minutes.”
I groaned. This was a disaster.
No rapids. No water falls. No unknowingly deep water crawling with sharp-tooth fish.
No parachutes. No harnesses. Hell, no tattoo parlors for twenty miles.
What was I supposed to do for four hours when we weren’t even sharing the same damn tube?
She snapped a picture of me. Apparently the river was tame enough for her to trust grabbing her brand new camera to document my misery.
“Smile, Lachlan.” She snapped another picture. “Say relaxation.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“You know what your problem is?”
“Tell me.”
“You think it’s going to kill you to sit still for a few minutes. This will do you good. Haven’t you ever just relaxed before?”
She was unaware that holding her camera near her chest squeezed her tits until they nearly spilled from the bikini.
I chuckled. “You think I can relax this close to a half-naked woman?”
“You promised me fun today. Well guess what, Charming. This is fun.”
“There’s only two things I do laying down. One is sleep. And the other?” I sucked in a breath. “You’re a little too far away to partake in that adventure.”
Elle was mischievous when four feet of gentle, sun-warmed river separated us. “From what I can remember…you didn’t lie down that much.”
My cock twitched. “I live to serve. Want me to prove it?”
“Can’t we just enjoy this beautiful day?”
“I’d rather enjoy you.”
“This really is bothering you, isn’t it?” She giggled. “You need that daredevil excitement.”
“I don’t like being bored.” I splashed the water. “This is boring. Tits are not. Off with the suit.”
Elle wagged a finger. She refused to let the subject drop—even when surrounded by rivers and trees, little hopping birds and babbling brooks. Her gaze fixed on me.
“You don’t like to be bored,” she said. “Or sit still. Or be serious. Those, dear husband, are the clues to a greater mystery.”
“You don’t need a magnifying glass to examine anything on me, Red.”
“I bet…you have to keep moving. You need something to do. You keep finding bigger adventures to undertake because otherwise…you sit down and start thinking.”
“I know