by Hayleigh Sol
When we’d first met, I had thought Brad and I had so much in common. Now, I couldn’t say whether I’d talked myself into believing that or if, all this time, he’d been gradually moving away from the man he used to be.
Was it weird to be telling Lukasz all this? He was just such a good listener and he’d always been so easy to talk to.
“I know what you mean. Heather and I were opposites in so many ways that I didn’t even realize. Not until we’d been broken up for a few weeks. With time and distance, I’ve been asking myself what the hell I was thinking.” His chuckle was self–deprecating. “Heather never once came camping with me.”
That surprised me. I’d gotten the impression she was originally supposed to be on this trip with him. When I asked, he confirmed my assumption.
“I get it, camping’s not for everyone. But she was a self–proclaimed nature–phobe who didn’t like getting dirty and, as such, she wouldn’t even go on a hike with me. That was disappointing, but not a deal–breaker. The real problem was that she expected me to change, to grow out of it someday. Like enjoying the great outdoors is a phase or something.”
It was funny, but I’d often felt the same coming from Brad. As if he were figuratively patting me on the head for caring about the environment or animals. I’d cried once when a squirrel had run under the wheels of my car and I hadn’t been able to stop in time. Brad had laughed and said, “It was just a squirrel.” I’d only felt worse.
“When Heather tried to convince me to cancel the reservations we’d had here for the last year, and go to a spa retreat instead, I knew it was time to call it. She didn’t put up much of a protest, so I’m pretty sure she knew it, too.” He shook his head with another half–smile. “One of our mutual friends told me last week that she was going to the spa after all…with her new boyfriend.”
Aw, that sucked. “I’m sorry, Luka.”
“Nah, I’m happy for her if she found the right dude for her.” His eyes cut to me and he sent me a flirtatious little smile. “Gives me a chance to hike and get dirty with you.”
Hoo boy, did it just get hot out here?
“You’re pretty cute when you get all flushed and flustered, Maya. Can’t believe I forgot that about you.”
“Umm, thanks, I guess.” Cute was a compliment but flustered didn’t sound good. It sounded awkward and insecure.
Yeah, that was about right.
But I didn’t want to be awkward and insecure around Luka. I’d gotten past that stage with him—mostly—when we were seventeen. I could do this, flirt back with him.
“What else did you forget about me?”
Translation: “What did you remember about me?”
“Hmm, why don’t you let me take you to dinner tonight and we’ll find out.”
My laughter bubbled up and out of me. “Oh, that was very smooth.”
“Thanks, I thought so. Been trying to figure out how to take you on a real date since I found out you were single.” He paused and looked into my eyes. “We never did that before.”
I was suddenly having trouble breathing. With one sentence, one significant look, he’d thrust us back to that summer. I had to swallow and force myself to inhale before I replied, my voice soft when I finally did. “You’re right, we didn’t.”
He held out a hand and the smile that had pulled me in from the time we were ten years old worked its magic again. “Why don’t we make up for it now?”
Chapter 14
The second half of the hike had turned into a trail run that ended back at the campground, where Luka told me to change into my swimsuit and be ready for a dip in the lake and a boat ride in ten minutes. Strands of hair from my ponytail were stuck to my sweaty neck and I had to wriggle around in the tent to get the damp clothes off my body. That was nothing compared to the contortions, the hopping, the boob wrangling I had to do to get my bikini on.
Guys had it so easy when it came to dressing, and undressing, themselves. The thought reminded me of Bailey and her work as a style consultant. I wondered what she would make of all the flirtation and handholding that’d taken place this morning. She, along with Holly, would probably encourage me to “screw his brains out, but don’t get attached”.
Was that something I could do? Assuming he was willing and eager. My stomach zinged at the idea of sex with Lukasz again. What might he have learned in the last fifteen years?
Ensuring all body parts were tucked into their appropriate bikini places, I tossed shorts and a shirt into my beach bag and grabbed a towel before exiting the tent. Bare–chested, hands on hips—below the chiseled abs I’d suspected him of—Luka waited for me with a twinkle in his eye. An eye that joined its mate in a blatant perusal of the goods I had on display.
“Damn, Maya, that bikini’s gonna give me a heart attack. No, you in the bikini. That’s what’ll kill me.”
That was way better than “cute when you’re flustered”. If another guy had said it, especially combined with the way he was looking at me, I would’ve immediately been on cheeseball alert. With Luka, all I detected was sincere masculine appreciation and, damn, did it feel good.
“Come on, beautiful.” He held out his hand and I took it without hesitation, just as I’d done on the hike. I was seventeen again and the guy holding my hand was, like, ohmygod, so hot.
I grew up in Orange County; it was inevitable that a bit of the Valley had crept into our speech patterns.
When Luka walked us to his campground and I realized which boat was his, I couldn’t stifle my delighted laugh. He’d been the guy I’d shamelessly checked out my first afternoon here, the one I’d waved at when he noticed my ogling. Nice to know my subconscious had recognized my attraction to the man before the rest of me caught up.
“I dig your boat, Lukasz.” His raised eyebrows at my laughter had required an explanation. Something told me a man might take mirth at the sight of his boat about as well as he would the same reaction to his bait and tackle.
We draped our towels over the seats of his SUV—after he’d opened my door like the gentleman his mama taught him to be—and headed for the boat launch. The wind coming from our rolled–down windows was helping to cool me down, despite the glimpses of washboard stomach that teased my peripheral vision.
Once Luka backed the trailer down the ramp, he showed me how I could help as he released the winch and the boat floated off the trailer. He’d perfected a routine for launching solo, so there really wasn’t much for me to do. I wasn’t one to watch someone else do all the work, though, so I tried to learn what he was doing without being in the way.
“You’re sure watching all this closely. Thinking of buying a boat yourself?”
Ha, like I had enough extra cash lying around to buy a boat…or the time to take it out. “Maybe someday. Though, I’ve always heard they’re a lot of work.” And a bad investment that rapidly depreciated in value, not that I said that part aloud.
“They can be. After years of owning a boat, my father swore that selling it was a relief. He grumbled every time something needed fixing, but I can tell he misses the good times we had as a family, out on the water.
“I never thought I’d buy a boat myself but I got lucky with this beauty. Growing up, she was owned by our neighbor, who took excellent care of her. He was big on doing as much of the maintenance as he could himself and taught me everything he knew. After his wife passed a couple years back, he moved to Germany to be with his daughter and grandkids and had to sell the boat. He offered it to me for a ridiculously low price and wouldn’t let me talk him out of it, said he wanted to know she’d found a good home.”
From what I could see, Luka had continued to take excellent care of “her”. I’d always thought the way a man cared for his home, furniture—in this case, his boat—could reveal much about his personality. Not that there was a direct correlation between the way a guy took care of his things and his treatment o
f women. You had to be careful there. He could be one of those dudes who insisted on no food, beverages, or shoes in his souped–up ride. That kind of guy, in my experience, was one to run from. That guy would gladly bone his car instead of a woman, if only it were anatomically possible.
But a man who cleaned up spills on his wood table—a truly rare find was one who used a coaster—or who actually had carpet spot cleaner on hand and knew how to apply it…that was a man more likely to be attentive to the woman in his life. Not that I’d encountered many of those.
“If I guess where we’re going, do I get a prize?” Luka had been impishly tight–lipped about where he was steering, but I was pretty sure now that I had an inkling.
“Hmm, a prize? I don’t know about that. I did pack us a lunch and you are getting the pleasure of my company.”
I feigned an air of being unimpressed. “You basically kidnapped me. Who’s benefiting from whose company here?”
Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I crossed my arms in a pose I’d meant to be playfully sassy. Having forgotten what I was wearing, Luka’s gaze zooming in on the cleavage I’d pretty much pushed in his direction was a potent reminder.
To his credit as a gentleman, he brought his eyes back to mine after only a brief gander at the girls. “Me. I’m definitely benefiting.” His exaggerated head nodding made both of us laugh. “So, you think you’ve figured out where I’m taking you, huh?”
By now, the destination was obvious as the boat drew closer and closer to the previously distant beach. I was glad to see the sand was vacant; I didn’t feel like sharing Luka with anyone yet.
“Pop’s Beach, an excellent choice.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Silly Maya, this is Alex’s Beach.”
We’d had this debate back when we were seventeen and I loved that he remembered. “Poor, misinformed Luka. How can it be Alex’s Beach when it’s been Pop’s Beach for…what, forty, fifty years?”
His response was a soft smile. Like our family, his had assigned nicknames to their favorite spots on the lake. The story with this secluded beach was that his oldest brother, before Jakub and Lukasz had come along, had toddled off on his own and Mom and Dad had nearly lost their minds looking for him everywhere. They’d finally found their mischievous toddler nestled in the nook of a fallen tree, silently watching the frenzied search without making his presence known.
It warmed my heart to know that his family had spent time and built cherished memories here just as mine had.
“When was the last time you came to the lake with your whole family?” I wanted to know more about his life and felt like we’d barely scratched the surface.
“You know, I think it was before Jakub and Elena got married. Let’s see…Alex and Maria’s kids—the bickering ones who left this morning—were in fifth and seventh grades, I think. So, three years ago? Something like that.”
We dropped anchor and swam our lunch and beach paraphernalia to the shore on an inflatable raft he kept with the boat for that purpose. The water was cool and refreshing after the hot boat trip and we set up our towels in the sun so its rays could dry our damp suits.
Luka flipped the cap closed on the sunblock bottle and stretched out next to me. It had been completely familiar, yet distractingly arousing, to apply SPF 50 to each other’s backs. His hands working the lotion into my skin as they skimmed under the ties of my top had me fidgeting, helpless to prevent the memories of similar touches from him in the past.
When my own fingers dipped under the waistband of his board shorts—purely to ensure adequate UV–blocking coverage, of course—I was pretty sure I detected a small shudder in his muscular torso.
For a while, I watched the lake. Sunlight glinted off its waves in ever–changing patterns and you could hear those waves lapping at the hull of Luka’s boat as it bobbed offshore. The nearest people were in boats or on beaches so far away from our haven, they were indiscernible specks of color. The only sounds were the water, the birds, and the rustling of leaves and pine needles from the occasional breeze. I was at peace.
There was something special about this place and I asked myself why I’d stayed away so long. How had I forgotten how much I loved it here? Having ridden along in Mom’s belly before I’d taken my first breath, it was as if this lake, the trees, the campground, all of it, were ingrained in my DNA. A fanciful idea, sure, but if you couldn’t be fanciful in your own head in a setting like this, then where?
When Luka spoke, it surprised me. His eyes had been closed and he’d been quiet for so long, I’d thought he’d drifted off. “Figuring out the solutions to the world’s problems over there?”
“Hardly. Can’t even figure out the solutions to my own.” I didn’t want to think about work, Brad, Tiffany, finances… I was content in this little bubble at the moment and I wasn’t going to let real life intrude. I turned to face my companion, whose eyes were open and tracking me. “Tell me your favorite place or favorite thing to do here at the lake.”
His lips twisted in wry amusement. “That’s easy. This beach is my favorite place, though being here over the years has also been torture at times.”
My head cocked to the side, brows dipping in confusion. What could be torture about this strip of sand? He looked pretty comfortable to me.
“Ah, I can see you doubt that statement. I’ll explain it to you, my new old friend.” That made me smile. I felt the same about him: comfortable as you would with an old friend and excited as you would meeting a new one.
“You see, I was once propositioned by a beautiful girl on this very beach, and every time I’ve been here since that day, it’s been impossible not to think of that momentous event in my young life.”
I shook my head, chuckling at his dramatics.
“I don’t think you understand. It’s been like a Pavlovian response. I’m on this beach, I think of that day and the way she looked when she asked if I wanted to have s–e–x, and I get a stiffy.”
His spelling out sex and whispering “stiffy” like a scandalized prude were too much. Laughter burst out of me.
“Don’t laugh, it’s been terribly inconvenient. Even when I brought my college girlfriend here, I couldn’t help thinking about that vixen from my youth.”
Strangely mortified and proud, struggling to contain peals of laughter, I still didn’t believe he’d thought of me while he’d been here with another woman. “Nice try, but the proposition didn’t happen here—”
“Like I don’t remember the biggest question of my life up to that point accurately. Please. Just because we might be shocked by our previous boldness doesn’t mean we should rewrite history.”
He was wrong and right. Wrong about the location, but right that I had been awfully bold in the asking. It was hard to believe I’d ever been that daring, especially without knowing the outcome.
“The proposition of which you speak happened at the very glamorous campground restroom, I’ll have you know.” His imperious tone had rubbed off on me.
He smirked knowingly. “Ah, that’s where the words were said, true. But if you don’t think I read between the lines of our conversation on this beach, you’ve got another thing coming. Hell, I got so excited, I half–expected the wood I popped to smack you on that pretty little head you so tauntingly rested on my stomach.”
I covered my face with my hands and groaned. Looked like mortification was winning the day. Luka reached out and tugged at my wrists until I let go.
“Hey, don’t be embarrassed.” His voice was coaxing, reassuring. “You were the hottest girl I’d ever seen and you asking me to be your first, wanting to be mine, that was the sexiest thing ever. That’s why I haven’t been able to forget it whenever I’ve been here since.”
Part of me wanted to believe him—what woman wouldn’t want to hear all that from a gorgeous guy?—but that seemed too dangerous. Luka had charmed me into be
ing friends at ten, he’d charmed the panties off of me at seventeen—okay, okay, I’d willingly removed them myself—and he was even more charming now.
I’d given him my virginity the last time. What would I give up if I let myself go this time?
Yep, I’d lost whatever audaciousness I once had.
“Have I made you uncomfortable, Maya? I’m sorry if I have.”
“No, no, not at all. Well…yes, but in a good way, if that makes sense?”
He grinned and I swear I felt an answering tug of want in my core. “Ah, uncomfortable in a good way. The best kind.”
Luka changed the subject and the conversation shifted, thankfully, to lighter fare that didn’t inflame my cheeks or make my cat perk up and beg for attention. I tried to ignore it, but the underlying tension—the good kind, as Luka had said—still hung in the air around us.
Or maybe that was just me.
Chapter 15
Having never been on a date at Bass Lake, getting ready for one now with the boy I’d basically dated as a teenager—we’d spent all our time together but had never called it dating—was a tad surreal. I was camping, so I didn’t exactly have cute date clothing up here with me, but I did have a summer dress and strappy sandals I’d wondered why I was packing at the time. After spending twenty bucks in tokens for a shower at the campground at the southern end of the lake, I felt human again. Maybe even a little feminine, once I’d slid the dress on over clean, lotion–scented skin and done something with my hair.
Luka picked me up wearing a polo shirt and shorts; he’d mentioned taking a shower at Miller’s Landing, too, but I hadn’t seen him there earlier. He looked and smelled great, I noticed, when he got close, opening the door and helping me into his SUV. He’d unhitched and left the boat trailer at his campsite, making parking wherever he was taking me less challenging.
“How do you feel about Ducey’s at The Pines for dinner? You look great, by the way.”
“Thanks, you too.” We smiled at each other before his eyes returned to the winding road. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten there, actually. My family was all about the Forks burger on the rare occasion we didn’t eat in camp. Are we a little underdressed for Ducey’s? It always looks kinda upscale when I walk by.”