They said their hellos, and Lilli laid out a blanket. Isaac sat against a log near the fire and pulled her down to sit between his legs. He handed her a beer and opened one for himself, then leaned back against the log and pulled Lilli back with him. He felt calm. He almost wished this could just be his life, riding around in that shitty old camper, selling his work, hanging out with the show bums, riding curvy country roads with his woman behind him, in the deep night. He could be a vagabond. Wouldn’t even take much of a push. The road was where he felt right.
Duncan, a leatherworker and good friend, and his wife Mindy, who made beautiful papers, shared the long log with them. They also shared their weed, and Isaac and Lilli shared their beer. Lilli lay quietly on his chest, listening while Isaac talked shop with Duncan and Mindy. When Stan came over, though, and then Tonya, and the conversation became a dishfest, Isaac could feel Lilli getting restless. But he was in the thick of the conversation and didn’t really want to get out of it. He hadn’t seen these friends in a while.
Eventually, Lilli scooted from between his legs and out of the growing cluster of people gossiping about stuff she knew nothing about. Isaac saw her go and watched her wander toward the bathrooms, listing to starboard a bit. Knowing where she was off to, he returned his attention to the increasingly lively conversation.
But she was gone a long time. Isaac looked around at the empties on the blanket, where she’d been putting hers, and did some math. She’d downed a six pack. And had her share of hits off two good-size doobs being share among four people.
Lilli was very likely wasted off her ass.
When she was around him, he knew what that meant—completely uninhibited and a little bit freaky. Horny as fuckall. When he was with her, it was spectacular. He didn’t know what to expect when she was wandering around on her own.
“’Scuse me folks, I seem to have misplaced my lady.” Nobody really noticed, and he got up and went Lilli hunting.
She wasn’t at the bathroom; he’d grabbed Julie, a weaver, and asked her to check. He looked everywhere, finally just yelling her name as he walked. He was starting to get really worried, bordering on frantic, wondering if the club’s problems could have chased him to Tulsa and caught up Lilli, when he got to the lake. There were more swimmers, more of them naked, now.
And she was one of them.
He’d scanned the water only because it was the last place to look, sure she wouldn’t be there. But there she was, standing in waist-high water, her breasts bare and shimmering in the moonlight and the faint light cast from the bonfire. She was beautiful. And completely exposed.
“LILLI!” he roared. She saw him, laughed, and dived under. Her bottom half was bare, too.
Holy fucking Christ. She was wasted and swimming. She was naked, in front of all these people. His woman. On display. He didn’t know whether to be worried for her safety because she could drown or because he was going to throttle her.
When she came up again, he roared again, “LILLI! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE NOW!”
She laughed, flipped him off, and went under again. This time she stayed under for a distressingly long time and was farther away when she finally broke the surface again. Then she dived again. When she came up, she was far out and treading water.
Now they were into drowning territory, if she was as wasted as he feared.
He was going to have to go out and get her. Fuck.
Isaac swam, but he did not leave himself vulnerable. Stripping to his underwear in a crowd, even this crowd, leaving himself unarmed and barely dressed? He did not do that.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
During the few seconds Isaac grappled with his quandary, Duncan walked up and stood at his side. “I’ll go get her, man.”
No. Another man was not bringing his naked woman back to the beach. He toed off his boots. “I got her. Just—grab our blanket for me.” Duncan nodded and headed back to their log by the fire.
Now that he’d committed to this folly, Isaac stripped quickly and efficiently, down to his boxer briefs, then strode into the—fucking cold—water and dove in. He swam long, strong strokes. Lilli hadn’t moved much, just bobbed in place; Isaac took that as a bad sign and put a little more power into his stroke.
She’d gotten even farther out than he’d realized. When he got to her, she was breathing too hard and looked distressed, but she was still above water. As he got his arms around her, Isaac felt a strange brew of emotions: rage, terror, love, relief. He let love and relief have sway. “Hey, Sport. Whatcha doin’ out here?”
“Water’s deep,” she gasped, with a strained little smile. “Cold.”
“I gotcha. Wanna head back?” She nodded, and he pulled her close and swam back. She didn’t fight at all, and Isaac was glad to be able to concentrate on getting them back to the beach. When he got to water they could stand in, though, she didn’t. She’d passed out. Fuck. Thankfully, he could feel her chest moving under his arm, so he knew she was breathing. He swept her naked body into his arms and walked onto the beach.
Duncan and Mindy were both waiting for them. Mindy had the blanket spread wide, waiting to wrap Lilli in it. When she saw that Isaac was carrying her, she shifted her hold so that she could cover Lilli in his arms. Duncan had their clothes.
“She okay?”
Isaac grunted. “Don’t know. Gotta get her back to the camper.”
“Wait, Isaac.” Mindy put her hand on his arm. “She’s freezing. Sit at the fire for a few minutes to warm her up. You, too.”
He nodded and sat down where they’d started the night. Cradling Lilli in his arms, he checked her over. She was still breathing, so it wasn’t that she’d drowned. Her pulse was strong, if fast. But even in the firelight, he could see that she was shockingly pale. He pressed his lips to her forehead; she was deeply chilled. He wrapped the blanket tighter. He was shivering himself, but he didn’t care. “Lilli, baby. Come on. What’s wrong?”
He didn’t understand what the holy fuck had happened. She went to the bathroom, and then she was swimming naked and wasted, in the dark, out to the middle of a lake? She’d gone much farther, into dangerous territory, when he’d called for her. Like she was trying to get away from him. He didn’t understand.
He had no idea how long they sat there. For the most part, the party went on around them. Somebody—Isaac didn’t even notice who—draped a rough woolen blanket over his shoulders. Duncan took their clothes back to the camper. Otherwise, they were left alone.
When she woke, or came to, or whatever, she did so violently, in the way she sometimes came out of her dreams. Isaac took a hard hit to his chin before he could get the right hold on her. He squeezed her close, pinning her arms until she settled. When she did, he pulled back so he could see her.
“Hey, Flipper. You with me?”
After a confused second or two, she nodded. “I don’t—I—I’m naked.”
Relieved, confused, but no longer angry, Isaac laughed. “Indeed you are. I’m gonna pick you up and carry you to the camper, okay? We’re gonna sleep, and in the morning, we’re gonna talk.”
When he picked her up, she hooked her arm around his neck and laid her head on his chest.
~oOo~
He tucked her close, curling his body around hers. Lilli slept right away, having barely woken at the bonfire, and Isaac was able to sleep, too, once he felt sure she was settled.
He woke at dawn to the sounds and smells of camp waking up—people at neighboring sites speaking quietly, fixing campfire breakfasts, heading off to showers. He was stiff. They hadn’t moved all night, and the camper bed wasn’t exactly luxurious. He had a bad moment, when he feared something terrible had happened, but Lilli was simply sleeping deeply. She stirred, sighing prettily, when he came up on his elbow.
Her lake adventure had really thrown him. He didn’t know whether it was a big deal, or whether he should make it a big deal, but she could have died. Stupidly. And he had no fucking idea why.
They needed to get up, though.
He rubbed his hand up and down the firm, satiny length of her arm. He kissed her shoulder. She tasted like lake and bonfire, and he felt his heart cramp at the memory of his fear. And his anger. She stirred again, her beautiful ass sliding slightly against his rigid cock.
He shifted his hips back; she was probably feeling like crap. Not the morning to get anything started. His hand on her shoulder, he gave her a gentle shake. “Time to get up, Sport.” She moaned a little and curled up more tightly, her ass coming back to graze his cock again. Christ, he wanted her. He felt a need for her whenever she was near, like a buzz in the back of his head, but skin to skin with her, the urge was almost overwhelming. He flexed against her, unable not to, and then turned and sat up, making some better space between them.
He swatted the ass that was causing him such consternation. “Lilli, baby, up you go.” This time she rolled to her back and opened her eyes, giving him a nasty look. The hangover hit her then. “Ow. Fuck.”
He couldn’t help the grin. “Not surprised. You had an adventurous night. How d’you feel besides your head?”
She sat up and groaned. Her hair was a matted mess, and she looked pained, but otherwise okay. “Like I ran a marathon without training for it first.” She rubbed her hands over her face, then dropped them and looked at Isaac. “Did we swim?”
“I guess that’s one way to put it. Another way is that you skinny-dipped and almost drowned, and I swam out to rescue you.”
She gaped at him. “Jesus. What was in that weed?”
“It was just good weed, baby. You’re a lightweight.” He brushed her hair off her shoulders and came back with a piece of lake grass. Rolling it in his fingers, he asked, “There something going on with you? Us?”
She furrowed her brow, then winced in pain and relaxed her face. “What? No.”
“I think there is. Drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts. Same with actions. You swam away from me last night, into trouble.”
“No, Isaac, I don’t”—she stopped and closed her eyes—“No. Truly. And my head hurts too much for a big talk.”
That told him there was a big talk knocking around somewhere in her sore head. Of course there was something going on with her, with them. They were facing big shit when they got back to town. He still didn’t know whether what happened last night was just a lark or somehow was related to their murky future, but he decided to let it drop. They weren’t talking about that shit now, anyway; that was their deal. “I can help you with the hangover. I’ll get breakfast started; why don’t you take a hot shower?”
She agreed, and Isaac got up and helped her to her feet. He was still hard as granite, and she cast a sardonic look at his crotch. He chuckled. “What can I say? You’re hot even when you’re a hot mess. But I’m a big boy; I’ll survive without getting off.”
She looked exponentially better when she came back from the showers, but she was still moving slowly. And now Isaac saw that she had a sizable bruise on her upper arm, as if she’d been grabbed hard. Had he done that? He took her arm and gave it a close look—no; his hand was bigger. “Where’d you get this?”
Lilli looked down, evidently confused. “I don’t know. Random drunk bruise, I guess.” She grazed her right hand over the bruise, and Isaac saw that her knuckles were red, too. She’d punched someone. She didn’t seem to notice her hand, so Isaac didn’t say anything more. But he was going to be on the lookout for somebody with a bruised face today. And he had an idea where to start.
For now, though, breakfast.
He gestured toward the picnic table at their site. “Have a seat.” He’d laid the table, and fixed her scrambled eggs and toast with honey. A glass of tomato juice. And four ibuprofen. “Start with the juice and pills, then the toast. Eggs last.”
She looked up at him, amused. “Kinda bossy.”
“Hey, trust me. The juice and bread will help. Work up to the eggs. You’ll feel ready for ‘em by then.”
She smiled and did as he suggested. Isaac made himself a plate and sat next to her, his hand on her thigh.
~oOo~
The show was extra busy this year, and Isaac and Lilli had little time to talk during the day. She was a great booth babe. She’d learned a lot about his work in the weeks they’d been together, and she spoke enthusiastically about it. She wasn’t much for haggling, so he took over that part. People liked to haggle at these things.
When he took a bathroom break during a lull, he walked by Cin’s booth. She was wearing a pair of big sunglasses, even though the day had gone overcast. She was alone in her booth, so he went in, walked right up to her, and took the glasses off her face. Black eye. Really good shiner, too. Lilli didn’t go in for half measures.
“You stirring up shit, Cin?”
She snatched her sunglasses back and put them on. “Fuck you, Isaac. You two can have each other. Little b—.” She stopped, thought better of her choice, and continued, “girl has no sense of humor.”
That filled in the blanks enough for Isaac. Cin had said something bitchy—probably grabbing Lilli’s arm to get her attention—and Lilli had . . . expressed her displeasure at what Cin said, or at Cin putting hands on her. He could see it clearly. He put his elbows on her little display counter and leaned in close. “I know it came as a shock to you, and I’m sorry for that. But, Lucinda, hear me when I say that you need to settle your shit down, and right now. We had good times, but you had no claim. You know that.”
She pouted. “If I’d thought you were claimable, I would have.”
“I wasn’t, Cin. That’s what I’m sayin’. Let’s leave it on good terms. I don’t want you to get hurt.” He gave her hand a squeeze.
“Too late, asshole.” She walked to the other end of the counter, and Isaac left.
~oOo~
The first day of the show really went well. The weather was good—hovering between sunny and overcast, but no threat of rain, so it was cool for midsummer—and the crowds were thick. Isaac sold several expensive art pieces, got some promising queries about furniture, and talked to a guy who seemed pretty serious about commissioning a piece. Time would tell if that panned out, but he couldn’t help but be a little excited at the possibility.
The usual craftsy stuff that always sold well at these shows was flying out of the booth. Isaac was beginning to get a bit concerned that he’d have sufficient stock for the second day. Not a bad problem to have, though. When a small gaggle of elderly women left the booth carrying carved flowers and birds and one fancy little wren house he’d made on a whim, he turned to see Lilli smiling at him as if she’d caught him doing something cute.
“What?”
She walked up to him and pushed her hands under his black t-shirt until she grazed his nipples, heedless of the people browsing the booth. “My big, macho biker is a totally sweet flirt with the little old ladies. Quite the Lothario—had them all giggling. Shameless, really.”
He grinned. Also ignoring the browsers, he put his hands around her ribs, his thumbs just skimming the undersides of her breasts. She took in a sharp breath, and her eyes fluttered shut for a second. “What can I say?” he whispered, “I appreciate a woman who can appreciate my charms.”
“Then you must appreciate the fuck out of me.”
“Oh, I do, Sport. Literally.” He kissed the corner of her mouth and let her go.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
When the first day of the show wrapped up, Lilli helped Isaac fill in the rest of his stock and then close up his booth. It had floored her at first that he didn’t pack everything away and lock it back up at night, but he explained that the grounds were guarded, and the tents were too difficult for anyone to get into before one of the guards came around. So they closed up the sides and walked back to the camper.
She’d thoroughly enjoyed watching Isaac work this fair, or show, or whatever it was. She’d loved helping him do it, too. She loved his work, and she loved to hear and see him talk about it. He was so much more than a biker or an outlaw. She felt proud
and protective of him, which turned out to get in his way a little. Within a couple of hours, he’d stepped in and suggested that he complete the sales. She wanted to punch people who tried to dicker his pricing down. Fuck them for trying to cheap out on the fruits of his talent and skill.
He’d pulled her back and gotten close, whispering in her ear, “Easy, Killer. This is the game. Everything’s priced with that in mind. I’m gouging the ones who don’t play.”
But she didn’t care. It pissed her off. So instead, Isaac suggested that she hand the hagglers off to him. She did so, gladly. She still wanted to punch them, but she forbore.
He was different here—still Isaac, but more relaxed. Much more. It really hit home for Lilli how much responsibility he carried in Signal Bend. Here, his cares moved back a little and gave him room to stretch out. He chatted with the people browsing his booth, and flirted with the old ladies oohing and aahing over the knickknacks he made. Boy, did they flirt back.
There were lots of groups of older people traversing the park. Lilli didn’t know if they came in buses or whether this was just a general draw for the older set, but some of the women, in colorful, coordinated slacks and blouses and big sunhats, literally, actively flirted with Isaac, taking every opportunity to put their hands on him—squeezing his biceps, patting his pecs. One teensy, stooped woman in a purple pantsuit and a red hat, who must have been at least 85, actually rubbed his belly and exclaimed, “Oh, Maeve—it’s a twelve pack!” At which point, her similarly clad friends tittered and slapped at each other like high school sophomores.
Isaac took it all in stride, flirting right back, making the most of that sexy, lopsided smile, even lifting the red hat lady’s hand from his belly and kissing it. When she left, clutching several pieces of Isaac’s work, she pressed her new loot to her concave chest and grabbed his ass in her bony hand.
That shocked him. He even blushed. And Lilli about wet herself laughing.
Move the Sun (Signal Bend Series) Page 21
