by Leela Ash
The boat was tiny, especially in the open water, but she felt more conspicuous than before. In the past, she had sailed on a small barge even when it had only been her aboard with the old man who owned it in the years following her parents’ death. It made sense when she considered the size of the mammals she studied. The smaller boat glided through the water with ease, making the work easier and the sights far more enjoyable. It felt as though she were part of the surrounding habitat, mere inches from the water. She was falling in love with the boat as much as she had fallen in love with Barrow.
On her way back in, Lois paused when she saw clouds of white fur moving on a small sheet of ice, not yet melted so early in June. It took her a moment to realize that she was looking at three massive polar bears. They all seemed to be adult, male bears – which did not make sense. Polar bears were known to be solitary animals. She had never heard of so many males gathering at once and she was intrigued. She watched them for some time, turning the boat motor off. They were clearly waiting for the seals swimming in the water below the ice to come up for air, each bear at a different hole. The surface of the water moved at one of the openings, there was a flurry of action, and then blood covered the white surroundings. Lois instantly thought of Jeffrey’s quest. She sent a small prayer up that he wouldn’t catch one of the majestic creatures. They were far too fierce and beautiful to be mounted on a wall in such a barbaric way.
After the incident and the breathtaking view of the bears, Lois decided to take Jeffrey out. She had a notion that maybe she could talk him out of it by helping him to see things from her point of view. There were plenty of things to do besides hunt, and she knew that he was only there a few more days. He just needed to be kept busy until then.
Chapter 3
The grand plan to dissuade Jeffrey from his quest had ended in a rather dull afternoon. He approached most things apathetically and had few conversational skills. Lois was irritated to find that he had no interest in admiring the fascinating ways of the wildlife they saw on their boat ride, but only spoke up when he saw something worth mounting on his wall. She entered Jimmy’s bar with him after their return, hoping to give him one more chance to redeem his seemingly negative personality, or lack thereof.
Conner Vern stared at the door, bristling at the sight of the dirty hunter entering. He had been watching the man for a week knew he was dangerous. What surprised him was the beautiful dark haired woman on his arm. He had recognized her from earlier in the day, felt her, but now she had walked in with him. He stared at the couple for a few moments, before heading back to the bar for another drink. Picking up his gin and tonic he stood to go, but after starting back toward the pool table, turned again and sat on the barstool next to Lois instead. He wasn’t going to skulk off now; this girl couldn’t possibly know what kind of man she had involved herself with.
Conner blatantly ignored Jeffrey and could tell this made him angry, but he couldn’t care less and focused his attention solely on the woman in front of him who was driving his senses mad with her close proximity.
“Hey, do you want to dance?” he asked her with an inviting smile.
She seemed surprised by the invitation and looked back at Jeffrey who was fuming behind her.
“I don’t think I should,” she said shyly.
“Are you married to that guy?”
“Of course not.”
“Well, then come on and dance with me, please?”
Lois was torn for a moment, but Conner’s open attraction to her was magnetic, and the more she had tried to make conversation with Jeffrey throughout the afternoon in the boat, the more she had seen that she could never be attracted to a man like that. Jeffrey was still playing the cool and silent guy, anyway. Maybe his chances were up.
Grabbing Conner’s hand, she walked to the small wooden area that served as the dance floor. “Why did you do that?” she asked curiously, now out of Jeffrey’s earshot.
“Because a man like that shouldn’t be touching a woman like you, that’s why.” He pulled her closer.
She gasped a little as his chest pressed firmly against her. She had just met him moments before, but he seemed to handle her as if she was already his. The song on the jukebox was slow and she swayed in rhythm with him. “I’m Lois, in case you’re interested in names or anything like that,” she said with a slight tone of sarcasm.
“I’m Conner Vern,” he replied.
“Ah ha!” she said.
Conner looked confused.
She laughed. “I actually rent your boat three times a week. I must say that I love that boat.”
His eyes lit up. “Lois Claire. Now I get it! I didn’t know that was you. I’ve been planning on coming out Monday to meet you, but I see you’ve already taken her out.”
“I hope you don’t mind. The agreement started today, so there was nothing holding me here on land.”
“You like it out there?”
“Love it.”
“What do you do again?”
“I’m in research back home. Here, it’s just for fun, so I study arctic creatures. Observation, photography, that sort of thing.”
The song ended and she turned to pull away, but he held her tighter.
“Why are you in such a rush to go back to him? He’s not for you.”
Lois was caught off guard and wondered for a moment why he seemed to care so much.
Conner picked up on her reaction. “I would just hate to see a nice girl like you end up with someone like that.”
“What do you have against him?” she asked.
“He’s careless and someone will get hurt before he’s had his little victory. This isn’t his first time here, and I hope he leaves again without his trophy.”
“He is gruesome. He has his sights set on a big polar bear. I bet it was one of the three beauties I saw today. You should have seen them. They were absolutely stunning and I couldn’t imagine anyone hurting them. I thought there were laws against that kind of thing.”
“Well, rich people get a day pass,” he scoffed. Lois cocked her head to the side.
“Isn’t your family the wealthiest in Barrow?”
Conner did not answer. The music had started again and his hands guided her around the small square floor. A few others had joined in and the two were made to move closer. Her heart was clamoring in her chest, and she looked up at him. He felt good against her and she could feel heat rising to her face.
After the song was over, the two of them sauntered back to the bar. Jeffrey had gone and Lois didn’t mind. She had truthfully forgotten all about him until Conner brought him up again,
“Sorry. I think your boyfriend took off. Maybe we shouldn’t have had that second dance.”
“Don’t pretend to be sorry. That was why you wanted a second dance!” she said with a smirk.
He looked down sheepishly for a moment. “Okay, you caught me.” He looked back into her face, his eyes burning into hers.
She blushed. He was just as large as Jeffrey, but leaner. His muscles were less bulky, yet more defined, and she found herself wanting to dance once more just to feel him pressed against her.
“So you have me, now what?” Lois was surprised by the sound of her own words. She had not meant it to be a provocation, but as fire leapt into his eyes, she could see that it was. “Wow that came out wrong. Sorry.”
Conner frowned. “I like the idea of having you.”
Lois giggled and then took a sip of her rum and coke. She looked around them and suddenly realized that it was crowded. It had felt to her as if they were the only two people in the world for the past half hour. He had a way of holding her gaze that made her feel drawn to him, like he was the only thing that she needed.
“So what do you do? Do you work down at the firm?”
“No, I make boats down the coast. I come here for the weekends. You should come out with me Sunday, it’s supposed to be beautiful. I would love the company.”
She agreed and after two more slow dances
in his arms, she said goodnight. He asked her to stay, but Lois had to be up early in the morning. She had promised to help Beth bake bread loaves for the local church charity auction.
“Sunday then?” Conner asked, searching her eyes for confirmation.
She nodded her head with a girlish smile and headed back to the boarding house.
Chapter 4
Sunday arrived before Conner knew it. He spent most of his day Saturday poking around for information about Lois. When he discovered that she had been coming to Barrow for years, he wondered why he had not seen her before. She stood out from the other girls in town with her sweet charm, flowing dark hair, and tan skin. She was radiant, and he was amazed that he could have missed someone so lovely in a small town this many summers in a row. It was the way of things though. He knew that fate couldn’t be rushed, and though he wished he had met her before, he was grateful now, and only hoped Jeffrey wouldn’t be interference.
He went up the broken walkway to the boarding house doors with energy in his step. It was going to be a good day. When Lois answered the door, his breath caught for a moment. She was wearing a long blue dress with a light grey sweater. Her figure was distracting; the top of the dress hugged her breasts and fit tightly at her small waist. As soon as she took a step out, the wind caught the bottom of her dress and hair, sending them flying around her. There was something wild and mysterious about her, as if her spirit was full of brilliant color that danced and soared about, just like the royal blue fabric flowing around her ankles now.
“Conner?” Lois was asking when he zoned back to reality.
“Sorry, what?”
“I asked if you were ready to go.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t see a car.”
“I thought we could walk, it’ll be nice. Give us a chance to talk.” He smiled, handing her a cup of fresh coffee he had brewed and poured into a thermos. He wanted to hear anything and everything about her.
She felt like she had relayed her life story in detail by the time they got through the town and to the docks.
“So where are we going?” she asked as they climbed in to the small boat.
“To one of my islands.” The way he said it was so casual it took a moment for it to register fully.
“One, as in, you have more than one?”
“Of course.” Conner put his sunglasses on and prepared the boat to set out.
She shook her head. He looked like celebrity in his boat shoes and glasses. She found herself staring at him when they were finally ready to set off from the dock.
He caught her eye before she could look away and smiled from ear to ear. “This is my favorite way to spend an afternoon,” he said as he nestled into the chair like it was the most comforting place on earth.
The day was as beautiful as he had said it would be. He was unlike anyone that she had ever met before and the more she got to know him, the more she liked him.
The engine slowed and she looked around to see why. Her own thoughts had kept her staring off in the distance, but she realized that they must be at the island. It was dense except for a small clearing with a rustic looking cabin. It was not at all what she had expected, but when he began pulling out buckets and sticks from underneath one of the seats, she thought he had lost his mind.
“Come on. Don’t tell me you haven’t been clamming before? Razorbacks are the best and this is my secret spot. I come up here a couple of times in the summer and just camp overnight, roasting clams.”
“Sounds nice. I can’t say that I have ever gone clamming. So this should be fun. I wish I would have known what we were doing, I wouldn’t have worn such a long skirt.” Lois pulled her dress to the side, knotting the skirt so it would not drag in the muddy bank of the small island.
He helped her off and her body slid down his front as he lowered her to the ground. Her senses were increasingly aware of any contact with him, and the intensity of arousal she felt caused her to lose composure for a few moments, laughing awkwardly and clearing her throat.
“You seemed like the kind of girl that would like this.”
“I’m sure I will.” Lois was sure that she would like just about anything with Conner. He had such an easy going and engaging personality that she had not expected from someone in his position. He was just a normal guy, certainly not the stereotypical son of a multimillionaire business tycoon. Until he got a business call from Tokyo on his satellite phone, Lois had almost forgotten that she was with a Vern.
The morning was gone and the day was warming up to a perfect fifty degrees. The wind blew constantly, but it was delightful with the sun overhead. They both had their buckets filled with clams when she followed him back to the small cabin two hours later. He started a fire in the wood stove, then they returned to the water to rinse the clams of thickly caked mud that covered the shells. Lois had never tried them, but she didn’t tell him why. They were funny looking, but that day, the smell was enough to entice her. He helped her open the first one and after a bite, she understood why he enjoyed the process so much
“So is this what you do with your time? Shouldn’t you be jet setting to the equator?”
“I do sometimes, but I like it here. I like to know my neighbors and here that is actually possible. I don’t think I would ever want to live anywhere else. What about you, could you live here full time?”
“I don’t know. I would need a damn good reason to do a winter here,” she laughed.
“I could give you a reason.” Conner’s eyes were boring into hers, she was unsure how to respond. He leaned over and kissed her gently. It took her by surprise, but she felt herself leaning into him, hoping he wouldn’t pull away any time soon. His tongue pushed her lips open and she moaned softly at the touch. Conner deepened the kiss and she was lost in the moment. When he finally pulled away, she took a deep breath.
“Is that a good enough reason?”
Lois nodded, touching her lips.
Chapter 5
The sun was dipping lower in the sky and it was starting to darken outside.
“We should get back before the weather gets worse,” Connor said, gathering up the buckets.
Lois agreed and they were quickly on the boat headed back to Barrow. The seas were rough and she wished they could be in a larger boat. She clung to him as the waves rocked them back and forth. The sea spray drenched them and she was shivering by the time they got to the dock. Conner made a call before they got back to town and she was thankful for the car that was waiting for them when they arrived. Her shivering stopped once they were inside. The car parked in front of the boarding house and she asked Conner if he would like to come up and get some dry clothes.
“I’m sure Miss Beth would have something in your size,” Lois said in a pleading voice. Conner hesitated, but then agreed. She made them both some hot chocolate and let him take the first hot shower. He asked if she wanted to join him, but she said she would wait. The idea of being that close, let alone naked around him was more than she could think about. She left him a towel and some clothes, thinking how strange it would be to see him in normal clothes for the first time.
When he dressed, she tried not to laugh. Lois had underestimated his size and the pants were tight and only fell about mid-calf. She wasn’t sure how he even got them on, though she did take a few moments to admire his thick thighs and muscular backside. Her mind wandered and it took her a moment to realize that he was talking to her.
“You think she has anything a bit bigger?”
“Um yeah. I didn’t realize you were so…big.” Her eyes pulled away from his bottom half and she had him follow her into one of the spare bedrooms where Beth kept clothes that were left behind by guests. It happened quite often and she had been in business for thirty years. Beth had enough that she could almost start a consignment shop, but she just liked to help out when she could. He dug through some of the clothes until he found something that looked like it would fit. It was a pair of khaki shorts and a bright blue
and red Hawaiian shirt. When he came out of the bathroom, she couldn’t help but giggle.
“Very sexy.”
His dark eyes held hers for a moment and she was left speechless. He somehow looked every bit as unbearably attractive in the funny shirt. Her eyes were the first to turn away and she was about to walk passed him to leave the room, but he stopped her.
Lois looked up at him and bit her lower lip. Conner did not let her go, but pushed her up against the door. He kissed her gently at first, the passion heating up the longer they touched. Her body sung with desire for him, something she had not experienced before. Conner made her feel alive. His hand held her chin, while the other one touched her exposed side. Conner could sense her desire and it made him want her even more. He knew it wasn’t the time to press for more, but he couldn’t help how the feel of her changed everything inside of him. Conner’s blood ran hot and there was no other thought but the woman in his arms.
His hand moved from the side of her breast to her waist and then he cupped her curving hips with a low grunt, pulling her towards him.
Lois whimpered, overwhelmed with pleasurable sensations at being caressed so intimately for the first time. His excitement was clear as he leaned against her leg. Her arms entwined around his neck and even though he bent down, she was on her tiptoes to reach his hungry mouth. She could feel everything inside yielding to him. Conner’s blood rushed in his veins and his hand moved lower, gripping her through her clothing. She softly cried out, unprepared for the mix of sensations. Her mind panicked while her body wanted to stay right there and take it all. She forced herself to pull away from his kisses.
“Wait, Conner. I can’t. This is just too soon.”
