by Holly Martin
Lyra stared at him. He was so passionate about this that he had changed his entire life to support the project and help the beavers.
‘Nix, you’re an incredible man.’
He immediately looked embarrassed and she regretted saying that. That wasn’t the kind of thing you said to someone you’d just met, not unless you were wanting to jump into bed with him. She tried to backpedal.
‘I don’t mean… I’m not flirting with you. This is not, “You’re incredible, I want to have your babies,” it’s just, “You’re incredible, no strings attached.”’
He stared at her. Yes, she’d definitely made that worse.
Nix cleared his throat. ‘So we moved them here so they could start their own colony. I always worry that because of his disability George might be more vulnerable to predators and I can’t protect him from that, but at least here, on Jewel Island, the risk might be less.’
She turned back to face the beaver, grateful that the increasing darkness was hiding how red her cheeks were. ‘How so?’
‘Well, places like the Scilly Isles don’t have large predators like foxes, stoats or weasels. There’s no way for those species to get there. Jewel Island is similar. You’ll see the odd one here because of the causeway joining the island to the mainland, the animals come across that, but the causeway is only accessible at low tide so the risk is a lot lower. Plus George is a big boy now, there are fewer animals that will pick a fight with him.’
‘So he has his own family now?’
‘There’s six here. Tilda, she’s the mum, and then four young of varying ages. We rarely see all six of them together but we might see three or four. Oh look, there’s Pearl. She’s their eldest. She’s already showing signs of being ready to leave. She’s set up her own lodge further round the lake but she still comes back and feeds with her parents sometimes. A bit like a child going off to university and coming back home in the holidays. Oh, and that’s Ruby over there.’
‘How can you recognise them?’
‘I don’t know, I just do. The twins are harder to tell apart.’
‘This is all so incredible,’ Lyra whispered as she watched them in awe.
Ruby came and started having a chew of the end of George’s piece of wood and, like all good, long-suffering dads, George simply let her.
‘So the babies are called kits?’ Lyra asked, suddenly wanting to know everything there was to know about this little family.
‘Yes, and the older children are called yearlings.’
‘And are they actually eating the wood?’
‘Yes, they’re herbivores. They eat roots, bark, leaves. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t eat fish.’ Nix was silent for a moment. ‘They are monogamous too.’
She smiled, somehow feeling the significance in those words.
‘As someone who has been burned quite spectacularly by the opposite sex, I can appreciate that,’ Lyra said. ‘If one dies, will a beaver find a new mate?’
Nix didn’t answer at first. ‘Some do, some don’t. George’s mum died, fairly young for a beaver too. George’s dad never found another mate.’
She turned to look at Nix. ‘That’s so sad.’
‘It is. We introduced him to several females but he didn’t hit it off with any of them. I guess that’s the same for humans too; sometimes they never find another partner either.’
Lyra paused before she spoke. ‘My mum and dad split when I was around sixteen. Mum slept with everything that moved over the next few years but Dad has never had another relationship since. Mum had multiple affairs while she was married and I think it broke my dad’s heart. I don’t think he ever got over that. And I’m not sure what’s worse, trying to fill the gap with anyone or everyone just so you’re not alone, or staying alone for the rest of your life because no one will ever match up to the one you lost.’
‘I wouldn’t settle,’ Nix said. ‘If it was me and I’d lost the love of my life, I wouldn’t fill it with random women just so I wasn’t alone. A lot of my friends sleep around and that life suits them just fine – there’s no commitment or responsibilities – but I’ve never been like that. I want someone spectacular, someone really special, and if I can’t have that I’d rather be alone.’
Lyra stared at him and she got the feeling his response went much deeper than his casual tone suggested.
He shrugged, trying to play it down. ‘Maybe that’s how your dad feels. Maybe he just never met the right person to move on with after your mum.’
‘I think my mum set the bar very low when it came to wife material.’
‘Ah, but you can’t help who you fall in love with. Or maybe your mum’s behaviour put your dad off from ever wanting another relationship again, maybe he decided he was happier on his own. Nothing wrong with that.’
‘No, there isn’t,’ Lyra said, turning her attention back to the beavers as they swam and moved around in the lake and stream. Nix had unwittingly described her to a tee. She had long since given up on having a relationship again, though not because there was some great life partner that she was lamenting losing. She was just happier going through life alone. It was a lot easier that way.
She glanced at Nix and mentally shook her head. If ever there was a man who could tempt her out of her self-imposed celibacy, it would be someone like him, and for that reason she should run a hundred miles in the opposite direction. But there was something about him that had her feet glued to the ground.
They watched the beavers for hours and, when it got too dark to see, Nix fished out some night-vision binoculars which they shared between them while he regaled her with everything there was to know about beavers and the funny little quirks that George and his family had.
Eventually, they made their way back to the van.
‘I’ve had the most amazing time tonight, thank you for sharing the beavers with me,’ Lyra said.
‘It was my pleasure,’ Nix said. ‘I presume you’re staying on the island? I can walk you back if so.’
‘I’m not, I’m staying in a hotel a little way down the coast on the mainland.’
Nix stopped and looked at his watch. ‘Lyra, the last ferry left the island over half hour ago.’
‘What? No, they run until eleven.’
‘On weekends, not during the week.’
‘Oh crap. What time is low tide?’
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and swiped his fingers across the screen. ‘It’s high tide in about half hour. Low tide is at four thirty tomorrow morning.’
Lyra looked around. She would have to stay on Michelle’s sofa for a night. Her sister wouldn’t mind too much and Lyra’s nephew would be delighted.
‘You could stay here,’ Nix said behind her.
She turned to face him. ‘What?’
‘You could stay in my van with me.’ He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. ‘I promise to be on my absolute best behaviour but the bed is big enough for the two of us if you want to stay.’
Chapter Three
Nix watched Lyra’s indecision for a moment. He wasn’t exactly sure this was a good idea either. He had no idea why he offered his bed to her, but for some reason he didn’t want her to leave. He’d enjoyed talking to her tonight and he wanted to get to know her better.
He shook his head. He always used to be so confident when it came to women but the sad truth was that he hadn’t had anyone in his bed for over three years. He’d dated, taken women to dinner or drinks, but, at the end of the night, he hadn’t wanted to take it any further. And now he was inviting Lyra to share his bed with him. Even if it was strictly to sleep, it still felt weird somehow. But at the same time it felt so right. If she said no, would he be relieved or disappointed?
Lyra was gazing out over the sea and it seemed an age before she finally made up her mind; she probably didn’t think it was a good idea either.
She turned back to look at him, fixing him with a warning glare. ‘No funny business.’
‘You have my word,’ Nix
said, hope blooming in his heart.
She nodded. ‘OK. But I sleep on the left side.’
His mouth twitched into a smirk. He really liked this woman.
‘That’s fine, although I’ll let you break it to Dexter. He normally prefers the left side of the bed.’
She smiled.
‘Well, I’m not quite ready to hit the sack just yet, fancy a nightcap?’ he said.
‘Sure.’
He opened the van, letting Dexter out. The dog greeted them both as if they’d been gone for days, not just a few hours. Nix lit a candle in one of the storm lanterns and placed it in the middle of the table, although the light from the van was probably more than sufficient.
‘We can finish off the wine if you want, or I have whisky. Or I can just make us two coffees if you’d prefer.’
‘Do you have tea?’ Lyra asked.
‘I don’t, I’m afraid. I don’t drink it.’
‘Coffee is fine,’ Lyra said. ‘Two sugars please.’
Nix nodded and stepped back inside the van. Coffee was probably better than drinking alcohol. He needed to keep a clear head and not do anything he’d regret.
He quickly made the coffees and took them outside. Lyra was sitting on the step leading up into the van, stroking Dexter as she looked out over the moonlit waves. He sat down next to her, her warmth filling him from the inside. She took her coffee, wrapping her hands around the mug.
‘It’s so beautiful here,’ Lyra said.
‘It is. Jewel Island is a very special place for me.’
Lyra watched him for a moment and then placed a finger gently on his arm, right over his co-ordinate tattoo.
He tried to ignore the feeling inside him ignited by her touch.
He nodded. ‘Yes, these are the co-ordinates for Jewel Island.’
She studied him, obviously wanting to ask why it was such a special place, but it wasn’t something he really wanted to get into tonight.
‘Do you live here?’ she asked.
‘No, not right now. Well, I don’t live anywhere right now. But I’ve spent a lot of time here.’
‘So have you heard the story of the lost treasure?’
He watched her, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She was so endearing.
‘I have heard the rumours though I think it’s more legend and myth than anything substantial,’ Nix said.
‘It’s said that’s where the name Jewel Island comes from and that there’s a chest of precious jewels buried somewhere here.’
‘Maybe we should look for it,’ Nix said.
She smiled. ‘I’d like that.’
They sat there staring at each other for a moment and he had a sudden realisation that he would sail the stormiest seas on the wildest goose chase if he got to spend more time with her.
Her eyes glanced down to his lips for the briefest of seconds and his heart leapt. God, he wasn’t sure if he was ready for this yet. He kept telling himself he was ready to date but he didn’t think he was.
‘Do you have any tattoos?’ Nix quickly asked, hoping to divert her.
Lyra grinned. ‘Yes, I have a tattoo. I won it in a competition.’
He laughed. ‘What?’
‘I always fancied having one but couldn’t afford to get one when I was younger. And then a new tattoo shop opened in my local town. It was reported in one of those little articles in the local press and they were giving away a fifty-pound voucher for the new shop. It was one of those silly competitions that no one enters – you know, the ones that say something like, “Rattlesnakes, the tattoo shop was named after the tattoo artist’s favourite animal”, and then at the end of the article it asks what the artist’s favourite animal is. Well I entered and I won. So I got my tattoo. My brothers and sisters were convinced that I’d lost my fun side completely and I wanted to show them that I still had that side of me in there.’
‘I love that. What did you get?’
She smiled. ‘What do you think I got?’
‘Well, I’m quickly learning to expect the unexpected when it comes to you,’ Nix said. ‘So dolphins, unicorns and flowers are probably out.’
‘You’d be right.’
‘A shark?’
‘No, but actually that was a contender. Here, I’ll show you.’
She stood up and hoisted the t-shirt up so he could see her shoulder blade. He stood up too, lifting the material to get a better view, his fingers accidentally grazing her skin. He smiled when he saw it. It was a T-Rex.
‘You like dinosaurs?’
She turned round to face him, amusement sparking in her eyes. ‘I love them.’
He glanced down at her lips, which were very close to his, and he felt an overwhelming desire to kiss her. He took a small step back away from her.
‘I was always fascinated by them when I was growing up and I thought I’d become a palaeontologist when I was older, although that never happened. Do you like him?’
‘I love him. He’s very you. Do you ever regret getting it?’
‘Not for one second. I only regret that I had it done where I can’t see it.’
‘You could get another one, somewhere more visible. A brontosaurus perhaps or a triceratops.’
‘Or maybe a beaver,’ Lyra said.
Nix’s eyes cast down to her lips again. Yes, he definitely wanted to kiss her.
He swallowed and sat back down on the step. ‘I think George would be very flattered by that.’
She laughed and took a seat next to him.
What was happening here? He wasn’t sure if he liked it. Maybe he should ask her to go. Except he wasn’t an asshole and he wasn’t going to leave her homeless for the night. But there was an alternative. Why hadn’t he told her about the tent? He sighed; he knew damned well why he hadn’t told her he had a tent, and now he’d made his bed and had to lie in it, quite literally.
‘So tell me, Lyra, do you normally ride your bike topless or was that just for my benefit today?’
She laughed and he loved the sound of it. ‘I’m actually normally a bit more… reserved than that. I’m definitely more of a planner than a pantster.’
‘A pantster?’
‘Someone who flies by the seat of their pants.’
‘Ah, the Lyra I met tonight didn’t seem very reserved, and I don’t mean the nudity part. You’ve talked about how much you’d like to cut loose and go on an adventure, follow the open road, you were even brave enough to try my homemade wine and chutney – and let’s not forget how excited you were about meeting a group of beavers.’
Nix thought about this for a moment. Previous women he’d talked to about his work with beavers had either feigned interest, politely asking a few questions before changing the subject, or they’d blatantly had no interest at all, or they’d been disgusted by the filthy vermin he’d been working with. He’d never realised before how important it was that he found a woman who was on his wavelength when it came to beavers. He wouldn’t say an interest in beavers was a requirement in his relationships, but it was utterly refreshing to have someone who shared his passion. He smiled to himself as he took a sip of his coffee. His brother, Lucas, would be rolling his eyes that Nix was geeking out over finding a fellow beaver lover. But he had loved witnessing Lyra’s enthusiasm, squealing in excitement over seeing them, asking loads of questions. She’d looked like she would have been happy to stay there all night watching them and he loved that.
‘Tonight has been one of the best nights I’ve had in a very long time,’ Lyra said. ‘The beavers were a huge part of that but so were you. I think I’ve held myself back for so long from fear of the past repeating itself but tonight, chatting and laughing with you, I’ve felt more like my old self again.’
‘Well, if this is the old Lyra, you should let her out more often. She’s wonderful,’ Nix said.
She stared at him for a moment and he sensed something shift between them. He felt the need to keep talking because he feared, if he stopped, something would happen, something he
wasn’t ready for.
‘Why do you hold yourself back?’ he asked.
She let out a deep breath. ‘Well, that’s probably a long story. My brother, Max, says I have trust issues. I was let down quite spectacularly by my parents and Max thinks I have trouble trusting people because I fear getting hurt. I don’t know if that’s true. I worry more about letting other people down than being let down myself.’
‘I can’t imagine you ever letting anyone down.’
‘Oh, you’d be surprised,’ Lyra said.
He watched her as she took a sip of her coffee. He got the feeling there were many many layers to Lyra Thomas and he suddenly wanted to peel them all away and reveal what was buried inside.
‘You can trust me,’ Nix said.
She looked at him with wide eyes. He didn’t know why he was saying that. He had the feeling if he were to get involved with Lyra it would be something serious and he wasn’t ready for that. Hell, he wasn’t sure if he even wanted that. But there was something about her that he couldn’t walk away from.
‘I can?’
‘I’m not going to hurt you.’
He couldn’t promise that. He was woefully out of practice when it came to women and he’d only ever been in one serious relationship in his life. But there was something vulnerable about Lyra – he wanted to take care of her, protect her. That in itself would ensure he wouldn’t hurt her, surely?
Her eyes cast down to his lips and his heart leapt in his chest.
‘Nix, I think you have the potential to hurt me a lot more than you think. And I feel like if I kiss you now, I’m going to regret it in the morning, but if I don’t I think I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.’
