Swept Away (16 page)

“Carson.” His name on her lips as she came surged through him. A powerful flood of emotion ripped his own climax from him.

“Are you okay?” He withdrew, careful to keep his weight off her while still covering her, shielding her from potentially harmful lunar radiation. Or curious onlookers.

“Yeah.” She laughed, a shy, almost timid kind of laugh. Funny, considering how brazen she’d been in seducing him. “Are you?”

“Of course.” He was a man. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know.” Lily sighed, long and satisfied. “It just felt more…”

“Intense?” How did she know that this was different for him, too?

“That too.” Lily reached for her blouse. “It was also so much more… I don’t know? I guess we’ll have to do this again sometime. So I can figure out the right words for it.”

Her words came out so casually.
We’ll have to do this again sometime.
Like it was no big deal. Or at least that’s what she wanted him to think. But he’d heard the question, the doubt, the oh-my-gosh-is-he-going-to-call-me?

“It may take several attempts.” Carson hoped to reassure her. “To get the right words. But I’m up for it. Or I will be in about twenty minutes.”

She laughed for real this time. The sound settled somewhere in his chest.

“We should get dressed.” Lily wriggled out from underneath him. “It’s too bad you have a house full of people.”

“Yeah. Too bad.” Carson realized he didn’t want to share her with any of them. ‘I hope we didn’t have an audience.”

“You can’t see down here from the house.” Lily pulled her blouse over her head and slipped her skirt over her hips. “Believe me, I wasted a good half hour looking for you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.” Lily smoothed her skirt over her knees. She seemed shy all of a sudden. “I came here for you. For this.”

Her cheeks darkened. Even in the moonlight, he could see she was flushed. Half embarrassment, half the natural result of what they had just done.

“You came here to get sand in your hair?” He smoothed her silky strands, brushing the grains his T-shirt hadn’t been able to keep away.

“I should get going.” Lily laughed. “Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I have a long day on the river.” He wanted her to know his absence in the office tomorrow didn’t mean he was avoiding her.

“Maybe you could come to my place…” The uncertainty was back in her voice. “We could have dinner.”

“I’d like that.” Carson caressed her cheek. “I don’t know if I’ll make dinner though. I’ll be on a full river run. Won’t get off the river until almost dark. Then I have to unload and make sure everything is dry before putting it away.”

Not to mention there was the matter of getting by Cody.

“Then come by late.” Lily looked at his shoulder, his ear, anywhere but in the eye. “My kitchen closes at midnight, though.”

“And your bedroom?” He leaned in for one more kiss. “What time does your bedroom close?”

“When you leave for your grand adventure.” Lily gathered her purse and planted a quick kiss on his forehead. Then she walked away, into the night.

Carson had a feeling it wouldn’t be so easy to walk away at the end of the month.

“Hey, are those the passenger release forms?” Cody indicated the stack of papers in Carson’s hands. He had stayed up entertaining the last of the guests long after Carson had gone to bed, but didn’t seem to suffer the effects of a late night.

Then again, Cody hadn’t tossed and turned, thinking about Lily all night long.

“Yeah, we’ve got a youth group from Prospector Springs Community Church.”

“Great.” Cody must have come by looking for an excuse to go into the office, forgetting it was Saturday and Lily had the day off. “So that was some party last night.”

“I guess.” Carson shrugged, but a small smile crept across his lips. “Did Fisher have a good time?”

“Nothing happened.” Cody jumped to her defense. “Fisher’s a great girl. Whatever you think you saw, it’s not that.”

“Sure.”

“Look, things got a little…heated between us. But we cooled things off. We both realized that we shouldn’t mess around with our friendship.”

“Fisher’s great. I’d hate to lose her.”

“So would I,” Cody said. “She’s the best. Besides you and me, of course.”

“If she sticks around, I think she’d make a good assistant manager.”

“Why would we need an assistant manager?”

“You don’t seem to be interested in management.” Carson had come to accept the fact. Cody’s skills were with the customers. There were others who could take on more responsibility in the office. “And if we want to keep Fisher, we’ll eventually have to offer her something more than a Senior Guide position.”

“And I’ll need to keep my hands to myself, right? Isn’t that what you’re really saying?” Cody shook his head. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hook up with Fisher. I’m not stupid. Besides, that would really mess up my chances with Lily.”

“You still think you have a shot with Lily?” Carson clenched his jaw. “You don’t.”

“Wanna bet?”

“No. I don’t think I do.” He didn’t want to fight over Lily. She’d made her choice. What happened last night was personal. Private. Besides, he had to get ready for his passengers.

A full river trip always made for a long day. Most people did the upper stretch one day, camping or staying at one of the Swift River cabins, and tackling the lower half of the river the next. But occasionally a group would take on the whole river, from Chili Bar to Folsom Lake in one trip. Fortunately, the teenagers were eager to participate and they paddled quickly through the slow spots. They covered more miles this way, but there wasn’t much time to sit back and take in the environment. It was more like taking the interstate versus a two-lane country road.

By the time they stopped for lunch, Carson was ready to take a breath. But the task of feeding twenty-two teenagers fell to all four of the guides. Fisher seemed to avoid Cody, working closely with Ross instead. He’d have to keep a close eye on the situation. They definitely couldn’t afford to lose her. He was serious about offering her an assistant manager position. But it wouldn’t do her any good to have anyone think she’d slept her way into the job.

Once the kids were fed, Carson took the opportunity to chat with Fisher. Something had happened with her and Cody. He wasn’t sure what, but there was a vibe between them. “You okay?” He helped her clean up the sandwich makings.

“Yeah, sure. This is a great group of kids.” Fisher replaced the caps on the condiments and placed them in the cooler. “Everyone seems to be having a good time.”

“There’s something going on between you and Cody.”

“No. There isn’t.” She sounded a little too defensive. “We’re. Just. Friends.”

“Sure. So, why are you avoiding him?”

“I’m not avoiding him. He’s just working the crowd.” She pointed to where Cody was entertaining a group of girls. They were giggling and blushing and enjoying the attention of a handsome older man. “It’s nice to see him use his powers for good.”

“His powers?”

“You know, his charm.” Fisher smiled like she was one of the teenagers. “They seem to gravitate to him. You know the bus ride home will be full of girlish sighs.”

“And half the guys will be begging their parents to sign up for guide school.” Carson had to admit that Cody was a people person. All the women wanted him and the guys wanted to be him.

“We both know that Cody is never going to be a business man.” Fisher seemed to understand that better than he did. “I think it’s a good thing you have Lily. In the office. I’m sure she’ll be better than Heather.”

“So you heard?” It surprised him how quickly information got around Swift River. It was even smaller than the town of Prospector Springs. “I can’t believe Heather tried to steal from us.”

“She tried to steal what?” Fisher must not have heard.

“A little more than twenty thousand.”

“Dollars?” Fisher turned to him in disbelief. “I just thought Heather was kind of a flake. I had no idea she was a thief.”

“Well, she didn’t get away with it. Thanks to Lily.”

“So how are things with you and Lily?” Fisher gave him a knowing smile.

“She’s a great addition to our team.” Carson wasn’t quite ready to discuss the details of his budding relationship with Lily. He wasn’t even sure the exact nature of that relationship.

“So she’s just a teammate, huh?” Fisher looked like she knew something else was going on.

“You like her, don’t you?” Carson was pleased to know that the two women had become friends.

“Not as much as you do.” She gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and went off to start loading the food back on the boats.

It was that obvious? He just wished he knew what to do about it. Sure, they were great together, physically. Lily had made a point of telling him she was just using him for sex. She’d also told him she wouldn’t fall in love with him. But he wondered if she’d just been saying what she thought he wanted to hear.

It should be what he wanted to hear. That he didn’t have to worry about hurting her when he left, but it wasn’t that simple. They had connected. Really connected on a level he’d never experienced before. If their lovemaking had been a river, it was Class IV, maybe even a Class V adventure.

He was in deep. Deep, deep,
deep
trouble.

But he didn’t have too much time to think about it. He had to get these kids back on the river. Then he had to get Cody settled before he could head over to Lily’s place tonight. He’d woken this morning thinking he would try to cool things off with Lily. Wasn’t going to happen. He’d end up at her place tonight, no doubt about it. From the moment she stepped naked into the river, he’d been done. Hell, from the moment he jumped in the river the first time, he’d been sunk.

* * * *

As much as she wanted to see Carson, Lily was glad to have the day off. He was on the river all day, and she needed time to process what had happened between them. She decided to explore Prospector Springs. Her cabin was only eight miles east of town, and she wanted to get to know her new community.

She’d driven through town, bought groceries at the Golden Harvest Market, and pumped gas at the 49er Fuel Stop, but she’d never really taken a close look at the old mining town. She parked in the Gold Pan Alley lot, free parking for the first three hours, and decided to play tourist. She passed the post office, Empire Theater, and a couple of antique stores. The General Store had been in operation since the 1860s, as had the
Prospector Springs Sentinel
. The newspaper office also housed a newsstand where all the latest magazines and several obscure journals could be found. They also sold local guide books and maps and pamphlets on gold panning techniques.

After crossing the street, Lily ducked into the Golden Era Soda Fountain for a treat. In addition to ice cream and fountain drinks, they had an old-fashioned candy counter, homemade fudge, and handmade chocolates. Yum. Lily had a mini scoop of praline dream ice cream and picked up some dark chocolate-covered hazelnuts for later.

A Good Read bookstore was on the other end of town, but Lily was in no hurry. She licked her ice cream cone while window shopping. The Mother Lode Fabric Store also took in your dry-cleaning. The Goldsmith Jewelers, established in 1862, had a fine selection of bling in the front window. Next door to that, Lily found herself staring at the display window of Beverly’s Bridal and More.

Simple, elegant, and refined were the words that came to mind as she studied the dress in front of her. It couldn’t have been more different than her own wedding dress. She hardly remembered the girl who had chosen the poufy, beaded, over-embellished gown her mother had talked her into.

“Is someone planning a wedding?” A kind voice startled Lily into almost dropping what was left of her cone.

“Oh, goodness no.” Lily felt the color rise in her cheeks. “I was simply admiring the dress.”

“Certainly.” The saleswoman was about her age, but her subtle accent made her seem more worldly. “Although, you do look like a woman in love.”

“Me?” Lily blushed deeper. “Oh, no. We’ve just met. Really we’re in the exploring each other stage.”

Had she really shared that much information with a stranger?

“In that case, we do have a rather nice lingerie selection.” The woman’s smile deepened. “If you’re interested in exploring something lacy or silky.”

“Let me finish my ice cream, and I’ll take a look.” Lily polished off her cone and stepped inside the bridal boutique. Half of the store was dedicated to brides and their attendants, but the other half offered a selection of formal and semi-formal dresses, shoes, and accessories. And the back corner held a fairly decent selection of lingerie. They had everything from bridal white bustiers and garters, pale cream baby dolls and slips, to racy red push-up bras with matching thongs.

Lily selected a cranberry-colored slip with ivory lace trim and a pale pink push-up bra with matching panties. She was almost tempted by the leopard print bustier, but she wasn’t ready to walk on the wild side just yet. She wasn’t even sure if Carson would show up tonight. She stuck with her more practical selections. She could sleep in the slip, and the push-up bra would be comfortable enough to wear on a daily basis.

“Just to let you know,” the saleswoman said as she rang up Lily’s purchases, “we are a full-service bridal shop. Besides the gown and bridesmaid dresses, we offer tuxedo rentals, limo service, stationery, and party favors. We have connections with local caterers, florists, and photographers.”

“That’s lovely, but I already tried the fairy tale wedding. It was more of a horror story.” Lily didn’t want to even let her mind wander down that aisle. “Besides, I’ve only known Carson a little over a week.”

“Carson Swift?” The woman’s eyes opened wide. “Now there’s one man I wouldn’t mind fitting for a tuxedo.”

“Do you… I mean, were you ever…?” Lily couldn’t seem to form the words.

“Goodness, no.” She blushed, shaking her head. “We went to Prospector High together. He was a senior. He was
the
senior, while I was a lowly freshman. Braces, bad skin, a complete geek. He wouldn’t have noticed me anyways. He had a girlfriend. Everyone thought they’d get married, but… Listen to me, going on and on about ancient history. I’m Emily, by the way.”