Chapter Paddle Boats and Path
Daphne woke up slowly. There was no noise this morning. She smiled to herself, getting washed, dressed, and flipping the coffee maker on.
She had time before they would meet up. It wasn’t midday yet.
Taking the finished cup of coffee, she curled up on the camper couch, looking out the window at the lake and the mountains beyond.
She thought back to what she had been feeling last night, not only her growing interest toward James, but her thoughts about her future.
She pulled out a small book. Putting her coffee down, she pulled out a pen and started writing down thoughts and ideas. Finally, with all of her meandering thoughts, she flipped to a clean page.
What are your goals and the things you want to be/do?!?!?!
She underlined and circled this at the top of the page.
It sounded like a simple thing. She liked hockey, food, Toronto—those kinds of things. She wasn’t asking this kind of small talk surface question. She wanted to look at what drove her, what made her feel alive, what kept her looking forward to the days ahead. Without thinking too deeply, she wrote what came to mind.
Have a family.
This scared her. Her thoughts turned to James and their…whatever it was: summer romance, fling, sex-escape. They’d just met, after all. She was thirty-three years old and she needed to start thinking about these things. It was scary, but she didn’t want to force it and come up with a rigid plan.
A sour feeling filled her. She liked James, but it wasn’t anything serious. A part of her hoped it was but she fought it back down, quickly turning to write something next and distract her thoughts.
Being a lawyer.
She dug in her pen with the period. She had been burned badly, working for Dockers and Fitzgerald. Even if it hurt, she was passionate about it, spending those long nights, fighting the cases that needed to be fought and coming to conclusions.
She made a sub-point: Start-ups.
She thought over her cases, the cases that had brought her the greatest joy and those that had been a chore.
She had enjoyed the jobs dealing with an ever-changing situation. It could be incredibly frustrating at times, but there was a sort of energy that people working on their own projects brought to the table. It was infectious and something she wanted to be surrounded by.
“Okay, I don’t have a firm and there aren’t going to be many people who want to touch me after I left Docker and Fitzgerald. I’m going to need to build this myself if I want to, or I have to wait a year before any other firm will touch me. Then I’ll need to fight to get back into practice, to be up to date and in all the right spheres with the right contacts.” She shook her head. That wasn’t acceptable. She didn’t want to be just sitting there, twiddling her fingers.
Thinking on her last point, she could only laugh at herself and write in big, bold letters, feeling an excited buzz in her stomach: Build it yourself.
This scared the hell out of her.
That was a lot of responsibility, building something from the ground up. Something that didn’t have a reputation, didn’t have clients. That wasn’t going to be easy.
She put her pen down and closed her eyes. She picked up her coffee and opened her eyes, a light in them.
It wouldn’t be easy, but a number of start-ups were being built in Toronto and the surrounding area. She was comfortable and financially stable for at least some time if she didn’t go out and start splurging.
She could get in on some of those start-ups, offer them advice, help them to make sure that they were growing in the right direction and according to the law. Then she could build her client base; she could get involved in green start-ups.
Growing with the start-ups, or pushing into larger companies: both were options.
She started to make more notes, ideas and possibilities. It felt as if for the first time in a long time her brain had been turned back on. Connections were being made as she noted down people she might ask to assist her in different ways.
She pulled up her computer and fired off a few quick emails to test the waters.
Time seemed to have disappeared. Before she knew it, there was a knock at her door.
“Coming!” She smiled, thinking of James. She really liked him. He might be from Toronto, but she wasn’t expecting that this would go any further than a fling. Honestly, she didn’t mind; he was fun to be around and just looking at him, she couldn’t help but bite her lip. He wasn’t only physically attractive; the way he talked and joked, it made time disappear and made her to crave more. She knew that he felt the same way, but that was for now. She looked down at what she’d written and then back up to the door. Her smile dimmed somewhat.
It might not last forever, but wouldn’t it be best to enjoy it while you can?
She put down the pen and closed her laptop. She opened the door, finding James standing there with two paddles.
“Much better to let you wake up naturally.” James smiled.
“It learns!” Daphne bounded down the steps, a big smile on her face. She felt as if she could take on the world, excited instead of scared of what was to come.
“Something’s got you excited,” James said.
She locked her door and they walked toward the waiting paddleboards.
“I have to thank you. Last night, you got me thinking—just been brainstorming it up.” Daphne blushed as she realized how ridiculous what she’d just said sounded.
“Happy to help.” James laughed. “What were you planning?”
“Just thinking of a few things.” Daphne waved it away, not wanting to get too deep into it. “So, where are we going?”
“Take a tour of some of the islands and a bit of a hike up to a view.”
They got down to the water and James helped Daphne onto her paddleboard before he got on his.
“The balance is a bit weird,” Daphne said, moving her feet around until she was steady.
“Makes it all the more fun!” James laughed from behind.
She shot him a look but was quickly getting the hang of it.
They exited the bay and moved into the actual lake.
James pointed out the lilies that dotted the shallower water. They talked to each other about their lives and flirted while James guided them to some small islands with barely more than a few trees on them.
Daphne and James toured around a few.
“How long until we get to this lookout?” Daphne asked.
“Another forty minutes, if we take our time?” James guesstimated.
Daphne pulled off her sundress and kicked off her sandals, standing in just her bikini. Before James said anything, she took a running jump off the low cliff with an excited yell. She dropped into the water below. She looked back and up, seeing James on top of the island.
“Coming?” She cocked her head back and looked at him.
James took off his shirt, jumped and dove into the water.
She looked down, trying to see where he was. Something pulled on her foot. She let out a startled scream as James surfaced. She let out a frustrated noise and splashed water in his face.
He wiped it out of his eyes as he moved closer. With two powerful strokes, they were face-to-face.
They let the world just fade away as they kissed. Daphne could feel his body against hers, the lines of muscle pushing against her as they moved their legs back and forth to stay afloat.
Daphne put her hands around his face, pulling him in, feeling that need pulling at her, that want for him, a pure physical reaction based on how he matched up with her.
His left hand, coarse from working outside, held her back and pulled her to him.
They quickly became breathless. They parted again.
Daphne’s need only grew more as she bit his lip, quickly moving in and nipping at his earlobe and skin there, getting a low groan from James.
She backed away, needing distance or else she’d lose control of herself.
“See you at the paddle boards!” With that, she dove under the water and kicked off, swimming around the island for the paddle boats.
She was almost there when she let out a yelp. James had grabbed the inside of her legs. Her sex tingled in excitement, a part of her wishing his hands were higher.
He surfaced, swimming next to her. His hand released her leg, drifting over her ass before he dove and shot forward with a powerful stroke.
Daphne looked at him and then at the paddleboards that were in sight. “Jackass!” She shot forward, her competitive streak ignited as she raced to beat him.
They reached the paddleboards, breathing heavily.
Daphne quickly pushed out of the water and sat on her board.
“How does it suck to be in second place?” James asked, treading water right next to her board.
“Huh, suck, hmm?” Daphne tapped her lips in thought.
James turned his head and kissed inside her leg.
The feel of his lips and his beard stirred her need even more. She put a finger under his chin, stopping him and pulling him closer to her.
She kissed him once. “What about that view?” She looked him in the eyes.
“Mmm, this view is all I need.” James leaned forward and got the prize of a second kiss.
“Come on, viewpoint.” Daphne ran her finger over his chest and collarbone, knowing that she was killing him on the inside.
“Okay,” James said in a suffering voice as he swam for the island.
Daphne jumped back in the water after they grabbed their items on the island. It was only a few meters wide so it didn’t take long before they were back, unhooking the line on Daphne’s board and pushed.
They continued on their trip, talking about different bars and restaurants that they liked in Toronto, laughing as they talked about the mouth-watering steak at Barberian’s, or catching the game down at Copps Coliseum.
“Are you into that party scene?” Daphne asked.
“Not really. I’m too busy for all of that. With organizing everything for work and at home, this is one of the few times that I’ll have off.” James paused and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
“My daughter Julia keeps me busy enough.” He looked up, gauging her reaction.
“Daughter?” Daphne asked, her guard coming up as she thought of her next question.
“Yeah, it’s just me and her, so I try to be there for her as much as possible.”
His words quelled her fear and her next question about any wife in the picture. It was a big piece of information, but she calmed down.
“That’s understandable.” She felt an actual deeper connection with him, instead of being scared.
“So what kind of engineering do you do?” Her tone turned lighter, as she guided the conversation away from the daughter. She didn’t want to get that deep that fast.
“I was originally a mechanical engineer. As time has gone on, it seems I do everything under the sun,” James said.
“Multi-talented,” Daphne said with approval.
“Just have a lot of responsibilities,” James said.
Daphne looked over. He seemed tired, but there was a happiness under it. She wanted to ask more but didn’t know whether it was right to.
“We’re nearly there,” James said, clearing the odd atmosphere that had fallen. “We’ll put the boards over there.”
Daphne followed where he was pointing his paddle to, where a faint trail could be seen.
James led the way, pulling up his board and then Daphne’s. He took her hands and guided her through the forest.
Daphne looked at James. He was smart, good-looking and he was easygoing. And so much fun to tease.
She couldn’t help but bite her lip as she blushed a bit, hot desire in her eyes.
It had been a long time since she had gotten away from the world of work and just allowed herself to be a woman.
Now, it wasn’t just physical. If it had been, she would have cut it off at the flirting. She wanted to know more about James and really interact with him.
“Watch out.” James let go of her hand and jumped across a muddy patch. He was on the other side; she jumped over, not needing his help, and he didn’t try to help her.
“Look at you—forest warrior,” James said, with a sense of pride.
“That’s what happens when you grow up portaging through Algonquin Park!”
“Do you miss it?” James asked.
“Yeah, a bit. I miss being outside more than anything. Though the whole tents situation is a pain in the ass. A cabin, cottage, or hike is enough for me.” A smile filled with old memories and melancholy spread across Daphne’s face.
“Can’t go wrong with a hike. Haven’t been in ages.” James led her up a steep incline.
“You sure I don’t need shoes? It feels like it might need climbing gear,” Daphne said in a dry voice.
“You’ll be okay. If we were climbing, then I’d be behind you—better view.” James winked at her.
“I was about to say the same thing,” Daphne said.
James looked back to see her mischievous smile as her eyes moved from his ass to his face.
“Sorry, did I say something wrong?” Her only too innocent face smiled.
James shook his head and led forward, coming to a stop at the top of the rise. There were still trees in front of them.
“Now this is one of the best views in the world.” James pushed open some trees, causing Daphne to duck under and move forward.
She stood back up and looked out over the lake that was some twenty feet below.
They were in a large valley with different lakes and streams joining together. It sloped away from them. Trees and islands were dotted here and there.
She crossed her arms, just looking at all the beauty around her. It was crisp, clean, and revitalizing. The deep and changing greens clashed with the deep blue of the bodies of water; granite cliffs and rises dotted the landscape.
It truly seemed to take her out of her body as she looked at the raw beauty. She stood there next to James, looking out over the lakes and vista.
Her thoughts drifted back to that list she had made in her camper van. It simply felt as if there were more of her life waiting for her out there. She thought she might be too old to start again, but seeing this seemed to put things in perspective. Even if everything went wrong, at least she’d tried and she’d done what she wanted to.
“Thank you.” Daphne looked to James.
“No problem.” James looked at her. There seemed to be something more behind his eyes, a slight stab of pain. He let out a sigh and looked out at that sight again.
Daphne didn’t ask him about it and kept looking out. After some time, she shook herself and smiled to James. “All right! Shall we head back?”
“Sure,” James said.
It was quiet as they paddled back, but Daphne felt it was good as she kept glancing at James. Girl, you can’t be—you’ve just known him for a few days. You don’t even know that much about him.
She shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts. I don’t know what is going to happen in the future, but I should just live in the moment.
She let out a sigh and tried to live by that as she grinned and reversed her paddle, sending a spray of water at James.
“Hey!” he said, trying to defend as she sped up, covering him in water as she pushed past. “Didn’t you learn from the last race?”
“The race never ends!” Daphne worked to get as much speed as possible.
It wasn’t long until they could see the bay. James was working to catch up, quickly getting there as they entered the bay.
Daphne heard an odd noise behind her, only to see James as he hugged her and tackled her into the water.
She came back up, and he popped up a minute later.
“See ya!” He turned and started swimming, dragging his paddleboard and paddle with him.
“My dress!” Daphne complained. Her dress was soaked as she jumped on her board and tried to paddle it as if it were a surfboard. She was much slower and got there to see a triumphant-looking James.
“Let me take that.” James moved to put the paddleboards away.
“Thanks. I’m just going to change my dress. Do you want a drink?” Daphne asked, touching his back. She still hadn’t forgotten the heat on their trip.
“Sure.” He looked to her, as if trying to figure out her thoughts.
She smiled simply and headed for her camper.
The partiers were in full swing, the family was off playing something, and the ATVs were still out. Daphne quietly looked at the different areas where people might be, feeling as if she were doing something wrong.
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became.
She looked back to see James was done with the paddleboards and he was following her. His shirt stuck to his body. She couldn’t help but admire it as she sped up a bit.
Can’t hold all this pressure in or else I’ll have to deal with it myself and that wouldn’t be fun without company.
She looked away from James and unlocked her camper, holding the door open for him.
He paused for half a second, thinking about it before he bounded up the stairs after her.
She grabbed him a drink from the fridge and passed it to him.
“I’ll be out in a minute.” She took off her dress, revealing her bikini underneath again. She throbbed as a thrill shot through her, wanting him to watch, wanting to be seen.
She wondered what dirty thoughts he was having as she moved to where her bed was. She closed the curtain but left a part of it open, almost carelessly. She picked out underwear and new clothes, making sure to bend over fully, showing off her legs and her assets.
She pulled off her top, dropping it to the ground. She leaned down to pick it up and looked up, seeing James looking at her through the crack in the curtain. She blushed fiercely, biting her lip. It started to become unbearable and she fought against moving her legs.
James noticed her eyes on him and quickly looked away, drinking from his glass.
Daphne’s eyes moved to his shorts and the undeniable bulge there. Shit, I’m getting so wet just thinking about seeing it. Damn you for making me this horny! You’ll just have to deal with the consequences for peeping in on me.
Daphne dropped her bottoms, picking up panties and clipping on a bra. She wore a loose shirt and tight jean shorts that rose just above the curve of her ass.
She opened the curtain and walked up to James.
His eyes fell on her then dropped, stopping at her breasts and then moved lower.
She could feel him undressing her with his eyes, the burning heat in him. She leaned against the counter opposite him, crossing her arms and pushing her boobs up, giving him a good look.
She opened her mouth to say something as they looked at each other.
James seemed to read her desires as he moved forward, cupping her face with one hand and kissing her.
She let out a low moan. Her arms moved around him and pulled at his shirt.
He pushed back, letting her pull off his shirt, revealing his tanned body underneath as he pulled at her shirt. He tossed it to the side as his hand snaked behind her back and twisted the clips on her bra apart.
She threw it to the side as she started to move toward the bed.
He picked her up and she let out a small shriek as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He dropped her onto the bed. The roughness of his beard and his hungry mouth moved down her neck.
Daphne worked her shorts, shimmying them off.
James pulled his pants off.
Her eyes went wide and then thinned in anticipation, seeing him free from his clothes and the cool breeze against her burning hot sex.
He pushed into her and she could see the same wild desire in his eyes, the almost bestial look of one who hadn’t been able to sate their need for too long.
She let out a gasp as she moved her legs farther apart, letting him hit deeper. She could feel him twitch as she ran her fingers up his arm and down his chest, feeling the rhythm of his body and the tension in his muscles.
He pulled out and lay on his side.
At the sudden move, Daphne only wanted to have him inside her again, burning up for it as if she would never be able to reach the end with him no longer there. Daphne moved closer so her back was against his chest. He lifted her leg as she guided him back inside her.
He thrust the remaining distance, taking her from the side.
Daphne didn’t have to hide her expressions or try to keep her eyes open. She let the pleasure rock her as she gripped her hair from the sensations that shook her body.
She needed something more and he was the object to give it to her. She drew him out of her. She turned over and pushed him back. She faced away from James, giving him the view of her ass as she dropped down, grabbing him and pushing him back inside.
In control, she played with her breasts, riding him. The thrill of having sex with someone she had just met, the fact it had been so long since she’d had it, and what she knew of James brought her higher.
“Goddamn,” James said, clearly nearing his limit.
Daphne only increased her pace, taking every second in as she rode the wave of pleasure that washed through her body.
He grabbed her hips from behind and turned her over, finishing.
Daphne laid in the sheets, moving her feet around, still not fully finished.
“Just thinking of you makes it hard for me to last,” James said.
Daphne raised herself up, kissing him deeply. His words gave her confidence and power; she wanted to show off her body, to see that lust in his eyes.
She looked down as she felt him growing bigger. “I hope you don’t have anything you need to do for the rest of the day—I’m still in need,” she complained with a pout. She looked up at James with big eyes.
“Just checked—my schedule is free.” James pushed her back down to the bed as his mouth found hers.