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“This should make you feel better. I hope, anyway.”
He reached over the console to brush away a few strands of my hair that had stuck to my cheek. “Thanks for bringing me here.”
I caught his hand in mine, and we intertwined our fingers. His hand felt warm and comforting. When he stroked my thumb with his, my stomach fluttered. “I’m glad you were game.”
“Lead the way?” Caspian asked.
I nodded, feeling almost lightheaded. Just the hangover, I told myself. Not Caspian’s presence. Or his wandering thumb.
Tearing myself out of the moment, I removed my hand and got out of the car. He did the same on the passenger side. When we met at the bottom of the stairs, he grabbed my hand until we got to the front door of the resort office. A plump middle-aged lady stared into a computer screen through reading glasses perched on the end of her nose. Her name tag read, Beth. She looked up with a friendly smile.
“Welcome to Calgary Springs,” she said. “Are you checking in?”
“Not into the hotel, but we’d love to buy two day passes,” I said.
“You’re in luck, we’re kind of slow today,” Beth said.
Before I could pay, Caspian whipped out his card. “My treat since you took care of me last night.”
Beth raised an eyebrow and gave me a knowing look. I flushed, even though she had the wrong idea.
“Will you want thecouplemud bath experience?” Beth asked, curiosity flickering in her hazel eyes.
“Yes,” I said quickly before Caspian could say no. “It’s more fun to do it together.”
“Whatever you want,” Caspian said in his slow drawl.
“And will you be changing into suits or do you want a private room?”
Beth had a lot of questions.
Caspian looked at me. “I don’t have a suit.”
“You may purchase one here,” Beth said, pointing to the wall behind us. “Unless you’d rather go in like God made you. Either way, I can assure you there will be total privacy. With or without pants.” She seemed to find this amusing, because she giggled.
I glanced at Caspian. “Should we do the private one?”
He hesitated for a moment, the question reflected in his eyes. “Is that what you want?”
“If it’s what you want,” I said. Was it?
“I’m game,” Caspian said.
“Then I am too.”
Beth beamed. “Aren’t you two the cutest? Is this your first date?” She held up a hand, shaking her head. “Never mind. None of my business. I’m always getting in trouble for being nosy. It’s like I can’t stop myself.”
“It is our first date,” Caspian said. “But we’ve known each other for a while.”
“That’s the best way to start out,” Beth said. “Being friends first is a great foundation.”
Not that I needed a stranger’s approval, but for some reason it was reassuring. We were friends. Would we be more?
For the next few minutes Beth got us checked in and showed us the doors to the shower and dressing areas. When she was done, including ringing up a pair of bathing shorts for Caspian, she asked us to change and then put on one of the spa robes. “Meet me back here when you’re ready, and I’ll take you to your mud room.”
In the dressing room, I changed into an old bikini. The mud wreaked havoc on suits, so I always wore my rattiest one. Before donning the complimentary robe, I took a quick look at myself in the full-length mirror. Talk about vulnerable. Here I was in my bikini, leaving little to the imagination. In the middle of the day, no less. With the unflattering fluorescent lights, I didn’t feelas confident as I wished. Normally, I liked my muscular, curvy frame, but today I saw only flaws.
“It could be worse,” I said to my reflection. Plus, he’d have to see me sometime if we went any further into this. As of now, we hadn’t even kissed. Last night, we’d stumbled into my room laughing like a couple of kids. The way he’d looked at me as if I were the most delicious treat he’d ever seen had made my thighs tighten and toes curl. I’d wanted him to kiss me and do whatever else he wished. However, he was clearly too drunk. It wasn’t right to take advantage of his weakened state, only to wake up with regrets. His or mine or both? I couldn’t know. But this morning, when I woke feeling as though someone had sucked every ounce of hydration from my body, I’d been glad of my restraint. Especially when I realized he didn’t remember much of the night.
