“Thanks.” Her blue-eyed gaze stares at me, and I feel every heated moment of the exchange as a molten feeling spreads through my body.
“You’re welcome.” We’re still chest to chest with arms tangled around each other, bodies smashed together, faces inches apart, and lips…let’s not forget about the lips. They’re inches apart too. But actually, I try to forget about Summer’s lips and that kiss of ours every dang day.
“It’s freezing,” she finally says.
“Yeah, it is.” I take a step back, removing my body and arms from her.
We kick off our boots, leaving them by the hot spring, and slowly sink into the steaming water, making sure we’re sitting a respectable distance apart.
If Summer were my girlfriend, I’d pull her to me and enjoy the privacy of a vacant hot spring. Instead, I rest my head back and close my eyes. “Your swimsuit is very ugly, by the way.”
“So is yours.” I hear the humor in her voice. “Hmmm.” She sighs. “This is nice. Especially after ice climbing. I know my arms are going to be so sore tomorrow.”
“Oh, really? Because thirty minutes ago, you said you were a pro ice climber.” I crack one eye open, smirking, but hers are closed. With her head back like that, I make a mental note not to look at her bare shoulders or follow a snowflake as it melts against the delicate skin between her neck and collarbone. I’m all about mental toughness.
“Pro ice climbers can still get sore,” she defends.
I close my eyes again because it’s easier than looking at Summer and then feeling guilty that I looked at Summer.
I’m not an idiot. I knew what I was getting myself into when I suggested the hot springs, but I didn’t think it would be this hard. But it’s just a stupid attraction. It’s not like I’m going to act on any of it.
We sit silently for a few minutes with our eyes closed, soaking in the heat. The gate opens and closes, causing me to sit up. A man in a security outfit with a long black coat stands above us.
“Excuse me?” His disapproving expression can’t be good. Summer opens her eyes, straightening beside me. “You both need to exit the property before I call the police for trespassing.”
“Oh, we’re not trespassing,” Summer quickly says, but the security guard’s glare cuts through her confidence, and she crumbles under pressure. “Okay, we are. We’re trespassing. I’m so sorry.”
He points behind him. “Leave. Now.”
“Sure.” I stand, glancing around for towels. “Is there a towel we can use to dry off?”
“No,” he grunts. “Towels are for hotel guests only.”
“Yeah, but it’s freezing outside.” I puff out a humorless laugh. “Can’t you just let us dry off?”
“Nope. You should’ve thought about that before you trespassed.”
“It’s okay, Caleb.” Summer stands and climbs out, grabbing her snow boots. “We’ll just use our coats.”
I follow after her, putting on my boots. The guard holds the gate open for us, making sure we actually leave the premises.
“Where are our clothes?” Summer gasps.
I peek around her, looking at the exact lounge chair where we left the pile outside the fence, but it’s empty.
“Did somebody take our clothes?” I ask the security guard.
“I have no clue.” He slams the gate, gesturing to the sidewalk that leads to the parking lot. “I need you both to leave.”
“But somebody stole our clothes.” Summer is shaking from the cold with both arms wrapped around her wet body. I can see her gigantic goosebumps from two feet away.
“That sounds like karma to me.”
“But—”
I wrap my arm around her shoulder, escorting her forward. “Let’s get you to the car before you freeze to death.”
She spits out a laugh that’s full of disbelief. “But what about our clothes?”
