She stepped into the hot water and hissed at the sting as she worked her way in.
“You know that feeling when your skin is so cold that when you step into hot water, it burns and tingles?”
He smiled. “Yep. Happens every time I get in here. But it’s so worth it once you get used to it.”
Lily sank down to her chin, letting the warmth take over. Ethan sat across the hot tub from her and smiled. She could barely make out his body beneath the water, but she didn’t have to see it to know he was fit.
She closed her eyes and pulled in a deep breath. “I love the smell of chlorine.”
“Yeah?”
“It reminds me of my childhood. Going to the pool with my parents.”
“Do you have a big family?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Only child. Do you have more siblings than your three brothers?”
“No. Just us.”
They soaked in silence for a few minutes.
“So what brought you to Montana?” Ethan asked.
“You already asked me that.”
“I did. But I have a feeling there’s more to it. Especially since your friend said you needed a dicking.”
Lily burst out laughing, surprising herself. It was rare for her to laugh as much as she had since she had been in Wintervale.
“You’re never going to let up on that, huh?”
Ethan chuckled. “No. It was a great icebreaker.”
“Yeah, Stacy has a way of doing that.”
His toes tapped her foot. “So, what brought you to Wintervale?”
Lily pulled in a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly before looking at Ethan. “I just got out of a long-term relationship before coming here. To be honest, the relationship was over a long time ago, but it took a while to end things and realize theyneeded to end. Anyway, I wanted to get out of town, change of scenery and all that, before I figured out my next steps.”
“And you picked Wintervale?”
She shrugged. “I saw a picture in a magazine once. Looked beautiful and unlike anywhere I had been, so I thought I’d come and check it out.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“Me too.”
And she meant it.
