Backing out of the sauna, I grab a towel and wrap it around my waist.
Mollie has moved to the far corner with her towel hitched securely around her chest.
"Well?" I demand. "What are you doing in here?"
"Trying to relax and rejuvenate after I busted my ass on the ice following your bad advice."
"Hm." She catches me off guard with that one. I take a seat opposite her and let my eyes rove over her damp skin, the hairband that captures her hair, and the bright pink scars around her left ankle. She clears her throat and tucks her feet up underneath her.
"That was unfortunate," I murmur.
We both avoid eye contact. This sauna was advertised as a 4-person affair, but it gets nice and snug once you put one person of my size in it. We are less than three feet apart; I could easily reach out and touch her hair or thigh.
There's more tension than heat in here right now.
She has no idea how long I've been watching her from the ice while she films. No idea that I follow her home more times than not, just to make sure she getsthrough the door of that building safely. She thinks I barely tolerate her. But I'm the only person who has read her medical file cover to cover.
We are operating with extremely different amounts of information.
I settle back on the bench, close my eyes, and roll my neck. The heat is dense and wet, the cedar walls releasing their smell under the steam. The bench is narrow enough that if either of us shifts our weight, we’ll touch.
A bead of sweat tracks down the side of Mollie’s neck. It’s very hard to look at the ceiling instead, so I close my eyes.
There's a knot in my right shoulder, just out of my reach. Normally, I would have a trainer or massage therapist around every day, but they are on break the same months as we are. I'll have to wait until my monthly appointment with the non-team-provided masseuse to have it worked on.
Feeling Mollie's eyes on me, I open mine a crack, just enough to see her. Her head is tilted to the side, her gaze traveling over the flushed, bare skin of my chest, arms, and trunk. Every inch is covered in tattoos. I'm sure that's what she's looking at.
But it's nice to feel like she's checking me out. Hell, she did ask me to take her virginity. She probably thinks I'm hot, like all the other girls I've flirted with.
I can't decide if I should feel turned on or a little sad.
Not to be too much of a whiny dick, but I'm more than meets the eye. More than the Havoc's golden boy.Deeper than the surface-level image I allow my fandom to see.
She sighs and shifts, pulling her legs down from the bench and flexing her toes in a way that I shouldn't find adorable. Her toes are painted lime green, like her fingernails, and that's cute too.
"Nice polish." I nod at her toes.
Mollie admires them, her eyes sparkling. "I was feeling especially like Toxic Sludge." She pauses. "That's the color."
I can't help the smile that response pulls from me. "It suits you."
"Are you calling me toxic, Alexander Thorne?"
The sound of my first name on her lips makes something tighten in my stomach. I answer honestly, "Nah. You're nice to most people. I get the feeling that you save all your spite for me."
"I really do." She grins crookedly. "It's a special thing."
"Yeah? You're not out there trying to reel in every guy by being incredibly cruel to them?"
She flutters her eyelashes. "Wouldn't you love to know."
Even though I made up this scenario, an arrow of hot jealousy pierces me all the same. The idea of her with anyone makes me want to break something.
I look her up and down, pursing my lips. "You're too good for anybody. As Beck's closest friend, I've taken it upon myself to screen the guys who hang around you. And I haven't seen any I've liked."
She rolls her eyes. "You and Beck are both such dorks. Like I bring the guys I actually like around to meet you two."
"I've been paying very close attention, Squeak. More than you know. If you had a boyfriend, I’d know it as soon as you did."
