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“Okay,” he says. “Well, make yourself at home.”
I do.
There are tons of big, fluffy towels in his bathroom, and the rainfall shower is every inch as perfect as it looks. I stand beneath the steady stream and let it wash everything away, leaving only nerves and excitement in its wake. The combination of hot water, steam, and luxurious oils creates an aromatic escape from reality.
Andhe’sright out there.
I haven’t had sex with anyone but Caleb. Ever. And I knew this day would come, hoped it would, but I never expected it to be here. On a vacation, on myhoneymoon,with a man who couldn’t be more different from me or my ex.
Maybe I shower too long. Maybe getting into a shower at his place was weird, too. Or maybe I should have invited him in.
I let go of all my second-guessing as I step out and wrap myself in a giant fluffy towel. I wring the water out of my hair and take a deep breath.
And then I look in the mirror.
“Oh my God,” I say and shift, turning so I can see my back and shoulders. I push my long, light-brown hair out of the way to assess the damage. “That’s going to hurt so bad.”
“Eden?” Phillip’s voice comes from the other side of the bathroom door. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just a bit sunburned.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” I drop the towel a bit, giving it a cowl neck in the back. The outlines of the straps from the sundress I’d worn today are clearly visible across my shoulder blades. They’re white lines in the surrounding redness.
“There’s after-sun lotion on the counter,” he says.
“Oh, awesome! You don’t mind?”
“No,” he says. There’s silence for a long moment “Need any help?”
I meet my own dark-brown gaze in the mirror. My hair is wet around me, and I look rosy from the hot shower steam. My eyes are wide and excited.
“Yes,” I say and walk across the sandy-colored tiles toward the bathroom door. I crack it open a few inches. “Come on in.”
Phillip’s eyes are cautious as if he’s expecting me to be naked. But then they drop to my shoulders and widen. “Fuck, Eden.”
“Yeah, it’s bad, isn’t it?”
“Your poor skin.”
“I must have missed this whole area this morning when I put on sunscreen.” I turn and let the towel drop further along my back, holding it tight against my front. “Remember when we ate lunch today?”
“Yes,” he murmurs and grabs the lotion.
“I was sitting with my back to the sun, and it was hot, so I put up my hair.”
“Yeah. This’ll feel cold.”
“It’s okay. I’m—oh, damn.”
He runs a steady hand with cool after-sun over my back, and I let my head fall forward. My skin feels taut and too hot beneath his palm.
“Mmm. At least I had fun today.”
His hand continues its smooth sweeping motion over my shoulder blades. “I didn’t know today would be the day I finally learned how many pigs were cast in Babe.”
I smile down at my toes. “I’m glad to have enlightened you,” I say. “You’re finally an educated man. How do you feel?”
