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I was so focused I almost didn't notice the sound of the door opening, but the sudden gust of colder air jolted me back to my senses. I sat up straight and snapped my head toward the door where—dear God—the man from breakfast this morning was standing, with only a white towel wrapped around his slim waist.
I was so caught off guard, all I could do was stare at him. He was even more gorgeous up close, his skin seemed radiant in the shimmering heat of the sauna, his muscles firm underneath. My gaze drifted up his torso, which widened to accommodate broad shoulders. Only when I got to his face did two pieces of very important information hit me at once: one, he was looking back at me, and two, I technically wasn't supposed to be here.
He frowned.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought I booked this one."
You probably did,I thought to myself. But out loud I just said, "Oh, um, I don't know," and blinked at him in what I hoped was an innocent way.
For a beat his frown deepened, and I started to worry. There was no way he could tell I wasn't supposed to be here just by looking at me, right?
But then he seemed to decide it was okay. His face relaxed, and he gave me a charming smile.
"I mean, I don't mind the company if you don't."
Did I mind? I honestly didn't know. At least I wasn't crying anymore. I hadn't booked the sauna; staying and sharing it with him could possibly lead to him somehow discovering that. On the other hand, it felt like the universe had just dropped him in front of me... wearing nothing but a towel and getting sweatier with every passing moment. Maybe I was feeling bold because of my recent emotional catharsis, or maybe Dani's spirit jumped through the walls and possessed me. But, for whatever reason, a voice in my head whispered,“Just accept it.”
So, I did. I gave him my best smile and said, "No, I don't mind at all."
He broke into a megawatt grin. He shut the door and moved to sit on the bench opposite me, somehow managing to keep eye contact the whole time. A thrill ran down me, all the way to my toes. The voice in my head was now telling me that there was no way lightning would strike twice, so I should make the most of being this close to him before I left and likely never saw him again.
In fact, the voice was suggesting that I go pour some more water on the rocks at the center of the room, because it would give me a chance to get an even better look at him. And him at me—which, if the way he was looking at me now was any indication, was something he was definitely interested in. I uncrossed my legs and stood up, tucking a stray hair back behind my ear in what I hoped was an alluring way as I sauntered across the sauna.
There was only one problem.
My towel did not come with me.
TWO
CASSIUS
In the span of five minutes, my weekend had gotten a lot more exciting.
First, there was a gorgeous woman sitting in the sauna when I opened the door. That alone was enough to turn my day around and vindicate Scott for dragging me here. In fact, it might be enough to justify the monthly membership fees I paid. If I'd known it was a possibility, I would have come much more often.
Scott had convinced me that a monthly membership to a place like this would be good for business. He called it weekend networking. We had started our warehouse management company a few years ago, and it was going better than we'd hoped. Now, we wanted to expand. The key to that was bringing in more people, both wealthy clients who would use our services, and wealthy investors who would bankroll our expansion.
I didn't really want to network on my weekends. I did want the business to grow, though. I wanted to prove to everyone who'd said that I couldn't make it on my own—from my undergrad business professor to my own father—that they were wrong. And so now I came to places like this, where I could meet what Scott liked to call people of interest.
The woman in front of me was certainly of interest to me, although not in a business way.
It wasn't just that she was pretty, though she was, even disheveled from the heat of the sauna. In fact, she was perhaps more attractive that way, her tan skin glowing, her blond hair wet and sticking to the curve of her neck. What really got me, though, was her expression. When I opened the door, she was leaning back on the bench, head tilted up, eyes closed, a dreamy look on her face. She looked at peace, but alive. Vibrant. Warm.
Then the outside air must have hit her skin, because she sat up, her eyes popping open and darting to me with shock. All that warmth seemed to scatter away, and she looked at me sharply. I've never felt more regretful over the simple act of opening a door.
"I'm sorry. I thought I booked this one."
She kept staring for a moment before blinking and saying, "I don't know." I couldn't tell from her tone if she was truly confused, or if she was implying that it wasn't her responsibility to know. After all, I was the intruder here.
I tried to keep my eyes from wandering down her body as I considered my options. I could murmur an apology and leave. I didn't like that option, because now that I knew this woman existed, I was very interested in knowing much more. I could insist that I had booked the room, which I knew that I had, but that was worse. She might not only leave; she might be offended. Right! Charming her into staying was the only acceptable choice.
"I don't mind the company if you don't." I smiled at her in the way I always smiled when I wanted people to focus more on me than whatever I was asking of them. It was a delicate balance that I'd perfected, and I'd found it much more effective at getting what I wanted than demanding things with a scowl.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, looking away. But then she looked back at me and I knew I had her. Her eyes sparkled as she gave me a beautiful smile and said, "No, I don't mind at all."
I smiled back and shut the door. The sticky heat of the room enveloped me, matching the heat rising under my skin. I made sure to keep looking at her as I moved to the bench across from her. There was definitely a spark between us, an electric kind of humming, and it was giving me all sorts of ideas. I allowed my eyes to drop a bit lower, to take in the soft slope of her shoulders, the unmistakable curves of her body underneath the towel, the line of her legs, crossed demurely, begging to be uncrossed. What was the resort policy on sex in the saunas? Actually, I didn't care. For the money I paid I should be able to do whatever I wanted with anyone who wanted to join me.
I pulled my gaze back to her eyes, which were big and green and shimmering in a way that made me wonder if she, too, was having ideas. She shifted in her seat, and uncrossed her legs as if she'd read my mind. I felt my pulse quicken. She started to stand. Was she about to walk over to me? And that was when it happened. Her body moved toward me, and her towel remained resolutely on the bench. Suddenly she was not just standing in front of me, but gloriously naked.
