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He chuckled. “I know you’re awake.”
I exhaled. My first instinct with Scotty was always to give him sass. “What are you doing? Let me go.”
“Let you go?” He feigned outrage. “You’re the one pinning me down to the mattress.”
Crap, I was pretty much on top of him, but in my defense, he was holding me there. I tried to wiggle free of his grasp but ended up grinding on him instead. Oops.
My legs were still entangled with his, but I managed to push my upper body off his chest. The blankets slid down my back and I was immediately assaulted by ice-cold air.
Letting out a little squeak of surprise, I dove back under the covers with him.
I wanted to wipe the smug grin from his face, but his dimples were so distracting I could only stare. I wanted to lick him up.
He raised an eyebrow. “Back so soon?”
“It’s freezing out there,” I huffed. “Like, see-your-breath freezing.”
He frowned and then sat up. “Fucking hell, I should have fed more wood to the stove last night.”
I burrowed under the covers while he stood up and began rustling through his luggage for clothing. I peeked out from under the covers to get a last glimpse of his glorious body before he covered it up. Damn, I’d been cuddled up to all that male perfection and had squandered my opportunity. That was when I made up my mind that I wouldn’t leave this weekend behind with regrets.
Our spa technician, Janelle, led me to the women’s changing room. I didn’t know what to expect for this ten-step hydrotherapy session, so I tried to get Janelle to give me an idea.
“Oh, you’ll love them all. A lot of the clients balk at the polar plunge, but afterward, they rave at how invigorating it is.”
She left me in the changing room with instructions to meet her back at the blue door with the ‘hydrotherapy’ sign on it which we had passed.
I changed into my bikini and surveyed myself in the mirror. I’d worn this bikini in public many times, to pool parties or to the beach, and I’d never felt so obscenely exposed before. Why did it suddenly feel so scandalously skimpy? I needed to shake off my self-consciousness. I had a great body; there was no need to try to hide it from Scotty.
I turned away from the mirror and slipped into the plush, white spa robe, tightening the belt at my waist. My feet slid into my flip-flops, and then I was ready. I stuffed my clothes and shoes into a locker and slammed it shut. I took a deep, cleansing breath and then headed back to where the technician told me to meet.
Scotty had already finished changing and was waiting at the door. He was wearing a pair of black swim trunks and he looked hot. I’d have plenty of time to check out his delicious body and I didn’t want to ogle in an obvious manner, so I kept my eyes locked above his shoulders. He was chatting with Janelle, who had her hand resting on his arm. She pulled her hand off and took a step back as I approached.
“Looks like we’re all ready! There’s a light near the exit door at each station. When the light turns green, you may proceed to the next step on the circuit. None of the steps will last longer than ten minutes, and some of the steps are quite short.” Her voice took on the fake enthusiasm of someone who’d repeated the same spiel over and over.
Scotty put his arm around my waist and pulled me close. “Janelle, you mentioned that this was a private session. Does that mean we won’t run into any other guests?”
“That’s right.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “The sessions are staggered, so even if you didn’t vacate one of the steps, it would take two cycles for the next session to catch up to you. And if you do decide to remove your swimsuits, you’d want to cover up again before you finish step 10.”
Scotty squeezed my waist. “Oh, that’s very interesting.”
Janelle used a key card to open the heavy door. “I wish you both a refreshing and invigorating journey.”
Arrows were painted on the floor, directing us which way to go. I followed Scotty down a narrow walkway, my heart racing with anticipation. The air was thick with the scent of lavender, as we followed the arrows to the first step. The sign on the door read,Step 1 Aromatherapy Steam Room.
We stepped inside the hot room and closed the door. I took my robe off and hung it on a hook near the door, feeling Scotty’s eyes on me the whole time. The mineral-enriched water felt like a balm on my skin. A eucalyptus scent filled the room and I felt my body relax. The room was small, and the seating was tight. I sat down on the wooden bench next to Scotty, pretending that his nearly naked body, so close to mine, didn’t affect me. I relaxed the tension in my shoulders and I could feel my worries begin to melt away.
“This is heaven.” I closed my eyes.”I hope all the steps are this nice, but Janelle said something about a polar plunge.”
“She also said something about getting naked.”
I teased him playfully. “You’re going to take off your swimsuit and do the polar plunge? Isn’t shrinkage a thing with guys?”
He chuckled. “You have a point. That might not be so impressive. That’s why I’ve got to impress you now.”
“Keep your pants on,” I said dryly. “I’m trying to relax.”
I could feel him moving around on the bench next to me. “What if you took off your top? That would be relaxing, no?”
