Page 41 of Marring an Athlete

Chapter Fourteen

Anna

Anna sat up, groaning as she straightened. For some reason, she thought it would be a good idea to sleep on the love seat last night. Despite Michael’s protests, she waved him away, telling him she was more comfortable on the rock for a piece of furniture and pretended to pass out.

Except, she woke up every half hour, cursing herself for being so stupid. But what else could she have done? Ever since their intense moment swimming, she couldn’t help but feel like an idiot. She’d tried to get closer to him just to watch him pull away.

It was McKenna’s wedding all over again. Except this time, she couldn’t blame his behavior on alcohol. He was completely sober and rejecting her. When was she ever going to learn?

The room was silent when she stood, and she was thankful for that. She wasn’t ready to have a conversation with Michael. Especially when she wasn’t sure what she would say.

She tip-toed past the bed, where Michael was sprawled across it. She tried to ignore his bare chest as she rushed into the bathroom. Why hadn’t they gone to a resort in Alaska? Or the arctic? A place where clothes were a must.

After she undressed, she stepped into the shower and turned on the handle. Ice cold water sprayed from every nozzle. She screamed and reached up, trying to divert the water.

Suddenly, Michael came barreling into the room. “What’s happening?” he asked.

“Get out!” Anna screamed, dropping her hand to cover her body and hunching over. With no more protection against the water, it hit her like ice cold daggers.

Michael slapped his hand over his eyes but didn’t move. “Are you okay?” he asked. He turned his body as if to focus on her.

Anna reached up and flipped off the water. She grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around herself. “You can look.”

Michael hesitated but then dropped his hand. His hair stuck up on one side and he didn’t look like he was anywhere near being totally awake, but he was concerned and that caused her heart to pound in her chest.

“You okay?” he asked again. She watched as his gaze roamed her body as if he were checking on her status himself.

“Yeah. I didn’t realize that all the nozzles were going to turn on at once.” Heat rushed across her skin as she stood there, dripping wet in the shower.

His gaze met hers and he smiled. “Don’t take many showers in New Jersey?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest causing all his muscles to flex.

“Well, not many with, like, fifteen nozzles,” she said, waving toward the offenders.

He walked over to the wall and motioned toward a dial. “You can control the nozzles,” he said, flipping it a few times.

“How the heck was I supposed to know that?” Why did this resort have to make showering so complicated? It seemed like an unnecessary strain to put on a person. Especially if they were here for a complicated marriage.

Michael shrugged and made his way to the door. “Let me know if I can assist you with anything else,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows and shutting the door.

Anna rolled her eyes and shook her head. Only Michael.

Once she was showered and dried off, she wrapped the complimentary robe around her and made her way into the room. Michael was standing by the door with a pained expression.

“You okay?” she asked as she passed by him.

“Yes, Miss Queen of the long showers. Geez, there are people who need to pee out here.” He pushed past her and slammed the door behind him.

Anna moved to apologize, but he was gone before she could say anything. She eyed the bathroom door as she made her way across the room, pulled up her suitcase, and set it on the bed. She unzipped it and stared at her clothes. What was she going to wear today?

There was a knock on the door. She stared at it and then back to the bathroom. She could hear the shower going so she pulled her robe tighter around her body and made her way over. After she unlocked the bolts, she pulled the door open, exposing Javier.

He stood there, looking like a tanned god. He had on a linen shirt and pressed shorts. His hair was slicked back and he had a pair of sunglasses perched on his head.

“Good morning,” he said. He leaned forward in sort of a half bow. “How was your second night’s stay at the Rekindle Resort?”

Anna held the top of her robe closed as she forced a smile. She had no makeup on and her hair was still disheveled from her shower. Why did Javier have to show up at this moment?

“You’re here early,” she said and then winced. What was that?

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