Page 66 of Love on the Run

He inhaled a deep breath before turning away from her. “Nope. Let me know when you’re ready.”

Her nerves kicked in, and every breath was thick and hot. Sure, she was fully clothed. Sure, they’dseen more of each other in the hot tub. But there was something inherently intimate about being in the shower together.

Anna quickly wet her hair, ignoring Beau’s back muscles that were on full display for her. “Tell me about the tattoos?” she asked.

“It’s not anything special. Everyone called me the Rock in high school. I was an offensive lineman when I played football, and no one could get past me.”

“You protected the quarterback?”

“Basically.”

With her hair drenched, she reached for the shampoo. “I’m ready.”

When he turned around, she squirted the shampoo into his hand. He made a twirling motion, telling her to turn. She did as she was instructed just as he slapped the shampoo on top of her head and rubbed down both sides.

“What are you doing?” she asked through laughter and the spray of water around her.

“Washing your hair. This was your idea!”

“No, I mean why are you doing it like that?”

“If you want this done a specific way, you’re going to have to walk me through it.”

She used her good hand to show him the kneading motion on top of her head. “Like this. Or think about scratching a dog behind its ears.”

“Okay. That I can do,” Beau said as he adjusted his technique.

Her eyes closed involuntarily as she sank into the soothing feel of his fingers against her scalp. “You’re good at this.”

“No. I’m good at scratching dogs. I’m not taking appointments. This is a one and done deal.”

A laugh bubbled out of her. “Got it.”

After a few minutes, the lathered shampoo started running down her face. “Okay. I think that’s good enough. Can you help me rinse it?”

Beau huffed, but he didn’t say no. Anna turned to face him and tilted her head back into the spray of water. He lifted his hands and worked his fingers into her hair, massaging out the shampoo.

She needed to think about something other than Beau’s hands on her, so she drifted back to their conversation. “I was a cheerleader for the varsity team when you were a senior.”

Beau remained focused on rinsing her hair, not looking down at her. “I know.”

“You were a sports legend in Blackwater.”

Beau scoffed. “I was not. Also, who cares if you’re the big fish in a small pond? I only had to be better than five other people to get noticed.”

“You’ve never acted like you wanted to be noticed.”

“I don’t,” he answered quickly.

“Why not?”

“Why would I?”

Beau was perfectly fine living his life on his own terms. No one told him where to go or how to act or when to speak. He was in charge of everything, and he did such a great job managing his business that no one ever saw him struggle.

Anna, on the other hand, never stepped out of bounds. Her life was dictated for her. Assistants scheduled her meetings. Her parents, and until recently, Dean, told her when to show up to charity events, networking parties, and social events.

The only thing she was in charge of was her fashion vlog, and she even had little say in that. Features usually had a schedule corresponding with the debut of a new line or trend.

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