Page 97 of One Small Spark
“Just go for it.” He leans against a nearby rock so he can pull off his shoes and socks.
His bare feet touch the rough stones, and he hisses, flexing his toes. Not a ringing endorsement. But he pulls off his T-shirt and quickly sheds his jeans. He’s wearing his blue swim trunks, FYI. The hot spring might be clothing optional for the general public, but this is a clothes-on kind of date.
He glances over at me. “Feeling shy?”
“No.” The warm pool with the steam rising off of it looks inviting. But to get there, I have to expose most of my body to borderline frigid temperatures. It’s not as bad as a polar plunge, but it’s got to be somewhere close. “I’m trying to psych myself up.”
“I’m committed now. I have to get in.” He sits at the pool’s edge and lowers himself into the steaming water. The groan he makes as he sinks deeper is obscene.
Tantalizing, but completely inappropriate.
He dips down until the water laps his chin, but he doesn’tdunk all the way under. Because, oh yeah, actual brain-eating amoebas might lurk in these waters.
I could be reading in bed right now.
He sits against the rock ledge and watches me from the pool, one eyebrow darting up in challenge. This infuriating man. He might as well cluck like a chicken. Can’t he just let me sit on the sideline in peace? I was perfectly happy notdoing thingsbefore he came along.
But…I can’t let him win.
My groan has more bite to it than his did, but I pull my sweatshirt over my head, shuck my shoes and socks, and peel off my sweatpants. The cold makes any self-consciousness about what he thinks of my two-piece suit impossible. I’m not modeling, I’m narrowly avoiding frostbite. I creep over the frozen rocks and crouch so I can swing my legs into the pool.
The hot water caresses me, soothing my chilly toes. I sink lower until my butt hits rock, the toasty water warming me up. I might make the same satisfied sound Shepherd did.
“Not bad, right?” He’s got his requisite smirk on.
“It’s okay.” I glance up toward the higher pools, but from this low angle, only the series of waterfalls are visible. “Not a lot of people here.”
I like that he chose a small pool. The water’s warm but not so hot my skin’s turning bright red, and the size is just right for two. If I stretched out my arms, I wouldn’t be able to touch him. In fact, this pool might be slightly too big. I scoot to the next rock over, narrowing the distance between us.
“It’s early, and coming on a weekday helps. There are a few places like this in the area, so it spreads out the potential crowds. But more people will show up later in the day. You should see the crowds in the summer.”
“I wonder if Lila knows about the hot springs. Maybe she’sgot another festival in the works. She’ll encourage people to visit them all and do a hot springs crawl.”
“She might. She’s awfully enthusiastic about her job.” His frown says he’s been on the receiving end of Lila’s enthusiasm lately.
“Has she been calling you about the presentation?”
“She texts. A lot.”
Hmm. I’m not sure how I feel about Lila texting my boyfriend more than I do. I need to step up my game.
Wait—boyfriend? No. We’re just hanging out. Just two bros chilling in a hot spring. Two bros who kiss occasionally. We don’t need to define what’s going on between us.
Do I want to define it, though? I’ve never cared to before. But that’s just it—I’ve nevercared. And with Shepherd…I think I really do.
Stupid hot springs with their mystical properties, making me poke around in my emotions after a five-minute soak. A fiberglass hot tub full of chlorine would mind its own business. It wouldn’t get my heart fluttering around in my chest, making me question exactly what I want.
I can’t think about any of that while I’m staring at Shepherd’s naked body. Not that I’mstaring. And it’s not his whole body that’s naked. But the water only comes up to his armpits, exposing his shoulders and the tops of his tattoos. The little wren on his arm dances just below the surface.
That’s not really helping things, either.
“Are you ready to practice with me?” I ask.
He swallows, his gaze dipping to the hollow of my throat. “What?”
“For your presentation.”
Nobody look too closely, but I might be smirking, too. I guess I’m not the only one staring.
