Page 11 of A Dragon's Miracle (Fires of Fate)
Were we going to pretend like nothing had happened? Dear Lord, I hoped so.
I changed the temperature of my shower to cold and soaked myself again, hoping maybe I could regain a cool head before I joined Finn outside.
* * *
Things got marginally less awkward oncewe'd both submerged ourselves in the hot spring and nothing but our necks and heads could be seen above the water's surface anymore. I could almost make myself believe we were just at a regular pool or something, only with much hotter water. Actually it was kind of too hot, but since I had to choose between being cooked and being awkwardly naked, I chose being cooked.
“This is nice,” Finn sighed happily next to me, reminding me once more that he was a dragon and not bothered by silly things such as high temperatures.
“Totally nice,” I made myself say while I inched toward the other side of the bath, where I'd put my towel. If I had to make a dash for it, I wanted my towel within reach.
“Did you have a good time with your family?” Finn asked.
“Yeah,” I lied. “My sister and I tried to make cookies but we ended up just eating the dough instead.” It was an old memory, but Finn wouldn't know that.
He grinned at me. “My mom used to let me lick the bowl clean. It was the best part!”
I smiled, because it seemed dragons and regular humans weren't different ineverything.
Finn closed his eyes and leaned back, looking genuinely at peace with himself and the world. He wasn't someone who worried about things unnecessarily--like being naked around other guys. I was probably making a big deal out of nothing, anyway.
Sighing, I closed my eyes and tried to be a little more like my friend. But the water was just so hot.
“Are you okay?” Finn asked. “You're getting red.”
Shit. Not only did I feel like a lobster, I was starting to look like one too.
“Is it too hot for you?” Finn asked. “I'm sorry, I didn't think! You guys aren't that good with hot stuff, are you? Come on, let's get out,” he decided before I could even say anything.
“We only just got here,” I said, but grabbed for my towel as I stood from the tub, only to feel the heat rise to my head. For a moment, my vision went black. The very next moment, Finn had an arm around my shoulder, steadying me.
“Thank you. I think I need a moment,” I said, before I could even process what was happening, but then I saw a flash of Finn's bare skin and the reality of standing naked in his arms hit me all at once.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, because holy shit, Finns hand on my skin felt even hotter than the water had been.
“Are you alright?” he asked, ever the concerned friend.
“Yeah, I'll be fine,” I sputtered. “Just uh, um...”I want to have my clothes back. Because until I do, I won't be able to think about anything but how much I want to turn around and kiss you.My heart was beating ridiculously fast, and it was difficult to articulate my thoughts into words that were less revealing.
Finn took a step back and handed me my towel, as if sensing my inner turmoil. “Better?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I managed to get out as I wrapped the cloth around myself. God knew I wouldn't truly feel better until I got my hands on Finn. And that wasn’t going to happen. Couldn’t happen.
“I'm sorry. This was a terrible idea,” Finn said. “Let's just go change and then we can eat. I brought food. Homemade!”
“Your mother's?” I asked as we walked back inside, if only to distract myself from staring at my friend's ass.
Finn turned to me with a triumphant smile. “I made it myself!”
“Really?” I asked. That... was going to be interesting.
