Page 42 of Next in Line
She’s on her tiptoes trying to reach something on the top shelf so instead of staring at her ass and legs like a pervert, I walk over and reach above her, murmuring on top of her head. “What are you wanting?”
She inhales sharply and falls back into me, her nearly bare body brushing up against my bare chest. I’m standing over her in just a pair of plaid board shorts, and she licks her lips as she stares unabashedly at my chest and abs.
“Maggie.” I get her attention with my hand still reaching up high. “What did you want from up here?”
“Oh!” she exclaims and closes her slack jaw. “The stemless wineglasses up there.”
I pull them down and hand them over to her, enjoying the fact she still hasn’t looked at my face once. “Here you go,” I state, and finally, she looks up at me with flushed cheeks, biting that lip like it’s her last meal.
“Thanks,” she replies and turns to open the bottle of white wine I brought with the corkscrew opener she must have found.
She pours two glasses and takes a big drink before handing my glass to me. She steels herself before turning around to face me with a bright, toothy smile. “Ready?”
“Always,” I reply. We slip our feet into our snow boots, grab our towels, and throw on our coats, then make our way out the back door toward the snow-covered bridge.
We’re both shivering like crazy by the time we get over the bridge. We hurriedly follow the lighted path around several trees, and off into the distance, I think I hear the sound of running water. When we finally reach our destination, I completely forget about how cold it is outside because I’m walking into another universe.
The trees suddenly part to reveal a clearing with a stunning rock garden full of large boulders all topped with big piles of powder on them while running water flows below them all around. Pillars with glowing lanterns illuminate the jagged terrain for us. I catch a glimpse of the running waterfall nearby that has frozen edges with steam billowing up in the middle. Off to the side, a few more lights are positioned around an outline of a large rock bowl that runs off over the top into the shallower area.
Maggie and I make our way over there, both of us stunned into silence as we look inside and admire the steaming crystal clear water.
“This is insane,” Maggie states softly, bending over and dipping her hand into the water. “It’s actually hot.”
I chuckle at that comment but can’t really fault her for being shocked. I’m amazed myself. “It’s a crazy anomaly of nature for sure.”
“Let’s get in!” she replies excitedly as she hands me her wineglass and quickly yanks off her coat and boots. I have no choice but to watch every part of her stunning body as she gingerly steps into the water. “Holy heck, it’s super hot!”
She squeals as she sinks down into the knee-high water, stretching her legs out in front of her so the water laps up around her breasts. When she finds a comfortable place on the rocky bottom, she reaches out for the wineglasses next. I hand them over and repeat her actions, feeling her eyes on me the entire time as I step in and sink down into the steaming water. It feels fucking life changing.
Maggie hands me my glass and beams over at me. “Incredible, right?”
I look around at the snow falling off the trees in the distance and relish in the sound of the waterfall nearby. It’s all fucking magical, and I’m not a guy who uses the word magical to describe things, but hell if it doesn’t fit. “This is maybe the best thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.”
Maggie’s smile turns affectionate as she’s clearly touched by that remark. She lifts her glass to mine. “I’m happy to be experiencing it with you then, Sam.”
We clink our glasses together and both take a drink, the cool white wine warming my throat as the hot spring warms all my other parts. Maggie’s sparkling blue eyes glow in the dim lanterns, and I can’t help but think this has to be one of the most bizarre situations I’ve ever found myself in. A couple of weeks ago, I was hyper-focused on Tire Depot and working with my uncle on my new business plans. Now, I’m in a hot spring with a beautiful woman I cannot touch.
Life is perfectly imperfect sometimes.
“What are your future plans, Sam?”
“Besides taking over Tire Depot?” I ask, taking a sip of my drink. “That’s pretty much it.”
“Do you have any goals with the business?”
“Yes, definitely. I have hopes to expand the shop with your brother to include classic car restoration. Miles is crazy talented with classics.”
“Oh my god, that would be his dream job,” Maggie states with wide eyes. “He and my grandpa were always talking cars.”
I nod and smile. “Yeah, I’ve seen your grandpa’s truck. It’s a thing of beauty. It makes sense that Miles got it when he passed away.”
Maggie smiles and waves her hands in the water. “They were really close. Miles would do anything for Grandpa.”
I nod thoughtfully. “I’m close with my mom like that. If I can make Tire Depot into all that I think it could be, I hope to be able to pay off the rest of her mortgage so she can retire early. Anything to get her off those hospital floors. She’s a great nurse, but she works too hard.”
Maggie’s eyes are wide and challenging as she says, “You are a total momma’s boy.”
“No, I’m not,” I reply with a sheepish smile and then instantly want to change the focus off me. “So where are you at with your career aspirations?”
