Page 53 of Double Booked

Eighteen

Cole couldn’t stop staring at her. In the car on the way to the restaurant, while they were eating, and on the way home. They’d talked about all kinds of things, ranging from their childhoods to their favorite books, movies, and music. When they returned to the cabin, it was dark outside, but he wasn’t ready for the night to end.

“Do you want to watch a movie or something?” he ventured after they’d taken off their coats and shoes.

“I was thinking about going in the hot tub,” she said.

“Oh.”

“Do you want to join me?”

He tried to keep his chin from dropping to the ground.

She softly laughed. “Unless you don’t want to.”

“No. I mean yes. That sounds good.”

“Okay. Meet you outside in a few minutes.”

“Don’t forget a towel this time,” he called as she walked toward her bedroom.

After she closed the door, he bolted upstairs, energized by her invitation. He quickly shed his clothes and pulled on his swim trunks. Then he grabbed two towels from the bathroom closet just in case she forgot hers.

He was back downstairs before she emerged from the bedroom. Rather than standing around waiting like an over-eager teenager, he went outside and turned on the hot tub jets. He was perched on the edge with his feet in the water when the door creaked open and she stepped outside.

She held a towel in front of her body, and when she set it down, his mouth gaped open. Instead of the demure one-piece she’d worn last time, she was wearing a bright blue bikini. Avoiding his gaze, she climbed the steps to the hot tub, and sat down beside him, leaving a small space between them.

“Aren’t you cold?” he asked, his gaze raking over her exposed skin.

She smiled. “I’ll warm up in a minute.”

He was already sweating with only his feet in the water. First the dress and now this. If she was purposely trying to capture his attention, it was working.

She looked up at the starry sky. “How beautiful.”

“Yes,” he said, but he was still gazing at her.

“It’s so peaceful. I understand why people love living here.”

“Would you ever consider moving?”

“Where? Here?”

“Anywhere.”

“I don’t know. Maybe. What about you?”

“I like Arizona, but there are a lot of other great places to live.”

“The winters would probably be tough here,” she mused.

“Worse than Michigan winters?”

She chuckled. “Good point.”

He noticed goosebumps had broken out on her arms. “Ready to get in?”

“Yeah.”