Page 81 of The Bro Date
“That’s us.”
She smiles warmly and stands from her desk. “Right this way.”
We quietly follow her down the dimly lit hallway as soft music plays mixed with nature sounds that create a soothing, dreamlike ambiance.
“Right in here,” Rylee says. “This is Vanessa and Simon, your masseuses, and they’re going to take great care of you.”
“Thank you,” we both murmur, introducing ourselves to Vanessa and Simon before slipping into our robes in the changing room.
“This is my first massage,” Shane whispers to me before we head back to the room where our massage therapists are waiting.
“I know. But you deserve many more. Especially with how hard you work in the kitchen.”
Shane leans down, pressing his lips to mine. “I love you.”
“Love you too. Now let’s go get the kinks worked out.”
“I’ll show youkinks,” Shane growls, and I giggle, darting out of his grip and out of the changing room.
“Rub the mud on each other, let it harden, then rinse off and soak in the natural hot spring behind the building,” Rylee informs us, taking us to the mudroom before she disappears back to the front desk, leaving us to our own dirty devices.
I scoop up a handful of cool mud and slap it against Shane’s chest with a splat, spreading it down his abdomen and getting another handful for his arms.
“How does it feel?” I ask, slathering more cool, wet mud on his body.
“Cold and kinda slimy but also gritty,” Shane admits with a shrug. “Not bad.”
I chuckle. “Well, it’s detoxifying and exfoliating. You should glow after. So I’m gonna put some on your face, too.”
Shane stares me in the eyes while I carefully apply the mud mask to his face. “What?” I laugh. “Quit distracting me before I get it in your eye. Or your . . . Whoops.” I grab the towel to wipethe mud from his lips, but before I can, he darts forward and kisses me. “Yuck! Bleh!Shane, I can taste it,” I whine.
“You started it,” he counters, and I laugh loudly, feeling like we’re just two kids again without the worry of college, careers, and our sexuality. “My turn to do you,” Shane says, and I swallow thickly, my mind instantly going to the gutter.
Shane carefully coats my body in the gritty, cold mud. We don’t joke around anymore, the lust too high and the moment too sensual as his hands roam my body, squeezing and massaging while he cakes it on.
“So, we just let it sit now?” Shane asks, smearing the remainder of the mud around in his hands like lotion.
“Mhm. Until it starts to dry. Then we go outside, rinse off, and soak in the mineral spring.”
Shane and I lie down on lounge chairs covered in dark towels and place fresh cucumber slices on our eyelids, starting the thirty-minute timer built into the wall.
By the time it goes off, I’m nearly asleep, but as soon as I notice how tight my skin feels covered in dried mud, I’m ready to go.
“I feel crusty,” Shane mumbles, hardly moving his mouth. He stands up from the chair and holds his arms out in front of him like a mummy.
I giggle, feeling the mud around my mouth split and crack. “Come on, let’s go rinse off.”
The back deck is an intricate network of pathways and smaller decks, but it all surrounds one focal point. The hot springs.
“Wow,” I murmur in awe. “It’s so beautiful.” Steam hovers above the surface of the naturally fed, geothermal hot spring, the crystal-clear water beckoning us in. There are a few other couples and a handful of individuals, but it’s pretty secluded and private out here.
Shane and I walk over to the showers at the end of the deck, turning the water to hot and rinsing the majority of the mud off before we enter the springs.
We tiptoe across the smooth stone, carefully stepping into the hot spring hand in hand. We both hiss as the hot water envelopes our feet and then our calves while we slowly wade deeper into the natural pool.
“This is perfect,” I murmur, slipping further into the steaming water.
“Ahh,” Shane sighs. “Feels fucking amazing.”
