Page 66 of Backslide
“What?”
“I took a muscle relaxer.”
“You took a muscle relaxer and then went to lie alone in a sauna? Where you could have potentially passed out? With no one to find you?”
“Pretty much,” I shrug happily. “Want one?”
He considers this for a moment. Shrugs back. “Sure.”
When he returns from grabbing the pill, he takes his seat again, leans over his thighs likeThe Thinker, his head in his hands. He has started to sweat a bit in the steam, and there’s a sheen rising on his neck and shoulders that’s creating more of a challenge for me. I look away.
We’re quiet for a bit. My eyes are closed; I’m doing a decent performance of calm. But inside I am buzzing.
“Is this weird?” Noah says, finally.
“Totally!” I chirp. “I am literally topless in a sauna with Noah-who-must-not-be-named.”
“Sorry—what?”
“Don’t worry about it.” I wave him off, which accidentally knocks my towel to the side, exposing my chest momentarily again. “Oops. Sorry!”
“No problem,” he sighs, staring at the ceiling.
“We can handle this,” I say.
“Of course,” he says. “We’re adults.”
“Adults,” I agree. “And old friends. Sharing a sauna.”
“Yup,” he says. “Friends.”
I close my eyes again, trying to ignore the tingling migrating from my fingers to my toes with a pit stop between my thighs. Trying to ignore the terrycloth towel rough against my breasts.
“It’s hot in here. Is it hot in here?” I blurt out, suddenly unable to handle the tension.
“Yes,” he says, popping to standing. “Really hot. I’ll let you…”
His voice trails off and he shakes his head as he gathers his towel and practically sprints out the door, giving me a second to snag my top and wrap my larger towel around my rib cage.
Walking out into the plunge area feels awesome, the way leaving a sauna always does. I am a clean, mean, spa-ing machine. And definitely slightly inebriated.
I find Noah in the cold plunge. I dip my toe in—it is truly frigid. It’s the kind of iceberg chill that should only be associated with summer drinks.
“How long are you going to stay in there?” I ask.
“As long as it takes,” he grumbles, gritting his teeth.
I pad over to the refreshments for some grape water. It’s crisp and yummy and mostly tastes like… water.
Noah has finally emerged from the cold and is sitting on the edge of a daybed, his hands resting slightly behind him. He leans back and rotates his neck. He is a sight to behold. My dirty thoughts are not my fault, I reason. A man this handsome is impossible to ignore, even if he once stomped on your heart.
I make a show ofnotlooking. Because I am respectful. And impervious to his charms.
“How come you didn’t go on the bus?” I manage.
“Honestly, I’m not that big a drinker,” he says. “Especially a day drinker.”
“But day muscle relaxers. That’s okay.”
