Page 32 of Fight For Her
I nodded along with everyone else, thinking about how I couldn’t wait to get out of my soaking wet clothes and into a cozy robe and slippers. While Sara rambled on with the normal spa niceties, describing the spa offerings, and handing out forms, I couldn’t help but notice Liam checking me out. He was all muscular arms, sharp jawline with stubble, and dark hair cut close to his scalp. I met his gaze, but only for a second, before bringing my attention back to Sara.
Kendahl you are not here to flirt with guys.Not anymore. You’re technically in a relationship now.
“If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to the changing facilities.” Sara led the way down a dimly lit hallway lined with treatment rooms.
Mia leaned in to whisper, “You think Liam is one of the therapists?”
My pulse picked up speed. “If he is, I hope one of the guys gets him. I don’t think I could focus with that man’s hands all over me.”
She giggled. “Same. Plus Shawn would lose his mind if another guy laid a finger on me.”
“So possessive,” I snorted, causing Sara to turn my way. I waved my hand in an apologetic gesture and gave Mia the stink eye. “You’re going to get us in trouble. We need to use spa voices.”
“Right. Spa voices.” Mia bobbed her head, before busting out another giggle. Sometimes we were like two teenagers when we were together.
“This is more like it,” I said while tying my plush robe tight against my waist. I lounged back on a chaise in the locker room while the rest of our group peeled off their wet clothes in exchange for spa robes. “It’s starting to feel like a vacation now,” I said to Mia.
“Totally,” Mia said as she flopped next to me. “Although these robes were not really made for ladies like me.” She pulled the two sides closer and readjusted the tie. “My goodies are spilling out.”
“Here,” I tossed a throw pillow her way. “Just keep this in front of your chest all day and you’ll be fine.”
She huffed. “That’s not a bad plan. But I may need a bigger pillow. If I move my legs at all, I’ll flash some poor unknowing soul.”
A laugh made its way up from my belly, and I spread out laying my legs over Mia’s lap. “There, all covered up. I’ll walk in front of you whenever we have to go somewhere. Problem solved.”
Mia rested against the pillows. and I took a moment to enjoy the warmth of being snuggled up. “I can’t remember the last time we’ve had a spa day,” Mia said.
“I think it was that time Spa Perfection gifted me those packages for helping them launch their grand opening.” That was a few years ago when I first started working for Claudia.
Mia sat up. “Oh dear Lord, I hope today will be better than that nightmare.”
“You’re being dramatic. It wasn’t that bad.” It was, but I was not going down this rabbit hole with Mia again.
“Not bad? I’m not sure if you have a temporary case of amnesia, but my face was bright red for a week. No amount of makeup could cover my reaction to that facial.” She narrowed her eyes at me, which only made me want to push her buttons more.
“So their products were a little strong for you. Luckily, all it took was one round of steroids and you were good as new.” I flashed my brightest smile at her.
“Thanks for the reminder,” she deadpanned. “Now I’m anxious. Do you know what treatments Jill signed us up for? I forgot to ask.”
I found Jill dressed in her robe and chatting with one of her relatives, but before I could ask her what the plans were, Sara came back in holding an iPad to usher us out into the relaxation room.
Lounging on one of the couches with one leg crossed over the other and an arm resting casually on the back cushion was Coby. His eyes were laser focused on mine, and I couldn’t help but peruse him. The spa robe was comically short on his tall frame. Like, another inch and everyone in the room would know if he preferred boxers or briefs (or nothing). It was unfair that legs like his were wasted on him. Seriously, how were they so long and lean yet strong and muscular at the same time.
Sara stopped short before regaining her composure. “I see the other half of your group has arrived. Perfect.” She scurried around adjusting pillows and handing out water glasses while we joined the guys. “Make yourselves comfortable. Your therapists will be out shortly to take you in for your treatments.”
Coby raised a brow at me and patted the cushion next to him. I guess we were starting our little performance. I watched Mia join Shawn and give him a kiss and Jill flop across Mike’s lap, giggling at him in his tiny robe and I internally groaned. Who would have thought a spa day would turn into such a PDA fest.
I plopped next to Coby, inching as far away from his body as I could and double checked that my robe stayed firmly closed. The sooner I could get into my appointment, the better. Hell, I’d rather get a chemical peel and a full body wax than have to sit this close to Coby while all my friends smooched with their boyfriends.
I breathed deeply, willing the lavender to seep into my every pore, but all I could smell was Coby. He smelled like warmth. Like the very first time my skin soaked up the Florida sunshine. I had basked in the bright light, lifting my arms to the sky and immediately knew I was where I needed to be. I wanted to hate my sense of smell and its ability to transport me in time and space. It almost always brought me to moments I didn’t want to think about. But Coby’s smell had brought me to a happy place and dammit if I didn’t want to bottle that shit.
“This is the relaxation room you know.” Coby’s husky voice broke me out of my thoughts. He inched closer so that our thighs touched and then slung his arm over my shoulder. I jerked at the contact before self-correcting when I noticed Jill looking at us with a cheesy grin.
“I know it is,” I gritted out.
“You look anything but relaxed,” he whispered. He played with a strand of my hair, inching his fingers closer to the curve of my neck. It felt way better than I wanted to admit. “Why is that?”
When I didn’t reply, he moved his large palm to the outside of my thigh right where my robe ended. My breath caught in my throat. Chuckling, he came even closer and drew slow teasing circles with the rough edge of his fingertip.
