Page 36 of A Love So Wrong
"What?" she asked, putting the glossy magazine back onto the rack.
Gideon held out his hand. "Let me have your driver's license. They need to scan it for security purposes."
Pulling her backpack around from her back, she fished into the front pocket and pulled out her wallet. Slipping out the license, she put it in his hand.
"Ok great, be right back," he called out as he walked back to the register.
A few minutes later, he was back and waving to her to follow him through the bustle of people in the station. Going up to a set of double glass doors, Gideon swiped a key card on the black card-reader against the door. With a beep and a small flash of green light, the door unlocked, allowing them to step through. Inside it was quiet, unlike the storefront. Nodding to the security guard, who sat sleepily at his desk watching TV, Gideon led her down the narrow hallway of doors. Each door was numbered, and she knew beyond each was a private shower stall. Leading her to the very back of the hallway, they stopped at the last door on the left, and Gideon flashed his card again on the reader.
Jade paused as he began to step inside and gave him a confused look.
Gideon gave her a sheepish grin as he scratched the back of his head. "Well…technically Toby gave us two coupons. One for half off a regular shower and another for half off a big shower stall. And I figured we could save money with the big stall," seeing her eyes widen in shock, Gideon rushed to finish. "Not only are we saving money, but we have a three-hour time limit, unlike the hour time limit given on the single stalls."
Putting it together quickly in her mind, she gave him a narrowed look. "And that's why you wanted my license?"
Turning his grin to the floor, he looked up at her through his curly lashes with a guilty smile. "Umm yeah, I had to tell them that we were married, you know, because of security and all."
Yeah, more like prostitution and disgusting truckers using the bigger shower stall as a "meeting" place.
"So, once she saw our same last names, she approved it," he finished and made another step through the door before turning and grabbing her stiff arm and pulling her in. "Come on."
The door shut behind her.
"Gideon," she whined as she reluctantly turned the corner and stepped into the large bathroom. "Just how in the world are we going to do this?"
The bathroom was big and spacious, but it still meant they would be showering practically together. On the right side of the wall was a large bathtub, which was directly across from the vanity and sink on the other side of the room. In the back of the room was an open doorway that led to a shower tucked on the right and just an open bench tucked on the left. Even if she stood right where she was standing, only able to see the open doorway to the shower, she or Gideon could still see the other person walk across the open doorway from the shower to the dry bench that would hold their clothes. This just wasn't going to work!
Jade was about to tell Gideon just that, but he seemed to read her mind.
He pointed to the tub. "Look, while you shower, I will sit in the tub with my back towards the showers, problem solved."
Jade looked to the tub and frowned. She supposed that could work, but it still didn't do a thing for the pure fact that he would still be in the same room as her while she showered. But what choice did they have, though? He already paid for the shower, and saving money was a top priority. With a sigh of defeat, she nodded, but she pointed to the bathtub in silent command.
Giving her a mocking salute, Gideon climbed into the dry tub and made himself comfortable as she marched to the shower stall.
Though they had plenty of time, Jade didn't linger. Washing her hair and herself, she dashed over to the other side of the shower, hoping she was nothing but a blur going across the opening. She couldn't imagine having Gideon see her naked. She knew the type of girls he dated and undoubtedly seen undressed, there was no comparison between her and them.
After dressing into a loose, comfortable tracksuit, Jade emerged from the shower area, assuming Gideon would hurry in after her—he did not. Still lounging the tub as if it were a plush chaise and not a hard porcelain tub, Gideon played with his phone and looked up at her with a grin.
"Honestly, this isn’t half bad," he answered as if reading her mind.
Tension eased out of her shoulders, and she felt her earlier self-conscious worries fade. Laughing at him, she turned to the vanity and began pulling things out of her bag. She could use this time to pluck her eyebrows, she mused. The truck was certainly no place for the task. At night she never did seem to have enough light in the cab, and during the day, while the truck was moving was a sure-fire way to pluck out an eye. Hopping onto the long sturdy counter, she crossed her legs and faced the mirror directly, and got to work on her bushy brows.
While she poked and prodded, turning her head from one angle to another to make sure the subtle arches she gave each brow matched perfectly, Gideon slowly ambled over to the shower. The sound of music drew her attention. Looking in the mirror's reflection, she could see that Gideon's phone still lay on the bathtub's rim, and it played soothing notes of old jazz. Jade felt her mind rush back to the pleasant memories of her and Gideon sitting together in the den recounting their day, listening to the same songs. Even during those dark times after dad's death, her memories with Gideon were still precious.
Without thinking, her eyes drifted along the mirror's shining reflection towards the billows of steam in the corner of the room. An invisible fist wrapped itself around her throat and another around her heart as she watched Gavin's naked backside come into view. Jade couldn't move. Her eyes stayed glued to the spot as she watched his tall, muscular figure step back from the hot spray and lather his body. Grooves, indentations, and swells of muscles rippled beneath the caramel skin of his back as water and soap suds sluiced off of him. The striations of muscles were like an unholy dance, a spell cast to her eyes and thoughts keeping them riveted to the scene while her hand still holding the tweezers midway to her face was frozen in place. Jade's mouth ran dry as she watched helplessly as the firm muscles in his butt pulled in, creating a twin concave effect as he shifted and grabbed for something beyond her sight.
Move. Turn away, she begged herself. But Jade did not move as she watched in horrified rapture as Gideon slowly turned. With his arms raised above, lathering the shampoo into his hair, Gideon's eyes were closed, and his head tilted back towards the spray.
Her heart was going to explode. She had to look away, but her eyes did not obey. Like an asp, her eyes slithered from his taut, powerful chest and down each groove of his defined abs, following the sprinkling trail of dark brown hair until it led to a thatch of curls that made her blood burn in her veins. Subconsciously, she licked her dry lips as she watched the gentle sway of his shaft as he moved.
Finally, she found the strength to pull her gaze away. Staring down at the reflection of her lap, she clasped both hands around the pair of tweezers and tried to take deep breaths. How could she do that? She made such a big deal about him possibly being able to see her naked, and the first thing she did was ogle him like her life depended on it. Images of his nude form kept flashing in her mind, and Jade let out a groan. Lord, he looked so good it physically hurt.
Keeping her head down, Jade turned her crossed legs until they faced outward and unfolded them to step back onto the floor. The sound of the water shutting off automatically stole her attention like a knee-jerk reaction. Unbiddenly, she looked up to see Gideon step out of the shower's corner and walk proudly across to the dry section unconcerned of his exposure. And just like before, time seemed to stretch and slow as his dark amber eyes found hers, the smile on his face knowing and wicked before disappearing behind the other wall.
Jade was pretty much useless after that. Her hands would not stop shaking, and her gut would not stop twisting in shame. Drying her hair with the provided blow dryer, she stood at the far edge of the counter near the wall when Gideon emerged, wearing a pair of jeans and a dark green t-shirt. Jade could not bring herself to look at him. Her neck, ears, and cheeks felt hot as her body burned in embarrassment. Putting down the dryer just as Gideon slung his own bag over his shoulder, the room was filled in a sudden awkward silence. Pulling her own bag from the counter, Jade forced herself to turn and look at Gideon. He was already looking at her with a smirk that made her want to die.
Averting her gaze, she swallowed thickly. "I…I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to-"
