Page 8 of Spoil
“Okay,” I say, nodding.
His smile is triumphant.
We return our equipment, and I follow him to the back of the shops, where the public isn’t allowed to go. I follow him up a set of stairs and through a hallway lined with doors. He pauses at one and scans a key card.
The room is simple. Two identical twin beds with gray sheets, a closet, and an entertainment table with a very old boxy TV.
It’s cute. Simple. But what else could you need?
“Want to borrow some of my clothes? Or I could text one of the girls?”
“Your clothes will be fine. As long as you don’t mind?”
I note the one-sided lilt of his mouth as I imagine him biting back a retort about me wearing his clothes in the morning.
I laugh. “What, are you twelve?”
“Fourteen, I just look old for my age. And I definitely wasn’t having thoughts like this at twelve.”
I laugh again at just how easy he is, and unashamed. You get exactly what you see with this man, and there’s a comforting reassurance about it. He’s not putting on a line to try to get me in bed; he’s not acting or putting on a facade.
He rummages through his closet before giving me a pair of gym shorts and a black tank top.
“These are the smallest things I own.” I nod and take them gratefully. “Bathroom’s in there,” he says, pointing to a door I hadn’t noticed.
I step into the bathroom and close the door behind me. I look in the mirror, and the Nell looking back at me is nervous and unsure. Am I really going to hang out in a hot tub, alone, with a guy I’ve just met? What if things get awkward? Or heated? Would I let him kiss me? Would I kiss him first? Oh my God, I’m freaking out.
But then the Nell in the mirror squares her shoulders. I am perfectly capable of soaking in hot water with a gorgeous man. And yeah, if he does kiss me? Hell, yeah. Maybe the Nell that skisis also the Nell that makes out with hot men in hot tubs. I just learned how toski. I can do anything.
So, I slip out of my clothes and fold them on the small sink, slipping into his basketball shorts and tank top. Luckily, the shorts have a drawstring, so I can tie them tighter, but the tank top hangs too loose. If I turn a certain way, I’m sure my entire boob could pop out through the sleeve. Okay, just no moving too much.
I step out of the bathroom to find Daniel, already in his swim trunks, shirtless, with two towels thrown over his shoulders.
“How do they,” he starts as he turns to look at me, but stops himself and throws his head back to stare pointedly at the ceiling.
“Is it bad?” I ask, suddenly self-conscious.
He shakes his head. “No. Nope. It’s good. It’s just... too good. I’m trying to be a gentleman and not check you out like a dog.”
I chuckle. “Which bed is yours?” I ask, and he points to the one to his right, still staring at the ceiling. I set my clothes on the corner of it and swat at his stomach, causing him to ‘oof’ a little and clutch it like it hurt.
“Alright, Danny-boy, where are these hot tubs?”
“She’s wearing my clothes, andI get a nickname?” He motions toward the door, a huge grin splitting his face in two. “Just outside.”
“Are you going to walk the entire way, staring at the ceiling?” I laugh as I open the door and follow his directions.
“Yep. At least until we’re outside, and then I’ll be looking at the sky.”
I can’t help the joy that bubbles up from my chest at this ridiculous man.
And he stays true to his word, even as he struggles to flip the cover of the hot tub off of it because he can’t see where it’s lying.
I step over the side and slide into the water, moaning at just how amazing the hot water feels.
“I’m in, goofy,” I say, letting him know I’m mostly covered under the water.
His eyes drop as he tries to see through the water, but the bubbles and moving water obscure me a little.
