“Do you think so? I’d imagine there’s a special suit.” Kendra winced internally. She’djustdecided to keep her distance from Lucas, but she was immediately joking around with him again.
They went upstairs to get their swimsuits. Kendra elected not to wear the same one she’d swum in that morning, even though it was her favorite, because it was still wet. Instead, she grabbed a new purple bikini she’d bought for this trip and followed Lucas back downstairs. They met Susie in the lobby, where she led them across the resort to a building they hadn’t seen yet. It had large floor-to-ceiling windows and several dipping pools outside. Susie led them through a pair of wide teak double doors into the foyer, which smelled like incense.
“I have Mr. Chambers and Mrs. Moran here!” Susie said.
“Great.” The receptionist smiled at them. “Have a seat, and your masseuse will come to get you shortly.”
Kendra’s eyes widened, but Susie was already waving and heading off to wherever she went when she wasn’t with them.
“A massage?” Lucas asked under his breath.
“I guess so. I should have seen this coming.” Kendra twisted her hands together. Her request for a “relaxing” activity was clearly backfiring on her. She didn’t want to have a massage with Lucas, and she definitely got the feeling that this was going to be a couple’s massage.
“It’s fine.” Lucas sat back, crossing one ankle over the other knee. “It should be fun. Or relaxing. Or something.”
“Orsomething,” Kendra repeated under her breath as she sat back too. In hopes of distracting herself from her mistake and from the man next to her, she looked around. Now that theywere sitting inside, the incense smell was strong enough to tickle her nose. All the furniture was dark teak, and calming sitar music played somewhere in the background. Perhaps it should have been relaxing, but sitting next to Lucas put Kendra on edge.
“Mrs. Moran, Mr. Chambers?” A pretty young woman with cornrows and hoop earrings greeted them with a smile from the hallway. “I’m Cara. Please, follow me.”
Exchanging a glance, Kendra and Lucas got to their feet and followed her. They entered a room with a sliding wall that opened directly onto the ocean. They could hear the waves crashing and smell the bright, salty scent of the water, which was better than the incense. Kendra barely noticed any of that, though. Her eyes fell on the two massage tables waiting next to each other.
“Please take off your clothes and lie down,” Cara instructed, gesturing to the tables and the small white sheets that lay on top of them. “Ring the bell when you’re ready, and I’ll be right in with your other masseuse.”
She smiled at them and left the room. Kendra glanced at Lucas, already blushing.
“I promise, I didn’t ask for a couple’s massage.”
“Neither did I.”
“And if I’d known that ‘relaxing’ meant ‘massage,’ I would never have asked Susie for it.”
“It’s okay, Kendra.” Lucas smiled his charming smile. “I know that.”
They both hesitated, then Kendra let out a sigh. “I guess there’s nothing for it. Just — turn around, okay?”
“You too.” Though Lucas was grinning a little.
Kendra turned her back to him, focusing on the painting of ocean waves that hung on the side wall. Her cheeks still flushed and her heart still racing, she slipped off the dress she’d chosen that morning, then her bra and underwear. She was all too conscious of Lucas behind her, especially when she heard the telltale sound of a zipper being undone. He was just as naked as she was and only a few feet away. Kendra’s breath came a little too shallow.Ignore him,she reminded herself.Just get through this.
Quickly, Kendra climbed onto the table and pulled the sheet over herself to cover as much as possible. She’d had massages before, and she’d never been uncomfortable about stripping down in front of the masseuse like some people were, but this was very different. This was with Lucas.
“Are you ready?” Lucas asked. Kendra sneaked a glance over and saw that he was lying on his table too. The sheet covered most of his back and upper legs, but she could see the tight cords of his shoulder muscles. Even his calf muscles were defined. Annoyingly, he’d tucked his hands beneath his chin in a way that looked very relaxed, as though he were lounging in bed or sunbathing on a beach. For her part, Kendra felt like she was waiting for a root canal.
“I suppose.”
Lucas rang the bell that rested next to his bed, and Cara returned with another masseuse. Kendra couldn’t stop blushing, and she hid her face in the headrest as the two masseuses began.
“I feel some tension here,” Cara said as she gently rubbed a sweet-smelling oil into Kendra’s skin.
“Nope,” Kendra said.
“You definitely are a little bit tense, especially in your shoulders.” Cara continued the massage, her hands firm. “Try to relax.”
But how could Kendra relax when she was practically naked in front of Lucas, and Lucas was practically naked right next to her? She forced herself to take a few deep breaths and managed to loosen her muscles enough to almost enjoy the massage. Almost. She was conscious the whole time not to make any noise and not to look at Lucas. She wanted to forget he was even there, but that wasn’t possible.
After what felt like an eternity, Cara and the other masseuse finished up.
“Next, you have an hour in the hot tub,” Cara explained as she walked toward the door. “Just follow the signs when you’re ready.” She and the other masseuse left, shutting the door behind them.
