Felix is all golden, lean muscle, with well-defined abs that make my mouth water. Liam has more of a swimmer's build with broad shoulders and a lean torso, his dark hair curling slightly at his neck. I've never been particularly attracted to necks before, but his looks really hot, and for a fraction of a second I see myself nibbling it... And Silas. Silas is... solid. Powerful. Broad-shouldered, thick-chested, his body clearly built for impact. For a second, I imagine myself being cradled against all that strength.
I shake myself back to reality, suddenly very aware of my own body in this tiny bikini. Thank god I'm wearing a towel. And yet… all three sets of eyes are on me.
Felix’s jaw tightens. Liam inhales like he forgot how breathing works. Silas’s gaze flickers down my towel and back up so fast I’d miss it if I blinked.
And just like that, we’re all trying very hard to look politely anywhere else.
“Right,” Felix says, clearing his throat. “Sauna. Out back. It’ll be cold for, like, twenty seconds, but that’s part of the authentic… Nordic experience. Keep your towel tight until we’re inside.”
“Copy that,” I say, hoping my voice doesn’t sound as breathless as I feel.
We step out into the cold, feet crunching on the packed path. The sauna sits at the edge of the trees, a small log cabin with a little chimney sending up a thin plume of steam.
By the time Felix opens the door, the air around us has my teeth wanting to chatter, but then heat slams into me in a wave.
It smells like hot wood. The small space is lined with pale benches in an L-shape, with a shorter upper tier.
“Welcome to heaven,” Felix announces, ducking in first.
We shuffle inside. Towels come off and get draped for later. I end up on the lower bench, Felix on my right, Liam on my left. Silas takes the upper bench behind us, his legs stretching down so his knees are near my shoulders.
For a few minutes, nobody says much. The heater hisses. Our breathing evens out. My fingers and toes tingle as feeling returns.
“This was a good idea,” I admit.
Felix beams. “I live for validation.”
Liam tips his head back, eyes closed. "Pretty sure my body just stopped hating me exposing it to the cold earlier."
The heat slowly ratchets up. Sweat beads between my shoulder blades, slides along my spine. I pull on my bikini for a second and inhaling becomes a bit easier as the air hits my bare skin.
Just at this moment, Felix shifts beside me. His arm brushes mine, just a light drag of skin on skin, but it has my nerve endings standing at attention.
I tell myself not to read into it.
Then, deliberately, I let my little finger tilt sideways on the bench until it touches his thigh.
The contact is tiny. Barely there. But I feel the exact moment he notices; his breath catches, just a little.
Slowly, his hand turns, fingertips tracing along my pinky, then my ring finger.
I look up… right into Liam’s eyes.
He’s watching us through damp lashes, mouth parted, something dark and wanting written all over his face.
For a half second, panic sparks. What am I doing? This is insane.
Then something else answers, louder: I want this.
I’m tired of pretending I don’t.
I hold Liam’s gaze and turn my other hand palm-down on the bench, letting my fingers inch toward his leg. My knuckles bump his thigh.
He doesn’t flinch away.
Instead, his hand comes down to meet mine, fingers lacing with mine briefly before he lets his touch trail higher, along the inside of my knee, up to mid-thigh. Just resting there. Warm. Possessive in a way that makes my pulse drag.
A small sound escapes me, half exhale, half sigh.
