She gives a little bow. “For best results, please submerge up to your shoulders.”
Brody snorts. “You first, Emmett.”
“Jesus… I’ll do it. You two are a couple of pansy-asses,” Emmett says, but there’s a distinct tremor as he slides in, making a show of his stoicism before shrieking, “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” at the top of his lungs. His voice echoes and then turns into wild laughter as he thrashes to the far side.
I last about three seconds before my feet are numb. “This is not for mere mortals,” I gasp, clutching my boobs.
Miles, ever the overachiever, does it with minimal fanfare, but his lips go purple and his eyes glaze over. “Jesus.Howis this therapeutic again?”
Brody grunts as he enters but says nothing. He just glowers, lips pressed tight, but his hand slides over the back of my neck and pulls me into his side. “You’ll warm up,” he rumbles, and it actually helps a little, being anchored to someone who seems so indestructible.
But still… I can’t help it—I burst out laughing, and Emmett starts splashing Miles, who returns fire instantly. In less than a minute, it devolves into a full-on aquatic brawl, the three of them pummeling each other with handfuls of water, the blue mist rising around us in a cloud.
I dodge behind Brody’s shoulder, using him as a human shield, but Emmett manages to get me anyway, pelting my face with a freezing volley.
“You traitor!” I yell and lunge at him, nearly slipping on the stone but catching his arm and dragging him under for a second.
When I surface, Brody is shaking his head, water dripping off his brow, but he’s laughing. And given everything we’ve been through, it makes me feel like a million dollars.
Eventually, Jade appears again, herding us out with a quiet, “This concludes our session in here. Please shower and follow the green tiles.”
We head into the showers, which are like tiny waterfalls. The water temperature is perfectly set, and the soap smells like orange and mint. I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven.
I can’t wait to tell Daisy about this.
By the time we dry off and don the fresh robes waiting outside the shower, I feel like a brand-new person.
“You know how to spoil a girl, don’t you?” I ask Brody.
But he only winks at me and then leads the way to the next room.
The massage suite is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. Four massive massage tables, covered in snowy linens, arranged in a half-circle. Candles line the walls. There’s a giant windowoverlooking a stretch of private beach, and it feels like I’m living in a dream.
A quartet of massage therapists—two women, two men—waits for us, smiling serenely. Jade reads from a tablet. “You have requested Deep Tissue, Thai-Stretch, and Hot Stone therapies. Please undress and lie down under the sheets.”
“Race you to the table, little peach,” Emmett says, a silly grin on his face.
I drop my robe and get on the closest table, burying myself under the super soft sheets. Emmett follows, then Miles and Brody. The therapists take over, and for the next ninety minutes, I leave my body entirely.
Every knot in my shoulders, every place I’ve carried stress for as long as I can remember, gets massaged in the amazin way. The therapists use different scents throughout the massage—first lavender, then ginger, and finally a eucalyptus oil that makes my skin tingle.
I drift in and out in the most delicious way. I’ve never had a massage like this, never been able to afford one that’s this incredible and this long. I’ll never be able to go back to an hour-long massage after experiencing this.
At one point, I catch Brody looking over at me, his cheek pressed to the table, a dopey half-smile on his face. Our eyes meet, and for a second, it’s like we’re the only two people on earth.
Later, Emmett starts humming, and I can’t tell if it’s a song or just the sound of someone perfectly, deeply content.
When the therapists finish, they tell us to take our time getting up. The four of us lay there, completely blissed out, until Emmett finally says, “I’m never leaving this table. You guys can divvy up my stuff, but this is where I die.”
Miles chuckles. “Same. This is…heaven.”
Brody doesn’t say anything, but I hear him sigh in a way I’ve never heard before.
We eventually muster up the will to get up and shuffle into the next area, this one set up with four ocean-blue loungers, and ice water with cucumber and mint. There’s also a tray of orange-cranberry scones and I’ve never tasted anything so amazing in my life.I make a mental note to add those to the café’s menu.
We sprawl out on the loungers, the ocean breeze cutting the late sun, and I honestly don’t think I’ve ever felt so fucking content. Brody’s on my left, Miles on my right, and Emmett on the other side of him.
For a second, I think I might cry, just from sheer happiness. Instead, I lean back, sip my water, and breathe it all in.
