“Have I achieved the unheard of and rendered you speechless?” Even his whisper sounds obnoxiously loud in this room.
“This is a spa,” I say, my eyes wanting to close just from the scent. This place oozes relaxation.
“Beautiful and smart,” he teases, but I stare at him, robbed of my ability to quip back. Xander frowns. “Are you okay?”
How many times have I wished for a spa day in the last few years? Too many to count. Actually, I banished any thought of pampering and relaxation as soon as they sneaked in, because I don’t have the luxury of time or money for such frivolity.
To my horror, tears prickle behind my eyes. I blink them away quickly. The receptionist says something, but Xander raises his arm to stop her, stepping in front of me, shielding me.
Like he knows I need time to compose myself.
Jesus, this is embarrassing. Maybe I’m so tired that the whiff of some downtime unlocks something I don’t want to examine. The other thing I don’t want to examine is why this practical stranger intuitively gifted me exactly what I needed.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and he smiles and turns to the receptionist.
I got a two-hour-long facial and the best massage ever, and now I’m enjoying myself in the relaxation room stocked with fruit, nuts, and cucumber water in a crystal decanter.
Fuck, I can get used to this. But I guess even if I could afford it, it would become ordinary after a while.
I scribble a verse in my small notebook and put it down, sighing. Closing my eyes, I sag onto the soft mattress.
“This is the softest robe ever,” I mew to myself, stretching on a lounger that is frankly more comfortable than my bed at home.
“Talking to yourself?” Xander’s voice is all playfulness and gravel. It wraps around me more softly than the robe.
Has he always sounded like this? My mind must be so shocked from the onslaught of peace that it plays tricks on me.
I open my eyes to tease him back, but if I had any quip ready, it dissolves as I take in the sight.
Holy fuck.
Xander Stone stands across the room in nothing but a towel. His skin glistens, droplets of water beading across his broad shoulders.
Even with his clothes on, it has always been clear the man is ripped. But for the love of my trembling ovaries, I wasn’t prepared for this level of magnificence.
He picks up a decanter and pours himself a glass of water. The ripple of his muscles as he executes this mundane task is like catnip for a woman who hasn’t had sex in… Let’s not go there.
He turns to me, raising his glass like he’s toasting to something. Oh, he knows what he is doing to me. Asshole.
“I was just complimenting the softness of the robes here.” I rub my cheek on the collar to emphasize. “You should definitely try them.” I reach for the bowl of nuts to distract myself.
“Nah, I’m good.”
I busy myself with the nuts like Cinderella sorting the peas and ashes, but I’m still acutely aware of him sauntering over and plopping onto the lounger beside me.
On the periphery of my vision, I see him putting his hands behind his head. I refuse to look at him, because God knows what happened to his towel as he flopped onto his bed.
“I needed this.” He sighs.
A smile curls my lips up, and I put the nuts down and lower myself. I keep my eyes closed for the sake of sanity. I’m not going to let a half-naked man distract me from this visit to paradise.
“Thank you,” I murmur, because as ridiculous as his infiltration of my day is, I can’t argue with the facts: no one has ever done something like this for me, and I haven’t had a day to myself in the longest time.
“You thanked me already.” The bed squeaks a bit as he moves. “What happened out there earlier?”
Based on the proximity of his voice, he must have shifted to lie on his side. I swallow, painfully aware he’s probably watching me.
If I hoped he’d let that moment pass, I was being naïve. He might have shielded me from the receptionist, but he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to tease me.
