all day chomping down without worry, only to realize you’ve mangled your mouth once the numbness wears off.
“You’re going to freeze with that on, just so you know.” Ran closes his eyes and curls into his corner of the spa, allowing the jets to massage his back and neck.
“I know.” I half-swim, half-walk over to the seat diagonal from Ran and slip down under the water like he has.
“So take it off.” His eyes are still closed. “I promise I won’t watch, Maggie. As badly as I might want to.”
“I’m fine.” I allow myself to relax a little now that I’m under the water. The heat feels good against my aching muscles, each one feeling the burn from the many trips down the mountain earlier this afternoon.
“If you’re planning to keep yourself covered, I just wish you would have borrowed one of my shirts instead.” Ran’s eyes remain closed, almost as though he’s daydreaming. “That might be the only thing to make this hotter, if that’s even possible.”
“I’ll just have to see about getting one from you, then.”
Ran’s eyes open slowly and the smile that eases onto his mouth can be seen in them, too. “Are you having a good time, Maggie?” The roll of the jets makes it so he has to talk loudly to be heard, especially because I’m still several feet away from him, occupying my own personal hot tub corner.
“Here at the cabin? Or with you?”
“Both.” Ran lifts his arms out of the water and folds them up behind his neck. His biceps flex with the effort and I can’t help but follow the rivulets of water that slide down them. I’m starting to get dizzy. Damn it. How long does it take to dehydrate from staying in a spa too long? It has to be more than five minutes, right?
“It’s not so bad,” I reply vaguely.
Ran’s shoulders lift an inch in laughter. He’s humoring me, I’m sure. “You do realize that you have me half naked in a hot tub and you’re still pretending I have cooties, don’t you? This would be a dream come true for most women.”
I don’t answer him. I try to, but the words die in my mouth, along with any other response other than launching across the hot tub toward him to claim the kiss that I’ve been craving all day. I’ve gotten to the point where I can’t stand it any longer.
“I need to do something.”
Ran cocks his head. “And that is?”
I briefly seal my eyes shut and when I open them, I hold up my index finger. “You have the deepest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.” Ran tilts his head further to the left so it’s almost resting on his shoulder, like he’s trying hard to understand what I’m doing. “Seriously, when I look into them, it’s like I’m staring into the depths of the ocean—like I’m diving into some unexplored world that holds so many secrets and discoveries. They’re captivating, Ran.” I pause. “You’re captivating.”
I feel like I’m in a fight with the volume of the jets and they’re winning, so I swim off my seat and lessen the gap between us so I don’t have to shout over the motor. I raise another finger. “Your quick wit and well-placed innuendos—though incredibly inappropriate at times—are a major turn on. I want to hate you for what they do to me, but it’s hard to hate something that makes you feel that good.”
Ran’s eyes are smaller than they were a minute ago, and his brow is pulled taut over them as he strains to understand.
I hold up three fingers.
“I love your loyalty. With your job, with your dad, with me. Even when you don’t get anything out of it. It’s an overwhelmingly admirable trait—not one you see in many guys your age—and it sets you apart from everyone else.”
I scoot across the hot tub nearer to Ran so we’re just a little over a foot from one another. He’s dropped his hands from behind his neck and now has them laced across his chest, his head still slightly cocked and his lips pursed in mild confusion.
I hold up a fourth finger.
“I love your willingness to forgive, and the grace you extend toward those that have wronged you. Many people go to the grave harboring hatred and guilt, but you realize the importance of each day and the necessity to give it up. You’re incredibly wise, Ran. There are people that cling to a grudge on their deathbed, unwilling