“Now?” I’m not a huge fan of spa pools. Stewing in hot water shared by others—it’s like a communal human soup. No thanks. “Can’t I just use a heating pad or something?”
“The moist heat will help both of your shoulders. Trust me.” She raises her brows, her expression challenging.
I look to Graham for an assist, but he just shrugs. No way out of this one.
“Fine.”
When I come out of my bedroom, Hannah has raided my bathroom and found a couple of towels. Not sure why she thinks I need two, but I’m learning fast not to question her methods.
“Graham already went down to turn the heat on for the spa pool.” Hannah’s eyes widen ever so slightly when she looks at me, but I can tell she’s checking me out by the way her gaze drops from my face to my bare chest and arms. She clears her throat and heads toward the door. “We better get down there before Graham thinks we changed our minds.”
“Right.” I follow her out the door, grabbing my keys to lock up.
Hannah heads down the stairs to the first level. She may be shorter than I am, but she has a quick stride and reaches the pool area before I can catch up to her.
When I reach the spa, Graham’s fiddling with the temperature per Hannah’s instructions. I sit on the side and put my legs in the warm water before easing the rest of my body in.
Hannah rolls her scrub pants up above her knees and sits on the edge with the lower part of her legs dangling in. “Once it gets warmer, you’ll start to feel some relief, but in the meantime, I can work on that knot.” She points to the water between her legs. “Stand there with your back to me.”
I swish through the water toward her, then turn my back to her. She rests her hands on my shoulders, tugging me closer to the wall of the small pool. “Good. Now, just relax.”
She continues to hold on to my left shoulder while working her way down to my shoulder blade with her other hand. Her fingers are impressively strong as she massages that annoying knot. I sigh as she finds the knotted muscle and works her magic.
“Yeah, that’s a big one.” Her voice is soft and close to my left ear.
I want to lean into her more but don’t because that would mean my arms would have to either be between her knees or over them. Either way, it’s more skin contact than I’m ready for at the moment.
Hands-off-Hannahand all that…
But then she’s kneading her fingers up the base of my neck on both sides. She runs a hand over my right shoulder toward the bicep. “You and Graham have the same tattoo.”
Most of the team has one—a red cross with Team Lifeguard arched above. “Yes, we do.”
Then she does the same thing on my left arm, sending a wave of heat through me.
From my peripheral vision, I can tell she’s leaning over, studying the tattoo there. “What’s this one? Team Turtle?”
I twist my arm so she can see the full image. “Turtle Patrol. Volunteers watch the beach during nesting season to make sure the little guys make it to the water.”
She lifts my arm and runs her fingertips along the design of turtles swimming through the swirling water. The tattoo starts at the top of my shoulder, then runs down and around my bicep, making a complete circle. Her caress is like an electric current, sending shock waves through me.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thanks. I asked the artist to give it a tribal look and keep the colors simple. She did a great job.”
When she leans closer, her curls brush my forehead, filling my nose with her musky scent. If I turn my head any more to the side, my lips will brush her cheek. And let me tell you, the idea’s even more tempting with the way she’s running her fingers over my arm.
Just when I think I can’t take anymore and am about to make an excuse to move away, she glances up and meets my gaze. Her lips part for a moment before she jerks her head up and pulls her legs out of the spa pool. She grabs a towel and dries off before unrolling her pants back to normal length.
“The water’s getting hot now, and I need to get going. Still have a furry patient to check in on. Just stay in the water for about fifteen minutes and then rest. Okay, Nick?”
I purse my mouth into a tight grin. She had to feel something just then to react like that. Maybe I’m not the only one feeling some attraction here. That, or she hates tattoos, but I seriously doubt that, considering the way she admired them.
“Sure thing, boss.”
She narrows her eyes for a moment and shifts her attention to Graham, who’s chatting with a woman lying on a nearby lounger. “Make sure he does his exercises tonight, okay?”
Graham gives her a salute.
