Liv
My eyes flutter open and for a hot second, I have no idea where the hell I am. No clue what day it is let alone what time or what country I'm in. I do know I've been sleeping like I was in a coma. I rub my eyes and turn over and that's when I feel the sensation between my legs—a small, satisfying ache—and the memories of what is now the best birthday ever come wafting back. I smile and reach for Crew. But I find nothing but cool empty sheets.
I sit up. He isn’t in the bedroom at all. The door is closed. The room is dark and quiet, the curtains billowing thanks to the open window. The patio below is quiet, meaning the restaurant has closed. It’s late. I’m alone. He did not just leave me here, did he? I feel a pinch of rejection squeeze my heart.
It's not rejection, Liv, I scold myself. He owes you nothing. He's not your boyfriend. He's a one-night stand… two-night stand. He did what he came for. Served his purpose. Don't make this something it's not.
But then I hear a noise. Water running. I climb out of bed. I'm still naked and the last thing I want to do is put on that tight dress. So I grab the short-sleeved waffle shirt Crew had on when I got here. I slip it over my head. The hem hits me mid-thigh and it's loose and smells like him, all musky and sweet.
I open the door and step into the hall. There’s light coming from the bathroom. I walk over there and am greeted by Crew’s naked back. That butt is even more impressive bare and illuminated. Round and firm and I just want to bite it. Is that weird? It must be.
“Hey,” he says and smiles, turning to face me not at all concerned about his nudity. God, I am such a prude. I could never walk around naked in front of someone like that. Although, my eyes slide down his body. I know everyone says women are the pretty ones naked, but Crew Westwood is the exception to that rule. “I thought we shouldn’t leave without enjoying the tub you almost had an orgasm over.”
I laugh and he moves to the side and throws out his arm in a flourish. The tub is almost filled with water warm enough to be letting off steam. Flowers are floating in it. Daisies and what might be lavender twigs?
“I doubt there’s a flower shop open at four in the morning, and I didn’t want to risk you waking up and thinking I’d left you here,” he says and shrugs. “So I desecrated one of the bouquets in the living room.”
I laugh. “They might charge you for that.”
He shrugs again. “I don’t know if you realize this, but hockey players make stupid amounts of money.”
I feign a look of shock and he winks. I walk farther into the bathroom, the tiny black and white tiles cool under my bare feet. I lean forward and let my fingers skim the water. Crew stands behind me and his hands wrap around my waist lazily. “You have a habit of stealing my clothes. Word of warning, you can’t bring this one home. I can’t be seen walking out of here in your little red dress. This isn’t Vegas. People will talk.”
I laugh and turn so we’re facing each other. “That reminds me, I owe you that shirt back.”
“And I owe you a hoodie.”
My eyebrows shoot up. "You have my hoodie? I thought I had left it in the hotel suite. I actually called them asking if they had it."
“I needed to wear something,” Crew explains. Then his fingers move to the hem of this shirt and he lifts it over my head. I fight a blush as my naked body is revealed to him. “In the tub, Fireball. And leave space for me.”
“What?” I look at the tub. “It’s not big enough.”
“It may take some creative positioning, but we can make it work.” Crew sounds way more confident than I feel as I step into the tub.
I slip down into the water quickly so I can hide myself. Crew notices, I can tell by the slightly bemused look on his face. He walks to the other end of the tub and hauls one of the tree trunks he calls legs over the side. The water inches higher. I tuck my legs up, hugging them to my chest. By the time Crew has lowered himself into the tub completely some of the water has sloshed over the edge.
His legs slide down each side and he leans forward and kisses my hands on my knees, which are poking out of the water. “Put your legs down the middle. Just watch the family jewels.”
I giggle and do as I’m told. He takes my ankles and props each of them up on his hips and then we both lean back on our respective ends of the tub. Our eyes lock and he smiles. “First bath with someone?”
“Yeah.”
“I like being your first, Olivia.”
“I have to say you’re pretty good at it.” I grin. “I’m not regretting my pick.”
His fingers dance over my ankle bone, deliciously tickling me. "Can I ask why you picked me? I mean other than the obvious that I’m a sex god and all.”
I laugh, and he pretends to look offended. “I think it was just dumb luck. I mean I was hellbent on losing my virginity on the trip. It’s the only reason I went.”
"Why? I don't judge you for holding onto it or letting it go, but I have to wonder why you didn’t have sex for so long and then suddenly wanted to give it up to anyone,” Crew says. He looks curious and also slightly worried, like he doesn’t want to offend me.
I shrug. I wish I could tell him the entire truth but I don’t want to ruin last night and I think if I tell him about the attack, he’ll get all sad or angry or sympathetic and it will ruin everything. So I skirt around the catalyst.
“I wasn’t holding onto it for religious reasons or even moral ones.” My fingers glide through the water and I pick up a daisy head and pluck off one of the petals. “My mother is a very sexually liberated woman. She has never made the issue taboo. She gave Conner condoms in his Christmas stocking when he was fourteen and offered birth control to both my sister Mae and me at the same age.”
I pluck another petal and watch it drop into the water. “Is this a case of being contrary for the sake of being contrary? Like when I announced I was quitting hockey to become a lifeguard when I was sixteen?” I look into his hazel eyes, which have an amused shimmer, so I don’t know if he’s joking or telling the truth. He nods. “No lie, I quit hockey, took the lifeguard test, and got a job at our local beach in Nova Scotia.”