“There’s champagne.” Marissa pointed to the bottle on the edge of the hot tub. “I might have swigged it. Sorry.”
“I’ve had a swig after you before. I won’t stress it.” She took a deep drink, straight from the bottle.
“Good to see we’re just as classy as we ever were.” Marissa kicked off her slippers, hung her robe on a hook by the tub and got in. She was wearing a white bikini that covered almost nothing but was just enough to count. Sort of. Bekka watched Marissa’s long legs disappear under the bubbling water. “Oh. Okay. This was worth the price of admission,” Marissa said.
“Well, there you go.” Bekka was less of the OMG sexy body type and more of the curvy girl end, but that wasn’t new.
Marissa still did it for her.
Marissa relaxed back, water up to her shoulders. “So the marketing guy is your brother? He’s nice. A little needy, but nice.”
“He is. He’s a sweetheart. This job is important to him. He’s trying so hard.” And she had a soft spot for the little asshole.
“I won’t let him lose his job. It’s not his fault I’m not having a real honeymoon.” Marissa closed her eyes. “It’s really mine for being stupid and idealistic and entering the contest in the first place.”
“Were…” She tried to keep on, but her teeth were chattering violently. “Let me grab my jacket?”
This whole jeans and sweater thing wasn’t helping.
“Hey!” Marissa called after her. “If you want to come in I won’t stop you. I’m sure you have the same amazing robe in your room.”
“Yeah? Give me a few.” She had a one piece in her suitcase, and she managed to get it on and her hair put up before she let herself start to panic.
This was just her being nice to an ex who was in a shitty spot. That was it. Just good karma. She started to reach for her travel tarot deck in her suitcase but stopped herself. Did she really want to know?
No. If it was a bad call she was going to do it anyway, so what was the point?
Marissa was relaxing with her eyes closed when Bekka stepped out in her identical thick robe and fuzzy slippers. The steam promised warm water and the view from next to the tub was even better.
She slipped out of the robe and into the water. The heat was so sudden and shocking her nipples went hard, and she gasped with the contrast as she forced herself down to her neck. “F-fuck.”
Marissa chuckled. “Good, right? I may never get out, because that might be torture. There are some towels in the warmer, but I’m skeptical.”
“This place is amazing.” She had no doubts. Of course, she lived in Dallas in an apartment. All Texans dreamed of coming to Colorado. The old joke about Colorado gaining a thousand feet of elevation if the Texans all left was true.
“It’s a lot prettier than New York, that’s for sure. And I don’t have a hot tub in New York either.” Marissa’s foot slid against her leg and pulled away quickly. “Oh. Sorry.”
“No worries.” She didn’t jerk her leg up. She wasn’t taking more than her space, dammit. “Do you like it there?”
“I did, yeah. Now it’s… I don’t know what it is now. It’sherspace. It doesn’t feel like mine anymore.” Marissa looked past her toward the mountains. “I’ll get over it, I’m sure.”
“I’m sorry. That sucks.” New York seemed like a great big place for one ex to take over.
“Mhm.” Marissa went quiet after that, and they bubbled for a while.
Bekka listened to the water, distant voices, and the occasional plane or bird or gust of wind. When the gust turned into a steady blow and the sky started getting darker, Marissa reached for the towels in the warming chest next to the tub. “Jesus, it’s freezing. What happened to my blue sky? Catch.” A towel came toward her high enough not to land in the water. “Time to go in.”
The urge to snap was huge, but Marissa was right. It was time. Bekka stood up, and the cold was so big she just sank right back down. “Wh-wh-whoa.”
When she blinked her vision clear, Marissa was already wrapped in her robe, feet in her slippers and the towel wrapped around her head. “You okay? Hang on, I’ll get your robe. If I think it’s cold, it’s got to be hell for Texans.”
“It’s cold.” There was no thinking about it. None. Zero.
“I know. You need to get out.” Marissa took her towel and held up her robe. “Your slippers are right there. On three?”
“On three.” She met Marissa’s eyes, held them. “Don’t let me fall?”
Marissa’s stared into her eyes for a second, then swallowed and shook her head no.