revealed that the water was somewhere between comfortable and third-degree-burns hot which was exactly how I liked it. I stepped in and let it stream through my hair. The water beaded on my skin and as I unwrapped the complimentary bar of soap, Roman darted into my mind.
It wasn't exactly the first time he'd crossed my mind but I'd never been naked before when he did. And in those other moments, he looked like Roman the graduate instructor with his button-downs and loafers. The Roman currently infiltrating my thoughts wore low-slung jeans and a fitted t-shirt. He didn't have the carefully controlled hair or the briefcase. I bit my lip as I imagined slinging my fingers into the waistband of his jeans and pulling him toward me. Usually Cassie had a better imagination than me, but I had no problem picturing what was inside his pants or under his shirt. I'd seen the outline of his six-pack on the plane today and I didn't doubt the rest of him was similarly ripped and...prominent.
I lathered my body and rinsed it off. What would it be like to be here with him? How it would feel to have him pressed hard against me. The more I thought about it the more intense the pulse grew between my legs until my fingers slipped down and found the spot that was calling for my attention. My fingers rubbed circularly as I imagined Roman's lips on mine and the feel of his chest against my breasts. After what he was wearing today, I knew that he worked out. If he wanted to, he could lift me against the glass door of the shower and press his hot...
"You finding everything you need in there," Cassie said from the doorway.
I jumped, clutching my chest.
"It's called knocking!" I yelled, water trickling down and stinging my eyes.
"You left the door open," she said.
"The shower was running."
"So? I've seen you naked before," she reminded me. I couldn’t quite see her between the water in my eyes and the steam lingering in the room, but I could hear the smug grin in her voice. "When you're done flicking the bean, can we go to dinner? I'm starving."
"I'll be out in a minute," I said through gritted teeth. At least she’s talking to me again.
Cassie left, laughing, and I fell back against the tile. Embarrassing didn't quite cover that. Mortifying. Humiliating. I'd need a thesaurus before I found the word that best described what had just happened.
A few minutes later, I trudged reluctantly into the living room, wrapped in a fluffy, white towel. Try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to meet Cassie's eyes.
"All clean, dirty girl ?" she asked me.
"Shut up."
"Are you ready to eat? We need food and booze," she said, "and batteries."
I frowned. "What on earth do we need batteries for?"
"I thought I would loan you my vibrator. It seems like you need it more than I do."
"Omigod," I said, shaking my head. "You're the one who walked in on me. You should be at least as embarrassed as I am."
"And yet, I'm not." Cassie flashed me a wide smile. "Or maybe I should just call Roman to help you out."
My cheeks reddened immediately. Probably since he'd been on my mind when she'd caught me living out my personal fantasy in the shower.
"It's really nothing to be embarrassed about," she said. "Everyone does it."
"Can I borrow something to wear?" I asked, eager to change the subject.
"Shit, I forgot." Cassie skipped back to her room and came out with a stack of clothes. The tiny red bikini on top.
"All of this?"
"Yours," she said. "I overpacked. Look, I'm sorry if I flipped out earlier. You're right. I should drop the joking about Roman."
"But you aren't going to?" I guessed.
"Oh, hell no, but I’ll keep in mind that I might piss you off if I do."
“I’m sorry, too,” I said. “I overreacted.”
“No, you didn’t. I just...don’t like Brett.”
Part of me wanted to pour out the dilemma I was facing to her. That Brett wanted to get married and I wanted to pretend he’d never asked and go back to my safe, boring life where I wasn’t
Jean-Marie Blas de Robles