As we sit here now, the room is certainly warm. I settle back against the heated wood bench behind me, staring across the room at Elias. He takes a ladleful of water and pours it over the hot rocks, the spitting steam hisses, quickly enveloping the room. The vapor reaches me, hard to breathe in. But it’s intoxicating, the pure heat licking my skin.
Elias stands and then comes over to where I am, climbing up to take the bench above me. I reposition myself, my elbow on his seat as I rest my chin on my arm. Elias lays his head against the wall and then looks down at me. Moisture has started to gather on his face, his collarbone. I’m feeling altogether seduced.
“Why did you send that postcard earlier?” he asks, his voice rougher in the thickened air. “What exactly did you have to apologize for, Audrey?”
I exhale, my muscles relaxed and loose. “For not loving him enough,” I say quietly. “For trying and failing. But worst of all, for not telling him even though I’m sure he knew. I was a coward, and he deserved better.”
Elias closes his eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows. “Sometimes we’re with the wrong people for all the right reasons. Would it surprise you if I told you I could relate? Only I didn’t try to love her, and I certainly didn’t apologize.”
“That sounds harsh,” I say, fairly certain he’s talking about the girl my brother’s been sneaking around with. But since Elias just admitted he didn’t have feelings for her, bringing up Catherine seems kind of pointless. “Why were you with her, then?” I ask anyway, hoping for a bit more detail.
Elias is quiet for a long moment, but then he opens his eyes and sits forward, elbows on his knees. His skin has grown pink in the heat of the steam room. “It was expected,” he says. “And even when I told her my feelings, she didn’t care. She thought we belonged together no matter what.” He looks at me, really looks at me. “Now that, Audrey,” he whispers, “is a terrible girlfriend.”
There’s a sudden loneliness in his expression, even with our bodies close together, wet with steam and sweat. I connect to it—his melancholy mirroring my own. For an instant I’m not alone. Not with him. It’s weird, because the more Ryan tried to give me, the lonelier I felt. And yet this stranger has broken into my world and taken up space.
Elias laughs, dragging his gaze from mine, and lies back on his bench. “You shouldn’t look at me like that,” he says toward the ceiling. “It’s too soon for me to kiss you. I haven’t charmed you nearly enough.”
I put my fingers on my lips, covering my smile. “I think you’re doing pretty well,” I say, making him laugh again.
“Yes, but if I’m going to practice that restraint you talked about,” he responds, “then we’d better get out of here before this heat clouds your better judgment. Come on.” He climbs down from the bench and then helps me up. I grip my towel, keeping it tight around me, even though a knot has formed in my stomach. I take Elias’s arm, ready to pull him back, but as he opens the door, the cool air rushes in, bringing me back to my senses. The steam quickly clears, along with the overwhelming desire, and I find Elias watching me.
“We’ll skip the massages,” he teases. “You should definitely put some clothes on. Meet you out front?”
I agree, still a little shaken from my brush with complete and utter lack of self-control. And when we part, I head into the locker room to rinse off in the shower, setting the temperature to cold.
Chapter 4
After tying my damp hair up in a bun, I head to the entrance of the spa and find Elias chatting with the girl who gave me the towel earlier. When I walk out, she casts an uneasy stare in my direction, then tells Elias good-bye and leaves to go about her job. Not at all awkward.
Elias smiles broadly as I approach, his hair slicked to the side and his cheeks flush from the steam. “You’re radiant,” he tells me. “I am completely under your spell, Audrey.”
“Uh-huh,” I say like he’s full of shit. But I enjoy the compliment, especially when I’m feeling just as interested. “Now where to?” I ask. “I’ll have to check in with my dad at some point; this day isn’t carefree.”
Elias pulls open the door and we walk out, energized from our time at the spa. We’re paused at the entrance of the lobby while we contemplate our next step, when I see my brother walk out from the restaurant. He’s glaring down at his phone, his eyebrows pulled together.
“Hey,” I call to him. Next to me Elias straightens, sliding his hands into the pockets of his shorts. Daniel comes over, holding up his phone helplessly.
“I can’t get a signal in here,” he says. “I’ve seen other people using their phones. Rot in hell, AT&T.” He stops and looks at me. “Why’s your face so red? What have you been doing?” He squints at Elias. “Who’s this?”
Elias stretches out his hand. “Elias Lange,” he says. “And you are?”