She glanced up at him and her cheeks reddened. “Well, you know. No. . . bed stuff.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Bed stuff.”
She gave him an exasperated look. “Yes. Bed stuff. Like what real married people do on there.”
Was it bad that he thought she looked adorable sitting there, stumbling over her words? He couldn’t help the smile that played on his lips. “I wouldn’t know what married people do. I’ve never been married.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you’ve acted like you were,” she said as she studied the pad of paper in front of her.
“We should probably talk about sex. Seeing how that will probably be a question they ask us in therapy.” There, he said it. And he loved watching her squirm.
“They will not.”
Michael leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He nodded his head. “Yes, they will. Sex is a huge part of marriage. It can also drive a wedge between a couple.”
He thought her face would ignite on fire with how red it was. “Okay, fine. We’ll say we believe in sex for procreation, and that’s it.”
He sucked in his breath. “That’s a bummer.”
Anna waved him away. “Anyway. Moving on.”
Michael laughed as she listed a few more things on the paper. Something to do with bathroom usage and nighttime schedule. He wasn’t really listening to her. Instead, he watched how her hair fell down, veiling her face when she wrote. Or listened to the familiar tones of her voice.
When silence surrounded him, Michael sat up. She’d stopped talking and was staring at him. Shoot. He didn’t know if she’d asked him a question, or if she wanted him to talk now.
“I think no shenanigans with other people here should be a priority on the list,” stumbled out of his mouth. Michael watched her as she thought, and then nodded.
“Sounds like a good idea. Even though we aren’t technically married, we don’t need the resort finding out.” She brought the pen to the paper. “No relationships with other people here.”
He nodded. Good. Now he had a reason to tell her not to flirt with Javier without looking like a crazed person.
She hesitated as she brought her gaze over to meet his. “Do you think you’ll be able to do that?”
“What?”
She shrugged and tapped the end of her pen on the paper. “Not flirt with other people while you are here. I know most of the women are married, but I’m sure you’ll find the single ones who work here,” she said. Her voice was barely a whisper.
He studied her. Was that really her worry? What did she think of him? “I would never cheat on my fake wife.” He smiled over at her hoping to dispel some of the tension that seemed to surround them.
She met his gaze for a moment and then rolled her eyes. “Right. Yeah, I get it.” She set the pad of paper down next to her and stood. She walked over to the desk that sat against the far wall and fiddled with the phone and lamp that were sitting on it.
Just as her fingers grazed the receiver of the phone, it rang. She jumped, and Michael smiled. She had always been easy to startle.
“Um, hello?”
Michael sat back as he watched Anna twirl her finger around the phone cord. There was something about her. The way she’d seemed so nervous during their conversation got him wondering just what she was thinking. Could it be possible that she had feelings for him? Or was she just uptight about sex?
“Right now? Really?” She turned to look at him, drawing his attention over to her.
“I guess. Yeah, I’ll let him know.” She set the receiver down on the base and pinched her lips together.
“Everything okay?”
She smiled at him, but it felt forced. “We are expected at our massage in ten minutes.”
“Massage?”
“Couple’s. . . massage.”
Michael’s stomach lightened at her words. He’d dated enough women to know that those massages meant getting naked in the same room. How could he convince Anna that was not what he wanted to do, even if it was? He worried he’d just come across sounding like an idiot.
So, he stood and slipped on his sandals. “Sounds great. I’m super tense from life. Getting rubbed down sounds amazing.”
Anna just nodded as she passed by him. “Yeah. Sounds great.”
He followed her as he shut the door. He couldn’t help but stare at Anna. She seemed so calm. Did the thought of this not have any effect on her? Probably not. He was a fool to think that it might.
McKenna and Sam were walking up the boardwalk at the same time they got there. McKenna looked as tired as Sam. That was strange. Both of them had slept for most of the trip here.
“Massages?” Michael asked.
McKenna nodded. “You too?”
Anna turned around to shoot McKenna an uneasy look. “Yeah.”
McKenna wrapped her arm around Anna and pulled her close. “You’ll be fine.”
Michael wanted to ask why Anna felt so strange about this, but then shrugged it off. Not everyone was comfortable with having another person touching their body.
Maybe it was time to start showing Anna the fun part of life. To loosen her up a bit. Besides hockey, living a carefree life was about the only other thing Michael was good at.
Chapter Nine
Anna
Anna had been mistaken when she thought that it would be awkward to stand in a cabana with only a sheet around her. It was so much worse than awkward. Why people got massages with no clothes on boggled her. Clothes should be essential. Maybe even snow pants. Anything to keep her protected from the outside world.
It wouldn’t be as awkward if McKenna had been allowed in. Or if they’d been able to switch their couple’s massage to a friend massage. But the lady at the desk refused to let them switch, and Michael was adamant that he wanted to do this with her, so Anna gave in even though it went against every warning bell going off in her head.
Someone pulled open the side curtain, and heat raced to Anna’s cheeks. Michael came strutting into the cabana with the sheet tied around his waist. As much as she tried not to stare at his muscular and tanned chest, she couldn’t help it when her gaze dipped down to it. Since when did he get so sexy?
When she realized she was staring a bit too long at his body, she brought her gaze up to meet his. He was smiling.
“You gotta stop checking me out, Miss Anna. You’re going to make me blush.” He brought up his hands under his chin and batted his eyes.
“I’m not—I wasn’t—” Every sentence she tried to form in her mind came out making her sound ridiculous, so she just gave up. The cabana felt as if it were sweltering now. Reaching up, she pulled her hair onto the top of her head and tied it. The cool air hit her neck, helping her relax.
When she glanced over at Michael, he had a funny expression on his face. Like he was uncomfortable all of a sudden. The cocky persona he always exuded seemed to have faltered. That made her feel relieved. At least she wasn’t the only one completely out of her element.
“Are you nervous?” Michael asked as he made his way over to the massage tables and sat down on his. He placed both hands next to him which caused the muscles in his arms and shoulders to flex.
Heat permeated her skin. Perhaps she should sit as well. Keeping a tight grip on her sheet, she shuffled over to the table next to his and scooted onto it. He raised his eyebrows as his gaze dropped to her shoulders. Feeling self-conscious, she brought her hand up to cover the spot he seemed to be looking at.
“I have a confession,” she said.
His eyes widened as he brought his gaze back to her. “Okay,” he said.
“I’ve never had a massage before.”
Relief flooded his face as he smiled. “Really? Why not? They’re amazing.” He leaned back, placing both hands behind him to prop himself up.
“Doesn’t feel that way. It seems. . . exposing.” She waved toward the sheet.
Michael shrugged. “Eh, once they start, the feeling will transpor
t you and you won’t even notice that you’re naked anymore.”
Anna could have sworn she saw his gaze trail down the front of the sheet, but before she could process it fully, two women appeared next to them.
“Are you the Jones’s?” the curly red-haired one asked. She was holding a clipboard and studying it. When Anna didn’t reply right away, she glanced up.
“Jones—yes. We’re the Jones.” Anna wasn’t ever going to get used to that. Which was okay. It wasn’t like this relationship was going to last forever.
The woman nodded, scribbled a few things down on the paper, and then set it on a metal rolling cart next to her. “Perfect. I’m Greta, and I’ll be working with you.” She motioned toward the table.
“So I just. . . lie down?” Why didn’t she feel more confident about this?
Greta nodded. “That’s the general idea.”
When Anna glanced over at Michael, he was already lying face down on the table. She swallowed, thankful that he was preoccupied with his massage instead of noticing her complete lack of confidence.
“Okay.”
Greta held up her hand before Anna could flop over. “Sheet,” she said.
Anna stared at the sheet she’d wrapped around her body about fifty times. “What?”
Greta smiled. “You need to take that off.”
Heat rushed to her skin as she stared at the sheet and then up to Greta. “But I’m naked.”
Greta smiled again. In a way, she reminded Anna of a caring grandmother. As if this was a daily occurrence. “It’s okay. It’s just you and your husband.” She nodded over to Michael who, thankfully, hadn’t lifted his head off the table.
“I won’t look, Anna. I promise,” he said. His voice had lowered. Anna wonder if that was just because his face was smashed into the table.
“Promise?” she asked.
He shifted and then held up his pinky. “Promise.”
Anna nodded and then slowly began to untie the sheet. Once it was loose enough to open, she flopped onto the table and let the sheet fall on top of her.
“I’m confused. Are you not husband and wife?” Greta asked as she stood over Anna.
“Oh, we are. Except. . . we aren’t having sex until we are ready for babies.” Why was she telling a complete stranger this? She was all out of sorts.
Two warm hands caused Anna to yelp as she whipped up to see Greta standing over her. Feeling like an idiot, she pretended to adjust the sheet and then placed her face back into the hole on the table.
“Wow. You are a woman of great willpower. To live with a man who looks like that and not want to be with him.”
Anna swallowed as she heard Michael snort next to her.
“Do we listen to music while we get massaged?” Anna asked. Anything to get the conversation off of her and Michael having an intimate relationship.
“Of course. One moment.” Greta left the side of the table and soon, soft melodic music drifted from a speaker in the corner.
When Greta returned, she didn’t push the conversation anymore. Instead, everyone remained silent, allowing the music to surround them.
Anna was grateful for that. If she were honest, her thoughts about Michael were even more muddled than before. As much as she wanted to say that the feelings she had had for him for so long were gone, she had a sinking feeling that wasn’t true anymore.
He had become the subject of her thoughts from the moment he walked through the coffee shop door, though she tried as hard as she could to push him out.
“So, what are we going to do?”
Anna turned to see Michael glancing over at her. He gave her a smile as his masseuse worked his back. His muscular back.
Focus, Anna.
She cleared her throat. “About what?”
“Getting McKenna and Sam back together?”
Anna felt stupid. Of course, that was what he was talking about. What did she think he meant? “Well, I think they’ve just forgotten how to love. How to talk to each other. You know, that sort of thing.”
He studied her for a moment before he placed his face back in the hole of the table. “Okay. We need to get them to talk to each other. How do we do that?”
“You need to relax,” Greta said, pressing lightly on Anna’s back.
“Sorry,” Anna said, resting her face on the table. It was probably good that she stopped staring at Michael. The lines of his muscles were distracting her. “Well, I think we need to get them to do things together.” She tried to think back to every romance movie she’d ever seen.
Michael shook his head. “I’m not sure that’s going to work. I mean, Sam isn’t exactly Mr. Personality.”
Anna stared at the floor as thoughts moved around in her mind. What did she like? Surely McKenna would like the same. “What if we were to plan, like, a romantic dinner for them?”
“That could be a good starting point. But we might need more. What did McKenna say to you? I couldn’t get Sam to talk about anything. Zilch. That guy is shut off tighter than a clam above water.”
Anna drummed her fingers on the table as she thought. She was trying to recall the conversation that she and McKenna had on the flight. “Well, there’s cooking. McKenna has always been really self-conscious about that.”
“Oh yeah. That is not a strong suit for McKenna. Did you know she almost burned down her apartment in college?” Michael whistled. “It was bad.”
That was perfect. There was nothing like a little cooking together to bring a couple closer. “Do they have cooking classes here?” Anna asked, shifting to the side and glancing over at Greta.
“Cooking classes? I believe so.” She pressed on Anna’s back and nodded toward the bed. “You can talk to your guide about that.”
Michael made a disgruntled noise, and Anna peeked over at him.
“You don’t like Javier?” she asked.
“Javier? What’s not to like,” he said. There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice that told Anna, he really didn’t like the guy.
Anna studied the floor. How could Michael dislike Javier? They’d only just met him. For a moment, she allowed the idea that perhaps it was because she’d hit it off with him so well. But then she told herself that she was an idiot, and pushed that thought as far away as she could.
Michael didn’t have feelings for her. He never would. She was the only crazy person in this relationship who was hanging on to past feelings and allowing them to invade her thoughts.
Moving the conversation forward seemed like the best idea. “Thanks for the info, Greta,” Anna said.
“Anytime. You’ll discover that there are a lot of couple-building activities for you two to do. Who knows, by the end of your stay here, perhaps your strange no-relations pact will become obsolete.”
Heat rushed across Anna’s skin, and she was pretty sure she was blushing from head to toe. There was no way she wanted to even entertain those ideas much less talk about them.
“Yeah, maybe.” She hated how high-pitched her voice had gotten. Right now, she needed to be focusing on McKenna and Sam and not the erroneous idea that she and Michael could ever have an intimate relationship.
The rest of the massage was done in silence. Thankfully, the music helped fill the awkward air that surrounded them.
It wasn’t what he wanted, and she was trying to convince herself that it wasn’t something she wanted. Or what she would do if she tried to make it a reality, only to have him crush her with rejection. And that was what Michael was good for. Rejection.
“Thank you for unwinding with us today,” Greta said, patting her back.
Anna nodded and grabbed the edges of the sheet and sat up. Michael was doing the same. He glanced over at her, and she got lost in his gaze. Too embarrassed to speak, she triple-wrapped the sheet and hopped off the bed.
“Thanks,” Michael said to his masseuse, who nodded and slipped from the cabana.
Greta waved to Anna as she followed the other therapist out.
Now alone, Anna tr
ied to ignore just how chiseled Michael’s abs were as he tied the sheet around his waist. He stood and looked over at her.
“Can I get dressed in here? Or do you want me to go to the bathroom,” he asked.
Anna squinted as she forced down the butterflies that had risen in her stomach. If she really didn’t have feelings for Michael, then what did it matter if he changed here or in Taiwan? He seemed completely at ease—as if the idea of changing in the same room with her was a normal occurrence. And maybe it was. After all, he probably changed in front of his entire team all the time.
She cleared her throat. “It’s okay with me, if it’s okay with you.” Wow. Could she sound any less confident?
He shot her his signature cocky smile. “I think I can handle it.”
Anna nodded. Crap. Now she had to do it. After all, she couldn’t be the one to suddenly change her mind. It would give away too much, and right now that was not something she was ready to do. If ever.
“Perfect. Okay. I’ll turn around, and you turn around.” She swallowed as she pushed her nerves back. “We just have to promise not to look back.”
An annoying smile played on Michael’s lips. “Do you want to spit-shake on that?” He waved toward her skin. “I’ve never seen a girl blush so hard about being naked in the same room as me.”
“I’m not nervous,” Anna said, her voice rising an octave.
Michael’s eyebrows rose. “Really?”
She cleared her throat and forced a confident smile. “Really.”
He shrugged and turned. “All right. Let’s do this.”
In a matter of minutes, Anna was dressed. She’d never in her life been that fast. She slipped on her undergarments, and then pulled her sundress over her head. She let the sheet fall to floor. After a few seconds, she cleared her throat.
“I’m done. Are you?”
Michael’s soft chuckle filled the air. “Yeah. You can turn around.”
Anna slowly moved, hesitating before she let her gaze fall on him. He had on his shorts and was just pulling his shirt over his head. Once it was straightened, he glanced up at her.
“Look at that. We got dressed in the same room as each other, and no one died from embarrassment,” he said, slipping on his sandals.
Marrying an Athlete Page 7