“Bradley?” Heidi asked, turning to look for him.
He’d already entered the room, and was just behind her, waiting with a smile.
“Do you like it?”
“Like it? Are you for real? I love it,” she said.
He chuckled at her sheer giddiness.
“Glad to hear it. You’ve earned this room. Now, go check out the rest of the suite.”
She skipped through the bungalow like a kid in a candy store, stopping to nuzzle her face against a fluffy pillow or sniff at the fresh ocean air. Everything was absolute perfection; the hotel had overlooked no indulgence. Even the soaps were imported from France. Taking the grand tour, she found that there were two bathrooms, a workout room, walk-in closets, and—she stopped dead in her tracks.
Only one bedroom. With only one bed.
“Um, Bradley?” she called out in a strangled voice.
Moments later, he appeared at her side, having finished his own stroll around the suite to ensure that things were up to snuff.
“Yes?”
“The bed… There’s…only one,” she said falteringly.
His face morphed from surprise to concern, at last ending on embarrassment.
“I’ll text Johnny right now.”
He moved away from Heidi’s frozen body and quickly typed something into his phone. He stared down at it, waiting, until a buzz answered in return.
“You look frustrated,” she observed. “Is something wrong?”
“It’s only that—well, he said the hotel is all booked up. Since it’s almost September, and as you know, the fall season starts soon. Apparently, there was a miscommunication in the haste of our arrangements yesterday. I think…” He cleared his throat. “I think they thought we were traveling as a couple.”
Heidi went pale at this remark.
“But,” he added hurriedly, “I set them straight. I’ve asked Johnny to bring me a trundle bed. You, of course, can have the regular one, in the bedroom—”
“No,” Heidi interjected, “please don’t do that. I’d feel just awful if you brought me on this incredible trip and didn’t even sleep in a proper bed.”
“Don’t be crazy. I’m sure a fold-up mattress here is better than a king-size bed almost anywhere else.”
She hesitated. She didn’t want to inconvenience him, that was certain, but she knew that he wouldn’t possibly agree to her taking the fold-up bed. Though, from the glint in his eye, she suspected he’d be happy to share the master bed with her. The thought had clearly passed through both of their minds, and seemed to hang in the air, notably unvoiced.
At last, he said, “That settles that. I’ll ask Johnny to have the staff send one up.” He tapped some more on the phone’s screen. “All set.”
Heidi hastened to fill the void that had opened up between them with the bed question.
“What’s on the agenda?”
“I booked us some spa sessions,” Bradley replied. “Sound good?”
“Sounds great.”
“They requested we arrive in our robes.”
“Okay,” Heidi said, moving to the bedroom. “I’ll change.”
The next half-hour was filled with the pair trying to distract themselves from the implications of the single bed. Their luggage arrived and they unpacked, freshened up from the trip—in separate bathrooms, of course—and changed into soft, downy white robes.
Heidi caught sight of herself in the mirror, and realized that the robe was shorter than average, scarcely covering her thighs. She blushed, but reasoned that it would seem stranger to come out in street clothes than no robe at all. She made her way back to the living room, and found Bradley appareled in an equally short robe.
“Doesn’t this place cater specifically to crazy-tall athletes?” she asked playfully.
He took one look down at his thigh-grazing robe, and laughed.
“I guess not.”
Heidi found the back of her neck heating up at the sight of his powerful, tanned legs. They were covered in light brown hair that was thicker in some places, and lighter in others. The hair made intricate patterns, seeming to form an arrow straight up to his…
STOP, Heidi screamed to her subconscious. No more thinking about that.
She put the robe and its tantalizing reveal from her mind.
Soon, they made their way over to the Edenix spa, which, like the rest of the hotel, was absolutely top-end. The rooms smelled of jasmine, and the light filtered in through spotless skylights. A hostess showed them their activity schedule: facials, body scrubs, wraps, and at last, massages. Bradley signed off on it all—he refused to let her see the prices of anything—and the relaxation began.
Heidi was whisked from one room to another, and left each one feeling clearer and cleaner. Dead skin was sloughed off her feet, her face was doused in a cooling moisturizer, and her arms and legs were exfoliated until they felt like satin. In only a few short hours, she had stepped out of the haze and stress of the past few weeks, and into what felt like a fresh, reborn body.
The esthetician escorted her into a waiting room, from which Heidi was then taken by a pretty blonde masseuse and led deeper into the spa. The final destination, the massage parlor, had two beds. Heidi cleared her throat.
“Miss?” she queried, addressing the masseuse, “Why are there two tables?”
The woman smiled back. “For you and Mr. Fox.”
Her words seemed to summon him, as another masseuse opened the door, and in followed Bradley. He took one look at the beds, and the color drained from his face.
“There’s been a misunderstanding,” he said to the women, “we didn’t order a couple’s massage.”
The women looked surprised, and moved together, heads bent, to discuss the problem.
Meanwhile, Heidi crossed the room to Bradley, and said lightly, “Damn, they just can’t seem to get the number of beds right anywhere in this hotel.”
He let out a guffaw. She thought she sensed his temperament turn from anxious to relieved. He signaled to the masseuses, and they looked up from their frantic conversation about how to fix the mistake.
“Don’t bother,” he said. “I know the hotel’s at full capacity; I’m sure there aren’t any other rooms available now. Right?”
They both nodded sheepishly.
“Okay,” he continued, “we’ll just do the couple’s massage.” He inclined his head to Heidi. “Needless to say, only if that’s fine with you.”
“Absolutely,” she blurted.
She had wanted to sound gracious, but instead, her voice rang out as delighted. She could tell, because Bradley cocked a thick eyebrow, and his cheek tightened with restrained humor.
“Wonderful, thank you for your understanding,” the blonde replied. “We’ll step out of the room while you two undress.”
The masseuses exited as promised, leaving Bradley and Heidi facing one another timidly. He immediately turned his back, offering her privacy. There was such a fluid chivalrousness to him, she thought.
“I won’t look,” he said in a level voice.
She wished he would.
In any case, she opened her robe, let it drop to the floor, crawled under the covers of her table, and stuck her face in the headrest at the end of the bed.
“Okay,” she called out, “I’m set. You can change. I won’t look,” she finished, reiterating his promise.
She heard the sound of his robe hitting the ground. She shifted her head just a smidge, enough to betray her vow and sneak a look at Bradley. He was just turning around, about to climb into bed, and she could see his powerfully muscled back, that tapered waist and then—Jesus. A perfectly round ass, sculpted into two hard, perky cheeks.
She gasped, then tried to cover it with a cough.
“You okay there?” he asked kindly. “Oh, I’m in bed too. Fully covered. I think we can look up now.”
Carefully, she slid her head out of its resting position and rotated it towards him. Bradley gazed back, looking sexy as ever.
If he’d heard her indiscretion, he gave no indication.
A knock sounded on the door, and he called out that he and Heidi were ready, and they could enter. The duo came back in and moved to their respective clients. In near unison, they pulled back the covers off Heidi and Bradley’s backs, exposing them while they were still facing one another.
The dramatic reveal of Bradley’s back, Heidi mused, was exactly what a body like that deserved. It ought to be uncovered with a showman’s relish. His masseuse tucked the sheet neatly down just above the curve of Bradley’s perfect ass, and she had to make a conscious effort to keep her eyes from wandering.
Heidi hoped she looked even half-decent by comparison. She repositioned herself slightly, and raising her elbows to the edge of the bed, allowed the round side of her breast to peek out. She was sure he caught the movement, as he quickly pressed his head into the holder.
Gotcha, she thought in spite of herself.
The massage passed with no other interruptions, and after the initial distraction of seeing Bradley on display, Heidi relaxed into the bliss of strong hands all along her spine. The hour ended almost as soon as it began, and they wrapped themselves back up into the snuggly robes. Exiting the spa, Bradley looked into the darkening sky, and then at his watch.
“It’s almost dinner time,” he said. “I know it’s not professional, but could we just go to the restaurant in our robes? I’m famished.”
She shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”
They found themselves walking up a winding beach path, which led straight to one of the resort’s restaurants. It was done up with simple bamboo, and had no walls, only a thatched roof balanced on several pillars. The dining area hung over a cliff, so close you could almost feel the spray of the ocean. They snagged a table, the one nearest the water; the restaurant was casual, so there was no need to wait for a hostess.
Heidi leaned out over the balcony, letting the spray lightly hit her.
“You look happy,” Bradley said tentatively.
“That’s because I am.”
His face lit up. Heidi’s heart skipped; she liked that her joy was mirrored in him.
Soon, the meal began, and one delicious course after another was laid in front of them. The talk naturally drifted, as it so often does over a hearty meal, to talk of childhood.
“What was growing up like for you?” he asked.
“My family was great. My parents—Tom and Dina—are good people, the kind that are welcome everywhere. It was kind of a charmed life, to be honest.”
“What do they do for a living?”
“My mom is a lawyer, and my dad worked in finance. He’s retired now.”
“They sound like a power couple.”
“Yeah, they are, but a sweet one. I don’t think you’d know they had fancy jobs unless you saw their business cards.”
He nodded at this.
“Like you. You’re down-to-earth, but also a kickass career woman.”
She waved a hand at the compliment, and he pressed the point.
“No, really,” he continued, “you’re incredible to watch, the way you handle problems with such intuition. I admire it.”
She blushed, and changed the focus, asking, “But what about you? What’s your family like?”
She immediately regretted the question; she’d read every major article ever written about him, and knew that he’d grown up in poverty. She didn’t want to drag that out in the middle of dinner.
“I’m sorry,” she added, “you don’t have to—”
“I’d like to tell you about her,” he said, much to Heidi’s surprise. “My mother, that is.”
He paused, looking out at the moonlight dappling the waves.
“She’s like you, in some ways. Powerful. Constantly on the move, no challenge too big to tackle. I’m not saying you’re my mother,” he added hastily.
Heidi grinned mildly at his evident discomfort. “I know.”
“Anyways, she loves really fiercely, and I’m technically her only living family, but the whole town calls her Momma. She has a spare bed and extra love for everyone.”
Bradley took a deep breath, pausing and thinking.
“I’m sure you’ve come across something about my childhood,” he went on, “but it wasn’t as bad as the media makes it out be. It was rough, yeah, and sometimes I didn’t know where my next meal would come from. But people in my town took care of one another, and that’s worth its weight in gold.”
He sighed, frowning slightly.
“It was poverty, though. And football got me out. Took me away from the broken window screens and dusty pantries. It took me to the mainland, to Miami, and then to where I am now, still with the same team.
“I’m grateful. I know I can’t play for much longer and keep my health in check, but I don’t take too many hits as a QB, and I’d like to go out on a high note. I think there are more Super Bowls in my future. Does that sound boastful?”
She shook her head. “No, it sounds hopeful.”
Their gazes met over the candlelight.
This is like something out of a movie, she thought, taking in the background noise of waves crashing against rocks. It’s not my real life.
And yet, she continued to fall into the depth of those green eyes, which put the ocean’s color to shame. She let her stare wonder over every micro-expression on his visage, trying to assess the muscles for some kind of indication as to his feelings. She came up empty handed.
Does he like me? I honestly cannot fucking tell.
Bradley was an almost professional playboy, and she didn’t want to have her heart broken.
They finished eating, and after breezily signing the bill, Bradley invited her to take a walk down by the water. She agreed, so they walked out of the restaurant and down to the sandy shore below. They dangled their feet in the deliciously warm waters, and laughed over stories from their youths.
Bradley tried—but failed—to hide a snort when she told him about her Goth phase that lasted for all of a month when she started high school. In turn, she giggled at his story of accidentally walking into the girls’ locker room in middle school and being too shocked to move at seeing his first boob.
The time went by too fast, and they soon found themselves back inside the bungalow. Entering from the beach side, Heidi padded through the glass French doors, Bradley close behind her as always.
She glanced towards him, waiting to see what he did next.
“Dinner was wonderful,” Bradley said, sounding deeply content. “Talking to you just feels so…”
“Easy?”
“Yeah.”
“Except when I interrupt you to finish your sentences,” she said with a giggle.
“Even then.”
Bradley moved towards her, until at last he was so close she had to crane her neck to see all of him.
Is this happening? Is he about to—
He leaned down, and pulled her into a hug. Heidi was a touch disappointed, but the embrace lingered. His forearms wrapped like tree trunks around her petite back, and pressed up against him like this… It wasn’t a kiss, but it wasn’t bad, either.
She pulled away suddenly, annoyed with herself for even having such thoughts.
Kissing is not a professional skill, she thought.
If Bradley was disappointed, Heidi couldn’t tell. The man was a closed book. Frustrated, she wished him good-night, and shuffled back to her room.
You’re being ridiculous, she scolded herself. Don’t blame him for maintaining a healthy work relationship.
She swiveled her head over her shoulder. Bradley had already left the room, presumably going to change elsewhere. She was immediately let down, and then mad at herself for being let down. Heidi couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this torn; generally, she was a woman with a plan who knew how to conduct herself and what moves to make.
But Bradley…he seemed to have messed up all her internal nobs and dials, leaving her unable to chart a safe cour
se through choppy waters.
Tired from mental anguish, she washed her face and brushed her teeth, then tucked herself into bed, not even dallying to read or watch some TV before she fell into a tormented sleep.
Chapter 11
Bradley
Bradley awoke with a stiff neck. He had been right, sort of, that this roll-away bed would be the best money could buy. The only problem was, he didn’t quite fit in it. The bed was designed for a child staying with their parents, not a full-grown—overgrown, really—man. He groaned as he sat up, working out the kinks in his spine.
But no matter, because today was gonna be good; he could just feel it.
He was up too early, as per usual, which gave him plenty of time to go for a run with the sunrise, right along the beach path. He cranked up his music and ran fast, attempting to cancel out all thoughts of Heidi, naked in his arms. By mile three, he knew the avoidance tactic wouldn’t work; he couldn’t outrun his feelings for her.
He made his way back to the bungalow and walked in, panting, to find Heidi in silky maroon PJs, making a pot of coffee. She started, evidently hearing him enter, and whirled around, coffee pot in hand.
“Hey there, whoa!” she greeted jumpily, and spilled some of the coffee on her pajamas.
“Oh shit, sorry about that,” he said, moving across the room and grabbing a few napkins from the dinner table. “Here, let me help…”
He went to pat her down with the napkins, until he paused, thinking better of it. Slowly, awkwardly, he passed her the napkins instead.
“Er, I guess you can handle that yourself.”
“I’m good—sorry I’m still in my PJs, it was a slow morning. Generally, I work out first thing, but I had such a wonderful sleep and such good dreams, that I just thought, you know what, skip it.”
It felt like he had on a suit collar that had suddenly grown too tight; he resisted the urge to loosen an imaginary tie.
“And what did you dream?”
His Surprise Baby Page 6