Nathan’s was one of the hidden pools. If she hadn’t seen him open the gate, she would have thought it was just another line of evergreen trees and not a separate area. Instead, she discovered they had their own private oasis.
The water pooled in a natural looking rock basin, but all the stones inside the pool were smooth and selected for comfort. She doubted nature made the pool quite this perfect, but who ever had designed it had kept to Mother Nature’s aesthetics. Big flat stones surrounded the pool edge, making it easy to walk around. A large heated bench with an awning was the perfect place to hang a robe and towel and be sure it would be snow-free and dry. There was a small table with a button on it off to the far side of the enclosure.
Trees and shrubs hid the metal fencing, but they were done in such a way that it felt like she was out in the middle of the woods rather than just off the side of a hotel. Snow floated down, melting in the rising steam of the hot water.
“This is amazing,” Holly whispered. She knew that Blue Aspen was fancy, but this took fancy to a whole new level. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun on the top of her head.
“Graham is mad that I rented it out before he did,” Nathan told her with a chuckle. “It’s an annual competition between us as to who can get to it first. He won last year, I got this year.”
Nathan walked confidently across the stones to the bench and began stripping. The cold didn’t seem to phase him as he pulled off his shirt, exposing bare skin to the snow.
Holly watched him for a second, enjoying the view. The man worked out. She remembered the way his broad shoulders felt on her hands when he was on top of her and a warm thrill went straight to the spot where her legs met.
Nathan looked good in his swim trunks. They were probably by some designer, but she liked the dark navy color on him and the way they hugged his hips. He sat on the edge of the pool, feet in the warm water, and looked over at her.
“You coming?”
She shook herself, making sure she wasn’t drooling as she headed to the bench. Once there, she realized that there was an infrared heat lamp, so even the three steps from the bench to the pool would be in comfort. She wiggled out of her leggings and sweater, knowing that Nathan was watching her just as she had just watched him.
She rather liked the idea, so she made sure to give him a show.
He lounged on the far end of the pool, his eyes glued to her as she seductively walked across the stones and slid in. The warmth of the water enveloped her and she sighed and relaxed. She could feel her muscles loosen.
“I can see why this is your Christmas tradition,” she said, staying low in the water so just her head peeked out. Snow flakes drifted down, catching in her hair and eyelashes before melting with the steam.
“Imagine skiing all day, and then coming to this,” Nathan said, his voice inviting and low. “If I call or message the kitchen, they’ll bring out food and drinks. They have these trays that hang over the water so you can eat without getting out.”
The idea of eating in this warm, relaxing water sounded heavenly. “You better be careful,” she teased him. “A girl could get used to this.”
That’s when she realized what she’d said. Again with wanting a future with him. She glanced over at him, but his eyes were closed and head back against a stone. He made a noncommittal noise and Holly hoped that it meant he hadn’t really heard what she’d said.
She looked at him, putting him in her memory. The brown hair, spiky now with the falling snow and steam, the strong jaw, the confident nose, and the easy smile. He peeked open one chocolate brown eye at her and smiled, knowing she was looking at him.
“The view’s better over here.” He patted the stones next to him.
Heat that had nothing to do with the hot-spring flared again. A desire to strip from her swimsuit filled her. To feel him inside of her again. She knew that no matter how many times she had him, it would never grow old. It would be like cooking. There would always be something new and wonderful to try with him.
She grinned, catching her lower lip in a sultry smile as she made her way to him. Now that the dirty thoughts had entered her mind, she w
as going to use them. She only had a day left with him and she wasn’t going to waste it.
Instead of sitting next to him, Holly moved to put her knees on either side of his hips. His eyes opened slowly as he found her straddling his waist. The reaction that she felt under the water said that he was as ready as she was.
“This is a private pool, right?” she asked him, the idea that someone might walk in on them making her slightly nervous. She didn’t move though.
“Very private,” he assured her, leaning forward and kissing the delicate spot where her jaw met her throat. She shivered with anticipation.
She reached behind her and unhooked her swim top. Slowly, she put it on the edge of the pool so it wouldn’t float away with the current. Nathan’s eyes dilated and his breath caught. He shifted his hips beneath her and she felt just how excited he was.
It was empowering to know that she had this kind of power over him. She inspired a physical reaction that he couldn’t hide. That he didn’t want to hide.
One that she would enjoy in just a few minutes.
Chapter 18
Nathan
Nathan had always loved this pool. It wasn't just that he beat Graham to it, although that did make it sweeter. There was a peacefulness to this pool. A quiet. He felt serene and comfortable here. He'd spent many hours in this particular place, watching the sky and the water.