Pleasure shuddered through him. Of course, she wanted him to join her. If he took the other half of her couple’s pass, he was sending a subconscious togetherness message to her. That kind of move gave women ideas, he couldn’t go there.
“After last night’s game, I could use a massage too,” Kiernan echoed Liam.
Interfering bros. Mikah turned so he was full on facing Piper and gave her a glinting look. She handed the blue pass to him. “Thanks.” He’d set her straight later that a couples spa day didn’t mean coupledom.
Willow continued her catwalk strut on the balcony. She tried to meet his gaze, but he was having no part of that. Not his type, screwed over Piper, looking for a free ride.
Rookie put his belt buckle on. It looked ridiculous.
Willow came in and gave Rookie’s puck a rub. “For luck.”
Rookie blushed but didn’t protest. Idiot.
“You can rub mine too,” Willow said to Rookie. She shifted to the other guys. “You’re all welcome to, for luck.”
Mikah kept his expression straight and didn’t look at Piper. She had to be pissed. What had Dodo been thinking? Vegas must have blown his last two brain cells.
Dodo and Dahlia returned, both frowning and red-faced, totally demonstrating the lack of joy in coupledom. “Willow,” Dahlia snapped. “Put your clothes back on.”
Willow pouted and returned to the balcony. She put her backside in front of the glass, bent to retrieve her dress, and gave them a good shot of the string up her butt that led to the target puck.
* * *
Inside the women’s dressing room, Piper belted the cream-colored spa robe over her aquamarine dotted bikini. She’d thought the two pieces daring when she’d packed them. Compared to that puck butt floss Dodo had proposed the dancers wear, Piper was going to look conservative with her strappy, blingy suit. She pulled her hair into a high knot tied with a turquoise ribbon, locked up her stuff, and followed the Zen music out to the communal meeting area to meet her spa partner.
Mikah wore a similar terrycloth robe…as did his buddies.
Liam, Kiernan, and Rookie lounged on the sofa beside him holding crystal water glasses filled with fizzy liquid swimming with cucumber slices. These dudes were definitely pack animals. Them hanging together was normal. The unusual part was seeing these high energy athletes reclining like Roman gods. She arched her eyebrows at Mikah.
Mikah shrugged. “They bought their own spa packages.”
Guess they could all use some pampering. Her nails already had a pretty candy-pink manicure…but a massage sounded good, or one of those body polishes that would make her skin glow and lure Mikah away from his bro-time. Would a five-thousand-dollar spa day make her irresistible? Hah. Piper took a glass of water from the gold tray and sipped. Refreshing liquid eased her parched throat, unused to the dry Vegas air. How many of these would she have to drink before she spent the total on her gift card? Just with this group, the spa took in more than most people made in a month. After this, Liam was no longer allowed to bitch about money. “What do you think we’re getting for five thousand dollars?” she asked, like this was simply another day in her typical week and not a wildly extravagant splurge.
“Can’t wait to find out,” Kiernan said. Rookie nodded.
She should open a spa adjacent to the hockey arena. Two days and she’d have enough to move out.
Liam winced. “I should have asked the price up front. She gave me the credit card slip, and I didn’t know how to back out.”
That she understood. Fine. She’d let him complain a little more about money.
A greeter entered the space holding a set of card keys. “Welcome.” She motioned her hand toward a curtain. “Make your way to your private chambers.” She handed out keycards. Piper and Mikah’s keycard had the words, Couples Room number two on the front in swirly gold font. “Enjoy.”
“Thanks.” Piper walked with Mikah down the hallway lit by warm crystal sconces to their door.
The room inside had pale cream-colored floor tiles, walls, and ceiling. A cream loveseat sat in one corner. Cream towels draped over a bamboo ladder. An oval cream porcelain hot tub filled with opalescent liquid and round clear balls took center stage. Other than the relaxing absence of color and pattern, Piper didn’t understand the motif. She should have asked for an explanatory brochure. “What’s the theme? Milky bubble bath? Adult ball pit? Alien eggs?”
Mikah laughed, but his eyes held serious interest. He looked from the tub to her and back with a fascinated expression.
Her insides warmed and glowed, empowering Piper to stride over to the deep wide tub, as if she was on sure footing in a steady relationship. Piper put her hand on the rough rubbery handrail. She totally wanted to know what a five-thousand-dollar bubble bath felt like. “I will if you will.” She looked over her shoulder at him and made her voice playful.
“Absolutely.” Mikah shrugged off his robe, revealing swim trunks and a body worth millions. He gripped the rail, climbed in with athletic ease. He sat on a ledge she couldn’t see through the thick liquid, but which had to be there because his shoulders were above the waterline. Mikah in a creamy warm bath waiting for her.
Piper swallowed. She’d pay for that view any day, but even better, no price could purchase that look in his eyes—anticipation, interest, as if he only wanted to be here with her and nowhere else in the world. Piper toyed with the tie on her robe. “What’s it like?”
Mikah held out his palm in invitation. “Join me.”
Yeah, she would. Piper stepped closer, took his hand, and placed his fingers on the bow. Let him unwrap her. Sure, she was crossing a line they’d drawn in their relationship. Vegas obliterated boundaries. They advertised that truth. Piper was giving being here with him no more thought than that.