Page 95 of The Quit List
Jaxon Grainger is standing ten feet in front of me, under the water of the open air shower. And he’s naked.
And wet.
And did I mention naked?
My brain doesn’t even know what to do with this information. All of my thoughts basically turn into a mush of wet paper mache as a swell of the Hallelujah Chorus sung by a choir of angels blasts through my mind in an impressive crescendo.
I stand there, frozen on the spot, as my eyes go everywhere and nowhere all at once. They take in the water sluicing off of Jax’s muscular back in rivulets, the way his forearms and biceps flex as he washes his hair. I notice how strong and muscular his thighs are; the jagged scar bisecting his right shoulder blade and cutting into the edge of the tattooed artwork that decorates the area.
And let’s not forget that butt.
It’s a good butt. A very good butt.
A coherent thought finally runs through my mind: Jax Grainger is all man.
And whew, what a mighty fine man, at that.
Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly be more attracted to him…
I stare at him in a bit of a trance for another moment or ten, until Rick trots up next to me and barks, snapping me out of my reverie. I suddenly realize I’m standing here, ogling my dating coach like a wolf closing in on a particularly juicy steak.
“Shh, Rick!” I hiss frantically while slowly, carefully, starting to back away.
Rick wags his little tail and barks louder.
“No, no, no. Please no,” I beg. To no avail.
Jax begins to turn his head towards the noise, so I do the only thing I can possibly think to do in this situation…
I run away.
As fast as my flapping, flip-flopped feet will carry me.
I race back to the cabin, change into my clothes for the day (sans shower), and then sprint like Usain Bolt to the edge of the clearing and make my way through the trees towards the stream below.
I think I prefer to take my chances against a rogue bear than find out if Jax saw me staring at his naked self.
Sitting by the creek, I dangle my feet into the cool water (which, quite frankly, does nothing to cool me off). And while I know that I should probably be feeling embarrassed and awkward right now, I can’t help but simply feel awestruck as I take in the glorious view of the sun climbing over the treetops and hilly peaks on the horizon.
I wait until I am one thousand percent sure that Jax is done showering and fully clothed. Then, I put on my best casual stance and stroll back to the cabin like I’ve done nothing more this morning than take a peaceful wander around the forest.
Outside the cabin, there’s a pile of gear that Jax is meticulously moving into two backpacks laying on the ground next to him.
When he hears me coming, he looks up. Shoots me a lopsided grin. “Morning, Holly.”
“Good morning.” I try my best to smile and look normal, and not like a woman who has seen him butt-naked. No pun needed because literally.
“You go for a morning walk?”
“Went down to the stream. Just wanted to?—”
“Take in the view?” he finishes for me, his grin widening as his eyes lock onto mine.
“Something like that,” I reply, sure that my face is burning scarlet right now.
“You never know what you might come across in the wilderness.” He shrugs easily, but I catch a glimpse of his teasing smile.
At the same time though, I feel strangely relieved. This banter and teasing feels normal—or at least normal for us. He’s not acting awkward or weird about last night. Or about the fact that he most definitely knows that I saw him naked.