It May Rain

Chapter Twenty

"Jump, Mae!" Hugo yells at me. "It's lovely and warm in here."

He's swimming around the small lake at the end of his godparent's garden. This morning I was able to see that the row of outbuildings were in fact horse stables, along with a paddock and a barn, and farther down there is a guest house and a separate groundskeeper's lodge. To the back there is a lake that backs onto the forest edge, and from there a never ending horizon of trees. To my eyes, this place is like a mini country estate.

"I must be crazy for letting you convince me to do this," I mutter.

"Come on, it's traditional. Not just in Denmark, but they do this all over Scandinavia. A quick dip in cold water is good for the soul."

"Ok, ok. I'll try it. You're making it sound like it's the fountain of youth," I huff as I roll my eyes.

I take my coat off so all I'm wearing is my bikini, I hold my breath and plunge into the inky depths of the water.

All of a sudden I can't breathe and I have to fight to get air into my lungs. That is, if my lungs aren't already frozen to nothingness already. The water feels like it's below freezing, even though it shouldn't be now it's the end of April. It is seeping into every pore of my being. If I thought I was having trouble breathing during my first fun run, right now I'm dying and clinging onto the land of the living.

This isn't refreshing like Hugo said it would be; it's pure suffering.

"I...can't...breathe," I pant. I try to move my arms to stay afloat, but my limbs aren't moving how I want them to move. It's only when I feel Hugo's strong arms supporting me that I no longer feel myself sinking.

"It's ok, I've got you. Just breathe in, and breathe out. It'll just take a few seconds to get used to the cold."

I splash myself to the edge of the lake, or rather I push myself against Hugo, using him as a support. I drag myself out of the water and wrap my coat around me.

"Hugo! That was the worst thing I have ever experienced," I cry, my teeth chattering. "I'm never doing that again."

He tips his head back and laughs heartily. "It's because you didn't stay in here long enough. I promise you, if you stay in here longer than five seconds you'll acclimatise and it won't be so bad."

He dips his head under the surface and emerges a few seconds later, wiping the excess water from his hair. All the while, I stand there shivering my tits off.

"No way in hell am I getting back in there. Where's the sauna you were on about? I desperately need to warm up."

"Follow the path into the woods, and about ten metres in it should be on your right. I'll come and join you in a few minutes."

As soon as I step into the sauna it feels like I've entered heaven. Warm air assaults my face and within seconds I'm sweating from the heat. The icy chill that took over my body quickly dissipates and I wish I could bottle this feeling up forever. If I had access to a sauna during the winter months, I'd never leave.

I strip off my coat and consider taking off my bikini. It's more than warm enough to be comfortable with nothing on, and it's just me and Hugo out here. I go to undo the strap of my bikini top when I stop, wondering if anyone else might walk in. If one of his godparents were to walk in that would be beyond mortifying.

Especially if it were Magnus who were to see me topless.

"It's customary to not wear any clothes in the sauna," a deep voice penetrates the silence. "To allow as much skin exposure to the air."

I'm in a small anteroom full of coat hooks and a rack for storing shoes, but the voice is coming from the main room with the sauna benches. The lights are turned off and there are no windows, but I'd recognise that voice anywhere.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Konrad," I utter into the dingy atmosphere, trying to make my eyes adjust to the darkness.

"And nor I, you," he smirks. "You do not have to be naked if you do not feel comfortable, of course. But it is a much more freeing experience without."

I instantly lower my hands from my still tied bikini strap, walk into the main room and squirm under his gaze. His stare is so intense, and knowing he is likely naked under that tiny towel he has covering his crotch area is doing things to my insides. His rugged body is like a rock, sculpted from hours spent at the gym and his legs look like firm logs splayed across the bench like that. The more my eyes adjust to the dark the more they are drawn to the tattoos that cover his thighs and shoulders.

Who knew he was hiding such a godlike body underneath the work shirts I've only ever seen him wear.

I bite my lip and force myself to calm down. He might be hot but he's not my boyfriend, so the fact he's making my heart beat out of sync counts for nothing.

"Why are you sat in here with the lights off?"

"I was not expecting company, so there was no need to turn them on. There is only the wall to stare at, anyway. But since you are here now, you are welcome to turn them on. Your face will be much more interesting to stare at than the wall."

I do as he says and gingerly take a seat an arm's width away from him. He smells earthy and fresh, and even from this safe distance, he smells delicious. I'd happily chat to him to get to know what he's like away from work, but I'm afraid my voice will betray my secret attraction to him. I remember the first time I ever spoke to him and my voice came out as an embarrassing squeak.

So we sit in silence for a while.

In this respect, he's nothing like Hugo, who would probably be listing the benefits of open-water swimming or describing the history of saunas to me by now. I wish he were here now, to break this awkward silence. Maybe I should get up and leave to see where he's got to, check to see he's ok. He must have been swimming in that ice cold water for ages now. And I should probably give myself a break from the immense hold Konrad has on me.

"Have you been to a sauna before?" he asks, breaking the silence.

I clear my throat and steel my voice. "No, I've never been to anything like this before. They're not that common where I come from."

"They're not that common in Denmark either, to be honest. It's more of a Finnish thing. My parents are obsessed with wellbeing, though, and so they had this sauna installed. It is perfect for after a cold water swim."

"I see. Well, it's very nice. I can imagine it must be nice for your parents to come and sit in here during winter."

"Yes, it is, when they are not too busy working. Which is quite rare these days."

He turns to me and gives me a curious look.

"I don't think I've ever had the chance to chat one on one with you like this before. I must apologise for that, as I know you've been working at the company for a few weeks now."

I wither under his glare, those blue eyes giving me their undivided attention.

"I, um...No, you're right we haven't really talked much since I started. Which is totally fine, you must be so busy splitting your time between three offices. You can't have enough time to meet every new staff member."

He stretches his arms above his head and the towel on his lap wobbles slightly. I try my hardest not to look, but during the quickest of glimpses I notice the shape underneath it is more prominent than it was before. Before it was relatively flat, and now it's ever so slightly raised. Or am I just seeing things...

"Well, I try my best. It is hard trying to fit everything in, but we do value everyone that joins the team. Even as the company grows, we want to maintain a good link between management and our employees. And that includes you, Mae."

He gently places a hand on my thigh to make his point, and paints a smouldering smile on his face.

Without even realising, I return the smile, and I do nothing about it when he keeps his hand on my leg for a second longer than he needs to.