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"What are you doing?" Tess asks, amusement dancing in her voice.

"Creating a tasting menu," I say with complete seriousness. "Kettle-cooked sea salt and vinegar paired with thirty-year-old cognac brings out notes of...I don't know, oak and pretentiousness?"

"You're ridiculous," she states, but she's already reaching for the jalapeño chips.

"I agree with you one hundred percent," I say, joining her on the sofa, close enough that our knees almost touch.

We sit there, drinking three-thousand-dollar cognac and eating chips, and begin a brutal play-by-play from the wedding—Hank’s cousin who kept showing everyone photos of his pet iguana, the best man's disastrous attempt at rapping, the elderly aunt who kept farting.

We’re laughing so hard we’re almost crying.

"I can't believe you kept a straight face during the vows," Tess says, wiping tears from her eyes. "When Kiley started talking about 'finding her lighthouse in the storm,' I almost lost my shit. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing."

"All those years of poker have made me really good at keeping a straight face," I admit.

Tess tucks her long legs underneath her. The movement causes her dress to ride up slightly, revealing more of her thigh. I can’t help but stare. I clear my throat and gesture toward the balcony. "So...about that hot tub. It seems like a shame to waste it."

Tess glances out at the steaming water, then back at me. "I didn't pack a swimsuit."

"Neither did I," I say, holding her gaze.

A beat of silence stretches between us, charged with something more potent than the alcohol warming our blood.

"Well," she says finally, a small smile playing at her lips. "I guess we'll just have to improvise."

We finish our drinks, the cognac leaving a pleasant buzz humming through my veins. Tess stands, smoothing down her dress. "I'm going to change."

While she disappears into the bathroom with her overnight bag, I dim the lights and grab the bottle and glasses. I set them by the edge of the hot tub, then quickly strip down to my boxer briefs.

I've just lowered myself into the hot water when I hear the bathroom door open. I look up to find Tess standing at the threshold in a black bra and matching underwear, her body silhouetted by the light behind her. My mouth goes dry.

"Is this okay?" she asks, suddenly looking uncertain. "It's all I had."

It takes me a second to find my voice. "It's perfect."

She walks toward me, and I try not to stare, but I'm only human. The curves of her body, the way she moves - damn this woman is amazing. She climbs in across from me, sighing as the hot water envelops her.

"This," she says, closing her eyes, "was definitely worth getting through that wedding."

"Just the hot tub?" I ask, aiming for playful but landing closer to genuinely curious.

She opens one eye. "The company's not bad either."

We sit in comfortable silence for a while, letting the jets work their magic on our tense muscles. I pour us each another small measure of cognac, and we toast again – "To the company," this time.

The city lights twinkle below us, and above, a few stars manage to peek through Spokane’s mainly cloudy sky. It's peaceful, but I'm acutely aware of Tess across from me, water lapping just below her collarbones, hair piled messily atop her head.

"Thanks for having my back today," she says suddenly. "I know it was kind of awkward at times."

"Happy to do it," I say, winking at her. "I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

Our eyes meet over the rim of our glasses, and I watch a droplet of water trace its way down her neck, disappearing into the hollow of her throat. I have a sudden, overwhelming urge to follow its path with my lips.

"Charlie?" Her voice is soft, questioning.

"Yeah?"

"You’re pretty awesome."