Exclusive / a Touch of Heaven

by Samantha Chase

Then again, unleashing that passion in Sawyer anyplace was enough to send tingles down her spine.

  With a sigh, mentally chanting the alphabet backward, Regan headed into spa room three and found Sawyer face down on the table with a blanket draped over his bottom half.

  Now, that’s a damn shame, she thought and then realized she needed to get her professional shield back in place. She went through the questions she asked all her clients—was the temperature in the room okay? Did he want to use an aroma candle? Why was he here?

  “I hurt my shoulder last month on a project and it’s been acting up again,” he said without looking at her. “It’s my right shoulder.” Regan nodded wordlessly and went to work.

  It took less than a minute for her to realize she was in trouble.

  He felt even better than she’d imagined, and as soon as she saw her hands on Sawyer’s back, all thoughts of professionalism went out the window. It was too easy to imagine her hands on him in a more intimate way, and when he let out a low growl, Regan had to scramble for a way to clear her mind. Unfortunately, her mind wouldn’t cooperate.

  When she tried to think of her mother’s house, she saw the two of them kissing in the yard. When she tried to get angry at what he was doing at her mother’s house, she could hear his kind words as he whispered to her. She couldn’t remember the damn alphabet—backward or forward—to save her own life. How was she supposed to get through the next…fifty-five minutes! Had time simply stopped?

  Staring at the clock, Regan worked on Sawyer’s shoulder until her fingers started to go numb, and that’s when she heard it. Her hands stilled for a moment before she went back to massaging him, and heard it again.

  “No sex noises,” she hissed.

  Sawyer raised his head and sleepily looked at her. “Excuse me?”

  “You were just making sex noises. Stop that. It’s not allowed.”

  He flashed her a wicked grin. “Regan, you have no idea what kind of noises I make during sex, but I’m glad to see where your mind is heading.”

  She stepped away from the table and stared at him. “That is not where my mind is heading! I was working on your shoulder and you started…you know, moaning.”

  “What can I say? You hit the sweet spot.”

  “The sweet spot?” she croaked and prayed he wouldn’t raise himself up anymore. As it was he was braced on his elbows, so now she had a fine view of his chest and yes, it was mouthwateringly good.

  Making a tsking sound, he shook his head. “Regan, certainly you are aware of sweet spots,” he said with a voice that melted over her like butter.

  Oh, she was aware of them all right. As a matter of fact, he had several of hers tingling with just the sound of his voice. This is bad, she thought. Bad, bad, bad! “That’s neither here nor there—the fact is that if a massage seems to be getting a client…aroused, then we stop.”

  “The only one who thinks I’m aroused is you,” he said sweetly and put his face back on the pillow. “But if it makes you feel better, I promise not to make a sound.”

  Regan watched as he got back into position, cursing herself. She should never have agreed to this; it was totally unfair that he seemed unaffected by this while she was practically standing in a puddle of her own drool.

  Charming.

  With a good mental scolding, she went back to the task. Fifteen minutes later, she needed him to roll over so she could work on the shoulder from the front, and then it was her turn to let out a small sound.

  “Excuse me?” Sawyer asked, not opening his eyes. “What was that noise?”

  “I don’t know… I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about,” Regan lied and went right to work on his shoulder, hoping to distract him.

  “Now, I’m no expert in the noises you make during sex, but I’m pretty sure that sounded like a sex noise.”

  Regan instantly removed her hands from him and stepped back. “I think we’re done here.”

  Slowly, Sawyer sat up, looked at her and then at the clock. “I believe I still have another thirty minutes scheduled.”

  “Well, if you want to use them, I’ll send Todd in to finish,” she said tartly. Why was this happening to her? She never made purring or sex noises outside of the bedroom. Why did it have to be here and now with Sawyer?

  “Okay, okay,” he said, sensing her discomfort. “That was out of line and I’m sorry. I was just kidding with you. It was a little too quiet in here and I just thought I’d say something to break the tension. It was in poor taste and I’m sorry I offended you.”

  “I just don’t think—”

  “What you’re doing is really helping,” he said. “Please, Regan. I won’t utter another word until you’re done. Scout’s honor.” He held up his hand and gave her his most innocent smile.

  Her lips twitched with the urge to smile back. “How do I know you were a Scout?”

  “You can ask my dad, he’ll tell you. I went from Cub to Eagle, and he’ll be happy to share with you some of the adventures we had.” Remembering his promise to stop talking, he lay down and pretended to zip his lips.

  And then Regan’s soft laugh was the only sound in the room.

  * * *

  The sound of Regan’s chuckle made him feel good.

  The sensation of her hands on him again left him feeling more than that. As a matter of fact, this position left him rather…vulnerable. If he didn’t do something to distract himself, he wouldn’t have to worry about sex noises but the tenting of the blanket. His mind scrambled for what to do and he was relieved when Regan chose to talk.

  “Speaking of your father, I was wondering why he needed my mother to go with him to High Point today.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Regan continued to work on Sawyer’s shoulder, and then his neck, and up to his temples as she spoke. “Mom said she wasn’t coming in today because Max invited her to go to High Point with him to look at bathroom fixtures.” Sawyer frowned and Regan removed her hands. “I’m sorry, was that too much pressure?”

  “What? No, it’s just…well, Caroline called off the crew today because she said she had a migraine. She called late last night and asked if we could take the day off.” He opened his eyes and saw the confused look on Regan’s face. “Does she normally get migraines?”

  She nodded. “They don’t happen very often and it’s been a while since she’s had one, so I guess it’s possible. It just seems weird that she would have made the call last night. Normally if one hits at night, she’s fine the next morning.”

  “Maybe she needed a day of no noise in the house just in case,” he suggested but could tell Regan wasn’t totally convinced. “Do you think she’s lying?”

  “No, it’s not that, I’m just concerned. Normally when she’s not feeling well, she calls me. When she was here yesterday, she was pretty excited about looking at bathroom fixtures. If she wasn’t feeling well, she should have called to let me know she wasn’t going.”

  “She knows you’re busy, Regan. Maybe she didn’t want to bother you.”

  A laugh escaped before she could stop it. “Clearly you don’t know my mother very well. She keeps me up to date with everything going on in her life whether I want to know about it or not. Did your father mention taking her with him to High Point?”

  Sawyer thought for a moment. “No, he never mentioned going to High Point because we have all the fixtures ordered. It would be a pointless trip.” The look of worry on Regan’s face had him sitting up and adjusting the blanket around him. “I don’t think you have anything to get upset about, Regan. Dad didn’t mention anything to me, but maybe Caroline misunderstood where he was taking her?”

  “Something’s not right.”

  “Okay, okay, let’s just say something’s not right. What exactly are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking your father is hitting on my
mother!”

  Sawyer laughed. “Are you kidding me? If anything, Caroline has been flirting with Max! And even if they are flirting or whatever, why is it such a big deal?”

  “Have you talked to your father today?” she asked instead of answering his question.

  “No. After he called me last night to say Caroline wasn’t feeling well, he said he was going to take the day to get caught up on paperwork. He knew I was coming here, so there was no reason to talk this morning.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  Sawyer raked a hand through his hair and sighed. “Look, if it makes you feel better, I’ll take a rain check on the rest of the massage and you can go check on Caroline.”

  The look on her face told him she’d rather do anything but give him a rain check. It was really a little amusing how well he was getting to know her, but he knew she’d never admit it out loud. “Fine,” she said grudgingly. “Rain check. I recommend you go back to your hotel and soak in a Jacuzzi if they have one. It will help with the muscles. Drink a lot of water and take it easy for the rest of the day. We’ll figure out later when to reschedule.” She was speaking fast and was about to spin out of the room when Sawyer grabbed her hand and gently pulled her toward him.

  “Hey,” he said quietly, seriously. “I’m sure everything is fine. You need to relax, okay? I don’t like the thought of you driving when you’re upset.” He gently tugged her hand to get her to step into the space between his blanket-covered thighs. “Do you want me to go with you?”

  The sincerity of his words and the silk of his voice were nearly hypnotic, and for a moment Regan forgot what they were talking about. The heat coming off his body combined with the clean, masculine scent of him had her putting a hand on his shoulder—and not for medicinal purposes. He whispered her name as he reached up and cupped the back of her head and brought her lips to his.

  * * *

  There was no hesitation this time; they had been here before and it was everything Regan remembered and more. She stepped in as close to him as she could get and loved the way it felt when his free arm banded around her waist to keep her there. This time she did purr. She didn’t care if he heard it or what he thought it was, because she was needy and turned on and hoped he felt the same way.

  A quick wiggle of her hips told her he did.

  Her hands raked through his hair and it felt glorious. Sawyer wore it a little longer than conventional style, but it was silky and wonderful and made him look all the more rugged. His name was a breathless sigh as he moved his mouth from hers and traveled the expanse of her throat. The hand at her back began to work its way under her shirt—the feel of his hands on her skin made her knees buckle.

  “You never answered my question the other day,” he said between kisses.

  Question? He could think about questions right now? “Refresh my memory.”

  He chuckled deep in his throat and continued to torment her with his mouth and his tongue. “Time together. You. Me.” He gently bit down on her earlobe and felt her body shiver.

  “Oh, that,” she said, angling her head back to capture his lips with hers again. It didn’t take long for the conversation to come to a halt while they feasted on one another. Sawyer lifted her so she straddled his lap on the massage table, his hand settling on her bottom and gently squeezing.

  “I want you,” he murmured.

  “This is crazy,” she whispered back. “I barely know you.”

  “There’s a solution to that.” He pulled his head back and did his best to put a little distance between them. “I’m serious, Regan. I can’t believe how much I want us to spend some time together, to get to know each other.”

  She looked at him as if he was speaking a different language. Here she was trying to think of a way to lock the door and have her way with him without her staff hearing and he was talking about generally spending time together. Couldn’t they go for the two birds, one stone option? “I kind of like the time we’re spending right now,” she said in her sexiest tone, and was rewarded when Sawyer pulled her in for a kiss.

  “Come back to the hotel with me. It’s not far from here.” He leaned in and licked a trail down the side of her neck to her collarbone, where he gently sucked. “We can be there in ten minutes. We’ll even check in with Max and see what’s going on later.” Regan stiffened in his arms.

  Dammit.

  That was the slap of reality right there. Regan scrambled down from his lap and righted her clothing. “What the hell am I doing?” she asked herself out loud, turning and pointing a finger at Sawyer. “You! I cannot believe I forgot about checking on my mother because of you!”

  Sawyer stood and pulled the blanket around his waist with one hand while the other reached out to her. “Okay, I think you need to calm down. We can still check on your mother—”

  “No, we can’t. I will. I can’t do this with you, Sawyer. Every time I’m around you, I seem to forget myself.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that. Please, Regan,” he said softly as he stroked her arm. “Call Caroline, make sure she’s okay, and then…come with me back to the hotel.” He leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes searching hers. “Please.”

  She’d never had a man beg for her before, and while she should have been pleased, she was too distracted. “I can’t,” she said apologetically. “This just isn’t the right time. I need to go and…and do this.” And before he could stop her, she fled the room, leaving him standing there wrapped in a blanket, with a raging hard-on and his world turned upside down.

  * * *

  Thirty minutes later, Regan pulled up in front of her mother’s house and was relieved not to see any construction vehicles. Her last visit had involved her parking on the street and wading through a sea of power tools and men in hard hats. There are worse things for a single girl to have to wade through, but still.

  “Mom?” she called out as she let herself in. Caroline’s car was in the driveway, so unless she had gotten over her migraine and gone with Max to High Point after all, she should be home. Regan walked around and marveled at all the work that had been done. As much as she didn’t want to like it, things were coming together beautifully. She called out half-heartedly one more time while she ran her hands over the granite countertops in the kitchen. It was stunning, absolutely stunning, and her heart ached that some other family was going to get to enjoy all this.

  Off in the distance she heard her mother’s voice and let out a sigh of relief. If her mother was talking, then she no longer had a headache. Slowly, Regan made her way to the master bedroom, stopping to admire the new paint colors and the way the hardwood floors were refinished.

  Caroline giggled, and Regan smiled as she wondered who her mother must be talking to on the phone. Reaching for the door handle and pushing it open, she said, “Hey, I heard you were down with a—OH MY GOD!” Regan didn’t know who was more surprised by her appearance—Caroline, herself, or…Max Bennett. “Mom?” she said with disbelief.

  To their credit, Max and Caroline did their best to cover up as Regan cringed and walked out, hyperventilating. “Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod,” she chanted as she made her way quickly back to the kitchen to grab her purse and keys.

  “Regan! Wait!” Caroline called as she came into the kitchen. “What are you doing here?”

  “What am I doing here?” Regan asked incredulously. “What exactly are you doing here?”

  “I live here, Regan. And don’t be cute.”

  As much as she wanted to, Regan couldn’t bring herself to look directly at her mother. “Believe me, I am not trying to be cute. You told me you were going to High Point today, and then Sawyer comes into the spa and tells me you called off the crew because you had a migraine. So, since I was concerned about you, I decided to stop by and see if you needed anything.”

  “Well, that was sweet of you,” Caroline said calmly and Regan looke
d at her in shock.

  “Yes, I think it was sweet of me to come and check on someone who blatantly lied to me! What are you doing, Mom? What is going on with Max?”

  “Regan, please. I may be old but I’m not stupid. You’re no virgin, so stop with the outrage. You know exactly what Max and I were doing. I really don’t want to have the birds and the bees talk with you again.”

  Yes, death would be preferable to this, Regan thought. “I’m not looking for the birds and the bees, Mom. I’m wondering when you got…involved with Max and why you were keeping it a secret.”

  Caroline shrugged. “It wasn’t anyone’s business. We’re both consenting adults and in truth, Regan, it has been a long time since I’ve had sex.” She giggled shyly. “I had forgotten how wonderful it could be.”

  “Ew, gross, Mom!” Regan slapped her hands over her ears. “I do not want to hear this.”

  Caroline knocked her hands away. “Cut that out, Regan. You’re a grown woman and I think you can handle hearing that your mother had sex!”

  “Oh, I not only heard it, I saw it too. Let’s not forget that!”

  “Well, if you can’t be mature about this, then maybe you should leave.”

  Regan’s eyes grew wide. “Me? I should leave? How about asking Max to leave? I’m pretty upset here!”

  “Yes, yes, poor you,” Caroline cooed. “I don’t mean to be rude, Regan, but…you really, um…interrupted us and I’d like to go back inside. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

  “Talk about what, exactly?” Regan asked, her voice nearing hysteria. “Your sex life?” Caroline guided her daughter to the door. “You can’t be serious.”

  “As a heart attack,” Caroline said as she gently shoved Regan out the door.

  It was hard to describe which emotion held the top spot at the moment: shock, anger, outrage, disgust, or…jealousy. For crying out loud, was it possible she was jealous because her own mother had a sex life and she didn’t? Was that too twisted to consider? And the fact that not only did she have a sex life, but she had one with a Bennett hit a little too close to home.