by Cindy Stark
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s okay. It hurts good.”
Hurts good? Kind of like her heart that felt like it might be coming back to life? A wounded-but-healing kind of feeling? Not that she’d expect anything from Rick. He had his own demons to conquer, it seemed. But she couldn’t deny he made her feel things she hadn’t experienced in a long time. For that, she was grateful. Maybe being close to him would get her back on the right path.
She was beginning to think so.
She started with her thumb midway up his back and drew it downward, digging into his flesh all the way to his butt.
“Damn.”
“Did I hurt you again?”
A moment passed before he answered. “No.”
Maybe she was pushing too deep for a first massage. He had quite a bit of inflammation in the area, so she eased up, concentrating on making the top layer of his muscles soft and pliable. “It would be a good idea if we massaged you again in a day or two so we can keep the muscles we’ve worked on stretched, and then we’ll be able to get to the deeper muscles.”
He didn’t answer, leaving an awkward silence between them.
Maybe she’d caused him more pain than she’d realized.
She finished up and then drew a towel from her bag, wiping most of the oil from his back and her hands. She slipped his briefs back in place.
“Let’s see how you feel when you stand.” Her calm words were in complete contradiction to her racing heart. “I know Annabelle has dinner almost ready, so let’s get you up.”
He rolled on the covered table, his gaze dark and unreadable as he met hers. Something in them seemed to warn her, but she couldn’t figure out why she would possibly need to be on alert. “Take my arm, and I’ll help you.”
“I’m good.” His voice seemed clearer, steadier than when she’d started his massage. He lifted off the table, his stomach muscles contracting as he straightened and put both feet on the floor. He wobbled just the slightest.
He seemed much bigger standing next to her in only his underwear with all of his work-hardened muscles exposed. She couldn’t help but glance lower, her heart nearly stopping when she noticed the bulge outlined against the thin blue cotton, an obvious clue as to what was churning in his brain. He stepped toward her, and she backed up, totally unprepared for the sensuous play she was suddenly caught in.
But he didn’t stop advancing, and only a foot of space stood between her and the wall. She bumped up against it as he placed his hands on the wall on both sides of her head, trapping her in place.
She reached out, gripping his solid torso, not sure if she was trying to steady him or erect a barrier between them. Her pulse thundered in her ears, making it hard to think. He was so close, so big. “Are you okay?” she whispered. “Those drugs can make anyone a little dizzy.”
“I’m fine.”
She wasn’t so sure.
“I wanted to say thank you,” his voice came out in a lazy yet sexy-as-hell drawl.
She tried to focus on his words and not his actions or her reaction to him. “You’re welcome.”
He didn’t move, and the tension crackled between them. He studied her eyes, and then his gaze moved to her lips.
Oh, damn was all she managed to think before his lips covered hers. He claimed her with a hot possessiveness that stole her will and converted it to need. She tightened her grip on his torso, her nails clenching into his sides.
He removed her hands and placed them against the wall near her head, never breaking their kiss. He dominated her, and she let him. She should stop him. He was still under the influence of drugs, but she couldn’t. Not yet.
She moaned softly, intensifying his assault. His tongue teased hers, sending sensation after sensation ricocheting through her.
She might not have been able to admit it, but she’d known having his lips on hers would be a thrill like no other. She hadn’t been wrong.
She tilted her head away from him, filling her lungs, her whole body trembling with need.
He moved his kisses to the column of her neck, across her jawline, to the sensitive spot behind her ear. She gasped as a shiver rocked her.
He captured her face between his warm hands, holding her tight as he reclaimed her lips. Morning stubble scraped her jaw as his mouth led her down a wanton road.
A warning flashed in her brain, but the signal had been weakened by a flood of endorphins. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and that was all the encouragement he needed.
With motions that were almost animalistic, he pushed her shirt up, his hand slipping beneath her bra. Rough fingers cupped her breast, sending a violent shiver through her. A powerful ache consumed her as a whimper slipped from her lips.
“Yes,” he said, his voice husky.
This was all moving too fast. She wanted him like she wanted none other, but if she let this continue, they’d both regret it when the drugs cleared from his system.
She tried to pull back, and he responded by holding her tighter. The man was testosterone on fire. The drugs racing through his system must be inhibiting his normal reserves.
“Rick,” she said against his mouth, slipping her fingertips between their lips, forcing him to stop. “We can’t do this.”
“Why not?” He placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her until she couldn’t breathe.
“Please.” She repeated her actions. “Stop.”
He blinked as he pulled back from her, his eyes glazed with need and medication. “I want you.”
“I know.” She wanted him, too, more than anything. She pushed against him, and he stepped back, a confused look on his face.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I thought you…” He glanced around the room as though trying to gain his bearings, and she recognized the mess she’d created. She never should have let him kiss her, never should have indulged even for a second.
“It’s my fault. I didn’t mean for that to happen.” She quickly righted her clothing.
“No—”
“Are you okay to get dressed by yourself? Dinner’s almost done, and I should help Annabelle.” She backed toward the door, needing to escape the embarrassment rolling through her in nauseating waves. “In fact, you should stay here. I’ll have Annabelle bring your dinner to you. You really should just stay in bed.”
She ran from his room and down the stairs, finding solace in a lower level bathroom. She flipped on the lights as a strong scent of lavender surrounded her, and she glanced about. “Leave me alone,” she whispered and turned on the cold water.
Her cheeks were flushed bright red, a hazy look hovering in her eyes. She gasped, knowing if she hadn’t stopped Rick, they would have ended up on the bed, making love with the door open.
And then he would have hated her tomorrow. Probably himself, too, for being so weak and not turning her away.
She scooped a handful of cold water and splashed it on her face. The effect ruined her mascara, but it did cool her skin. She splashed several more before drying her face on a soft green towel.
He was probably reacting to a recently wounded heart, and she’d lost complete control of her professional abilities.
She was an idiot.
And she’d just promised Annabelle she’d stay an extra week if not longer. How would she ever face him again after their encounter? Could she hope he might forget? Would he think maybe he’d had a hallucination caused by the drugs?
A knock sounded on the door, and she jumped. She’d die if Rick was on the other side.
“Erin, love? Is that you in there?”
She sagged against the counter. “I’m just washing up,” she called through the door to her aunt.
“Is Rick coming down for dinner?”
Erin unlocked the door and opened it. “I think he’s still a little woozy from all the drugs. It’s probably best if he eats up there.” That would buy her a little more time to figure out how to handle things.
Annabelle narrowed her
gaze, her eyes still huge behind her glasses. “Are you okay? You look a little flushed.”
“Giving massages is a bit of a workout. I’m sure it’s from that.”
Her aunt didn’t seem convinced. “If you’re sure.”
Erin slipped past her, not giving her any extra time for inspection or speculation. “I could help you make Rick a tray if you’d like.”
“I’m fine to eat with the rest of you.” Rick’s voice came from the stairway, and Erin jerked around to face him. He’d donned his clothes, although as he approached them, he still seemed a bit unsteady.
Her cheeks flared with heat again as he stared at her. She couldn’t hope that he was so out of it that he wouldn’t remember their brief encounter. The heat from it alone would be seared in her memories forever.
“That’s wonderful, Rick.” Annabelle walked forward and put an arm around him, probably to keep him from toppling over. “You’re moving much better this evening.”
“Thanks to Erin’s massage,” he said as they passed her in the hall.
Dear God. Where was a hole when a girl needed to hide?
She hung back for a moment and then decided she had to follow along and play the game as best she could.
Chapter Fifteen
Rick drove the few blocks to his shop as dark, weighted clouds dusted snow across the tops of the mountains surrounding their town. They wouldn’t be seeing any sun for a good four days, if then. By morning, Argent Springs would be digging out from another storm, this one just in time to mark the beginning of the skiing and snowboarding season.
The weather could be a real bitch, living in the basin surrounded by mountains, but the rough conditions created mounds of perfect snow, attracting snow-enthusiasts by the droves, so he couldn’t hate it. The money visitors brought with them generated enough income allowing the townsfolk to pay their bills for a good part of the year. By the weeks’ end, their town would be full of tourists again.
Normally, he’d just walk to his shop even in inclement weather, but his back was still giving him fits. Nothing like the past few days when death seemed like it would be a blessing. Thank God for miracle drugs and Erin’s magic fingers. He just wished he wouldn’t have screwed things up between them so he could ask for another massage.
He stepped out of his truck, grateful for the lucidity that a new day had provided. Frosty air greeted him as he headed for the entrance to his shop. He’d left the house early that morning like he had for the past few days, needing some time and space before he spent much time with Erin again.
The past few days had been fucked up days full of pain and sleep…and Erin. Erin. He might have been half out of his mind most of the time, but the taste of her, the way she’d responded to his touch was seared into his brain with astonishing clarity. It made him hard just thinking about it.
He’d still been hazy that night at dinner after his massage, but she’d avoided his gaze making the meal an awkward thirty minutes of Annabelle trying to lead the conversation, while all he could think about was that he’d had her breast in his hand only minutes before.
Guilt nipped at him. He worried that he’d overpowered her and pushed her into something she didn’t want. But he hadn’t imagined her reaction to him. He was sure of it. They’d both been pulled into something that raged beyond their control…right?
The feel of her hands on his bare skin had pushed him beyond reason, and when he’d stood and found himself caught by the enraptured look in her hazel eyes, he couldn’t have stopped himself from kissing her if he’d wanted to. And he sure as hell hadn’t wanted to. Then the kiss had led to more.
Hell.
He’d never tell Annabelle any of this. If she caught on to the fact he was the slightest bit interested in Erin, the crazy old lady would be relentless until he was married.
Inside his repair shop, he shut the cold outside, flipped on the “open” sign and headed back to his office to start a pot of coffee. He had a damn long day, and he’d need sustenance to get him through. Kellan would arrive soon to help him hoist the son-of-a-bitching engine that had caused him so much pain.
At some point, he’d apologize to Erin, but right now he had shit he needed to finish. He’d already been behind schedule when he’d hurt his back, and now it was even worse.
* * *
Two hours later, Rick had the engine torn apart. Music blared from his boom box, and he had the heat cranked up to keep him warm. His back still ached from time to time, but, he had to admit, a bad day in the shop was a hell of a lot better than a good day sitting in an office. That kind of work would drive him insane.
He turned to grab a smaller wrench from his tool box, his muscles reminding him he’d abused them. The discomfort was replaced with a quickening when something familiar moving across the street caught his attention. Auburn curls bounced as his current obsession walked down the sidewalk, and unfortunately, Allen accompanied her. Of course his subconscious would immediately notice her. Whether he liked it or not, Erin had been the focus of most of his thoughts during the past couple of weeks.
Rick dropped the wrench back into his toolbox and moved closer to the dust-covered window. The mayor pulled out a key, unlocked the door and they both went inside. For a moment, he wondered why Allen would be taking Erin inside the candy shop, but then he remembered Erin had volunteered to man the shop while Nina recuperated.
He chided himself for jumping to the wrong conclusion. Different people had been there during the past few weeks. It must have been the sight of Erin with Allen that had thrown him off.
He stepped away from the window and picked up his wrench again, positioning his body so he could glance across the street if he chose to. As minutes passed, he found himself spending more time watching the street than the engine, waiting for any kind of movement from the candy shop across the way.
Just as the shop’s front door opened, the wrench slipped from his hand. He tried to catch it, saw the mayor step out, and he grazed his knuckle on the edge of the engine, scraping off the skin.
“Dammit,” he yelled into the lonely garage, his voice competing with the music.
He absent-mindedly wiped his bloody knuckle on his old t-shirt as he glanced out the window to see Erin step outside with Allen. Erin had lost her coat, but she had a warm smile on her face. The mayor said something, and she laughed. She bounced a little on her heels and crossed her arms in front of her, obviously freezing.
Rick narrowed his gaze as Allen reached out and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. He wanted to tell the man to keep his hands off her, but he had no right. For all he knew, Erin loved the attention.
She nodded her head a couple of times before he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and headed down the street. She stayed in the doorway of the shop watching the mayor as he walked away, and then she turned her focus across the street toward him.
Shit. He ducked and moved from the window. The last thing he needed was to get busted watching her.
He forced himself to go back to work. He’d promised his customer he’d have the engine rebuilt before the crowds came to town so that he wouldn’t lose rental income, and he’d already lost too many work hours during the previous days.
He managed another ten minutes of work before he caved.
“Hell.” He grabbed a towel and wiped the grease from his hands. He couldn’t focus knowing she was right across the street. Things between them were as unsettled as fresh powder sitting on top of an old crust of snow, and if he didn’t fix things, it would all come tumbling down in his face. Regardless of how caught up in the moment they’d both been, he’d taken advantage of her.
He would have made love to her right then and there if she hadn’t stopped him. That made him an asshole, made worse by the fact he wished she hadn’t stopped him.
He put up his “be right back” sign and made a beeline toward the little pink shop. A bell chimed as he walked in, and Erin glanced up from the counter, a solid punch to his gut when their gazes con
nected.
“Hey,” he said, suddenly at a loss for words. He hadn’t been alone with her since the incident.
“Hey,” she responded, a wariness in her expression.
He stepped up to the counter, wishing he’d taken the time to wash his hands instead of just wiping them. Wishing he didn’t reek of gasoline. “I thought I’d come say hello since I remembered you were working here today.”
A tentative smile lit on her lips as she studied his face. She flicked a quick glance around the shop. “So much chocolate in one tiny place. It should be illegal.”
Warmth spread through him. When she relaxed, when she smiled…God, she was pretty. “You like chocolate, huh? What’s your favorite kind?”
She glanced at the display case below her. “Hmm…I think it’s the old-fashioned fudge. What’s yours?”
“Same. Why don’t you give me half a pound?”
She narrowed her eyes. “You intend to eat a half a pound of fudge all by yourself?”
“No.” He pulled out his wallet. “I plan to share it with a friend. Someone I need to thank for doing me a favor. I also owe her a huge apology.”
Uncertainty filled her eyes. “Not me.”
He went to grab her hand and then remembered his was still covered with grease. “Please let me. I want to thank you for that massage. I’d probably still be in bed if not for you. And the worst thing was that I took complete advantage of you when I kissed you and when I…”
Her cheeks had heated to a perfect shade of pink, making her look beautiful and sexy at the same time.
“I overstepped the bounds of our friendship, and I’m sorry.” A sudden desire to pull her into his arms and kiss her until they were both senseless consumed him.
“Our friendship.” She stumbled on the words, and he hated that he’d made her so uncomfortable. She cleared her throat and focused somewhere to the side of him. “Let’s forget the whole thing, okay?”
Her reply was an unexpected dagger. It took her words to make him realize he didn’t want to forget it. Didn’t want her to forget it. He wanted more.
