Born to Be Wilde

'Good for her,' she said, wishing she had the same kind of support from her own brother when it came to her life and dreams.

'We're all really happy for Mia. She's been through a lot, so it's really nice to see her settled down and satisfied with the direction her life is taking.' There was no mistaking the affection and caring he felt toward his youngest sibling. 'Now, with everyone pretty much married or heading toward the altar very soon, lots of babies are following. It's kind of cool watching the next generation of Wilde kids grow up.'

The thought of Joel being an uncle to a bunch of adorable nieces and nephews, playing with them, warmed her deep inside. Yet, despite his siblings' and cousins' committed relationships and the families they were starting, he didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that he was still single and unattached.

She glided her hands along the back of his knee and up to his hard, muscular thigh. Using her thumbs, she rubbed the taut tendons along his hamstring, all the way up to his buttock, with firm, deep strokes. 'So, I take it you're the token confirmed bachelor of the family?'

'Yeah, I guess you could say that,' he said, and grunted when she dug deep into a knot of muscle to work out the tension. 'I've pretty much resigned myself to being a bachelor. It suits me and my lifestyle, so I can't complain.'

She switched to his other leg, telling herself that she ought to take his open and honest admission about his permanent single status at face value and proceed with caution, But the awareness between them was strong and sexual… and undeniable. And the temptation of physical pleasure beckoned to that part of her that had been without a man's touch and attention for so long.

A comfortable silence fell between them as she finished the lower portion of his body. As her hands slid beneath the towel to massage his toned buttocks, she realized that Joel's breathing had grown shallow and even, and his body lax and pliant. He was either in a deep state of contentment, or he'd fallen asleep.

Either way, she wasn't going to bother him with more conversation. She oiled up her hands again and went to work on his upper back. Placing both hands at the base of his spine, she slowly, gradually, made her way up all that hard, sleek flesh and contoured muscle, kneading out a variety of knots she encountered along the way and massaging the oil deep into tense muscles and his smooth skin.

The man had a body to die for. Amazingly well built, toned to perfection, and made for sex, sin, and all kinds of wicked delights. It had been forever, if ever, that she'd touched a body so incredibly strong and powerful, and because she had Joel in such a relaxed state, she did something she'd never, ever done before during a professional massage. Something forbidden and decadent and just for her. She closed her eyes and immersed herself in the sheer, sensual pleasure of stroking his warm, golden skin, and just let herself feel and enjoy.

She continued the massage, going purely by touch, skill, and years of practice. Her palms and fingers outlined the shape of his back and glided over hard planes and rippling muscle before she pressed her thumbs firmly along each one of his vertebrae, all the way up to his neck. She kneaded and massaged his broad shoulders, then went to work on each of his muscled arms.

With her eyes closed, her other senses came alive, adding to the desire unfurling within her. She could hear Joel's steady breathing and the soft background music, could feel the thickly corded tendons in each of his arms, despite how lax and pliant the rest of his body was. But most of all, every time she inhaled, she not only drew in the fragrance of rosewood, but also the arousing scent of a hot-blooded male.

Undeniably turned on, her own body responded to the onslaught of sensations. Her breasts grew tight, her stomach tumbled, and between her thighs she pulsed with a need she ached to fulfill. Not in a dream or in a fantasy, but for real, with this man sliding deep, deep inside of her…

She heard a moan and snapped her eyes back open, horrified by the possibility that the telltale sound had escaped her lips. But then she heard it again, the tone alternating between a low growl and a soft rumble of pleasure.

'God, that feels good,' Joel murmured huskily. 'You do have amazing, magical hands.'

'Thank you.' She felt herself blush, and wasn't sure if it was because of where her thoughts had strayed before he'd interrupted them, or from his compliment. 'I'm ready for you to turn over.'

He hesitated. 'Ummm, so soon?'

'So soon?' She laughed lightly and moved down to the single towel draped over his butt, holding it in place so he could turn over without revealing any private parts. 'I just spent forty minutes on your back side.'

'I know, but… are you easily shocked?' he asked.

The odd question confused her. 'No. Why?'

He lifted up on his forearms and twisted around to glance back at her. He wore an adorably sheepish grin on his face that made him look like a naughty little boy who was about to be caught doing something bad. 'I really enjoyed that massage. A whole lot,' he said meaningfully. 'Especially having your hands all over me, and there was something incredibly sensual about your touch that, well, certain parts of my anatomy couldn't help but react to.'

The warmth in her cheeks grew hotter as understanding sunk in. Obviously, the massage had aroused him as much as it had her. 'Oh.'

'Yeah. Oh.' His gaze flickered with laughter, along with something hotter, like lust. 'I'm not a shy guy at all. The Marines pretty much stripped me of any modesty, but I just didn't want you to think I'm some kind of pervert. I swear I tried to keep my mind on other things during the massage, but considering how attracted I am to you, nature kind of took its own course.'

At least she hadn't been the only one who'd allowed a few touches and caresses to get her all hot and bothered-a first for her, but then again she'd never been so attracted to a client before.

'I promise not to swoon or faint from embarrassment,' she said with a grin. 'But I do appreciate the warning. Now go ahead and turn over onto your back.'

She pinned one end of the towel securely to the table with her hip, then discreetly lifted the other end a few inches so he could shift and move to his back. Once he was done and settled, she re-draped the towel and tucked the ends around his hips and thighs.

Oh, yeah, he was definitely, impressively aroused, and maintaining that professional exterior was going to take effort. Luckily, he closed his eyes and let her do her job. They both remained quiet during the hot stone massage, and she segued right into the actual hands-on massage. When she reached his left thigh, her hands slowed as she caught sight of a jagged line of puckered flesh-the only visible flaw on his otherwise perfect body.

Her fingers grazed over a long, thick scar, at least two inches in length, and beneath that light caress she felt the muscles in his leg tense. His reaction was enough to tell her that having her touch the healed wound made him uncomfortable.

'What happened?' she asked softly, curious to know how he'd hurt himself, and why the scar bothered him so much now.

'A large piece of shrapnel got lodged in my leg,' he said gruffly, and didn't expand on the details of the incident.

She glided her thumb one last time over the disfigured skin before moving to his abdomen. 'How?' she asked, and glanced up at his face. His eyes were still closed, but there was no mistaking the slight clench of his jaw before he replied.

'A roadside bomb in Iraq,' he said, his tone brusque. 'An IED, actually.'

An improvised explosive device, she thought with a shudder, grateful that he hadn't ended up a casualty.

Her fingers stroked and kneaded over his solid stomach and across his impressive six-pack abs. 'What was it like in the service and Iraq?' she asked, curious to know. 'Was it really bad?'

His long, sooty lashes slowly lifted, revealing eyes that were carefully guarded. 'Why do you want to know?'

She shrugged and glided her hands over his ribs to his chest and solid pecs, bringing her closer to his gorgeous face and his watchful expression. 'No matter how many times I asked, Zach wouldn't tell me anything. He refused to talk about the war or his time in the service.'

'There was a reason for that, Lora,' he said quietly. 'There wasn't a whole lot of good stuff to talk about.'