Dropping his hand, he said, “Fair enough. I guess my back is a little stiff.” Another part of him was already trying to get that way as well with the knowledge her hands would soon be on his body. He cleared his throat. He was doing a piss poor job of not trashing her profession. She’d asked him a legitimate question, and he needed to answer it. Admitting to a few aches and pains didn’t make him less of a man. “My thighs ache sometimes from sitting down so long at my office.”
She squirted something onto her hands and rubbed them together as she nodded. “Okay, we’ll start with you lying face down.” She put a few select bottles on the nightstand and slipped her bag off the bed and onto the floor. “Take off your clothes.”
He quirked an eyebrow at her as he started unbuttoning his shirt. “That sounded like an order, pet.”
She blushed, glancing away. “Please,” she whispered.
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you, Shelby. You don’t have to hide from me.” He shucked his shirt and started on his pants. It didn’t slip past him that he usually undressed without an audience before a massage, but this wasn’t a typical session and he wasn’t shy. He liked that she appeared to be, though.
“Would you like me to get you a towel to cover up?” she asked when he pushed his pants and underwear down.
“Not necessary.” He climbed onto the bed face down as instructed. “Unless you’d feel more comfortable,” he amended.
“Not necessary,” she mocked playfully before crawling onto the bed beside him.
The moment her hands touched his back, he groaned. It wasn’t a timid touch of a shy woman. It was a skillful kneading of a person who knew exactly what she was doing. He was lost, transfixed as she worked knot after knot out of his back. Any remnant of sexual desire evaporated as he allowed himself to fully accept her handiwork.
“You’re so tense.”
His chuckle ended on a groan. “You’re very good at this.”
“When’s the last time you visited a therapist?”
“Er, I don’t know. A few months maybe.”
She huffed. “You should see somebody regularly. At least once a month.”
“Are you offering?” If she was the one tending to his screaming muscles, he’d make the effort to go.
She laughed. “Um, no. I’m booked the next two months. You need to see someone sooner. I can refer you if you don’t have somebody else in mind.”
“What if you were the only one I wanted?” Jesus, even saying those words on something unrelated to relationships made his heart race.
She paused, and he watched as she got more oil. He saw her nibble her lip before she was out of sight, tending to him again, and he wondered if it was a nervous reaction to the words he’d uttered. Still, he waited for her to reply. He was nothing if not patient.
“Why don’t we table that until after you’re through schooling me on the next two scenes? I don’t want you to give me an unfair advantage because you’re getting something in return.”
“Pet, I am getting something in return already,” he said softly.
Her hands stilled at the husky sound of his voice. He’d been doing really well not getting turned on, but talking of wanting her in any capacity fueled his lust. That’s all it was. That was all it could be.
“So tell me about your family,” she blurted as she moved up to his shoulders.
He’d let her diversion tactic fly and indulge her. Hell, he needed the distraction himself. “Not much to tell. Parents moved to Maine after my brother died in Afghanistan.” He hadn’t seen his parents very often since. They’d closed off after Caleb died, and he’d been too career-focused to make extra time for them.
“So you’re not from the east coast?”
“No. Grew up in Louisiana.” That seemed like a lifetime ago. Hell, it was. He’d rather not delve too much into his past. Instead, he flipped the conversation to her. “What about you?”
“Darrell and Viola are like family.” She stopped moving her hands but kept them there. He couldn’t see her, but he got the feeling she’d revealed more than she wanted by how she’d stiffened.
“Who are they?”
Her hands started moving slowly. “Friends.” She cleared her throat, and her attention to his back returned to the level she’d displayed before mentioning those people. “Um, I mean, I have family, but I don’t see them much. I met Darrell shortly after graduating high school, and he took me under his wing. Viola is another massage therapist. We worked together at the same clinic last year.”
It didn’t escape him that she’d completely avoided the topic of family and mentioned friends instead. Although he didn’t care for that, he especially didn’t like the mention of this other man even more. “What’s your relationship with Darrell?” he asked, hoping he hadn’t barked the question at her.
“What do you mean?” She stilled again.
“Is he your lover?”
She gasped, and he wondered if he’d offended her, but then she guffawed, and he realized her gasp had been an inhale for her laughter. “God no. He’s too old. And bossy as hell. He’s more like a helpful uncle if anything.”
Mason knew he was being possessive, but he couldn’t help the emotions rushing through him. If she relied on someone for help, he wanted to be the one she turned to, not some other man.
It wasn’t right. He was fully aware he could not be with her or any woman until the mess at F and B was handled. Knowing it, however, didn’t stop him from having that carnal reaction to her.
“Okay, turn over and scoot down so I can sit behind your head. Please,” she added softly.
“Good girl,” he said, smiling as he rolled over and adjusted himself. He shoved all errant thoughts into the deepest recesses of his mind as she maneuvered into a new position. He had plenty of shit to fret about regarding work to have time
