Page 71 of The Redemption of Remy St. Claire

He was on his feet in an instant, taking her hands in his. “You don’t have to do this.”

She offered him a shy smile. “And if I want to do this?”

“Stopputs an end to everything.” He squeezed her hands. “But I suspect you’ll be asking for more.”

Her blush was the reward he was waiting for.

She let go of his hands and headed to their bedroom.

He glanced at his watch. He’d give her five minutes and then knock.

Doubts crept in. He should’ve just convinced her that there was nothing gross about rubbing her feet.What are you thinking? A real massage?She should remove her shirt? He shook his head.You’re pushing too hard.

The five minutes were up all too quickly. He knocked.

A muffled voice announced, “Ready.”

When he entered the room, the only illumination was his bedside lamp. She lay in the middle of their bed, facedown, the sheet pulled up to her neck. As he stepped into the bathroom to grab a few things, he called out. “Have you ever had a massage before?”

“No.” Curt and clipped.

“Then this will be a slightly odd experience for you.” He came back into the room and placed his items on the nightstand. “I’m going to clip up your hair.”

She nodded but didn’t answer.

He gathered her hair, securing it up and out of the way. Standing by the side of the bed, he ran his hands down her neck and then across her shoulders.

She shivered.

“Are you cold? I can turn up the heat.”

She shook her head. “Not cold.”

He placed his hands on her back, the sheet still between them. Long strokes, each starting at her spine and pushing outward. By the time he reached the small of her back, he had some idea of where she carried her tension.

“Okay, now this sounds worse than it actually is, but I’m going to straddle your hips. I’ll keep most of the weight off you.” How best to approach this? “There’s still the sheet between us, okay?”

Her shoulders released some tension as she nodded.

Maneuvering into position was tricky, but he managed. He put most of the weight on his haunches. Not comfortable, but this wouldn’t be a long massage. He eased the sheet back, exposing her back. Backs were not supposed to be sexy. As he eased the sheet down, though, he couldn’t help but admire the porcelain skin, bathed in low light.

Get it together.She didn’t need to know his dick was reacting to her, so grabbed the bottle of baby oil. “Sorry this isn’t some nice, scented massage oil, but I think it’ll do in a pinch. Don’t worry about getting the sheets dirty. I’ll toss them in the laundry tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Her voice was quiet.

Did she know what she was agreeing to?

He placed his hands against her, taking his cues from her as he worked through the knots in her shoulders. She carried most of the tension in the middle of her back, so that was where he paid the most attention. At one point, she groaned, and he stopped dead.

“Okay, Rusty, I’m begging. Please do that again.”

With a chuckle, he repeated the motion, pressing his hand against her, letting the friction provide heat. When he finished, he laid a towel across her back, then he eased off her. “I’m going to go have a shower.”

“And what precisely am I supposed to do?”

“Enjoy the afterglow.” He made the offer tongue-in-cheek, and when she didn’t respond, he slipped into the bathroom and took a shower, taking care of himself in privacy.

Dressed in his pajamas, he returned to find her just as he’d left her. As he approached her, he cursed his stupidity. He should’ve covered her with the blankets to keep her warm. He assumed she’d put her sweatshirt back on. Instead she dozed, and her skin was cold to the touch.

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