Page 19 of The Grumpy Vet
"I don't fucking know," Dario mouths back, then he raises his hands and makes a generic massaging gesture. "Go slow and gentle?"
"Great advice," I mouth then stop when Linus peers up, his intense hazel eyes darting between us. "Everything okay?"
"Yep. Fine," I reply, forcing a smile. "We're going to start. Let us know if anything hurts, and we'll stop right away."
"Will do." He pops his head back down, and I place my hands on his thigh, hesitating for a moment before kneading awkwardly. I've got the sore side, so I guess the only reason Dario is rubbing Linus's other leg is because I forced him to stay.
I glance down and focus on what I'm meant to be doing, praying I don't end up making his injury any worse. I think back to the few massages I've had, trying to remember what the therapist did. I awkwardly squeeze his thigh, feeling completely out of my depth, before digging my thumbs into his quad. The muscles immediately tense under my touch, and Linus lets out a sharp exhale.
"Sorry. Too much?"
"No, it's good. It hurts, but it's a good hurt. Keep going."
Throwing a helpless look Dario's way, I adjust my grip and keep going, using the heel of my palm instead of my fingers and slowly pushing deeper into the muscle. This time, Linus's leg doesn’t flinch away, and I feel some of the knotted tension begin to loosen. I repeat the movement a few times, following the same line down his thigh.
Linus's breathing evens out, and his shoulders relax a little. I take that as a sign I’m doing something right. I glance over at Dario, and he's got that evil glint in his eye. He nods his head towards something down to his left.
I look down to my right, my eyes widening when I stumble on the situation going on in Linus's shorts.
I raise my chin and glare at my bestie. "Not the time," I mouth.
He shrugs his disagreement.
"How does this feel?" Dario asks Linus in a soothing voice.
"Good. Really good, actually."
Dario sucks in a smile. "Glad to hear it. You just stay there and let us take care of you."
If I had a spare hand, I'd be using it to smack some sense into my bestie. What is he playing at? This is the least appropriate time to be helping me make a move on Linus. The guy is sprawled out on his living room floor in pain, for chrissakes. I am not going to take advantage of this.
"Oh, shit." Linus's deep voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
Dario lifts his hands off his leg, and I ask, "Are you okay?"
Linus is frowning deeply. His face is tense but not like before—it’s controlled now, not pained. I notice that his cheeks above his stubble are a little flushed. "I'm so sorry about…" He casts his gaze down his body to the massive erection tenting his shorts. "That."
"Oh. Don't worry about it." Dario smiles and waves his hand in the air, I guess trying to keep things light. "Happens all the time. Right, Ryde?"
"It's fine. Really," I say to Linus, offering him a kind smile. "Bodies are bodies, and they'll always…react."
Linus smiles, but it's obvious he's uncomfortable.
"What would you like us to do?" Dario asks him, leaning over and taking my hand in his. "Would you like us to stop…or keep going?"
The energy in the room shifts so quickly it’s almost dizzying. Tension crackles between the three of us, humming in the silence like an electric charge. What the hell is Dario doing? We talked about supporting Linus and being there for him.
But this? This is veering into brand-new territory.
"No. Don't stop," Linus answers, swallowing thickly. His eyes drop to where Dario is holding my hand, and his tongue pops out, licking along his lower lip.
"What would you like us to do?" Dario asks, and I amthis closeto passing out from lack of oxygen.
Have I inadvertently stepped into a porno where me and my bestie giving my sexy boss an innocent leg massage suddenly turns into a lust-filled three-way?
I look at Linus. His eyes have gone even darker as they flick between me and Dario, burning with an intensity that hits me right in the sternum. His chest heaves up and down with every breath he takes. I was expecting a scowl and possibly a reprimand for acting inappropriately. A de-escalation.
Not…this.
