Page 49 of Hard Hitter
“Absolutely not.”
“Why? Nobody will know.”
“That’s what I used to assume, too.”
He ruffled her hair. “The horse is already out of the barn, sweetheart. Why do the time if we can’t do the crime?”
“It’s just not a good idea.”
He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. “I think it is,” he purred into her ear. His fingers rubbed up and down her back. “You feel tight.”
“It’s been a stressful day.”
“Too many massage appointments?”
“Too much shitty news.”
“Mmm,” he said, rubbing her back. It felt inconveniently marvelous. “Who massagesyou?”
She snorted. “Nobody.”
“Uh-huh. Want a massage?”
“I don’t know. Would it be a prelude to something else?”
“Is that a deal breaker?”
She smiled into the shoulder of his dress shirt. “Depends. How skillful is your massage technique?”
“For a guy who doesn’t like to touch people, I’d say I’m pretty decent.”
She laughed. “What the hell am I going to do with you?”
“I’m gonna let you find out.” He backed her into the room, and she let him. He felt sogood, though. The backs of her legs collided with the bed and she sat down fast.
“Wait here. Where’s your table?” he asked, looking around. “Oh. There it is.”
Amused, she watched him struggle with unfolding her massage table. It took him a couple of minutes, but he did it. Whistling, he went into her bathroom and returned with four towels. Two of them went onto the table. Two he chucked onto the bed. Then he came back to stand in front of her. “Okay, sweetheart. Time to strip.”
She stood up and met his hungry gaze. “Really? You’re going to massage me? Or are we, like, writing a porno flick right now?”
He grabbed her top in two hands and tugged. “A little of both. Just work with me.” He lifted her shirt away, and she didn’t miss the appreciative look he gave her breasts in their lace bra. “This is going to be so much fun.”
Ari felt a sizzle right where it counted, and had to agree.Did it matter now that Hugh knew about them? Would it even help if she stopped getting carried away with Patrick?
Those were questions for later. Because he’d reached around her body to unzip her skirt. She let it fall, then swept her tights down her body and all the way off.
He growled when he realized there was nothing underneath them.
Ari grabbed a towel off the bed and put it in front of her body. She lay down on her own massage table for the first time ever, letting the towel cover her lap and thighs. “Let’s see your technique, big man.”
“All right, miss. Are you comfortable on the table?” he asked. “Do you have any pain or trouble spots I need to know about?”
She laughed. “I’m fine, thanks.”
“Good.” He rubbed his hands together, warming them. “Let me know if you feel too much pressure at any point. Massage doesn’t have to hurt to do good.”
“Some smart person must have taught you that.”
