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He might be ready but she wasn’t. Brianne turned to face him. She could have handled it if he’d dressed in a Polo collared shirt and starched khaki pants. That would have created distance. Instead he wore his standard ripped sweatshirt, this one in navy, which brought out the depth of color in his eyes, and a pair of sweat shorts that didn’t come much lower than the towel had earlier.
At the sight of him, her heart began a steady, rhythmic beat. She sighed. Time to get things between them settled. “You’re ready. How interesting. Rina led me to believe you’d be a difficult patient. In fact, she said you’d be a hard sell. That you’d resist therapy.”
He shrugged. “And Rina was right. I meant I’m ready to talk.” He stepped over to the couch in the living room and seated himself on a velvet sofa. With his day’s growth of beard and his casual clothes, he appeared ridiculously out of place in the formal room, and yet nothing could detract from his rugged, bad-boy good looks.
“Join me.” He patted the space beside him.
Knowing she had no choice if she wanted to persuade him, she walked over and lowered herself onto the soft cushion, not as close as he’d suggested. But his masculinity couldn’t be denied, and even with a good amount of distance separating them, Brianne felt his powerful presence. Think professional, she reminded herself. And when her gaze fell to the enticing skin between the ragged edge of his shirt and the waistband of his sweats, Brianne again reminded herself to breathe.
“Tell me something, Jake.”
“Say that again.”
She tipped her head to the side. “What?”
“My name.”
He leaned forward until he was too close. His breath held a refreshing hint of mint, and her stomach curled with a delicious warmth.
“Jake,” he said. “Say it again.”
His gaze locked with hers and held. She couldn’t have turned away if she wanted to, and, heaven help her, she didn’t want to. Because she understood. They’d spent the past couple of weeks in silken, seductive silence. Her name on his lips had sounded so very sweet. She couldn’t deny him the same pleasure.
“Jake,” she murmured.
His eyes glazed and he inched closer, kissing distance away. The tingling scent of mint surrounded her, tempting her, teasing her.
“I’ve been curious for so long.”
His masculine voice reached deep inside her, and she couldn’t lie. “Me, too.” And curiosity was the only reason she’d allow the inevitable kiss, or so she told herself.
He touched her beneath her chin, holding her head in place as his mouth settled over hers. Strong and sure, yet achingly gentle, his kiss was everything she’d dreamed about, yearned for. And when his searching tongue traced her lips, moistening before slipping inside, her entire body shook in reaction. Pulsing began in her chest and settled lower, between her legs, strengthening the desire that had built between them from across a crowded room.
His breath was warm and minty, his mouth hot and needy, just as she was, and a sigh of pure pleasure escaped her throat. He caught her sigh in his mouth and used it as permission to deepen the kiss. But the sound she’d made shook her out of the haze of desire and back into reality. Therapist and client, she reminded herself, and forced her hands to his shoulders—not to feel the firm muscles beneath the sweatshirt, but to push him away.
Unfortunately, the motion took longer than she’d planned, as she first curled her fingers around the soft cotton and his flesh beneath. She allowed the prolonged kiss to go on for another sweet minute before breaking contact.
Shaking off the temporary insanity that had overcome her wasn’t as easy. “We can’t do this.”
He swallowed, his throat moving up and down before her eyes, his breathing as ragged as hers. “Can’t do what? Get acquainted?”
She licked at her damp lips, his lingering taste fueling the desire still flickering inside her. “That was more than getting acquainted.” Then the rest of his words registered. “Are you saying you’ve changed your mind about rehab?”
He shook his head and laughed. “I like your strategy. Kiss me and lower my defenses. Are you trying to take advantage of me?” A smile tipped the corner of his mouth.
“You kissed me first,” she reminded him.
“You didn’t stop me.”
They sounded like squabbling children, but there had been nothing juvenile about that kiss. “Let’s just say we got it out of our systems. Now we can move forward.”
“And you can move in?” He shrugged with his one good shoulder. “That was Rina on the phone. She just explained the new living arrangements.” His gaze intense and curious, never left hers, as if he were trying to read her thoughts.
But she couldn’t deny that he looked surprised by his sister’s call and revelation. As surprised as he’d appeared when he’d discovered her in the apartment earlier. “Obviously you didn’t know about that, either?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No.”
“I think this is called manipulation,” she muttered.
“Blatant,” he agreed. “But that’s Rina. Always with the best intentions, but not always thinking up here.” He tapped the side of his head. “She’s a romantic.”
“It’s nice to see people still are.” Her own heart pounded frantically in her chest, their kiss still lingering in her mind.
“My parents are one example. Retired, living in Florida and driving each other crazy. Rina’s another. She’s the secretary who married her wealthy boss. In her eyes, all things are possible.”
She wondered what things were possible in his. Did her fantasy man who kissed like a dream also harbor a belief in fairy tale endings? She shook her head, knowing her deluded thoughts and curiosity could only get her in trouble. “Does Rina’s romanticism extend to getting her stubborn brother into physical therapy by moving me in here?”
“I guess so.” He grinned a charming I’m-cute-and-I-know-it grin.
She’d already accepted the setup before that mind-blowing kiss. She couldn’t back down now, and her reasons were the same. She needed the money from this job to start her life over. She needed to move in, rehabilitate Jake’s shoulder and put her desire for him behind her.
Brianne glanced down. Norton lay at her feet, looking up at her with adoring eyes. Two cute males in one large apartment. However would she survive it?
One way was to get things between them out in the open. “Okay, Jake. Tell me exactly where we stand on the subject of physical therapy. Obviously you’re resistant, you’ve given your sister a hard time over the subject…”
“Of course I have. Do you have a brother or sister?”
She nodded. “A brother.”
“Then, you know siblings live to give each other a hard time.”
No, Brianne didn’t know. Because she’d been more of a parent to Marc than a sister, she’d never experienced classic sibling rivalry. She’d been too busy waitressing while finishing school and taking care of Marc at the same time to indulge in normal family dynamics. “Marc’s a good deal younger than me. Our relationship was—is different. But I’m not here to talk about my brother. Rina hired me for a reason, and I want to know if you’re going to let me do my job or not. I want to know what to expect from you.”
Jake forced a lighthearted smile. He had no idea what to expect from himself. That kiss had caught him off guard. He hadn’t planned to be so forward, and sure as hell hadn’t expected her to kiss him back. Or to taste better than he’d dreamed.
If he’d wondered how much trouble she could cause him, he now knew. “If Rina hired you, I certainly can’t throw you out.”
“Gee, thanks,” she said wryly. “But the question is, will you cooperate?”
The professional was back. Jake told himself he was glad, but deep inside he knew he lied. He liked the warmer, softer Brianne better. Still, this one was safer.
And he had to play it safe, too, keep it light, and keep her off guard. That way she wouldn’t get too close or discover he was further along in rehab than she and Rina believed. “I’m sure I can be persuaded. And I’m certain you’re up to the task.”
“So all of a sudden you’re willing to consider therapy?”
He shook his head, seeking to buy time. “I’m willing to let you try and persuade me.”
“Why the turnaround?”
“No turnaround. I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”
She raised an eyebrow, obviously unsure what to make of him. “But you will.”
“That certain of yourself and your abilities?”
“Absolutely. The only question I have is, why the change?”
She’d read him well, Jake thought. Or rather, she read them well. Did she really have to ask why he’d end up working with her despite his token resistance? “Do you want me to tell you the truth? Or what you want to hear?”
Jake had the distinct impression that the answer was “both.” She wanted to know the only reason he’d even consider rehabilitation was to get close to her. And she wanted him to lie so she didn’t have to face it.
“I’ll consider therapy because of you.”
She exhaled hard.
“Just like you’re not going to walk out on this job because of me.” He grinned.
“You’re a cocky one,” she murmured with a smile.
“And this is a good thing?”
“Sure is. It means you can take a tough workout.” She met his gaze head-on.
She hadn’t backed off at his admission. Even after that kiss, she wasn’t intimidated by the attraction between them. Score one for her, Jake thought. He admired her grit—something he rarely found in a woman.
It also helped his cause. She’d need that strength if they were going to bump into one another in the middle of the night, stealing a drink from the fridge. He would need that strength. “I can take anything you dish out, sweetheart. Just tell me what you have in mind.”
“You might be sorry you asked. Physical therapy involves strengthening with rubber bands and working the muscle with massage therapy.” The word massage hovered in the air between them and the blood pulsed inside him, making him ache as if her hands were already on his body.
“But water therapy works well, too,” she continued. “The resistance in the water is a help. Add a whirlpool, and the pulsating water jets work wonders to loosen the muscle,” she said, her voice resonating with a deep, husky quality.
“Pulsating water jets, huh?”
Her face flushed red. “Different therapists take different approaches, but there are many options.”
He wondered if she was imagining them naked in the whirlpool, water flowing freely around them. He wondered if she had any idea what fun two people could have in that whirlpool she’d mentioned, water jets and all. “It all sounds interesting, especially the pulsating water jets.” He wiggled his eyebrows provocatively.
“I’ll just bet.” Watching him warily, she folded her arms over her chest and studied him. “I save the water therapy for my most cooperative patients,” she said in a provocative, seductive voice.
Just as she probably had intended, his body began a steady rhythm, one that only those vibrating water jets could match. He sucked in a breath and forced himself to think like the cop he still was. First and foremost, he needed information about her schedule, if only so he could better plan his. When would she be in the penthouse? When would he be on his own? When could he slip out to work on the Ramirez case without her reporting back to his sister?
“So, when do you start—convincing me, I mean? Because with the right incentive, I can be very cooperative.” And damn if he didn’t want to comply with any and all of her water-related directives. “I’m a quick learner—and an even better instructor.”
He watched her struggle to maintain her composure. He was glad. If he kept her off balance, he’d be more in control. He needed that control, since he could too easily dismiss Frank and his family, and Ramirez in favor of Brianne. It disturbed him to realize that despite her ability to screw up all he’d worked for, he wanted her.
She cleared her throat. “Relax, water boy. We start as soon as I get a referral, diagnosis and prescription from your doctor. Probably sometime next week.”
He glanced at Brianne. She’d leaned against the couch, still professional but more relaxed, so certain she’d bought herself time before having to deal with him and his reluctance to begin therapy. Before having to convince him the only way he’d allow—a seductive, playful coaxing. Because as long as Brianne would live and work here, Jake intended to control the situation.
He ignored the voice in his head reminding him that he’d been seconds away from relinquishing control and turning the kiss from sensual to sinful, from easing her onto the couch and satisfying the basic yearning he’d had since laying eyes on the sexy waitress. Neither would or could happen, of course, or she’d know exactly how in shape his shoulder was. The games he’d coax her into playing as she attempted to seduce him into therapy would have to suffice.
She obviously recognized his intent and hoped for some breathing room that would come with waiting for the doctor’s response. Too bad for her peace of mind; the paperwork was in the other room. He’d had it for weeks. He just hadn’t used it because a close friend had been helping him privately. “Sorry, but you don’t get that kind of space, hon.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Does it offend you?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, it turns me on.”
Jake turned wide eyes her way.
She let out a laugh. “Sorry. I just can’t let you think you’ll always have the upper hand.”
He inhaled slow and deep, forcing himself not to concentrate on what she had just said. Not to contemplate the possibilities of her actually being aroused. Right now. By him. “I have the referral and paperwork in the other room,” he told her.
As he’d expected, that dimmed the wattage on her smile. “I need to get myself settled.”
“How long?”
“Not very,” she admitted. “Rina’s offer was so amazing, I spent last week organizing.”
“Can I help you move your things?”
Her gaze fell to his shoulder. “If you can manage that, you don’t need me.”
She was dead wrong. He definitely needed her. He just couldn’t afford to. “I’m certain you have some kind of use for me.”
She laughed. “I’m not going to touch that one.”
The sound settled inside him, making him feel more alive than he had since he’d both lost his best friend and injured his shoulder.
“Jimmy—you know, the owner of the café—can help me move in.”
Jake nodded, ignoring the unwelcome and unfamiliar stab of jealousy he felt at hearing another man’s name on her lips. He changed the subject to one more interesting. “I suppose Rina mentioned there’s a private gym, a pool on the roof, as well as that whirlpool?” he asked.
“The subject came up, yes. Although if you’d like to look into doing therapy at the hospital, we could use the facilities there.”
“I was referring to you using the pool and whirlpool in your free time. Not for therapy.”
“Oh, that’s right. You haven’t agreed to anything yet.”
He grinned. “Exactly right.”
She rolled her eyes. “Care to tell me why not?”
He averted his gaze.
“Guess not.”
