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Avery glanced around the table, surveying the reunited Blackstone family. Her voice was hushed compared to Mark’s forceful tone. “It must be strange, having all of you back here, together again.”
Very few people would notice the phenomenon, much less mention how each brother had left, then returned to find their place in Black Hills now that their grandfather was dead. But this was Avery. He remembered glimpses of her standing on the edge of the crowd in high school, alone but not missing an ounce of what occurred.
Aiden’s dark gaze swept over them all before he smiled. “Yes, but family is good. Very good.”
Luke wouldn’t have gotten through the last few months without family, including both his brothers, Christina and Jacob’s fiancé, KC. “Amen,” he agreed.
But as the conversation continued around them, Luke didn’t miss the dark shadow that clouded Avery’s eyes, the subtle shift of her expression. And he certainly didn’t miss Mark’s hand casually lying against the small of her back. A sign of ownership, possessiveness, protection. Comfort for a friend? Or something more?
Avery didn’t move away, but she also didn’t relax into the touch, either. Interesting.
“Mark,” Jacob said, his tone firming to one of authority, “I’m glad you stopped by. The computer gurus are finally coming to install the new computer system at the plant. Time for an upgrade like we talked about last month,” Jacob continued. “We’ll meet early tomorrow morning to discuss it.”
Mark shifted on his feet, his dress shoes squeaking under the stress. “Great.”
Mark smiled as he said it, but Luke suspected he wasn’t as thrilled as he tried to look. Something about the overstretch of his smile, giving his face a slightly Joker edge.
“Avery, let me escort you to the valet,” Mark said, using that damnable hand to steer her away. She nodded, her gaze making a warm sweep of the table...while studiously avoiding Luke.
Why did that leave him feeling cold?
Escorting a woman—something Luke couldn’t do with ease anymore. As if she knew his thoughts followed them, Avery glanced back over her shoulder, but a cool mask still protected her emotions.
Great. Just what he needed—a ticked-off physical therapist with the ability to visit pain on him with a simple twitch of her wrist. His dismissal of her abilities had given her motivation aplenty for inflicting a twinge or two on him.
But Luke was used to using his charm to get out of sticky situations—turning them into something positive, something entertaining. Despite the complication, his curiosity grew. So did his unexpected need. He’d been lost in a miasma of pain and frustration that seriously weighed him down. But this kick-start to his motor had lifted him up, exhilarated him. A relationship was nowhere on his agenda, but a little battle of wills would definitely liven up his current dull existence.
A few fireworks to dull the pain. What could be more fun than that?
* * *
How could anyone look so cute in scrubs? Not that Avery was the type to appreciate being categorized as cute. She probably preferred capable. Her sunny yellow scrubs were paired with a no-nonsense expression and friendly, but impersonal, tone. Her detachment caused him to itch after the receptionist brought him through the double doors into the heart of the therapy facility.
If Avery thought her all-business attitude would keep him at arm’s length, she’d get a surprise. He’d just tease his way through whatever crack he could find in her armor. The challenge brought a surge of energy. Besides, befriending her might keep her from taking any vengeance out on his bones.
An impressive workout room occupied an open central space in the main part of the building. Top-of-the-line equipment gleamed from careful upkeep. Avery gestured him through a side door and closed them inside. The treatment room had the same look of quality, including a padded table, small desk and comfortable chairs. “This place is really nice. You’ve done well for yourself, Avery,” he said.
The compliment garnered him his first genuine smile. No pretense. “Thank you. This building has been a blessing to me and to my patients.”
And it obviously meant a lot to her. “You named the clinic after your mother.”
“Yes.” Her smile dimmed a little, awakening an urge to give her a comforting hug just as he would Christina, who’d proven to be a true friend.
Avery continued. “We became exceptionally close during her illness. Besides, she provided the funding for a bigger, better clinic for the community in my inheritance. We’re very lucky to have it.”
Her pride in her accomplishment added a glow to her expression, awakening jealousy in Luke’s gut. He remembered being proud of what he did, but the memories were fading from sharp to hazy, obscured by the turmoil of recent months.
This woman used her healing talents every day in a community that needed her. How fulfilling must that be? “You have plenty of patients?”
She nodded, sending her thick ponytail swinging. “I like to think it’s because I do good work, and not just because I’m the only convenient choice.”
“I bet it is. You must be good with your hands, huh?”
To his surprise, that professional demeanor slipped and she fumbled the chart from her hands. It hit the ground with a clatter. “That’s really inappropriate, Luke,” she warned with a frown.
He hadn’t meant it to be, but now that he thought about it that way... He watched as a flush of pink swept up her neck and into her cheeks. Oh, she could be proper all she wanted, but now he knew—she might’ve grown up, but this chickadee was still as easily flustered as she’d been in high school.
Teasing her was gonna be entertaining. And her all-business attitude screamed for him to bring a little fun, a little laughter into her life. Since he could use some fun, too, he’d be doing them both a favor. Right?
“I’m pretty well known for saying whatever comes to mind,” he said with a grin. “And being handsome. And charming.” It wasn’t bragging, ’cause it was true.
“And obnoxiously self-absorbed?” The contrast between her words and sickly sweet tone made him laugh. A true laugh. Man, that felt good.
He conceded with a sexy grin. “Maybe. Occasionally.”
That professional mask slipped a fraction more before she smoothed her palms over already sleek hair, back to her ponytail.
He was getting somewhere now. Just a little more ribbing, and she might actually laugh like a real person instead of a robot.
She pulled out a rolling stool and sat, propping his folder on her lap. Guess it was down-to-business time, which wasn’t nearly as amusing. Luke had worked hard at recovery, but this was the first time fun had appeared anywhere in his current nightmare. He didn’t want to leave it behind.
“Goals?” she asked, focusing her attention on the papers.
That was easy enough. His one goal had been blazing in his brain since the accident. “To be back in my car. ASAP.”
Avery glanced up, those gorgeous eyes wide, drawing him in. “That’s pretty decisive.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Her tone left him defensive, when there was no need for it. Then again, Luke’s life had been spent on goals other people just didn’t get. “You asked. I answered.”
Her frown and longer-than-polite stare awakened an urge to squirm he hadn’t encountered since third grade.
“Most of my patients are more worried about walking unaided again,” she mused, as if talking to herself rather than him.
Alarm streaked along his nerves. He didn’t want her thinking too hard, digging too deep. So he grinned. “Oh, I have other goals.”
After a minute of silence, she made a speed-up gesture with the pen in her hand. “And...”
“Having a good time doesn’t sound nearly as professional, if you know what I mean.”
The pen hit the floor. Instant color stained her creamy cheeks. Wow. When was the last time he’d seen a blush like that? It must have been— A memory burst inside his brain. High school.
* * *
“Do you need some help with that?”
The jolt that rushed through him had to be from surprise. After all, who would have expected Little Miss Perfect to offer to help him change clothes? A blush spread over her rounded cheeks to match the heat racing over his body.
He looked from the dry shorts in his hand back to Avery in the first bikini he’d ever seen her wear. Must have been bought special for this final summer bash for seniors at the lake before everyone flew off to the colleges of their choice. Everyone except him—his destination was North Carolina and any racing track they’d let him drive on. But even the prospect of finally leaving home hadn’t made him reckless enough to initiate the greenest girl in their group. No matter what her pale blue eyes were begging for. “Honey, helping me would involve a lot more than a change of clothes.”
“I know.” But that flush on her fair skin, bright enough to see in the dim light this far from the bonfire, told him she didn’t truly know what she was offering.
To his surprise, a shot of adrenaline flashed through his veins. The same kind that came with hundred-mile-an-hour speeds and the feel of the wheel beneath his palms. Not the sexy slide into arousal he usually got with girls. Even his alcohol-soaked brain knew this was a bad idea, despite his body’s approval. Better to stop this before it began, even if it meant being harsh...
“I think somebody with more experience would be a bigger help to me.”
* * *
Oh, no. How could Luke have forgotten that long-ago summer night? Without thought, he said, “Holy— Avery, I can’t believe you came on to me that night.”
The little rolling stool shot backward, as far across the tiny exam room as she could go. The thump as she hit the opposite wall went unnoticed by her. She only stared, her flush deepening, spreading down her neck and chest to disappear under the yellow scrubs. “I—”
Why had he said that? Whatever he thought usually slid out of his mouth without any semblance of a stop sign in between, that’s why. Most people found it funny. But her utter mortification was not what he’d wanted.
“I’m sorry, Avery. I should never have said that.” His mama had taught him to own up to his mistakes. People might think he was all ego—and he let them keep believing it—but he’d never dishonor a woman or ignore her distress. “Seriously, I may not always play the gentleman, but I would never intentionally embarrass a friend.”
Her recovery was quick. She straightened on the stool and crept forward with her heels until she’d crossed half the little room. He couldn’t help but notice she still kept some distance between them. The return of the professional mask took a little longer, though. “Friends, huh?”
He grinned, hoping to put her at ease. “I’d like to think so.”
She nodded, as if that settled things. But it took her a few moments to say, “So I wanted a little walk on the wild side.” She shrugged those delicately built shoulders, keeping her eyes trained on his chart. “What high school senior doesn’t?”
His libido urged him to ask if she’d gotten it, but for once he kept his trap shut. He sifted through his memories for any gossip he’d heard about her, but came up empty. All Jacob had supplied last night were the directions to the therapy center. No bad behavior. No scandalous liaisons.
Was there no gossip to be had? Last night she’d been at dinner with Doctor Morris and his wife, who were seventy if they were a day. She’d had no date accompanying her, even though Mark had joined her to walk out. No wedding ring on her long, slender fingers. Her last name hadn’t changed. Maybe there hadn’t been any wild times...
Maybe he should change that?
Oh. Hell. No. The last thing he needed was a casual hookup with the least casual woman he knew. He tried to erase the seductive thought as she spoke again.
“We’ll start each session with a warm-up, then build strength with resistance exercises—first using just your body weight, then moving up,” she was saying, using her pen to check off her points. Her precision marks were a little too perfect, holding her interest a little too much. “Your therapist in North Carolina gave me your records. You’ve come an incredibly long way, but today I’d like to see what’s happening for myself...”
Luke didn’t want to think about any of it—so he distracted himself with the fall of soft yellow scrubs that skimmed her curves. If she knew what he was thinking right now, she’d probably give him an exaggerated frown and tell him that activity wasn’t on his approved list.
Maybe he’d have to prove her wrong.
“Okay, Luke?”
“Yep,” he automatically answered.
“You weren’t listening, were you?”
“Nope.”
The look on her face implied he’d been naughty, but it was her big sigh, the one that lifted her nicely rounded breasts, that drew his attention. Not the sigh, just the— Boy, he was in so much trouble.
“I guess I’ll explain as we go along,” she said, ignoring his distraction. She rose to her feet and turned to open the door. “Let’s see what you’re capable of...”
That didn’t sound good, and his previous experience with physical therapy told Luke it wouldn’t be. She started him on a slow walk around the room, moving alongside him. Her soothing voice washed over him, almost relaxing despite the awkward coordination of his uncooperative legs and the cane.
Except he knew what was coming.
The upper body work wasn’t an issue. Moving and challenging those muscles actually felt good. His hips and legs—not so much. Avery put him through some resistance training, range-of-motion work and stretching. An hour later, drenched in sweat, he had to wonder if a sadistic grin lurked behind her ardent expression. Her encouraging words said she wanted to help, but was she secretly satisfied by his pain?
After all, he’d humiliated her in high school. That he’d done it for her own good didn’t seem like adequate justification now that he was an adult. But maybe he could make it up to her somehow?
Or would spending time with Avery outside of his therapy be the equivalent of playing with fire?
Two (#ulink_d35085ed-8c52-5681-a76a-5a96cdee0317)
Avery ignored the shake of her hands as she removed electrode pads from Luke’s legs and lower back. Thank goodness she didn’t have to do anything complicated. Otherwise she’d surely have made an idiot of herself. The sight of his body in nothing but athletic shorts was a test to her professionalism.
She cleared her throat, trying to ease the constriction. “I’ll let you get dressed and then meet you up front.”
Except thoughts of Luke and clothes only reminded her of their earlier conversation, and her immature offer to help him dress. Ah, there are those stomach-twisting nerves again. She hurried out the door with only a small bump against the frame.
Luke was so much like she remembered—only ten times more dangerous. Obviously, he’d figured out that these joking innuendos were the way to get beneath her guard. She needed a way to counteract them.
Her current method wasn’t working very well.
Teasing from any man under sixty flustered her, but her reactions to Luke were too strong—a tempest compared to a sprinkle of rain when it came to other men. The fact that she found him amazingly attractive only made her nerves worse. Her interest had nothing to do with him being a local celebrity and everything to do with him being, well, Luke.
His charm and ready smile had drawn her from the moment she’d met him. Whenever they’d seen each other as teenagers at country club dinners or various gatherings, Avery would follow him around, subtly watching him. Unlike his brother Jacob, who had surrounded himself with a businesslike wall, Luke knew how to make himself comfortable in any social situation.
A skill Avery had never developed.
Oh, she could chat with people in town, people she’d known all her life. Her genuine interest in and sympathy for her patients made interacting with them easy. And she had a few girlfriends, like Christina, whom she could turn to when she really needed to talk.
But drop her into a bunch of strangers and Avery simply froze. She reverted back to her high school speech class, with all those eyes staring at her, waiting for her to say something brilliant—and all she could do was squeak.
“So how often do I need to be here?”
As Luke approached, Avery looked up from the chart she wasn’t really reading. Even with the cane, she could have sworn a sexy male model had invaded her territory. Her breath caught in her throat once more, before she released it on a sigh.
Who was she kidding? She’d tried to ride that train once, and Luke had made it plain she wasn’t his type. If he never brought that night up again, it would be too soon. Besides, Luke wouldn’t be sticking around for long. He’d made that perfectly plain during their discussion.
Why risk more humiliation by reading into his teasing more than he could possibly mean? She knew from countless hours of observation that, for Luke, flirting was a way of life.
She forced herself to erase any mooning, wistful tendencies from her voice. She kept it short and, okay, maybe a little stiff. “Let’s get you set up for Wednesday, shall we? I won’t have an exact plan until I’ve looked over my notes from today.”
Avery’s receptionist was flirtier than usual, giving Luke a run for his money. Cindy had all the outgoing personality that had passed Avery by. She chatted and giggled with Luke as she scheduled his next appointment. Normally Avery appreciated that Cindy made their patients smile, but today their laughter left her feeling like an outsider—though she’d never admit that to anyone.
“And what’s this?”
Avery barely quelled the instinctive grab for what she didn’t want him to see. She narrowed her eyes at Cindy. They’d been looking at the brochure earlier and Avery was pretty sure she’d asked Cindy to put it away. Yet there it was, sitting on the checkout counter, as pretty as you please.
“Cindy...” Avery warned. That innocent expression didn’t fool Avery.
She tried a glare, but Cindy just laughed it off. “Rock climbing and rappelling—not far from here,” the receptionist said. “Can you believe it? Avery’s been on a search for ‘adventure’ lately.” The air quotes didn’t help Avery feel better.
