tempting. "You seem to have connections all over town—last night at The Daily Grind, and now today, with Ashley St. Claire."
"Actually, Ashley St. Claire is really Ashley Wilde," he said in a low, relaxed tone of voice. "She's married to my older brother, Scott, but keeps the St. Claire last name for business purposes."
Lora had no idea, and was intrigued by that bit of information. "Are you serious?"
"Yep." He exhaled a seductive sigh as she set a pile of hot stones on his lower back to warm the muscles there. "So far, most of my connections are among my brothers' and cousins' spouses. That means lots of perks for me."
She heard the lilting humor in his voice and wondered just how large his family was. But instead of asking, she answered with a soft, soothing, "Ummm," and let the moment segue into a comfortable silence.
"Ummm?" He murmured back to her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She smiled to herself and placed more of the therapeutic stones on his wide shoulders, around the nape of his neck, and down along the slope of his spine. "I'm trying to be quiet so you can relax and enjoy the experience."
"I'm enjoying it very much," he assured her in a sexy, rumbling voice that had the same effect as if he were stroking his fingers along her bare breasts and belly.
"Good. Now be quiet." She returned to his left leg, grateful that Joel's eyes were, closed, because her nipples had tightened against her bra, and her body's reaction to him showed through her white work blouse. God, if the man's voice alone could elicit such a searing response, she could only imagine what a kiss, or a slow, deliberate caress of those big hands along her body, could do to her. Make her melt and unravel, she was sure.
"So, what if I want to talk and relax at the same time?" he asked, and groaned as she began massaging his calf and thigh with the warmed stones in firm, upward strokes. "Does that cost extra?"
His humor got the best of her, and she laughed. "No, but most clients would rather take in the music, along with the scent of the aromatherapy candle, and just destress." She moved around to his right leg, and gave it the same massage treatment with the stones.
"Well, I can do all that and talk, too," he assured her. "I'm multitalented that way."
Lora just bet he was. His tone was infused with pure male confidence, hinting at other, more provocative, talents he possessed, as well. "Pleasing the client is my job," she said, and before he could turn that innocent statement into something more suggestive, she added quickly, "What would you like to talk about?"
"You name it. I'm an open book."
And she had to admit that she was way too interested in, and fascinated with, Joel. Picking up two larger, newly warmed basalt stones, she glided them up the sides of his muscled back, all the way up to his neck, then repeated the process again.
"Okay, Mr. Open Book," she said, smiling, "tell me, just how big is your family, anyway? I'm curious about all those perks you get to take advantage of."
"In my family, there are four of us. I have two older brothers, Scott and Alex, and a sister, Mia." He groaned deep in his throat when she hit a particularly tense set of muscles along his neck, then added just the right amount of pressure to ease the taut group of muscles. "Mia is the only girl and the youngest in the family, including my three male cousins, Steve, Eric, and Adrian."
"So, there's seven of you in all," she mused, thinking that there must have been a helluva lot of male testosterone running rampant in the Wilde family, considering six of them had been boys. "Is everyone married or single?"
"The funny thing is, we all were single until a few years ago. And then one by one, my cousins got married and settled down, then my two brothers." His voice was as relaxed as his body, a lazy, deep-timbered sound that told her the massage was doing its job. "Just recently, my
"Actually, Ashley St. Claire is really Ashley Wilde," he said in a low, relaxed tone of voice. "She's married to my older brother, Scott, but keeps the St. Claire last name for business purposes."
Lora had no idea, and was intrigued by that bit of information. "Are you serious?"
"Yep." He exhaled a seductive sigh as she set a pile of hot stones on his lower back to warm the muscles there. "So far, most of my connections are among my brothers' and cousins' spouses. That means lots of perks for me."
She heard the lilting humor in his voice and wondered just how large his family was. But instead of asking, she answered with a soft, soothing, "Ummm," and let the moment segue into a comfortable silence.
"Ummm?" He murmured back to her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She smiled to herself and placed more of the therapeutic stones on his wide shoulders, around the nape of his neck, and down along the slope of his spine. "I'm trying to be quiet so you can relax and enjoy the experience."
"I'm enjoying it very much," he assured her in a sexy, rumbling voice that had the same effect as if he were stroking his fingers along her bare breasts and belly.
"Good. Now be quiet." She returned to his left leg, grateful that Joel's eyes were, closed, because her nipples had tightened against her bra, and her body's reaction to him showed through her white work blouse. God, if the man's voice alone could elicit such a searing response, she could only imagine what a kiss, or a slow, deliberate caress of those big hands along her body, could do to her. Make her melt and unravel, she was sure.
"So, what if I want to talk and relax at the same time?" he asked, and groaned as she began massaging his calf and thigh with the warmed stones in firm, upward strokes. "Does that cost extra?"
His humor got the best of her, and she laughed. "No, but most clients would rather take in the music, along with the scent of the aromatherapy candle, and just destress." She moved around to his right leg, and gave it the same massage treatment with the stones.
"Well, I can do all that and talk, too," he assured her. "I'm multitalented that way."
Lora just bet he was. His tone was infused with pure male confidence, hinting at other, more provocative, talents he possessed, as well. "Pleasing the client is my job," she said, and before he could turn that innocent statement into something more suggestive, she added quickly, "What would you like to talk about?"
"You name it. I'm an open book."
And she had to admit that she was way too interested in, and fascinated with, Joel. Picking up two larger, newly warmed basalt stones, she glided them up the sides of his muscled back, all the way up to his neck, then repeated the process again.
"Okay, Mr. Open Book," she said, smiling, "tell me, just how big is your family, anyway? I'm curious about all those perks you get to take advantage of."
"In my family, there are four of us. I have two older brothers, Scott and Alex, and a sister, Mia." He groaned deep in his throat when she hit a particularly tense set of muscles along his neck, then added just the right amount of pressure to ease the taut group of muscles. "Mia is the only girl and the youngest in the family, including my three male cousins, Steve, Eric, and Adrian."
"So, there's seven of you in all," she mused, thinking that there must have been a helluva lot of male testosterone running rampant in the Wilde family, considering six of them had been boys. "Is everyone married or single?"
"The funny thing is, we all were single until a few years ago. And then one by one, my cousins got married and settled down, then my two brothers." His voice was as relaxed as his body, a lazy, deep-timbered sound that told her the massage was doing its job. "Just recently, my
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