lighting, the incense, the music...”
“I was helping. Speeding things up.” And now he was making excuses. He shut up.
“Yes, you were helping, but I’m pretty sure there’s only one lightning-fast method of instantly relaxing.” She closed the door, locked it, set her radio on the counter and began stripping. Off came the coat. Then her sweater...which left her wearing a small white T-shirt that had risen up enough to give him a view of the curve of smooth hip to waist before her arms came back down and she was once more covered. “And while that was completely inappropriate, it was payback for earlier. Don’t worry, we’re not doing that.”
Despite seeing him at less than his best, and witnessing him put his fist through the wall—which he really wasn’t proud of—the little eco-princess was flirting with him. He smiled, felt it, thought better of it and stopped. No wonder the woman liked to go to tropical places. Golden, shapely, and not at all what the media would classify a beach body...in the best way.
“Why are you getting undressed, then?”
It might have been years since he had a massage from anyone other than a lover, but he was sure that the only person who got naked was the one getting ministered to.
“I don’t want to get oil on my clothes.” She tossed the sweater onto the couch. “I’ll keep my skirt on and the thermals beneath, but the sweater’s sleeves are baggy and tend to drag. Oil would ruin it.” A brief pause and she gestured to the opposite corner of the room. “There’s a changing room through there, just strip down and wrap a towel around your waist. Underpants on or off, up to you. And I’ll get...”
What she was saying registered and he shook his head, moving to sit in a chair, “I don’t need to change. It’s just my shoulder.”
“Okay. Take off your shirt, then. And your shoes. You’re the only one who didn’t have your toes checked when you came in.”
“I don’t need my toes checked,” he muttered, that directive enough to pull him out of the fantastic place his mind was going. Perfect little beach body didn’t need to gawk at his ugly feet. But now that he’d seen what was beneath the baggy sweater, he wanted to see what was beneath the flowing skirts.
“Shirt,” Ellory repeated, done arguing with him for now. She’d work on his shoulder, get him to relax, and then get him on the table. She couldn’t fix his shoulder without having full access to his back. It was all connected. Not that she was going to bring that up with him right now. He was a doctor, he knew full well how anatomy and muscles worked together. He was just being a pain in the butt, and there was no reasoning with a pain in the butt. Logic didn’t win in an emotional kerfuffle and after seeing his display of testosterone earlier she could definitely say he was having an emotional kerfuffle he didn’t want to talk about.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see him complying. Arms up, material moving... She didn’t look yet. He may have lit incense, and there might be enough essential oils in this room to gag an apothecary, but with his suit open and body heat escaping, all Ellory could smell was Eau d’Yummy Masculinity.
All she needed was to start undressing him with her eyes. That would lead to her undressing him with her hands, and then her Stupid Resolution would be shot.
Distract him. She should talk about something.
“So, you ever been south of the equator?” And that sounded like another come on. Because he’d turned her hormones on.
“No, and I’ve never done drugs with a shaman either.”
“It’s not like that.”
Eucalyptus. That was a manly smell, and it would overpower the warm, salty awesomeness pouring off him. She snatched up the bottle of oil, a couple of towels and headed his way. “Do you want to lie on the table?”
“No.”
She rolled her eyes, and didn’t even try to hide it from him. He countered with a brow lift. “You can reach
“I was helping. Speeding things up.” And now he was making excuses. He shut up.
“Yes, you were helping, but I’m pretty sure there’s only one lightning-fast method of instantly relaxing.” She closed the door, locked it, set her radio on the counter and began stripping. Off came the coat. Then her sweater...which left her wearing a small white T-shirt that had risen up enough to give him a view of the curve of smooth hip to waist before her arms came back down and she was once more covered. “And while that was completely inappropriate, it was payback for earlier. Don’t worry, we’re not doing that.”
Despite seeing him at less than his best, and witnessing him put his fist through the wall—which he really wasn’t proud of—the little eco-princess was flirting with him. He smiled, felt it, thought better of it and stopped. No wonder the woman liked to go to tropical places. Golden, shapely, and not at all what the media would classify a beach body...in the best way.
“Why are you getting undressed, then?”
It might have been years since he had a massage from anyone other than a lover, but he was sure that the only person who got naked was the one getting ministered to.
“I don’t want to get oil on my clothes.” She tossed the sweater onto the couch. “I’ll keep my skirt on and the thermals beneath, but the sweater’s sleeves are baggy and tend to drag. Oil would ruin it.” A brief pause and she gestured to the opposite corner of the room. “There’s a changing room through there, just strip down and wrap a towel around your waist. Underpants on or off, up to you. And I’ll get...”
What she was saying registered and he shook his head, moving to sit in a chair, “I don’t need to change. It’s just my shoulder.”
“Okay. Take off your shirt, then. And your shoes. You’re the only one who didn’t have your toes checked when you came in.”
“I don’t need my toes checked,” he muttered, that directive enough to pull him out of the fantastic place his mind was going. Perfect little beach body didn’t need to gawk at his ugly feet. But now that he’d seen what was beneath the baggy sweater, he wanted to see what was beneath the flowing skirts.
“Shirt,” Ellory repeated, done arguing with him for now. She’d work on his shoulder, get him to relax, and then get him on the table. She couldn’t fix his shoulder without having full access to his back. It was all connected. Not that she was going to bring that up with him right now. He was a doctor, he knew full well how anatomy and muscles worked together. He was just being a pain in the butt, and there was no reasoning with a pain in the butt. Logic didn’t win in an emotional kerfuffle and after seeing his display of testosterone earlier she could definitely say he was having an emotional kerfuffle he didn’t want to talk about.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see him complying. Arms up, material moving... She didn’t look yet. He may have lit incense, and there might be enough essential oils in this room to gag an apothecary, but with his suit open and body heat escaping, all Ellory could smell was Eau d’Yummy Masculinity.
All she needed was to start undressing him with her eyes. That would lead to her undressing him with her hands, and then her Stupid Resolution would be shot.
Distract him. She should talk about something.
“So, you ever been south of the equator?” And that sounded like another come on. Because he’d turned her hormones on.
“No, and I’ve never done drugs with a shaman either.”
“It’s not like that.”
Eucalyptus. That was a manly smell, and it would overpower the warm, salty awesomeness pouring off him. She snatched up the bottle of oil, a couple of towels and headed his way. “Do you want to lie on the table?”
“No.”
She rolled her eyes, and didn’t even try to hide it from him. He countered with a brow lift. “You can reach
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