Make it Hot by Gwyneth Bolton Page B

when.
    “You look so cute when you do that.” His voice got really deep, and she turned to look at him against her better judgment.
    Goodness, the man was fine. His expressive brown eyes and smooth, sexy smile made his handsome face shine. She’d never seen a man more good-looking, not even on a movie screen. He had the kind of gaze a girl could get lost in: one part serious, two parts sensuous and one part sexy as all get out. That face and his muscular frame combined with the underlying playful and very devilish manner equaled danger to any sane and breathing girl’s heart. It certainly had the warning buzzers going off in her head.
    So why wasn’t she listening to them? Proceed with caution, hell! She kept right on falling into the dark chocolate pools that made up his eyes.
    She tilted her head and tried to give off the impression she wasn’t scared. “Do what?”
    “Get all nervous and embarrassed and start blushing.” He smiled, and she could have sworn she saw a sparkle.
    “You can’t see me blush, Hightower. My complexion doesn’t allow for that.” She smirked even as she wondered how he could possibly know that if she were a few shades lighter, she would be lit up like Rudolph’s nose on Christmas Eve.
    “Oh, maybe I can’t see it, but I know it. I can tell. You’re nervous and curious all at the same time.”
    “Yeah, well, we all know what too much curiosity did to the cat…” She let out a sigh.
    “True, but we also know satisfaction revived the little feline in the best way.”
    Was that a sexy taunt she heard in the undertone of his voice?
    “Who’s to say I’d be satisfied if I gave in to my curiosity?” She felt way more saucy than she had a right to given he was a patient, but that didn’t stop the hint of a pant in her voice.
    She needed to quit it. She really did.
    A sinful, sexy smile crossed his lips. “If you’re curious about what I know you’re curious about then I can promise you heights of satisfaction unlike anything you have ever experienced.”
    There it was again. There was no mistaking the sensuous taunt.
    She made the dreaded mistake of looking up into his intense stare and the truth of his promise nearly took her breath away. He meant it, all right. He met her gaze without blinking.
    “Well…” She wiped her suddenly sweating palms on her slacks and got up from the mat.
    He followed, and she noticed him wince a little.
    “I’m going to show you these stretching exercises and you are going to follow, and then I’m going to give you a heat treatment. And when you come in here on Monday, you are going to leave that funky attitude at the door. Because if you don’t, I will be forced to bring out the big guns.”
    He grinned. “Oh, I’m going to be on my best behavior from now on. My new mission is to make you throw caution to the wind, little kitten, and to give us both some satisfaction. I’m glad you took it upon yourself to take me to task today, Little Miss Spitfire. I’m feeling things I haven’t felt in a long time, and I know I want to feel more, much more. ” His tone went down a couple of notches, and his voice became Barry White deep and sexy.
    Her knees suddenly felt weak, and she wanted to flop back down on the mat.
    What had she gotten herself into?
    She should have kept her professional distance because Joel Hightower’s big predator cat on the prowl was way out of her league. He could satisfy his curiosity all he wanted and he’d end up fine, but how much would she have to risk in order to play his game? And how would she be able to resist?
     
    Getting in his SUV, Joel replayed what had happened in his therapy session with a smile on his face. He wondered if Little Miss Spitfire even realized he had thrown down the gauntlet. He shook his head and chuckled to himself.
    No, she probably had no idea.
    The slight soreness in his back reminded him he wasn’t one hundred percent, and he probably never would be. It bothered him almost enough to