“Will they be any less hurt when they find out you’ve been hiding out from them for months?”
“Not months,” Michael insisted. “Another week or two, just till I see if my prognosis improves at all.”
Ryan nodded. “Okay, then, I’ll back off for now.” He glanced across the room. “I was a little surprised to see Kelly and her brother with you tonight.”
Michael shook his head, thinking about how complicated this simple outing had turned out to be. “Kelly’s here because she thinks therapy will go more smoothly if I start to trust her.”
“And Bryan?”
“He’s here because he’s afraid I’m going to make a move on Kelly,” Michael admitted dryly.
Ryan barely contained a chuckle. “And do you intend to make a move on her? You could do a lot worse, you know.”
Michael turned and studied Kelly. She was a beautiful woman, no question about it. And there were definitely some sparks between them. Even so, he shook his head. “Too complicated.”
“Because you and Bryan are friends?”
“No, because she’s my best shot at getting out of this wheelchair. I don’t intend to do anything that might distract from that.”
Ryan’s gaze narrowed. “There are a lot of therapists in Boston, you know. Maggie’s still got her copy of that list she made. A new therapist could uncomplicate things.”
“I’ve made my peace with having Kelly underfoot. I don’t want to start over,” Michael said flatly.
“That might be a shortsighted view, especially if you’re attracted to her,” Ryan said, refusing to let the subject drop.
“I’m not,” Michael insisted.
A grin spread across Ryan’s face. “I hope you were more convincing when you tried that line out on her brother.”
Michael sighed. “Probably not.”
“Just make me a promise, then,” Ryan pleaded. “When you two decide to have it out, don’t do it in here, okay? The bar glass is expensive.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Michael glanced toward Kelly and saw that she was watching him. “Guess I’d better bite the bullet and get back over there. I’ve managed to stay out of Kelly’s path most of the evening, which pretty much defeats the avowed purpose of bringing her here.”
Ryan stepped out from behind the bar and blocked his path. “Look, I know you didn’t ask for any advice from your big brother, but I’m going to offer some just the same. Therapy might get you back on your feet, but it’s going to take more than that to heal your soul. If Kelly’s offering more, don’t be so quick to turn your back on it.”
“I suppose you gave in the very first second that Maggie came into your life,” Michael speculated.
Ryan laughed. “Hardly. I’m just trying to save you a little time. You can learn from my mistakes and give in to the inevitable.”
“There’s nothing inevitable about Kelly and me.”
“If you say so,” Ryan said doubtfully.
“I do,” Michael said very firmly.
Unfortunately, Ryan didn’t look as if he believed the denial any more than Michael did himself.
In terms of building a bridge between herself and Michael, the evening had been a bust so far, Kelly concluded as he rejoined the group who’d clustered around several tables in the middle of the pub. She noted he was careful to stay on the opposite side of the table from her.
Unfortunately for him, Bryan had just asked Katie O’Brien to dance, so the chair right next to Michael had just opened up. She made her way around the table.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” she accused lightly as she took the vacant seat.
“Bryan’s orders,” he said just as lightly.
She laughed. “I probably ought to kill him.”
“You probably should.”
“Then, again, I’m surprised you scared off so easily.”
“A smart man knows to pick his battles and his enemies.”
Kelly regarded him with dismay. “Is that what I am, the enemy?”
He winced. “No, of course not. Neither is your brother. We’re just caught up in a complicated situation.”
“It doesn’t have to be all that complicated. I’m trying to get to know you. I’m not asking you to marry me or even to sleep with me.”
“Thank heavens for that,” he said fervently. “Your brother really would kill me, then.”
She decided to play it cool. “Only if you took me up on it,” she teased. “Would you?”
“Kelly.” Her name came out part warning, part plea.
“Yes?”
“You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“Only if you’re the least bit tempted,” she said.
“I’m a man,” he said, as if that said it all.
“So, of course, you’re not capable of resisting temptation?” she scoffed. “Please, Michael. Don’t try to make me believe you’d take advantage of the situation, if I happened to throw myself at you.”
A dull flush crept into his cheeks. “We’re never going to know, because you are not going to do that. Are we clear?”
The direct order made her see red. Something dark and dangerous came to life inside her. Before he could make his demand again, she leaned forward, clamped a hand around the back of his neck and kissed him.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she’d only intended the gesture to be a belligerent response to his unreasonable order. Big mistake. No, huge mistake. Because the instant her lips met the hard line of his mouth, she felt as if the entire world was spinning out of control.
And when his mouth opened and his tongue thrust between her lips, she was completely lost to sensation…greedy, urgent sensation that made her pulse hum and her heart thump wildly. Liquid heat pooled low in her belly and desire made her want to cling and savor and taste. Only a low growl in Michael’s throat had her tearing herself away, her cheeks flushed, her breath coming in quick, unsteady gasps.
She rocked back in her chair and raked her fingers through her hair. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, embarrassment flooding through her. Only the dazed look in Michael’s eyes kept her from feeling like a complete fool.
“Don’t,” he said, his voice harsh. “Don’t apologize. I shouldn’t have—”
She cut him off. “Shouldn’t have what?” she asked with self-derision. “Responded when I all but attacked you?”
He smiled faintly at that. “I dared you,” he pointed out.
“You did not,” she said, then thought about it. Maybe he hadn’t dared her in so many words, but the challenge in his voice was exactly what she’d responded to. She studied him in confusion. “Okay, maybe you did. Did you do it on purpose?”
He looked almost as bewildered as she felt. “I wish to hell I knew.”
Before they could explore it any further, her brother arrived, a glowering expression on his face. “I see that my warning was taken to heart by both of you.”
“Oh, stuff a sock in it,” Kelly retorted.
Bryan ignored her and looked at Michael. “What about you?” he demanded indignantly. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I think ‘stuff a sock in it’ pretty well sums up my view, as well.”
Bryan scowled from Michael to Kelly and back again. “Okay, then, I wash my hands of this. You two are on your own.”
“Fine by me,” Kelly retorted.
“I always have been,” Michael said, his expression already distant and withdrawn.
Bryan hesitated. He seemed as if he were about to relent, but then he whirled around and headed for the bar.
Kelly instinctively reached for Michael’s hands and held them tightly. “You are not on your own anymore. Look around you. You never have to be alone again.”
Michael surveyed the assembled Devaneys and O’Briens warily, as if he still didn’t quite trust what they were offering. In that instant, Kelly felt something deep inside herself shift. Years ago what she had felt for Michael Devaney had been a teenage crush on a handsome, myst
erious boy. What she felt right now was so much more. She wasn’t quite ready to put a label on it, especially not one he would reject out of hand.
But if it took her a lifetime, she would find some way to wipe that bleak expression from his eyes and prove to him that he was a man worthy of being loved.
Chapter Five
The memory of that soul-searing kiss kept Michael awake most of the night. It had taken him totally by surprise on so many levels, his mind was still reeling.
Even after Bryan’s warning, he hadn’t actually expected Kelly to make a move on him. A part of him still thought of her as Bryan’s kid sister. That she had impulsively and thoroughly out-of-the-blue locked lips with him had shocked him right down to his toes. That wasn’t some kid’s move. It was the act of a woman willing to take what she wanted.
That he had responded, that he had all but devoured her right there in the middle of his brother’s pub in front of a whole slew of witnesses—including her disapproving brother—had been almost as shocking. Maybe that head injury he’d dismissed had left his brain more addled than he’d realized.
He’d admitted to Kelly that part of the blame was his. He had—albeit unintentionally—pretty much challenged her to kiss him. What red-blooded, healthy, spirited woman wouldn’t have reacted exactly as Kelly had? That didn’t make it right. It certainly didn’t make it smart. And it most definitely didn’t make it something that could be allowed to happen again.
Unfortunately, short of firing her, he wasn’t entirely clear on how he was going to guarantee that there wouldn’t be a repeat, especially now that they both knew exactly the kind of fireworks they’d be avoiding. Most men—and even a few women—would not willingly turn their backs on that kind of instantaneous combustion, no matter how dangerous.
Michael muttered a sharp oath under his breath. Why hadn’t he seen that kiss coming? He could have deflected it, laughed off the incident and gotten a decent night’s sleep. Instead, he’d tossed and turned, his body half-aroused by lingering memories of the way Kelly’s mouth had felt on his. Here it was nearly eight in the morning and he was as stirred up as he had been within seconds after she’d dragged her lips away from his. Worst of all, there wasn’t even enough time for him to haul himself into an ice-cold shower before Kelly arrived for their Saturday morning session.
Well, there was only one thing to do, he finally concluded. He had to face the whole situation squarely and give Kelly the option of quitting or sticking around under a stringent set of hands-off guidelines.
There was just one tiny little flaw in that plan. Massages were part of the therapy. He’d discovered already that there were a dozen different reasons why it was necessary for her to touch him. Trying to ban all contact between them was pretty much self-defeating in terms of his recovery. Not banning it was dangerous for entirely different reasons.
Michael thought of the thousand and one dangerous situations in which he’d found himself during his years as a SEAL. How could he possibly let one sexy little therapist scare him out of doing what needed to be done? He couldn’t, not if he ever expected to look at himself in the mirror again.
Bring her on, he thought with renewed determination. Let her tempt him. He would be strong. He would resist. He would concentrate on the reason she was in his life…to make him whole again, to get him back on his feet. He would pretend she looked like a frog and had the skin of an alligator.
He choked on the image. Maybe he should forget about trying to deceive himself into thinking she wasn’t attractive and concentrate on developing the willpower of a saint.
“You did what?” Kelly’s boss at the rehab clinic asked incredulously when Kelly stopped by with coffee and blueberry muffins on her way to Michael’s on Saturday morning.
The coffee and treats were a Saturday ritual. The stunned expression on Moira’s face was a rarity. So was the hard look that followed. Kelly found herself wincing under that intense, disapproving scrutiny.
“Tell me again,” Moira commanded. “I can’t believe I heard you right the first time.”
“I kissed Michael,” Kelly repeated. “I flat out, on the lips, kissed him.” Her chin shot up in a display of defiance. “And I would do it again, if I got the chance.”
That said, her belligerence wilted. “Not that I’m ever likely to have another chance,” she said. “He’ll probably fire me when I walk in there this morning.”
“He should,” Moira said without the slightest trace of sympathy. “Of all the unprofessional, self-defeating things you could have done—”
Kelly cut her off. The lecture wasn’t really unexpected, but it was unnecessary. “You’re not telling me anything I haven’t already told myself a thousand times since last night. What do I do now?”
“Go over there and face the music,” Moira said. “And don’t be surprised if it’s a funeral dirge.”
“That’s what I love about you, Moira. You always paint such a rosy picture of things,” Kelly said wryly.
“What did you expect?”
“I suppose I was hoping you’d mix a tiny bit of compassion in with the lecture,” she admitted. “Imagine that this was a guy you’d had the hots for during most of your adult life. Wouldn’t you have done exactly what I did, given the chance?”
“You weren’t exactly given the chance,” Moira reminded her. “You stole it.”
“A technicality,” Kelly insisted. “Remember, he did kiss me back.”
“Which only proves he’s a red-blooded male.”
“You don’t intend to give an inch on this, do you?” Kelly asked wearily.
“And let you off the hook? No way.” Moira’s disapproving frown did lift ever so slightly, though. She leaned forward and subjected Kelly to a thorough survey. “Judging from the pink in your cheeks and the sparkle in your eyes, the kiss must have been worth putting your professional reputation on the line.”
Kelly sighed. “Oh, yes,” she confided dreamily. “That kiss was everything I ever dreamed of, and then some. I can only imagine what kissing him would be like if his heart was really in it.”
“Probably best not to go there,” Moira said. “You might be tempted to try it again.”
“Oh, I suspect I will be,” Kelly admitted. Before her friend could react to that, she squared her shoulders with renewed resolve. “But the next time, I’m going to resist. I’m going to remind myself that I am not in Michael’s life as a woman, but as a therapist. That I have a job to do, and I won’t be able to do it if there’s all that kissing going on.”
“Great logic,” Moira said, laughing. “Tell me again why you were at the pub.”
“So we could get to know each other better.”
“Well, kissing would definitely accomplish that,” Moira noted.
“Actually, it was all about gaining his trust,” Kelly corrected. “I don’t think the kissing accomplished that. If anything, it probably did the exact opposite. He’s probably terrified to be alone in a room with me for fear I’ll find some new way to test his code of honor.”
“Could be,” Moira confirmed. “I guess you’ll find that out when you get over there.”
Kelly sighed. “And there’s no point in putting that off, is there? Wish me luck.”
“Always,” her friend said, her expression sobering. “I just wish I knew if you wanted luck on the professional front or the personal.”
“That is the heart of the dilemma, isn’t it?” Kelly said as she left Moira’s office to make the drive to Michael’s.
Until she heard him call out in response to her ringing of the bell, she wasn’t sure she would even find him at home. Apparently he was less cowardly about this meeting than she was. She wanted to turn and run.
She didn’t, though. She walked into the apartment with her head held high and a plan forming in the back of her mind for keeping Michael as a client despite her behavior the night before. One look at him had all of that flying right out of her mind.
“What happened? Are you sick
?” she demanded, taking in his ashen complexion, unshaved cheeks and still-mussed hair.
“No sleep,” he said tersely. “I finally gave up about twenty minutes ago. I haven’t even had my first cup of coffee.”
Her heart skipped a heat. “Why were you having trouble sleeping?”
“Do you even need to ask?” he asked, his expression daunting.
Kelly winced at his harsh tone. “The unfortunate kiss,” she said.
“The unfortunate, never-to-be-repeated kiss,” he confirmed, then almost immediately scowled at her. “There you go again.”
She stared at him in confusion. “What?”
“What I said before, it was not a challenge.”
“Of course not,” Kelly agreed at once, though she had to admit a tiny part of her had reared up in defiance of that never-to-be-repeated edict.
“Then why did you get that same glint in your eyes that you got last night right before you kissed the daylights out of me?” he asked.
Kelly stared at him. “A glint? Really?”
“Don’t give me that innocent look. If I’m going to have to watch every word out of my mouth around you, this is never going to work. I can’t have you thinking that everything I say is some sort of challenge or invitation or something.”
Kelly seized on the fact that he apparently hadn’t decided to fire her outright. “I’ll behave myself. I promise. What happened last night was a fluke. I swear to you that I am not in the habit of throwing myself at my clients.”
“Good to know,” he said, his mood lightening ever so slightly. “How did you happen to make an exception in my case?”
“Like I said, it was a fluke. I must have had too much to drink.”
“One ale that you nursed all night?” he asked skeptically.
Kelly shrugged. “I’m not a big drinker.”
A grin tugged at his lips. “Also very good to know. I guess it wouldn’t be wise to invite you over for beers and basketball.”
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