She knelt and patted the dog’s head. “Of course, I don’t mind. We’ve become friends, haven’t we, boy.” With a prolonged sigh, Norton rolled onto his back, giving her access to his stomach and other body parts Jake would prefer not to see.
He rolled his eyes. “Kiss-ass,” he muttered, then turned to Brianne. “Make yourself at home.” He gestured to the living room and hoped she didn’t mind the velvet couches or the marble statues. They weren’t him, but they were here, and there was nothing much he could do about it except get through the summer.
“Thanks,” she murmured.
Jake turned and headed for the master bedroom Rina had insisted he take as his own. His body burned and sizzled, and he knew without turning back that Brianne’s gaze followed his retreat. He changed into clothes, still having no idea how best to avoid her rehab.
Then the telephone rang. He grabbed the receiver. “Hello?”
“Jake?”
It was Rina. If she hadn’t already sounded out of breath, Jake would have liked to strangle the breath out of her.
“Listen, I have some seating problems and I need to rush, but I wanted to check. Did—?”
“Brianne’s here,” he muttered. “And you should have butted out, Rina.”
“You and I spent enough time at the café for me to know better. Fate doesn’t send many gifts, and when one arrives, you can’t turn it away. The time Robert and I shared was too short. I want more for you. All I did was give you that chance. You can’t be mad at me for pumping her boss for a little information. She was heaven sent, Jake. You need her.”
In frustration, he ran a hand through his hair. If he wondered why he’d kept his rehab from Rina, she’d just reminded him. Any time she decided she knew what was best, there was no stopping her. Thank God she was headed for Europe. He couldn’t risk her messing with his career next.
He shook his head. “Isn’t it up to me to decide who and what I need?”
“Oh, did you hear that? They’re paging me. Maybe they found someone to switch seats. You know I can’t stand the window. I get claustrophobic, not to mention that I can’t get up and pee as often as I like on such a long flight.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Oh, and Jake? Before I go, did I mention Brianne will be moving into the spare room off the back hall? She was able to break her lease, and it’s so much more convenient for your workouts. Besides, I know she needs…” The rest of his sister’s sentence was cut off by a loud voice over a sound system. “I’m sorry, Jake. I really have to run. I’ll call from Italy. I love you.” And then she was gone, leaving Jake dizzy from her rushed admission.
And he damn well was concerned by her information. He lowered himself onto the bed, trying to absorb his sister’s news. His solitary existence was about to be royally screwed up. He’d no sooner gotten Rina safely out of the country than he had another female on his hands. At least this one wasn’t a relative. She had no overt ties to Jake, which made her safe from any retaliation by Ramirez. The thought brought him marginal comfort.
He couldn’t completely relax because he still had Brianne and their sizzling attraction to deal with. She was right in thinking they’d been set up. And he was right in thinking the physical therapy angle had made Rina’s matchmaking easier. But Rina would have found a way to move her in here even if Brianne had been a taxi driver.
Brianne had broken her lease and given up her apartment. She’d obviously accepted this job in good faith and was here to stay. There wasn’t a thing Jake could do about it. He couldn’t fire her or throw her out on the street. But no matter how much he desired her—and even now his body throbbed with yearning—she definitely didn’t fit into his summer plans. Her presence would put his ability to come and go as he pleased at risk, compromising his freedom and private agenda to nab Ramirez.
Once she moved in here, with him…The realization sunk in, slamming into his gut with startling clarity. The woman he’d desired for months was about to become his roommate. Not even a cold shower could douse the heat that thought inspired. He’d spent too many nights, after leaving the café, tossing and turning in his bed, thinking of her, yearning for the touch of a woman who existed only in his fantasies. Yet those fantasies were real enough for his sheets to rasp against his naked, aroused body. Real enough for his hands to become her hands, and for him to be spent, but not satisfied, thereafter.
But things were different now. Because, this time, she was more than a face, more than a fantasy. She had a name and a personality. Like it or not, she was his very own physical therapist who was moving in with him for the duration of the summer.
And she was waiting for him in the other room.
CHAPTER THREE
BRIANNE WALKED to the array of windows that offered a perfect view of the East River. Norton followed, his dog tags jingling behind her.
The sun’s rays were strong through the thick glass, heating her skin as well as the room. Not that she needed any more body heat. There wasn’t a part of her that wasn’t already on fire, thanks to Jake. A sexy name for a sexy man. A sexy, single and unattached man, she thought, again taking in the marble floors, sculpted works of art and modern paintings adorning the walls in the apartment he shared with his sister. From the mundane to the more in-depth aspects of his personality, there was a lot she didn’t know about Jake Lowell. She wondered what he did for a living, even what he liked to eat for breakfast.
Basically, she questioned everything about him, but she decided here and now, she wouldn’t ask. She couldn’t afford to find out. Jake excited her, but she’d have to keep their relationship professional. It wouldn’t be easy. This man, this apartment, this chemistry between them—all were the stuff from which fantasies were made. But fantasies didn’t come true; she knew that firsthand.
She’d wanted loving, concerned parents, and she’d gotten world travelers, more interested in their dangerous adventures than their children. She’d wanted security and the opportunity to live a normal life. To go out when her friends did, to date and to have fun. Instead she’d gotten the responsibility of a brother she loved more than life itself and the emotional and financial burden of seeing to it that he was raised right. More than most people, Brianne understood fantasies were necessary to ease life’s burdens, but they never came true.
Her aching desire for the man in the other room would remain in the realm of impossible dreams. It had no place in her real life. The less she learned about Jake Lowell, the safer she would be. As it was, taking this job would be hazardous to her mind, her heart and, most definitely, her body. How she would live here with him and survive the summer, she had no idea.
Physical therapy itself was extremely hands-on. Her palms would cover his upper back and shoulders, and ease around to the front of his chest. Her fingers would massage his strong muscles. She’d be getting up-close and personal with a man who sent her senses soaring and who’d unexpectedly touched her emotions as well. Brianne saw scars and injuries every day of her life, yet when she’d looked at Jake’s, an aching tenderness had risen to her throat. She didn’t know why he affected her so, but she knew it didn’t bode well for her vow to remain detached, to be the professional she was being paid to be.
But she would if it killed her.
“I’m ready.” His deep voice sent tremors of awareness racing through her.
He might be ready but she wasn’t. Brianne turned to face him. She could have handled it if he’d dressed in a Polo collared shirt and starched khaki pants. That would have created distance. Instead he wore his standard ripped sweatshirt, this one in navy, which brought out the depth of color in his eyes, and a pair of sweat shorts that didn’t come much lower than the towel had earlier.
At the sight of him, her heart began a steady, rhythmic beat. She sighed. Time to get things between them settled. “You’re ready. How interesting. Rina led me to believe you’d be a difficult patient. In fact, she said you’d be a hard sell. That you’d resist therapy.”
He shrugged. “And Rina was right. I meant I’m ready to talk.” He stepped over to the couch in the living room and seated himself on a velvet sofa. With his day’s growth of beard and his casual clothes, he appeared ridiculously out of place in the formal room, and yet nothing could detract from his rugged, bad-boy good looks.
“Join me.” He patted the space beside him.
Knowing she had no choice if she wanted to persuade him, she walked over and lowered herself onto the soft cushion, not as close as he’d suggested. But his masculinity couldn’t be denied, and even with a good amount of distance separating them, Brianne felt his powerful presence. Think professional, she reminded herself. And when her gaze fell to the enticing skin between the ragged edge of his shirt and the waistband of his sweats, Brianne again reminded herself to breathe.
“Tell me something, Jake.”
“Say that again.”
She tipped her head to the side. “What?”
“My name.”
He leaned forward until he was too close. His breath held a refreshing hint of mint, and her stomach curled with a delicious warmth.
“Jake,” he said. “Say it again.”
His gaze locked with hers and held. She couldn’t have turned away if she wanted to, and, heaven help her, she didn’t want to. Because she understood. They’d spent the past couple of weeks in silken, seductive silence. Her name on his lips had sounded so very sweet. She couldn’t deny him the same pleasure.
“Jake,” she murmured.
His eyes glazed and he inched closer, kissing distance away. The tingling scent of mint surrounded her, tempting her, teasing her.
“I’ve been curious for so long.”
His masculine voice reached deep inside her, and she couldn’t lie. “Me, too.” And curiosity was the only reason she’d allow the inevitable kiss, or so she told herself.
He touched her beneath her chin, holding her head in place as his mouth settled over hers. Strong and sure, yet achingly gentle, his kiss was everything she’d dreamed about, yearned for. And when his searching tongue traced her lips, moistening before slipping inside, her entire body shook in reaction. Pulsing began in her chest and settled lower, between her legs, strengthening the desire that had built between them from across a crowded room.
His breath was warm and minty, his mouth hot and needy, just as she was, and a sigh of pure pleasure escaped her throat. He caught her sigh in his mouth and used it as permission to deepen the kiss. But the sound she’d made shook her out of the haze of desire and back into reality. Therapist and client, she reminded herself, and forced her hands to his shoulders—not to feel the firm muscles beneath the sweatshirt, but to push him away.
Unfortunately, the motion took longer than she’d planned, as she first curled her fingers around the soft cotton and his flesh beneath. She allowed the prolonged kiss to go on for another sweet minute before breaking contact.
Shaking off the temporary insanity that had overcome her wasn’t as easy. “We can’t do this.”
He swallowed, his throat moving up and down before her eyes, his breathing as ragged as hers. “Can’t do what? Get acquainted?”
She licked at her damp lips, his lingering taste fueling the desire still flickering inside her. “That was more than getting acquainted.” Then the rest of his words registered. “Are you saying you’ve changed your mind about rehab?”
He shook his head and laughed. “I like your strategy. Kiss me and lower my defenses. Are you trying to take advantage of me?” A smile tipped the corner of his mouth.
“You kissed me first,” she reminded him.
“You didn’t stop me.”
They sounded like squabbling children, but there had been nothing juvenile about that kiss. “Let’s just say we got it out of our systems. Now we can move forward.”
“And you can move in?” He shrugged with his one good shoulder. “That was Rina on the phone. She just explained the new living arrangements.” His gaze intense and curious, never left hers, as if he were trying to read her thoughts.
But she couldn’t deny that he looked surprised by his sister’s call and revelation. As surprised as he’d appeared when he’d discovered her in the apartment earlier. “Obviously you didn’t know about that, either?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No.”
“I think this is called manipulation,” she muttered.
“Blatant,” he agreed. “But that’s Rina. Always with the best intentions, but not always thinking up here.” He tapped the side of his head. “She’s a romantic.”
“It’s nice to see people still are.” Her own heart pounded frantically in her chest, their kiss still lingering in her mind.
“My parents are one example. Retired, living in Florida and driving each other crazy. Rina’s another. She’s the secretary who married her wealthy boss. In her eyes, all things are possible.”
She wondered what things were possible in his. Did her fantasy man who kissed like a dream also harbor a belief in fairy tale endings? She shook her head, knowing her deluded thoughts and curiosity could only get her in trouble. “Does Rina’s romanticism extend to getting her stubborn brother into physical therapy by moving me in here?”
“I guess so.” He grinned a charming I’m-cute-and-I-know-it grin.
She’d already accepted the setup before that mind-blowing kiss. She couldn’t back down now, and her reasons were the same. She needed the money from this job to start her life over. She needed to move in, rehabilitate Jake’s shoulder and put her desire for him behind her.
Brianne glanced down. Norton lay at her feet, looking up at her with adoring eyes. Two cute males in one large apartment. However would she survive it?
One way was to get things between them out in the open. “Okay, Jake. Tell me exactly where we stand on the subject of physical therapy. Obviously you’re resistant, you’ve given your sister a hard time over the subject…”
“Of course I have. Do you have a brother or sister?”
She nodded. “A brother.”
“Then, you know siblings live to give each other a hard time.”
No, Brianne didn’t know. Because she’d been more of a parent to Marc than a sister, she’d never experienced classic sibling rivalry. She’d been too busy waitressing while finishing school and taking care of Marc at the same time to indulge in normal family dynamics. “Marc’s a good deal younger than me. Our relationship was—is different. But I’m not here to talk about my brother. Rina hired me for a reason, and I want to know if you’re going to let me do my job or not. I want to know what to expect from you.”
Jake forced a lighthearted smile. He had no idea what to expect from himself. That kiss had caught him off guard. He hadn’t planned to be so forward, and sure as hell hadn’t expected her to kiss him back. Or to taste better than he’d dreamed.
If he’d wondered how much trouble she could cause him, he now knew. “If Rina hired you, I certainly can’t throw you out.”
“Gee, thanks,” she said wryly. “But the question is, will you cooperate?”
The professional was back. Jake told himself he was glad, but deep inside he knew he lied. He liked the warmer, softer Brianne better. Still, this one was safer.
And he had to play it safe, too, keep it light, and keep her off guard. That way she wouldn’t get too close or discover he was further along in rehab than she and Rina believed. “I’m sure I can be persuaded. And I’m certain you’re up to the task.”
“So all of a sudden you’re willing to consider therapy?”
He shook his head, seeking to buy time. “I’m willing to let you try and persuade me.”
“Why the turnaround?”
“No turnaround. I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”
She raised an eyebrow, obviously unsure what to make of him. “But you will.”
“That certain of yourself and your abilities?”
“Absolutely. The only question I have is, why the change?”
She’d rea
d him well, Jake thought. Or rather, she read them well. Did she really have to ask why he’d end up working with her despite his token resistance? “Do you want me to tell you the truth? Or what you want to hear?”
Jake had the distinct impression that the answer was “both.” She wanted to know the only reason he’d even consider rehabilitation was to get close to her. And she wanted him to lie so she didn’t have to face it.
“I’ll consider therapy because of you.”
She exhaled hard.
“Just like you’re not going to walk out on this job because of me.” He grinned.
“You’re a cocky one,” she murmured with a smile.
“And this is a good thing?”
“Sure is. It means you can take a tough workout.” She met his gaze head-on.
She hadn’t backed off at his admission. Even after that kiss, she wasn’t intimidated by the attraction between them. Score one for her, Jake thought. He admired her grit—something he rarely found in a woman.
It also helped his cause. She’d need that strength if they were going to bump into one another in the middle of the night, stealing a drink from the fridge. He would need that strength. “I can take anything you dish out, sweetheart. Just tell me what you have in mind.”
“You might be sorry you asked. Physical therapy involves strengthening with rubber bands and working the muscle with massage therapy.” The word massage hovered in the air between them and the blood pulsed inside him, making him ache as if her hands were already on his body.
“But water therapy works well, too,” she continued. “The resistance in the water is a help. Add a whirlpool, and the pulsating water jets work wonders to loosen the muscle,” she said, her voice resonating with a deep, husky quality.
“Pulsating water jets, huh?”
Her face flushed red. “Different therapists take different approaches, but there are many options.”
He wondered if she was imagining them naked in the whirlpool, water flowing freely around them. He wondered if she had any idea what fun two people could have in that whirlpool she’d mentioned, water jets and all. “It all sounds interesting, especially the pulsating water jets.” He wiggled his eyebrows provocatively.
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