Breaking His Rules (Feeling the Heat #4)

by Alison Packard

  Pushing herself up, she flung the covers aside, slipped from the bed and padded slowly to the mini-fridge next to the dresser. She opened it and her throat constricted at the sight of the mini-sized bottles of liquor neatly arranged on one of the shelves. She’d heard that the best cure for what ails you is to have more of it. But the thought of drinking again made her stomach roil. Alcohol wasn’t the solution, it was the problem.

  She perused the contents of the fridge and after retrieving a bottle of Powerade, she located her purse, found her travel tube of ibuprofen and downed four of the tablets with a long drink. A whoosh from the bathroom indicated that Jake had turned on the shower. Good. That bought her some time to collect herself before she had to face him.

  She put a hand to her temple and rubbed. It didn’t ease the throbbing in her head, or make her feel any less a fool for throwing herself at Jake the way she had. She may have been drunk off her ass, but she remembered every single second of their blistering kiss. She’d stepped over the professional line between them and now she wasn’t sure what to do next.

  Perhaps the best course of action would be to never speak of it again. People did crazy things all the time when they were sloshed; it didn’t have to mean anything. She and Jake would fall right back into their easy friendship and that would be that.

  She moved with short shuffling steps to the sliding door. After fumbling with the lock, she slid the door open and stepped outside. The crisp morning air, a mixture of the ocean’s briny scent and the aroma of the pine trees that dotted the golf course, was bracing and caused goose bumps to rise on her flesh. Hoping to clear the cobwebs from her head, she breathed it deep into her lungs and then exhaled as a man in a golf cart drove by. He glanced up at her and gave a friendly wave. She tried to return his greeting but lifting her arm was way too much of an effort. Instead she smiled weakly at him and then watched him until he disappeared from sight.

  She took a few steps to the railing and tipped her head back to assess the sky. She’d expected fog but to her surprise, the sky was blue with only a smattering of white fluffy clouds in the distance. Before her hangover, she’d been looking forward to playing tourist. The Monterey area was lovely and so different from Sacramento. Not that she was knocking her hometown, but it was a nice change of pace to get away to one of the most picturesque settings in the state.

  Today she and Jake planned to go to the aquarium and then to Cannery Row. They’d also discussed visiting John Steinbeck’s house in Salinas if they had time before returning to the hotel to get ready for the rehearsal dinner. A full day. She should have thought about that before mixing beer and tequila. Right now all she wanted to do was crawl back into bed, pull the covers over her head and sleep off her hangover until it was time to go to the rehearsal dinner. But that wouldn’t be fair to Jake. He shouldn’t have to pay because she couldn’t handle her liquor. Maybe she could talk him out of Steinbeck’s house and work in a nap before dinner. After all, it was just a house. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, right?

  Melissa rested her forearms on the railing and relived Jake’s passionate kiss. Her cheeks burned as she remembered rubbing up against his hard body like a cat in heat. She’d never behaved like that with Brad. It was the damn alcohol, that’s what it was. It lowered her inhibitions and made her do what she’d only dared to fantasize about. Thank God, she’d passed out before she’d done something even more embarrassing.

  Lifting the bottle to her mouth seemed like a chore, but the electrolytes would be good for her system, so she made the effort and managed to down another sip of the sports energy drink.

  “You’re up.”

  Jake’s voice startled her so completely that the liquid went down the wrong way and she choked. Immediately, Jake was behind her thumping her on the back.

  “Are you all right?”

  Tears blurred her eyes as she coughed and nodded at the same time. Putting a hand to her chest, she coughed several more times and then let out a long breath as she reached up to swipe at the moisture that had leaked from her eyes onto her cheeks. “Thanks. It went down the wrong pipe.” She half turned and emitted a soft gasp of surprise at the sight of Jake’s bare chest.

  And what a chest it was. Even with a pounding headache, she could see that. Not overly muscled, but sculpted just enough to quicken her pulse as she took in the fine coating of light brown hair that covered his pecs, trailed down over some very impressively cut abs and then snaked lower to disappear below the fluffy white towel he’d wrapped around his waist.

  Wait just a darn minute. A towel?

  Melissa swallowed hard and fought the urge to strip the towel from his body and discover if his lower half was as impressive as his upper half. “Can’t find your pants?” she asked, then cleared her throat as she looked up to find him watching her with blatant amusement.

  “I was in the middle of showering when I realized I forgot to bring my clothes into the bathroom.” He stepped back and looked past her. “Looks like we’re in for an amazing day.”

  “Yeah.” She took a hasty sip of her drink and kept her eyes trained above his neck so she wouldn’t keep thinking about that damn towel and what was underneath it. “Amazing,” she said, mesmerized by the contours of his face. He hadn’t yet shaved, and the light stubble that shadowed his jaw was rakishly appealing. Perhaps it was a good thing she was hungover. Otherwise, she might be tempted to pick up where they’d left off last night. Which couldn’t happen. Who knew her post-inebriated state would turn out to be a blessing, not a curse?

  Concern flickered in his eyes as he looked back at her. “How are you feeling?”

  She groaned. “Like I drank an entire bottle of tequila by myself.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “It feels like there’s a jackhammer inside my head.” She rubbed her temple and grimaced. “I just took something for it. Hopefully it’ll kick in soon.”

  “I know what you need.” He grinned. “It’ll fix you right up.”

  “What?” She cast him a skeptical glance.

  “Just a little something my buddies and I concocted when we were in college. I’ll get dressed and while you shower I’ll call room service and have them make up a batch.”

  “Is there alcohol in this miracle cure of yours?”

  “Nope.” He moved aside and motioned toward the room. “And the sooner you drink it the better you’ll feel. Come on,” he said as his glance slid casually down her body before rising to meet hers again. “A shower will do wonders for you.”

  “You’re right,” she conceded as she moved past him to go into the room. The smell of his soap stopped her in her tracks; her arm brushed against his and it was all she could do not to lean into him and inhale his clean male scent. His eyes drilled into hers; her breath hitched at the heat smoldering in their depths. The next second though, the heat was gone and left her wondering if it was nothing but a figment of her overly libidinous imagination.

  “I need to apologize,” she said, deciding to bring up the kiss so it wouldn’t be the proverbial elephant in the room and ruin their plans for the day.

  One of Jake’s brows lifted. “For what?”

  “For kissing you last night.” She tugged at the label on the plastic bottle with her fingers. “I was way out of line. I know about your rule. You don’t get involved with your clients.”

  “How’d you know about that?” Jake asked. “We’ve never discussed it.”

  “It’s common knowledge at the gym, and I completely understand and respect your stance. Please know that the last thing I want to do is compromise your ethics or damage your professional reputation.” She gave him a slight smile. “Can we just blame it on the tequila?”

  A wry smile kicked up the corners of his mouth. “I didn’t drink any tequila.”

  “But I did, and because I was half-wasted I practically threw myself at you.”

  “Half-wasted?”

  Melissa flushed under his amused scrutiny. “Okay, totally was
ted.” She reached out and put her hand on his arm. “Jake, you’ve helped me so much. I don’t want to lose you as my trainer or as my friend.”

  “You won’t lose me.” His husky voice caused warmth to spread through her body, reminding her that the feelings he evoked within her were inappropriate.

  “But I could if we got involved and it didn’t work out. And I don’t want to risk that.” Suddenly aware of the warmth of his skin beneath her fingertips, she withdrew her hand and tried to ignore her racing pulse. “I’m going to take a shower and then try your hangover cure. Can we just forget about the kiss?”

  “Don’t give it another thought. It’s already forgotten.”

  And there you had it. She was more concerned about the kiss than he was. To him it was nothing more than a drunk-off-her-ass woman making an ill-conceived amorous advance and nothing more.

  “Time for that shower.” She gave him a pale imitation of a smile and then made a hasty retreat toward the bathroom.

  * * *

  After Melissa disappeared into the bathroom, Jake moved into the room and stared at the rumpled bed. The damn thing was king size, but last night it hadn’t been big enough to prevent the steady cadence of her breathing or the intoxicating scent of her perfume from invading his senses and making it impossible for him to sleep.

  Because he’d always been truthful with her, it pained him greatly that he’d just flat-out lied to her. Because the truth of the matter was that he was damn fucking sure he wouldn’t forget that kiss or how right it felt to hold her in his arms.

  That she blamed herself for the kiss was wrong on so many levels. If anyone was to blame, it was him. After all, he’d been stone cold sober and should have known better. Crossing the professional line between them was on him, not her. For the remainder of the weekend he needed to keep himself in check. Touching her again would only complicate matters—for both of them.

  * * *

  Several hours later, sitting next to Melissa on a wooden bench at a public beach less than a block from Cannery Row, Jake found his gaze straying to Melissa more often than it did to the magnificent view of the Monterey Bay in front of them. Her pale blue sundress not only showed off her womanly curves to perfection, the low neckline afforded him a tantalizing glimpse of cleavage.

  “What was your favorite exhibit?” she asked, then took a bite of the turkey sandwich she’d ordered from a local sub shop they’d passed by after their visit to the Monterey Aquarium.

  “The jellyfish,” he said after swallowing the last bite of his roast beef sandwich. “I had no clue there were so many different varieties.”

  “I loved the sea otters. They’re so cute.”

  Jake crushed the paper wrapper from his sandwich and tossed it into a trash can about ten feet away. Leaning back, he extended his legs and breathed in the salty sea air. He’d always wanted to visit the aquarium and hadn’t been disappointed. Situated right by the ocean, and at the far end of Cannery Row, it wasn’t as large as he’d imagined, but it was still impressive.

  “What time is the rehearsal dinner?” he asked, after a quick glance at his watch. It was nearly three. Between the aquarium and Cannery Row, they’d been doing the tourist thing for over five hours. That surprised him. But in truth, it wasn’t the first time he’d lost track of the time when he was with Melissa. He enjoyed her company more than any other woman he’d met in the past several years.

  “Six. It’s at Il Fornaio in Carmel.” She set her sandwich on the wrapper next to her, picked up her soda and took a sip. “The wedding party should be there when we arrive. They’re heading over after the rehearsal.”

  “What resort are they staying at? I know there’s a few in Pebble Beach.”

  “The Inn at Spanish Bay.” Melissa set her cup down and rubbed her temples with her index fingers.

  “How’s your headache?”

  “Better. That hangover concoction you had room service prepare helped more than I thought it would.” She lowered her hands. “If we have time, I may take a nap before dinner. And I’ll skip the alcohol tonight. I don’t want to make a fool out of myself two nights in a row.”

  “You didn’t make a fool of yourself.”

  “You’re not the one who mixed beer and tequila and then played tonsil hockey with—” Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “I’m sorry. We agreed not to talk about it.”

  “You’re being too hard on yourself. And it’s not like I was complaining. I could have stopped the kiss the second it started, but I didn’t.”

  Her mouth parted slightly in surprise and for several seconds silence reigned between them. “Can I ask you a personal question?” she finally asked as the slight breeze from the ocean ruffled her hair.

  “Of course.”

  “Have you always had that rule about not dating the members of the gym or your clients?”

  “No. When I first opened the gym, I went out a couple of times with one of the members. I pretty much knew after the second date she wasn’t the type of woman I wanted to get involved with so I didn’t call her for a third date.” He paused as a Frisbee flew over their heads and a gangly preteen ran around their bench to retrieve it. “She didn’t take it well.”

  “Did she cause a scene?”

  Even now, Jake couldn’t suppress the flash of anger that shot through him. “Oh, it was a lot more than that. She pretty much stalked me for a couple of months and then when I made it clear I wasn’t into her, she accused me of sexually harassing her.”

  Melissa’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God. Did she file an official complaint?”

  “Yes. I had to hire an attorney and I’m glad I did. She—my attorney—deposed many of the members who had witnessed the so-called incidents and when they all said she was the one seeking me out, disrupting my personal training sessions and generally making the gym an uncomfortable environment for the other members, the charges were dropped.”

  “Is she still a member?”

  “No. I haven’t seen her in two years. Thank God.”

  Melissa’s eyes flickered with sympathy. “No wonder you instituted your no-dating policy.”

  “I should have had it to begin with. It was a stupid mistake and one that could have ruined my reputation and even my business.”

  “Then I don’t understand why you’d risk your reputation to escort me to the wedding.”

  “Because we’re friends.” As soon as the words came out of his mouth, that same guilty feeling he used to get when his father caught him in a half-truth washed over him. What he felt for Melissa was a lot more than friendship. And never was he in more danger of crossing the trainer/client line that separated them.

  She tilted her head and regarded him thoughtfully. “You said you could have stopped the kiss. Why didn’t you?”

  “Do you remember what you said right before you passed out?”

  She shook her head and grimaced. “I’m afraid to ask.”

  “You said you wondered what it would be like to kiss me.” He shifted on the bench and let his gaze linger on her mouth. Desire lanced through him at the memory of those soft, kissable lips parting beneath his and granting him full access. “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been wondering what it would be like to kiss you.”

  “Well, now we know.” She turned to watch the kids playing Frisbee on the grassy area between the bench and the shoreline. “And we also know it can’t happen again.”

  “Right.” He nodded and then looked out at the white-capped bay water. “It can never happen again.”

  * * *

  Thirty minutes before they were due to leave for Carmel, Melissa stood before the mirror in the bathroom putting the finishing touches on her makeup. Opening her compact, she brushed a fine coating of blush over her cheeks and then realized that for the first time since she’d worn a training bra she was standing in front of a mirror with just her bra and underwear on and not judging herself.

  And it wasn’t just any underwear. Now that she’d lost weight, she was a
ble to comfortably wear something a lot sexier than granny panties. These days they made bikini panties and thongs in larger sizes, but fifty pounds ago all she’d wanted to do was to cover her excess flesh, not show it off.

  With what she hoped was an objective rather than a critical eye, she studied her body. According to some people (like Shauna and Denise), she was still considered overweight, but lately she’d been discovering that she liked her body just as it was right now. And she had no desire to starve herself or spend hours at the gym just to get to some magical number on the scale. She wanted to be at a weight she could maintain without resorting to drastic measures. So what if she wore a size twelve, or sometimes even fourteen, depending on the manufacturer. A year ago she’d been wearing a size twenty-four, for heaven’s sake. Plus, at her annual physical a few weeks ago, her doctor had given her a clean bill of health.

  Her health had been one of the main reasons she’d decided to lose weight. Watching an older coworker struggle with mobility and health issues had been a huge part of the reason why she’d committed to changing her lifestyle. She didn’t want to be like poor Glenda who, at age fifty-five, could barely walk twenty feet without getting winded.

  With a final glance at her face, Melissa turned from the mirror, crossed to the closed door and slid her dress from its hanger. She slipped it on, but after several different contortions, she was only able to get the zipper up a quarter of the way. Angling her arm, she tried again but couldn’t reach the stupid zipper pull. With a groan of frustration, she pulled the bathroom door open and found Jake perched on the edge of the bed engrossed in a basketball game on the flat-panel television mounted on the wall next to the dresser.

  “Could you help me with my zipper?” she asked as she padded toward him.

  “Sure.” His eyes roamed briefly over her body as he rose from the bed. Like most guys he didn’t have to do much to get ready and except for his sport coat, he was dressed and ready to go. “Turn around,” he instructed as she halted in front of him. She turned and the second his fingers brushed over the bare skin of her back a shiver of awareness swept over her body. “It’s stuck on the fabric.” He braced his fingers against the curve of her lower back, then she felt his breath on her neck as he worked to get the zipper free.