Glancing at the door to the room Bryn and Brody are in, I release a breath, sliding my phone back in my pocket. She mentally checked out when we were standing in the bay, and her body language shift was reminiscent of the night on the dance floor. I’m not sure if she even realized how her breath had altered, coming quick and shallow, her body going rigid.
It was the transformation that first caught my interest. Of course, I thought she was drop dead gorgeous in that dress, those boots, and the big hazel eyes, but it was what I saw in those eyes before she went into the restroom that pulled at my gut and said, “You need to get to know this girl. Now.”
I spin on my heel, resuming my pacing when the door opens. Brody steps out of the room, followed by Bryn.
“Seriously, come see me at the clinic. It won’t just help at work, it’ll help you when you’re surfing,” Bryn says to Brody.
He rolls his shoulder, and nods. “Fine.”
“Brody, I’m serious.”
“I will.”
Bryn heaves a sigh, like she doesn’t believe him. Given his tone and the look on his face, I don’t either.
Brody’s eyes meet mine as he starts down the hall. He grunts as he passes, “Find me after.”
“Will do,” I call over my shoulder with more enthusiasm than he gave Bryn.
It’s all bravado. The last thing I want to do is find him. It feels like I’m going to get some kind of stern lecture, even though he has no reason to do so. The comment triggers more than one memory of my dad saying the same thing, only for it to end in him criticizing me. Usually for leaving my chores early to do something with the junior fire program.
“Good, you’re here. I don’t need to go looking for you,” Bryn says, bringing my attention to her.
Damn, she looks good enough to steal my breath. Maybe even better than the other night when she was all done up. Her leggings cling to a full ass that I would love to do filthy things to, and her fitted black t-shirt hugs her petite frame, showing off breasts that would fit perfectly in my palm.
Rules. I have rules.
She gestures for me to follow her into the meeting room from this morning. The meeting tables are moved to the perimeter to make room for her massage one.
“Nate told me not to make you wait,” I respond, watching asshe swiftly removes a fitted sheet from the table, tosses it aside, and grabs a fresh one.
She snorts, shaking the sheet out so it lies against the table. “Oh, that’s rich, coming from him. He’s the one I always need to go find.”
I’m mesmerized by her graceful movements, like it’s second nature. Even with her size, she’s quick to get all the corners tucked over the ends of the table, adjusting the headpiece with a sheet. While I stand there like an imbecile.
“So, we have twenty minutes. It’s not a ton of time, but it gives me a chance to work through as many of you guys as possible before we get interrupted by a call,” she explains, running a delicate set of fingers over the purple sheet to get a few wrinkles out. “I usually work on everyone’s back and neck, but I can do arms, legs, whatever is feeling tight.”
Words like legs and tight are going to make my brain short circuit right now.
Hoping the deep swallow goes unnoticed, I force myself to look at the bed. Despite being raised to be a gentleman, despite my three-date rule, I’m only a man. A man about to be touched by a beautiful woman that intrigues him.
“Cool,” I nod, squashing the need to clear my throat for anyhigh-pitched frogs that want to leap out.
When Bryn doesn’t respond, I chance a look up at her, finding her eyeing me with a raised brow. Did she ask a question that I missed?
“So, your back and neck are what you want me to work on?”
Right. Shit.
“Oh, uh, yeah, sounds great.” Rolling both shoulders back, my shoulder blades press in together, feeling the ache of soreness there. It’s probably a great place to start.
Bryn sweeps her hand over the sheet again, and this time I notice the light purple nail polish as her fingers drift over the material. “Okay, great. You’ll need to take your shirt off, I’ve got a—”
The words get lost as I untuck my shirt, cross my arms over my body, and lift it up and over my head, revealing my bare chest to her. I can’t help my grin as her eyes move down the length of my body, widening and lingering with every inch she takes in. It wasn’t that I was looking for a reaction, but now that I’ve gotten one, I’m enjoying every second.
When I flex my abs, subtlety, she gasps, her hands slapping over her eyes as she quickly turns around. “Oh my god, Wyatt.”
“You said take my shirt off. It’s no big deal.”
