Page 104 of Lucky Mother Pucker

I playfully shove his other shoulder. “Jerk.”

He just laughs. “Oh, come on. Take it as a compliment. It’s like a secret weapon. You’re tiny, but you can bring a guy twice your size to his knees with your massage techniques.”

I shove him again, but I’m laughing too.

“Focus on your breath,” I say. “Slow, deep breathing helps.”

I grip his shoulder muscle harder until I feel it start to give.

“Whatever you say,” he says, his voice strained.

“Leo, come on. I can tell you’re holding your breath. That’s just going to make the pain worse.”

“I can’t help it. It’s like a reflex to hold my breath when something hurts.”

I ease off his shoulder and give a few softer strokes. “I can feel your muscles loosening already. Just a little bit more.”

I press into the muscle again. When I notice he’s looking away from me and holding his breath again, I exhale sharply, annoyed that he’s not listening to my advice.

I grab his face and turn him to look at me. “Leo. Breathe,” I order.

His eyes widen as he stares at me. Oops. That was way bossier than I intended.

But then I see the shift in his gaze. Heat flashes in his rich, coffee-brown eyes. His lips part open, and he lets out a slow, hot breath.

His thick, stubbled throat bobs as he swallows. The corner of his mouth quirks up.

“So bossy,” he murmurs.

Oh.

I think…I think he’s into this. I think he likes it when I grab his face and tell him what to do.

A second later, I feel his hand rest on my hip. I glance down at where he’s touching me…and that’s when I realize just how close we are.

I was so focused on working out his shoulder muscles that I didn’t notice that I was pressing the front of my body against him.

The air between us thickens. I’m kneeling in front of him, and our faces are just a few inches apart…

The heat from his massive hand on my hip makes my skin tingle. I’m breathing hard. So is he…

I let out a shaky breath. It feels like there’s an electrical current running between us.

His gaze falls to my mouth. The memory of our kiss slams into me. Everything my body felt that night, I’m feeling right now.

Aching. Hot. Vibrating with need.

We’re as physically close as we were that night…the only thing that’s not touching is our mouths.

Need pulses through me. I want Leo’s mouth on me so bad…

A split-second later, the logical part of my brain pipes up.

We can’t kiss. We can’t cross that line again, not if we want to stay friends.

My hands fall away from Leo, and I drop back onto my heels.

“I should go to bed,” I say quickly, breathing a little harder.