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Six
Several days passed after their dinner to exchange their favorite things about each other, before Kyle and Melody were able to get together for the second exercise: romantic massage. The thought of getting to put his hands on Melody and vice versa had preoccupied him for the last couple of days. Seeing the way she’d been logging hours at the studio he’d expected to wait. Therefore, he was delighted when she phoned him from the studio one day—Nate had found her sleeping in one of the control booths and told her to go home. She’d called Kyle to ask if they could meet and he’d quickly agreed.
She’d chosen to come to his house in the early afternoon before he had to be at Club T’s. When his doorbell sounded, Kyle hadn’t yet settled on what part of his body he wanted her hands on. They’d agreed that each got to choose one part to massage on the other person and also which part they wanted massaged on their own body. He’d decided to lavish his attention on her hands.
“What all do you have there?” he asked.
“It’s a foot spa.” She carried a large plastic tub and had a heavy tote bag slung over her shoulder. “I’m giving you a pedicure and foot massage.” She said it like she expected him to argue.
“Okay.” The notion of her kneeling at his feet was a definite turn-on. Unfortunately that wasn’t what this particular exercise was about. “And what part of you am I massaging?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Maybe we should put body parts in a hat and draw.”
She smiled at his suggestion. “That’s not a bad idea.” She carried her supplies into his living room and placed everything in front of a chair. “Do you mind putting some water on to boil?”
“Are you planning on cooking my feet?”
“No, but I want the water to be extra warm so you relax.” She cocked her head and looked at him. “Have you ever had a pedicure?”
He shook his head. “One of the guys on the team used to get them all the time and got the nickname Twinkle Toes because of it.”
“That’s terrible,” Melody said, but her scolding would have been more effective without the amused smile. “You shouldn’t ignore your feet. They deserve to be pampered just as much as every other part of your body. More so, because they take the most punishment, lugging around our weight all day.”
“I see your point.”
From his vantage in the kitchen, he watched her pull a perplexing collection of items out of her bag, from clippers to lotions to some sort of scrubber. He was half expecting her to produce a bottle of red nail polish. No, she wouldn’t do that to him.
“How’s the water coming?”
“Almost ready to boil. Do you need me to fill the tub with warmish water?”
She was arranging a towel on the tile to soak up any spillage and glanced up with a smile that caused a spike in his heart rate. “That would be great.”
Ten minutes later, she had things arranged to her satisfaction and made him go put on shorts. Soft instrumental music poured from the speakers set into the ceiling, adding to the spa-like feel she had created. He sat down and slipped his feet into the spa tub. As the hot, bubbly water enveloped his feet and the vibrating massagers worked their way along his arches, he got a sense of what old Twinkle Toes had been about.
“Relaxed?” she asked, adding something fragrant to the water that had an immediate impact on his blood pressure.
“That smells great.” A low noise left his throat as tension he didn’t even realize he’d been carrying fell away. “What is it?”
“Lavender.” She tapped his right shin. “Let’s start with this one.”
He lifted the foot free of water and she dried it off before setting it on the towel in her lap. While she got to work with clippers and some sort of manicure scissors that tickled his skin, he stared at her bent head and let himself appreciate her.
Once she had his toenails trimmed to her satisfaction, she began to work lotion into his feet and calf muscles. From playing the violin and piano, she had strong fingers. And she knew exactly where to apply pressure to best effect.
“That’s amazing,” he groaned, closing his eyes and letting his head drop back. “Where did you learn to do that?”
“On tour,” she said. “I’d come offstage after a set and my feet would be killing me. One of the guys in Free Fall gave the most incredible foot massages.”
“Should I be jealous?” In truth, at the moment he couldn’t conjure the tiniest flicker of concern.
“He was happily married with three kids. Apparently his wife runs marathons and he’s learned how to take care of her feet.”
“Lucky woman.” However, her comment made him aware that he and Melody hadn’t been the only two people separated by the tour. Maybe they’d just been the least prepared to deal with the lengthy time apart.
He considered asking her how the other band members and their significant others coped with the separation, but that was a question for another time. Right now, he just wanted to sit back and enjoy the feel of her soft, strong hands turning his bones to oatmeal.
