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* * * *
Liberty was drying off the dishes as Sean entered the kitchen, his hair still damp from his shower. With Mason at work, she wasn’t quite sure what the day would bring. She looked up at Sean as she placed the last of the silverware in the drawer, excitement churning inside her belly.
“So, what’s on the agenda today?”
Liberty had to think. It was unlike her to be so scatterbrained. “Um, well, it’s Wednesday, so Mason’ll be home for dinner. I usually just putter around on Wednesdays once my chores are done.”
She dried off the three plates and placed them in the cabinet they belonged. As she reached up to open the cabinet, she winced.
“Hey, what was that?”
“What was what?” She stood on her toes and put a plate on the stack.
“You made a face. Did I say something wrong?”
“Oh, no, it’s just my back. I must have slept at a weird angle.” She placed another plate on the stack and a nerve pinched. She sucked in a breath as a precise stab of pain lanced just beneath her shoulders.
“You did it again.” The sound of Sean’s stool scraping across the floor filled the kitchen. “Where does it hurt?”
“It’s nothing, really. I just need to work it out.”
“Did you take anything?”
“I can’t take pills.” She hated swallowing pills. It never felt like they landed in the right place. Her arm reached up to place the last plate on the stack and the motion sent a searing sting slicing up her shoulder and into her neck. She must have made a noise because the next thing she knew Sean made an exasperated sound and shut the cabinet for her.
He stepped close behind her and she froze as the heat from his broad body penetrated her clothing. His strong hands landed gently on her shoulder. He held her left shoulder as his right palm glided down her spine. “Where does it hurt? Here?”
She winced. “Yeah.”
“Ooh, you got a knot.”
He began rubbing and kneading out the knot and she sighed. For someone so large he sure had a gentle touch. Her weight leaned into him and shut her eyes.
“Tell you what, why don’t you let me give you a massage?”
Liberty straightened and sucked up the sharp pinching pain that came with the motion. “Don’t be silly. It’s nothing. I’m sure once I get moving it’ll work itself out.”
“Or put more pressure on the nerve and do more damage. Seriously, Liberty, let me give you a massage. I’m a physical therapist. I do it all the time for my clients. I’ll be completely professional.”
Liberty sighed. She didn’t want her back to hurt even worse. It already was pinching more than it had been an hour ago. “Fine. Where should I sit?”
“Oh no,” Sean said and smiled. “You’re getting the full treatment. Go upstairs, put on a robe, and meet me in my room in about ten minutes. I just gotta go get my things out of my truck.”
“A robe?”
“Yes. Don’t worry. I’ve seen it all before. You have to be naked so that I can do it right.”
Her mind screamed mayday. Mason said that he wanted her to let herself go with Sean, do what she felt she wanted to, but this was all very, very new. After he’d kissed her this morning in front of her husband, Liberty wasn’t sure what to make of it all. Being intimate with Sean felt oddly right, but also unfamiliar, and therefore wrong on some level. Mason seemed pleased with the way things had gone last night and this morning. His only request was that there be no intercourse. So what did that mean?
“Libby?”
“Huh?”
“Relax. It’s just a massage. I just want to help your back. Go put on a robe.” She looked at him for a moment and then he crossed his arms and gave her a stern expression and said, “Go.” There was no arguing with that kind of determination. Liberty turned and went to go change.
* * * *
Sean smiled as he watched Liberty scamper out of the room. She left three glasses on the counter. Interesting. He slipped them into the cabinet and flipped the last one as he remembered the way she kept them.
After getting his bag from his truck he headed to his room. Sean tossed the sheet aside and fluffed the comforter over the bed and smoothed the surface. In the bathroom he found a large towel and laid it in the center of the mattress. He folded some hand towels to replace the pillows for Liberty to rest her head on and began setting out his oils on the bedside table.
When everything was set he grabbed the sheet and shut off the lights. Soft gray light filtered past the shades casting the room in a somber glow. There was a soft knock at the door. His body pulsed in a surge of misplaced excitement.
