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Oh hell.
He might have just found her kryptonite. Getting a massage. If he moved his hands lower and massaged her ass . . . yep, she might just have to drop to her knees and show her appreciation.
The ground would be kind of hard on her knees, though.
“You’re not too old to be my baby girl, understand me?” His voice was low and calm. But the warning was there.
And silly her, she shivered in reaction.
What was wrong with her?
“Words, Gwen,” he said sternly.
“Yes, Sir.”
“That’s a good girl. But you don’t have to call me Sir. I like hearing my name from your lips. There’s something else I’d like you to call me too.”
“What’s that?” she asked breathlessly.
“Hmm, not sure you’re ready for that. We don’t really know each other well enough.”
“You don’t think telling me what I can and can’t do, plus having dinner together is enough?”
“No, I don’t. Especially as we didn’t have a real date. That would involve finishing our meal, then me walking you to your door, and if I’m lucky, getting a good night kiss.”
“You wouldn’t want more?”
“Not on a first date, Shortcake. I’m not that sort of guy.”
No, he wasn’t.
“I was going to give you a good scolding for running off like that, but I think we need to postpone it. You’re worn out, aren’t you?”
Now that he mentioned it . . . she was exhausted. She was slumped against him, the side of her face pressed to his chest as he moved his hands up her back.
She moaned. “That feels so good.”
“Poor baby, you’re so tense and sore. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“Just a little bruised. It was mostly humiliating.”
“And no one hit you?”
“Nooo, it would almost be better if they had.”
He stiffened. “I don’t think so. You could have been badly injured.”
“But it would have been less embarrassing,” she muttered. “Who falls off their bike because someone is approaching from at least a mile away?”
“Who was driving the truck? Did they stop?” he asked.
Damn, he was hard as a rock. How was he so toned? She guessed he wasn’t allergic to exercise.
Poor bastard.
“Gwen, focus, baby. Did the person stop and help you?”
“Urgh, yes, unfortunately.”
“Why unfortunately? Were they mean to you?”
“Why? What would you do if they were? Call their mom and tell on them?”
“Oh, I can think of a few other things I’d do. Now, tell me. What did they do?”
“Nothing. This big, bearded guy stopped, got out, asked if I was dead, and then left once I was standing. He was kind of a jerk.”
“What did he look like?”
“Uh, I don’t know. My age, I guess, like a mountain man. His voice was a bit broken or rusty. He drove a big old white truck.”
“Hmm. Could be a number of people. And why did you think it was a good idea to transport your bike in the back of your car? Where did you get the bike?”
She watched him. “Did that deputy call you after he gave me that stupid fine?”
His lips twitched. “He did.”
“Asshole! I hope you told him that he shouldn’t do that again.”
“Now, darling girl. Why would I want to do that?”
“I bought the bike this morning. And donated it as soon as I got back to town.”
“Having your trunk secured with rope was dangerous. What if it popped open?”
“It was bungee cord. It wasn’t going anywhere.”
“The guy in the white truck should have insisted you go to the hospital.”
“I was fine. I didn’t need the hospital. Your hands are magic.”
“Good. You know that Jace was just doing his job. And you wouldn’t have gotten in trouble if you weren’t being naughty.”
She huffed out a breath. “I wasn’t being naughty.”
“Yes, you were. If you were mine, you wouldn’t have been out biking on your own. And you can be very sure that if you fell over, that you’d be calling me immediately and staying right where you were until I came and got you.”
“I want to tell you off for talking to me like this . . . but I haven’t felt this good in years.”
“How about I take you back to your hotel room, and we get you into bed?”
She blamed the massage for making her brain fizz. There was no other excuse for what she next said.
“Are you coming to bed with me?”
13
He tensed, and she tried to pull away.
Idiot!
“Oh no, you don’t.” He lifted her up, holding her under the ass.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m stopping you from running off again. Enough, Shortcake.”
“I wasn’t going to run!” she protested. “At this point, I think it would be physically impossible for me to run. I’d probably collapse in a ball of pain. And you need to put me down.”
“Why?”
“I think that would be obvious! You’re going to ruin your back!”
“If you say one word about being too heavy, I might just bend you over the tailgate of my truck.”
