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“The last thing I want to do right now is a bunch of exercises.”
He remembered being that sore—generally every time football practice started back up. He didn’t know what came over him, but he found himself moving behind Olivia. He put his hands on her shoulders and massaged them. Her shoulders were slender and too tense.
She whimpered.
His hands froze. “Are you making that noise because this hurts or feels good?”
“Both.”
He went back to massaging her shoulders, using lighter pressure. “Your muscles are too tight. You’re pretty much one big knot.”
“The flattery never stops.” Her head lolled to the side. “And you shouldn’t either. You’re really good at this.”
He ran his hands over her shoulders, pressing his thumbs into her muscles. Her head remained tilted to the side, exposing the creamy skin of her neck like she was some damsel in a vampire movie. He’d never seen the appeal of being a vampire until now.
He moved his hand down her back, forced his attention there. “Have you actually done construction before or did you just tell me you had so I wouldn’t throw Matt in jail?”
“Both.”
“Both,” he repeated.
“I’ve done it, but it was a lot of years ago and just on the weekends. Still, I’m doing good work.”
And at the cost of a lot of pain to herself. Carson’s anger at Matt flared up again, and he applied more pressure to Olivia’s back. She let out a moan. He would’ve lightened the pressure again, but she leaned back, welcoming his touch. Her head tilted up.
Well, seeing her react this way was giving him ideas he probably shouldn’t have. He didn’t stop. He was just doing a kind deed, after all. He was a kind person. His hands continued to knead her muscles. Somehow the flowery scent of her hair drifted up through the general smell of construction that clung to her.
His hands moved to the base of her neck. “Feeling any better?”
“If better means I’m questioning my life choices, then yes, I’m feeling better.”
It was about time she started questioning some of them. “Do you regret taking your brother’s place?”
“That depends. Do massages come as a regular part of this job?”
She wasn’t taking the question seriously. He dropped his hands away from her. “You know, I’m realizing it was a mistake to let you work off his debt.”
Olivia turned to face him, her brown eyes defensive. “I’m doing a good job. Just ask any of the crew.”
Yeah. The guys thought she was great, but Carson was pretty sure they weren’t paying that much attention to her work. “The quality of your work isn’t the point. What are you going to do the next time Matt messes up? And the time after that? Are you going to keep jumping in and saving him from his consequences?”
She held her hands out, palms up. “Would you let one of your brothers go to prison if you could help him?”
“My brothers would never embezzle from their jobs. And if they did, they wouldn’t come to me and ask me to cover for them. They know I’d kick their butts for that sort of stupidity. But I’m wondering if Matt didn’t worry about it because he knew you’d bail him out. Is this a pattern that’s been going on for a while?”
Her mouth opened and shut. “No.” The denial wasn’t convincing.
Carson leaned against the counter and considered her. “Have you ever loaned him money, knowing that he wouldn’t pay it back?”
She turned her attention to the cereal she’d left on the counter. Clear avoidance of the question. She poured almond milk over the bran flakes. “A time or two.”
Probably a lot more than two. The differences between Matt and Olivia kept multiplying in his mind. She’d been an honor student. He’d spent more time skateboarding, hanging out with questionable friends, and partying. “In school, did you do his homework for him?”
“No,” she said too quickly. “I just helped him with it.”
Liar. “Have you ever paid his bills?”
She took a bite of cereal. “Construction work is seasonal. He has a hard time finding work in the winter.”
