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I wriggled around, sticking my ass higher into the air, trying to get a deeper stretch. I heard him mutter something under his breath, but I couldn’t tell what.
“Get up. Let me help,” he said.
Carefully, I maneuvered myself out of the pose and flopped onto the floor bum first, then turned to face him. He lowered himself onto the sofa and spread his knees. “Come on. I’ll give you a back rub.”
A full-body shiver rippled through me, and I couldn’t help thinking what else I might like him to rub. But I was a good girl and behaved myself, sitting cross-legged between his thighs. When he dug his thumbs into my knotted muscles, I couldn’t hold back another groan.
“Shit, your back is a mess.” He didn’t ease up, and my head fell forward in bliss. “You need to take breaks,” he continued as he worked one knotted muscle and then another. “So you can limber up and move around. Hell, even getting one of those spiky massage balls would help.”
My lips curved. “Why would I want one of them when I have you?”
There was absolutely no incentive. A massage ball couldn’t possibly compare to having Nate’s hands on me and listening to his gruff voice as he lectured me. His post-exercise scent—clean male sweat—surrounded me, and if not for the discomfort in my upper back, I’d have been in heaven.
“I can’t always be here,” he reminded me.
“I know, but you do such a good job when you are.” When he handled me like this—tenderly, gently—it was easy to imagine he might love me the way I did him. Hazardous to my heart, perhaps, but addictive all the same.
He cleared his throat. “It’s come to my attention that I might not have been the type of friend I want to be.”
My stomach sank, and suddenly his touch was of little comfort. I shuffled away from his intoxicating scent and rose to my feet. “You’re closer to me than any of my other friends.”
I didn’t meet his eyes as I breezed out of the room, knowing he’d be close behind me. Duke let out a woof of protest, apparently not ready to move. I didn’t wait to see if he’d come with us.
In the kitchen, I considered pouring myself a glass of wine but started the kettle boiling instead. I’d had enough wine recently.
“I want to know whatever else I don’t know about you,” Nate said, leaning against the counter and crossing his feet at the ankles. “It’s true that you didn’t tell me about getting married, but I should have damn well noticed something was going on with you—both then and when you divorced. I’m sure there are other things I’ve been oblivious about and missed over the years, and I’d like to know what so I can do better at getting my head out of my ass in the future.”
My hands shook as I prepared a mug of herbal tea. I didn’t make one for him, knowing he’d rather help himself to a glass of water or beer from the fridge if he felt like having something to drink.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” I faced away from him while the tea brewed. “You don’t need to fix anything because there’s nothing to fix.”
“Grace.” His tone said not to bullshit him.
“There’s not,” I protested. “Besides, I’m sure there are plenty of things you don’t know about me, and vice versa. If you have a particular question, ask and I’ll answer.”
When a couple of minutes dragged by and he didn’t say anything, I thought I’d gotten off scot-free, but as soon as I removed the tea bag from my mug and turned back to him, he started on the questions.
“I didn’t realize you had an ex-husband. Are there any other significant exes waiting to pop up from the woodwork?” He sounded as if he was trying for humor, but his delivery fell flat.
I mirrored his position, the mug resting on the counter near my elbow while the tea cooled. “Like I told you, there are no other ex-husbands. I dated a couple of guys while I was in Christchurch during my undergraduate study, but nothing serious. I went out with Cal once, but there was no spark. I’ve had a few dates from apps, but nobody who warranted a second date. That’s pretty much it.”
Hopefully he wouldn’t push for more. I could hardly explain that I’d decided it wasn’t fair for me to date others and lead them on when I was hung up on him. I’d thought Cal, the local veterinarian and Summer’s business partner, might be a good match for me because of our similar temperaments. The handsome blond wasn’t a hardship to look at, and we got along well, but we were too similar. He fit much better with his current girlfriend, who was awkward, endearing, and had a massive heart.
“Why?” He looked bewildered. “I know there aren’t many single guys our age around here, but you’re a catch. Surely someone would be willing to move towns if they fell for you.”
“Maybe I didn’t look that hard,” I admitted. “Online dating isn’t really my thing. I’m better in person.”
Duke padded into the room and stopped at my feet. I bent to pat him, and he shoved his nose into my palm, looking for treats. “I’ve got nothing for you,” I told him. “Later.”
The dog gazed hopefully at Nate, who shook his head.
“He’s going to eat you out of house and home,” he said.
“But he’ll be cute doing it.”
I grabbed the handle of my mug and blew across the surface of the tea. I was starting to get hungry, and a glance at the clock told me it was after six. I’d need to begin cooking soon if I didn’t want to eat late.
“What about Max?” Nate said, startling me.
