Bodywork (8 page)

“Don’t dance around it. Fake Conan dragged me up on stage, was bumping and grinding all over me, and dislodged the sock in his shorts. Talk about false advertising. And that’s the only excitement I can brag about in nearly a year. Just call me Shelby.” She
pretended to hang herself
.

“Shut up.” Shelby grinned and they ribbed one another as they walked.
She thought about con
fessing
her confusing emotions about Shane
. She needed to talk about them.
Bad enough she couldn’t stop thinking about the man.
But i
f she told Maggie, Maggie
might
run to her mother. The pair of t
hem were determined to get Shelby back on the
dating
circuit
.

They’d gone a
short distance
before Maggie stopped short of a water fountain marked
O
ut of order
.
“Shoot.
I forgot my water bottle.
Wait here while I run and get it
.
Well, I won’t really run, but I’ll be quick
.
”

“Want me to come with you?” While it had grown darker, twilight still shed pale light across the lake and the trail.
E
nough
people traveled the path to
provide
a sense of safety, but Shelby always felt protective around her smaller friend. But God forbid she tell Maggie that.

“Nah.
Tell you what, I’ll meet you at the duck sign further down.
” Maggie
turned
a
nd
walked
back down the trail toward the parking lot
.

Desperate to keep her mind free of Shane Collins, Shelby resorted to running, the one sport in life she really detested.
Yet a
s she settled into a loose jog,
the tension seep
ed
out of her by degrees.
She skirt
ed a few
baby strollers and dog walkers
, as well as a couple holding hands.
The love between the pair showed through their smiles and the way they walked in step, shoulder to shoulder.

Suddenly annoyed
with life in general
, she put on a burst of speed, passed the duck sign, and sprinted for the turn-around point
which wasn’t that much farther past the sign
.

On
ce there, she turned around and
readied to go back when she stumbled into what felt like a steel
wall.

Large hands steadied her.
“Easy there
.
”

Oh hell. She knew that voice.

He
pulled her out of o
ncoming foot traffic
into the
tree line
but didn’t let her go
.

Sheltered in his arms beneath the awning of leaning willow above them, Shelby
tried to catch her breath and
looked up into the bright eyes of Shane Collins.
“What are
you
doing here?”

“Well, well.
”
He smirked as he gave her a onceover
.
“What a pleasant surprise
.
”

“You’re not stalking me, are you?” A stupid question, considering she hadn’t seen him in days, but still.

He grinned.
“I live
a few blocks away.
You?”

“
No, I live in Queen Anne.
” He lived close.
That would explain
his presence here tonight and how they’d collided
the other day.
“
And I’m sorry.”

“For what?” She couldn’t believe he could still look this good, at night, in sweaty clothes. Holy crap, his legs were really, really cut. And his chest looked broader than she remember it being. She curled her fingers and tried to concentrate on his words and not the lips shaping them.

“…sorry for
running into you the other morning
.
It really was my fault
,
and I blamed you for it unfairly.”

An apology was the last thing she expected
. S
he
parted her lips to speak but didn’t know what to say. She’d been rude to him in her clinic
. Should she apologize back?
Though it had been his fault, accusing him of starting the mess in the first place sounded awfully third grader-ish.

He was staring at her, waiting for what,
she didn’t know. An
excuse
? A rebuttal? A kiss?
Bad,
bad thought.

“Shane
—
”

H
e placed his finger over her mouth
, and all thought fled. Th
e intense heat of his f
lesh
sear
ed
her lips
and traveled through her body to center between her legs
.

“I
might as well apologize again,” he rumbled.

“
F
or
what
?” Shelby stared into
mossy green eyes turned dark.

“For doing what I’ve been thinking about
since you first touched me.”

His mouth covered hers, and she felt warm all over. She clutched his forearms, aware his hands had crept to circle her waist. He
deepened the kiss
and
groaned
, then
pulled her
against
his hard body.

Oh wow.
He felt incredible. Firm
, warm muscle, so vital, so strong. Yet
her reaction to his touch was mu
ch more intense
. She
traced the contours of his chest, slightly damp through the soft shirt he wore.

S
he didn’t know what he
’d done
to her
,
and God help her
,
she didn’t want
him
to stop.
When he raised his head and stared down at her
,
she could only stare back.

To her disappointment, h
e stepped away, and it was all she could do
not
to look
at the front of his shorts, having missed that part of him during the massage. A good thing, because if he was as large as he’d
just
felt against her, she might have done the unthinkable and given him a rub-down he’d never forget.

Shelby blushed, grateful to the limbs and leaves that obscured them from view.
She
heard
Shan
e tak
e
a few deep breaths. The same sense
of urgency r
ode her, and she had to work to will it away
. After a
few
moment
s
, he tugged her with him out from under the willow tree
s
.

A
devilish glint
lit
his eyes.
“I’m sorry. Again.”

“You should be,” she muttered.
For making me want you like crazy
.

His gaze traveled from her lips to her
breasts
and lingered. She crossed her arms over her chest, hi
ding her nipples that screamed
for his attention.

“You’re so cute when you’re pissed off.”

“What a
lovely
t
hing to say.”
She
couldn’t help liking his sense of humor. On top of that kiss, his attitude made him even more attractive. She had to keep remembering his rudeness, spilled coffee, anything
except
how utterly sexy he was. A man like this could do a lot better than Shelby. She’d learned that the hard way not too long ago.

The sex she could more than go for. The hurt feelings? The lies? Not so much.
And unfortunately, she’d never been a one-night stand kind of girl.

“So am I forgiven?” he asked, his voice a low purr.

“For the kiss or the coffee?” Damn. She sounded out of breath.

He grinned. “Either. Both.” He paused. “Is it wrong that I want to
kiss you
again, in a place where we have some privacy and time to…explore?”

“I
—
”

“Shelby. There you are. I was looking for you.” Maggie stared from her to Shane and back again. “Who’s your friend?”

As if she didn’t know.

“Shane Collins.
Nice to meet you.
” He held his hand out and shook Maggie’s. Once done, he immediately turned his attention back to Shelby.
She gave him extra points for not fixating on the blond bombshell most men couldn’t look past.
“I have to be going. I’ll see you again soon.” He called over his shoulder as he started jogging, “And Shelby? Thanks for the massage
Friday
. I definitely owe you one.”

Crap. He’d found out.

Maggie grabbed her by the arm and
walked with purpose in the direction he’d gone.

“What’s your hurry
?” Shelby managed, still tongue-
tied from Shane.

“
That was Mr. Rude
.
Shane Collins, he of the magnificent thighs and tight, tight buns.”
Maggie
and she
craned
their
neck
s
to
watch him disappear out of sight.

S
helby sighed.
“
I
guess he’s not that rude.”

“What is that
look
? You’re flushed and glassy-eyed. What the hell did I miss?”

“He apologize
d
for being a jerk the other day.” Shelby let out a deep breath
, knowing she shouldn’t say anything, but she had to share
. “Then he kissed me.”

“
Oh my God
!
”

“Shh. Keep it down.” Shelby still swore she could feel his lips over hers, where her mouth tingled.

“
What was the kiss like?
He looks like a real
ly good kisser,” Maggie prodded
.
“And holy crap, but he has a nice body. You shou
ld have thrown coffee on him tonight
. We could have gotten a good look at his top
and
bottom.” She wiggled her brows.

Shelby c
huckled.
“
Yeah, that would have been a sight. Okay,
I’ll give you details on one condition.”

“Sure, anything.
Come on, Shelby
.
This is the most exciting thing that’s happened in your love life for the past six months
. Except for my date with the cross dresser, it’s the most exciting thing that’s happened in mine. Spill it.”

“First, promise not to tell my mother. Or Ron,” she tacked on for protection.

“Now why would I tell Mimi?”

“Because you
think with her help I’ll be more social. But the truth is, too much Mimi and I’ll need to be institutionalized. No more interference in my lack of a love life. Swear.”

Maggie blue eyes swam with guilt. “But
—
”

“No buts. I
f
—
and I do mean
if
—
I see Shane again, it’ll be because I want to, not because our stars ali
gn
.”

Maggie
shrugged
. “Okay. Fine.
We have progress
. At least you’re calling him Shane and not Rude Guy.”

“Or Buns of Steel, though I kind of like your nicknames.”

Maggie snickered. “Yeah, well, they fit. Because those buns were fine.”

“Yeah.” Shelby sighed.

“
I promise not to tell your mother anything.
Now talk, woman.”

“
He has a killer body
. H
av
ing seen it on my table then massaging him, touching him
… All I can say is wow. Really, really, wow.
”

“I told you he was handsome.”

“Yeah, you did.
But
that kiss blindsided me. I don’t think I’ve ever been kissed like that
before
.
Too bad i
t was there and gone before I could get into it.” She fanned herself as they walked around
an
other
couple holding hands.
Is it romance night at Green Lake or what?

“I
’ve n
ever seen you so dazed. Maybe you’re human after all.”

“Thanks so much, bestest buddy.” She knocked Maggie on the arm.

“Ow.”

“So if I do see him again, and there’s no guarantee I will, what then?”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s sexy, handsome, and built. He’s also a
professional who happens to work downtown at one of the best architectural firms in the city
.”

“Nice.”

Shelby nodded. “
Denise mentioned it. Said when she’d met him, she asked him where he worked, and he’d named a place she recognized, because her brother interned there one summer.
Bottom line is Shane is handsome
and
probably well-off.
In other words, out of my league.”

Maggie scowled. “Says who?”

“He’s the type.” Just like
her ex
.
“
Except I think I might like to see him again, even though I know I shouldn’t.”

Maggie sighed. “This is about Rick.
Man, I hate that guy.
”

A handsome, wealthy
jerk
who’d stomped all over her heart. She
lby
hadn’t cared about his money or his social
connections
, she’d loved him for himself
—
o
r the man she’d thought him to be. But over time his snipes about her career, her mother, and her
job
had taken its toll. Then to find him doing a blond bombshell in the bed they’d shared for a year… Of course she was still scarred. It hadn’t been that long ago that she’d given Rick the keys to her castle
, only for him to toss them aside in lieu of some
tart
with large breasts
. She could only be glad
she and he had
never moved in together.

Their split had been so easy it depressed her all over again.

“
Y
ou need to forget him
,” Maggie continued. “
Not every guy is like Rick
Matinson
. Take Shane. He apologized.”
Maggie took a swig of water.

“
Gee,
I guess for that I owe him a blowjob.”

Maggie choked on her water
.

“No?”

“Give me some warning next time,
” Maggie wheezed between
laugh
ter
. “
Okay, I get it. Just because he had the sense to say he was sorry doesn’t mean he’s a prince. But
he seems decent enough.
”