Love's Tender Bond [Bonding Camp 6] (Siren Publishing Menage and More) (3 page)

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“See you then.” Missy hung up.

Sam clicked off the handset and placed it back in the charging station. He moved into his bedroom, whipped off the towel, and pulled on his robe. No sense in getting dressed when he was going to be lying on a massage table.

Ten minutes later, he walked into the spa to find Missy arranging bottles of oils beside a massage table. She looked up when he closed the door. “There you are,” she said, turning toward him and smiling. With a tilt of her head and a quick wink, she placed her hands on her hips and said, “Okay, Sam, get naked.”

Chapter Three

Missy had busied herself with restocking her oils and lotions after returning to the spa. Her hand was feeling fine where Sam had removed the splinter, but getting him out of her head was going to be nowhere near as easy as removing the shard of wood from her hand. She continued working, pulling the crisp white sheets from the dryer that was in the spa laundry and folding them just so to be placed on the shelf beside her favorite massage table.

Sam Rodgers seemed to be constantly on her mind these days. Her only problem with it was she wasn’t sure if his feelings were leaning the same way toward her. Missy shook out a sheet, snapping it in the air before folding it in half. She sure wished she knew where she stood with him. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel so frustrated.

Missy knew why she was drawn to Sam. Since Rachel, their trusty cook-slash-housekeeper, had met Joe Brown and fallen deeply in love, Sam and Missy had ended up spending more time with each other alone. Missy was really getting to know him now that they talked a lot more, and she liked him as a person. Well, more than liked him, if she was honest with herself.

That was the thought floating through her mind now while she watched him move to her massage table and remove the robe he had shown up wearing tonight. Beneath it she was pleasantly surprised to see he wore nothing. She had been equally surprised when he had called but the emotion quickly turned to worry when he mentioned pulling something in his back and that was his reason for calling her.

Missy moved forward, coming up behind him. He stood naked, facing the massage table.
God, he’s gorgeous. If he thinks being completely naked while I give him a massage will trip my trigger, he’s right.
A little thrill zipped through her, but she shoved it away, getting her thoughts back to the matter at hand. “Tell me where you’re experiencing pain, Sam.” She placed both hands palm down on his back at shoulder blade height. His skin was warm to the touch, as if the sun had left its kiss there.

“Lower,” he said. “About two inches below my waist level.”

Missy smoothed her hands, slowly and lightly, down his back, stopping at the point he had said.

A shudder ran through him, and he groaned.

Missy froze. “Does it hurt?”

He shook his head, tilting it back slightly. “No, not yet. Your hands moving over my skin actually feels quite good.”

She smiled and pressed her thumbs into his back, moving them in opposite directions toward his sides. “Tell me when I—”

“Ow!”

“—hit the spot.” She stopped all movement. “I’m guessing that ‘ow’ is the answer to my question.”

“Mmm, yeah. Mostly on the right side.”

Missy removed her hands and stepped back. “I’d say you most definitely did pull something. Can you get up onto the table by yourself?”

“I can manage.” He turned around to face her.

Missy rolled her tongue inside her mouth while trying to control the wash of heat creeping into her face. Sam Rodgers was not a shy man. He stood before her completely naked and looking her directly in the eye.

His brows drew together just before he gripped the massage table and hopped up on it. “Something wrong, Missy?”

She cleared her throat and clasped her hands together. “No, why?” she asked, smiling.

Sam swung around and lay down on the table on his stomach. After lifting his hips to adjust himself, he laid his head down, his face turned toward her. “You just had the oddest look on your face there for a moment. Are you going to be okay using that injured hand to give me a massage?”

She unclasped her hands, flexing the fingers of the one with the bandage on it. “I’m sure it will be fine.” She grabbed a fresh sheet from the shelf and whipped it open, then draped it over the chiseled globes of his very nice ass. Then she began going through her oils and lotions, trying to decide which one would do the most good. She pulled two bottles from her array, holding one in each hand. One was peppermint, which would be cooling. The other was cinnamon, which would heat up as she rubbed it in. Either would feel good but she wanted to give him some lasting relief.

Cinnamon was her choice. The heat it generated would help relax his strained muscles. “Okay,” she said, dropping the bottle of peppermint oil back into the basket she kept directly at the head of the table. “I’m going to get started. If something hurts too much, let me know.”

“Oh, I will,” he said with a bit of sarcasm.

She gave it right back to him. “This wouldn’t have happened if you had listened to me about being careful.” She held the bottle of oil over his lower back and squeezed.

He jerked. “Hey, that’s cold!”

She hadn’t had time to warm any of the oils like she normally did. “It’ll warm up,” she said, tucking the bottle beside his thigh. “Besides, let this be a lesson to you. You should listen to your masseuse about being more careful with your back.”

Sam started to say something, but when Missy’s fingers began to dance over his back through the slick oil, all he could do was groan.

Missy closed her eyes, her hands working the oil into his skin. His flesh was beginning to warm, along with her insides. Missy wanted to hear Sam groan like that when he was buried deep inside her. Her eyes popped open before she could fully visualize that scenario. She needed to stay focused on what she was doing.

Sam tucked his arms beneath his head and sighed. “It’s starting to warm up,” he murmured.

Missy put more force into her ministrations, mostly with her uninjured hand. She glanced at his face. His eyes were closed and he was smiling. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she asked.

He nodded his head without raising it or opening his eyes. “Very much.”

“The pain going away?”

“What pain?” He drew in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.

Missy chuckled, working her hands across his back to the other side. “I’m glad I could make you feel better.”

“I always feel better when I’m with you.”

Missy’s heart skipped a beat.
Did he mean that?
How
did he mean it? Emotionally or physically?
Her stomach fluttered as she reached for the bottle of cinnamon oil. This time she didn’t squeeze the oil directly onto his skin. She poured it into her palm, then rubbed her hands together before transferring it to his back. Her bandage on her hand came off and she tossed it in the trash basket near her feet.

Now working on his upper back, she kneaded his shoulders. “I make you feel better, huh?”

He opened his eyes. “Yes. You do. I’m not sure how you feel, but it seems like you and I are growing closer. Does it seem like that to you?” He glanced over his shoulder at her.

The look in his eyes was that of a shy young man, wondering if he had said too much. It tugged at her heart strings.

Missy smiled down at him. “We are closer now that it’s just you and me, basically. Rachel has her man now.”

He grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I like spending time with you. I’ve never been ‘close’ to anyone before.”

“Not even your family?” Her hands were tingling from the warming agent in the oil and the scent was beginning to make her mouth water.

“I never really had a family. My parents were my only close relatives and they never wanted anything to do with me. What about you? How are your family ties? You’ve never really told me about your relatives.”

Missy shrugged, shifting her position. “I only had my mom. I’ve never met my dad. I don’t even know if he’s alive, actually.”

“That’s too bad.” He glanced back at her again. “I hope you’re not seeing me as some sort of father figure.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, immediately lightening the moment.

Missy laughed, giving his shoulder a little slap. “Father figure—hell, no. for your information, Sam Rodgers, I think you’re about the sexiest, most desirable man this side of heaven.” She gulped, wanting to slap one of her oil-covered hands over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…oh god, I didn’t offend you, did I?” she stammered.

Sam pushed against the table, rising up, then swung his legs over the side, coming to a sitting position. He placed his hands on her waist and drew her in between his legs.

Missy rested her hands on his shoulders, keenly aware of every inch of his exposed flesh. She looked directly into those calm, seductive eyes of his and caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Was she in trouble?

“I want your complete attention because I’m only going to say this once.” His voice was soft, yet commanding. “You could never offend me by saying something like that. As a matter of fact, I’d like to hear you say it again.” He gazed at her, unblinking and silent.

After a moment she realized he was waiting for her to say something. “Are you serious?” she asked, her voice almost squeaky. “You really want me to say it?”

He nodded, not speaking.

Her nerves were beginning to jitter. Something was changing between them. Even the air around them seemed to take on a sultry heaviness. Missy felt a bead of sweat slip between her breasts, traveling through her cleavage and down. She swallowed, then ran her tongue over her lips. His eyes followed its path. Her nipples tightened, the sensual way he was looking at her now making her want to press herself to him.

Missy drew in a deep breath and locked her gaze on his. “I think you, Sam Rodgers, are the sexiest, most desirable man this side of heaven.”

His pupils flashed wider, as if he was taking as much of her in as he could. “Do you mean that sincerely?”

“Yes.” She slowly traced circles on his shoulders.

His hands tightened on her waist, his fingers digging into the bare flesh that was exposed between the bottom of her sports bra and the top of her shorts. “Tell me more about this feeling you have for me. Is it just a sexual ‘bonding camp’ type of thing?”

Missy shifted her hips forward. She was in too deep to back out now. “It is, but it isn’t.”

He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. “I’m not understanding.”

Missy let her hands drift down from his shoulders to rest on his chest. “I’ve watched you during bonding sessions. I love the way you move, the sounds you make. I’d like to be included in a session with you some time.”

One corner of his mouth rose in a crooked smile. “I’m surprised you haven’t been included in one of mine yet. Have you talked to the partners about it?”

She tilted her head down and looked up at him through her lashes. “No, I haven’t. I didn’t want to seem like I was meddling in their affairs. You and I both know bonding sessions are for gauging new associates’ openness to sharing their needs and desires. The partners want to be sure about the loyalty of the people they allow into the firm. I wouldn’t want to interfere with that in any way.”

“There are other sessions, you know. When the partners come up and we’re just ‘sharing.’ I’m sure they would welcome you with open arms. I know you’ve done bonding with different people. I’m surprised we’ve never been included in the same session.”

Just the thought of participating in a ménage with Sam and one of the others caused heat to swirl inside her. “I would love it,” she said, scraping her nails lightly over the skin of his chest.

“But is that the only way you are attracted to me?” he asked.

“Definitely not. Sam, in my dreams, it’s just you and me. Sort of like it’s been lately. We’ve almost been like a couple. The only thing missing is the closeness of feeling you inside me, becoming a part of me.” She leaned in and brushed a wisp of a kiss across his lips then gazed into his eyes again. “I want you—one-on-one, Sam.”

“We can fix that, too,” he replied, his eyes taking on a smoky look. “There’s nothing wrong with taking care of it right now.”

Chapter Four

Missy’s heart thudded loudly in her ears. What was he proposing? From the look in his eyes, he was smoking inside and she wanted some of that fire inside her.

She leaned into him. His hands moved from her waist around her back to cup the roundness of her ass in his palms. Missy slid her hands up his chest, to the back of his neck. She brushed the palm of her right hand over the short-cropped hair at the nape of his neck. It was soft, tickling her skin.

“I want this to be slow,” he said, his gaze locked on hers. “We’ve never really had the chance to enjoy each other.”

Missy drew in his breath through her parted lips, bringing the small, warm essence of him into her being. “I want to know every inch of you,” she said, then tentatively ran her tongue slowly over his bottom lips. “Breathe into me,” she requested, leaning her forehead against his and forming her lips into an O.