Michael's Discovery (11 page)

“Moira Brady.”

“And Bryan knows her?”

“Yes, but he doesn’t pay any attention to her, at least not the way he should.”

“So, basically what you’re doing is matchmaking, and you want my help?”

“Exactly.”

“No way,” he said emphatically.

Her hands stilled, and Michael almost regretted being so adamant. Clearly she wasn’t pleased with his response.

“Why not?” she asked, her tone suddenly chilly.

“Because men don’t meddle in their friends’ love lives.”

“You don’t have to meddle. You just have to ask him to meet us at the pub. It’s not as if you’ve never asked him to join you there before.”

“Why can’t you ask him? Moira is your friend.”

“Because that’s too obvious,” she said impatiently. “Don’t you know anything?”

“Apparently not when it comes to matchmaking, thank God.”

This time when her hands stroked his leg, there was something far more sensual than therapeutic about it. Michael responded accordingly. He had to will himself to stop paying attention to those long, lingering strokes and concentrate on counting backward from a thousand. He was getting to be quite good at it.

“Michael, please,” she coaxed softly. “It’s not such a big deal. There will be a whole crowd of us there, right? It’s not as if we’re asking him to spend a deadly dull evening all alone with a total toad.”

Michael groaned. He was going to say yes eventually and hate himself for it. A few months ago he’d barely remembered Kelly’s existence and now he was
considering conspiring with her against a man he’d always thought of as his best friend. He suspected traitors could fry in hell for less.

Kelly leaned closer, her breath whispering against his cheek. “Are you thinking about it?”

“How can I think when you’re all over me?” he muttered irritably.

She laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It wasn’t meant that way,” he groused.

“No, I’m sure it wasn’t. But you are going to do this one tiny thing for me, aren’t you?”

He rolled over, dragging the sheet with him to cover his unmistakable reaction to her sneaky massage technique. “I’ll do it on one condition.”

“Great!” she said, obviously pleased.

“Hold on. You haven’t heard the condition. I want you to look me in the eye and tell me exactly what put this little scheme into your head. Have you ever fixed your brother up with one of your friends before?”

“No,” she admitted, looking decidedly uneasy.

“Then why now? Why Moira?”

“I think they’d be perfect for each other,” she said, sticking to her story.

Michael wasn’t buying it, not entirely anyway. “And you just reached that conclusion this week? Out of the blue? After knowing this Moira for how long?”

“A while,” she conceded.

“And the inspiration to matchmake never struck you before?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then I have to ask again, why now?”

She frowned at him. “I sort of owe her.”

“For?”

“Keeping her mouth shut about something,” she told him grudgingly.

Suddenly it all became perfectly clear to him. “Moira’s the woman who runs the rehab clinic where you work part-time, isn’t she? And she found out about the two of us.”

He didn’t have to see the telltale flush in Kelly’s cheeks to know he’d hit the nail on the head. He would have known it by the way she suddenly found a million little things to do to avoid meeting his gaze. When she started lining up her selection of free weights according to size, he shook his head.

“You can’t avoid answering me forever,” he said.

“Sure I can,” she said with obvious bravado.

“So, the price of Moira’s silence is a date with your brother,” he said, drawing his own conclusions. “And this is a woman you want me to trick him into spending an evening with?”

She scowled at that. “You make it sound so sleazy. It’s not that way at all. Moira is a terrific woman. She’s just a little shy. She gets all tongue-tied when Bryan is around. And just so we’re very clear, this was my idea, not hers.”

“But she went along with it,” he reminded her.

“Reluctantly. Come on, Michael, what’s the harm?”

“There are so many possibilities, I can hardly list them all,” he responded.

“Name one.”

“Your brother could be furious.”

Kelly shrugged. “It won’t be the first time or the last. Brothers and sisters are always at each other’s throats.”

“He could be furious at me,” Michael corrected.
“And that would be a first. I’m at a disadvantage, you know. Under normal conditions, I’d be a more than even match for him, but right now I’d prefer to pick fights I can win with words.”

“So you’ll smooth things over, if it comes to that,” she said, clearly not taking his fears seriously. “It won’t. I’m telling you, he’s going to thank you. And I will certainly find some inventive way to demonstrate my gratitude.”

Michael choked at the immediate image that slammed through him. “Inventive, huh?”

She grinned, clearly sensing victory. “Absolutely.”

“Care to give me a small sample, just a little incentive offered in good faith?”

“Roll over,” she ordered.

Michael cast one last, lingering look into her suddenly smoldering eyes and did as she’d asked. The sheet fell away. He wasn’t entirely sure what he expected, maybe some new, exotically scented oil that would drive him wild. Maybe the light skim of her fingers just a little too high on the back of his thigh.

What he absolutely, positively had not expected was the light brush of her lips against the back of his calf, the back of his knee, the back of his thigh. If it hadn’t been for one small, but very strong hand placed squarely in the small of his back, he would have jolted off the massage table and dragged Kelly straight into his arms and then onto his bed without giving propriety a second thought.

When she finally finished her little demonstration, his breathing was ragged and his resolve in tatters. He sighed heavily and tilted his head to meet her gaze.

“Bring me the phone.”

She grinned, a cat content with its expected reward of cream.

“And don’t look so damned smug,” he added.

“Aye, aye, sir,” she said cheerfully as she handed him the phone.

“I know I’m going to regret this,” Michael muttered as he dialed Bryan’s number.

Then he thought of the way Kelly’s clever mouth had felt against his skin and concluded that even if her scheme blew up in their faces, he still might die a happy man.

H
er brother truly was the biggest dolt on the planet, Kelly concluded as she watched him all but ignore Moira, who was seated next to him. And if sparks didn’t start to fly soon, Michael was never going to let her forget it.

In fact, he chose that precise moment to lean in close and whisper, “It’s going well, don’t you think?” The edge of sarcasm in his voice was unmistakable.

“Well, do something,” she snapped back.

His eyes widened. “Me? This was your idea.”

“I’ll make it worth your while,” she offered.

He had the audacity to laugh at that. “Promises, promises.”

One advantage of being with a man in a wheelchair was that his attention could be refocused in a heartbeat. Kelly snagged the handles on his chair and
aimed him toward her brother and Moira. “Now, talk,” she muttered.

The look Michael shot at her would have wilted the resolve of a lesser woman, but Kelly was feeling desperate. She wanted this evening to work out, not to guarantee Moira’s silence—truthfully, that was a given anyway—but to try to ensure her happiness. If her friend was foolish enough to be interested in Bryan, then he was the man Kelly wanted for her. Not that she would ever have promoted such a scheme if she hadn’t also believed that Moira was exactly right for her brother, she added piously.

“Great music,” Michael ventured to Moira. “Are you enjoying it?”

Kelly had to fight a smile at his charming awkwardness. Clearly social graces had never been high on his list of achievements. She actually found that reassuring. She’d always assumed he’d been a rogue who flirted with anything in skirts, especially once he’d joined the navy. Handsome as he was, though, she doubted he’d needed much in the way of charm to have women circling around him.

When Moira remained absolutely silent, Kelly firmly poked an elbow in her ribs. “Michael asked you about the music.”

Moira gave them both a weak smile. “Sorry. I guess I was thinking about something else. The music’s very nice,” she agreed politely.

“Are you very familiar with Irish music?” Michael asked, still doing his best to get the conversation rolling.

Kelly nearly groaned when her friend merely nodded. She knew for a fact that Moira loved Irish music and had been to a dozen or more pubs on a trip to
Ireland. She would have sworn this was the perfect topic to get her friend to be a little more animated and to catch Bryan’s attention. He considered himself something of an expert on Irish folk tunes.

“You have been to Ireland, though,” Kelly prodded. “How does this compare?”

Finally, Moira seemed to forget Bryan’s apparently intimidating presence. Her expression brightened. “The lead singer’s the best I’ve heard this side of Dublin,” she said with her more familiar enthusiasm.

Bryan’s attention was finally snagged. He regarded Moira intently. “You’ve been to Ireland?”

Moira blinked at him, clearly startled that he’d finally taken notice of her. “Well, of course,” she said. “With a name like Brady, how could I not have gone at least once? Have you been?”

“Twice. Once on a tour by horseback. Another time hiking.”

Moira’s eyes lit up. “You actually went hiking? Where? Which tour company did you use?” The questions poured out of her. “I’ve been thinking of doing that next summer, but I can’t decide which tour to take. Just when I think I’ve decided, I see another brochure that looks even better.”

Kelly secretly congratulated herself on a job well done as the two of them put their heads together, shutting Michael completely out of the conversation. He turned back to Kelly slowly, his expression vaguely bewildered.

“What just happened there?”

“You asked the right question. I provided an extra push. And they took over from there.” She patted his hand. “Nice work. You obviously have a knack for this sort of thing after all.”

He frowned at that. “Don’t go getting any ideas. This was a one-time thing, just to get you out of a bind.” His gaze locked on hers. “Though I have the strangest feeling that your friend Moira was never any threat to your career in the first place. She doesn’t seem the type to resort to blackmail to get a guy.”

Kelly feigned surprise. “Really?” She shrugged. “Well, you never know. Better safe than sorry.”

His gaze darkened as he subjected her to a thorough survey that had her skin heating.

“So, what do you think? Can we get out of here now?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

Something in his tone, in his eyes made her suddenly nervous. “And miss seeing the fruits of our labor? Why would we want to do that?”

He snagged her jacket off the back of her chair and tossed it to her. “Because we have better things to do,” he said, already heading for the door.

Heat spiraled through her along with a little thrill of anticipation. “We do?” she asked, automatically trailing after him just as he’d obviously assumed she would.

“Remember all those inventive ideas of yours?” he said cheerfully. “It’s time to pay up.”

Her step faltered. “Now? Tonight?”

“Can you think of any reason to wait? A deal is a deal, right?”

“Well, sure, but tonight?” She glanced back to see that her brother and Moira still had their heads together. “What if they need us?”

“Their problem,” Michael said succinctly. “We’ve done our good deed for the day, maybe for the year.”

He leveled a look straight into Kelly’s eyes that made her stomach flip over.

“Unless there’s some reason you want to back out on our deal?” he suggested lightly.

Honestly, she had been sure that Michael would be the one backing out. After all, he was the one who’d listed all those reasons why they should keep their emotions in check and their hands to themselves. Her promise had been made half in jest, though with at least a modicum of wistful hope. Now that it appeared he was taking her up on it, she had to wonder if she’d made a mistake. As desperately as she wanted it, were they really ready to take this next step? Maybe they should think it over a little longer, weigh the pros and cons.

Was she crazy? This was exactly what she’d been wanting from the day she’d set eyes on him years ago. If they were finally on the same wavelength, why wait?

She held his gaze, her expression serious. “Lead on,” she said quietly, accepting his challenge.

For an instant, Michael seemed startled by her acquiescence. Then he latched on to her hand and pulled her down until her face was even with his.

“Once we get in your car and head for my place, there’s no turning back,” he said tightly.

“We’re not playing some silly game of chicken, Michael. I know that,” she told him.

“Just so we’re clear.”

“Never more clear,” she replied evenly. She was amazed at how cool she sounded, when her heart was hammering at least a hundred beats a minute. This was it, then, the night she’d been waiting for forever. And she was going to blow it by asking the one question guaranteed to bring on an attack of conscience in Michael.

“Why tonight?” she asked, studying his face intently.

His expression faltered ever so slightly. Most people wouldn’t even have noticed, but Kelly did. She sighed heavily as regrets came crashing down around her.

“I thought so. No real reason, except that I offered you a deal, right?”

Now it was his turn to sigh. “That, and the fact that I’m an idiot. Scratch that. I’m a randy idiot. I want you, and you gave me the perfect excuse to take what I wanted.”

“You still can,” she said and meant it, even if the warm and fuzzy glow was fading rapidly.

He pressed her knuckles to his lips and kissed them. “Another time. Go back in there and keep an eye on your brother and your friend.”

She knew it was the smart thing to do, the only thing, really. “How will you get home?”

He gestured toward the street where a taxi sat waiting, its motor running. “I already had Ryan call a cab for me. For a minute there, I was going to send it away, but saner minds prevailed.”

Kelly stared at him incredulously. “You were testing me?”

“And myself,” he said. “It was a stupid thing to do, and I apologize. At least we both learned a valuable lesson.”

She wasn’t much in the mood to view things in a particularly generous light. “Oh? What’s that?”

“That it’s increasingly likely that we’re going to tempt fate once too often.”

She frowned at him. “Don’t be too sure of that,”
she said heatedly. “I think the lesson I learned is entirely different.”

“Oh?”

“When it comes to playing games, you’re a master, and that is definitely
not
a compliment.”

That said, she whirled around and went back inside, leaving Michael to stare after her, his mouth open. Whatever words he’d been intending to say to try to pacify her this time, she hoped he choked on them.

Michael was getting exactly what he deserved, no question about it. Kelly’s frosty attitude when she’d walked away on Friday night had lingered all through Saturday’s therapy session and on into the couple of calls he’d made to try to apologize again for his inexcusable behavior. He’d taken something important and turned it into a contest to see which of them was stronger. He’d expected to be the winner by a mile, but he had to admit it had turned out to be a draw. Kelly was no slouch when it came to good sense and willpower.

Which left them exactly where? Truthfully, he was surprised she’d even shown up on Saturday, but clearly that powerful work ethic of hers had kicked in, along with a healthy dose of pride. It was evident, though, that the attraction between them could no longer be ignored.

The first time Michael had linked Kelly and hot, steamy sex in the same thought, he had cursed himself for an idiot. A few stolen kisses were one thing. They’d both been driven to distraction by circumstances, he had assured himself.

The second time his mind invented an image of the two of them naked in his bed, tangled together, he
pictured just how many ways Bryan could devise to make him pay for taking advantage of his kid sister. That had temporarily put a damper on his desire to steal anything more than an occasional kiss.

Friday night he’d come too damned close to making those images a reality. He feared that the next time, his brain wouldn’t kick in at all.

The only way to avoid temptation would be to fire her. Of course, that ignored the fact that she’d already quit…specifically so they could become more intimate, if they so chose. How was he supposed to fire someone who didn’t technically work for him in the first place? And how could he explain it to her without making himself out to be even more of a jerk than she already thought him to be?

When Kelly’s knock came promptly at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, he sucked in a deep breath and resolved to clear the air between them. He was halfway to the door when she used her key and came breezing in, a phony smile firmly in place. A desire to kiss her until that smile turned real slammed through him. That was not a particularly good sign.

“Good morning,” he said, regarding her warily as he tried to gauge her real mood.

“Is it? I hadn’t noticed.” She flipped open her massage table and locked the legs into place. “Are you ready to get to work?”

Michael noted that the frost from Saturday had now turned to icicles. He had to hold back a sigh of regret.

“Sure,” he said, climbing onto the table.

The first touch of her cold hands on his back was a shock. He noted that she hadn’t bothered to warm the oil she was using today, or else it was simply no match for her body temperature or her mood.

“Starting Thursday, I think we should have our sessions at the rehab clinic,” she informed him. “I’ve already spoken to Ryan and Maggie, and they’ll be happy to drive you over there.”

Something deep inside Michael turned hot and angry at her presumption. “What right did you have to go to my brother before coming to me?”

She didn’t react to his tone. “I wanted to be sure transportation wouldn’t be a problem. Since it isn’t, I assume you have no objections to the change.”

Michael moved away from her. “Are you scared, Kelly? Is that what this is about?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped, her eyes flashing furiously. “You don’t scare me. You’re ready for equipment I can’t haul around. You’ll make faster progress if you have it. It’s as simple as that.”

“Then it’s just a bonus for you that we won’t be alone anymore?”

“Exactly,” she said tightly.

Michael wanted to force her to admit that it wasn’t his recovery, but her anger at him that was behind this sudden announcement. Instead, he put his head down without further comment, and let her continue with the massage.

He felt the brush of her breasts as she leaned closer to massage the tight, cramped muscle in his thigh. Instinctively, he glanced to his left and his gaze landed on her cleavage. Not that she was wearing anything the least bit revealing, just her usual V-neck T-shirt. It just so happened that it had dipped provocatively lower than normal. The sight of that smooth, pale skin snapped the last tiny hold he had on his restraint.

This time when he reached for her and closed his
mouth over hers, he knew things were going to be different. Unless she slapped him silly—which she probably should—he was going to do more than taste her lips. He was going to close his mouth over the pebbled tip of her breast. He was going to skim his tongue over that swell of satiny skin.

He was going to burn in hell.

He uttered a curse and pushed her away. She drew in a deep, raspy breath and stared at him.

“Why?” she began in a choked voice.

“Why did I kiss you again? I think we both know the answer to that,” he said wryly. He raked a hand through his hair. “I swore I wasn’t going to touch you, but you could tempt a saint. It’s even worse when you get that chilly don’t-touch-me note in your voice.”

A smile played at the corners of her mouth. “Apparently you like a challenge.”

“What man doesn’t?” he said wryly. “Can you imagine what would happen if you got it into your head to try to seduce me?”

“I…I couldn’t,” she stammered, looking shocked. “I wouldn’t.”

“But not because you don’t want to,” he said. “Or because I don’t want you to.”