The Heartbreaker by Vicki Lewis Thompson Page B

you’d like?”
    â€œI have a feeling you’re about to tell me.”
    â€œI think you’d like me to be your secret lover with no strings attached on your part, and when you’re off in the jungle somewhere, you’d expect me to be true to you.”
    Exactly. He was ashamed of how accurately the description fit his fantasy. “What kind of guy would expect a one-sided deal like that?”
    â€œI’m not saying you’d have the nerve to ask it of me. I’m just saying that’s what you’d like, if you could get away with it.”
    He sighed and stretched his arms out against the steering wheel. His shoulders were knotted up from spending long hours at a workbench, and he longed for something that would involve big muscle movement. Making love to Beth would be perfect, but he didn’t anticipate that happening in the near future. “I guess any guy would want a deal like that, if he could get away with it,” he finally admitted.
    â€œWell, here’s a news flash for you, Mike. These are the nineties, and you can’t get away with it.”
    He sent her a tired grin. “Can’t blame a man for trying.” He rolled his shoulders a couple of times.
    â€œPull over for a minute and let me work those kinks out before you get so tight you can’t even drive.”
    He didn’t have to be asked twice. He found a wide spot next to the road and parked the sedan, although he left the engine running so they could still have air-conditioning.
    Beth unhooked her seat belt. “Take off your seat belt and turn your back toward me.”
    He followed her instructions and soon her strong hands began exploring the source of his pain.
    â€œYou’re tensed up something awful,” she said, rotating the heel of her hand under his shoulder blade. “You shouldn’t have tried to do so much the first day.”
    â€œI took a look at that list of back orders and decided I couldn’t just ease into it.” He groaned as she pushed her thumb against a particularly tender spot.
    â€œYou’ll be no good to me if you’re crippled up.”
    â€œA little more of this and I’ll be fine. But if you’re offering to give me another massage tomorrow night, I accept. You’re wonderful at it.”
    â€œStrong hands come naturally when you cut glass all day.”
    He leaned into the massage and sighed with relief as his tortured muscles began to relax. “Mmm. That’s great.”
    He noticed she’d stopped talking.
    â€œYeah, right there,” he murmured, thinking she might need the encouragement Still she made no response, although the massage became more vigorous. She really was good at this, he thought. He could get used to it
    â€œGod, that’s good, Beth,” he said on a heartfelt sigh.
    Abruptly the massage ended.
    He turned to her in surprise. She had her head down and she was fumbling with her seat belt.
    â€œAll done?”
    â€œYep.” She didn’t look at him.
    He took note of her rosy cheeks and tilted her chin up. “Beth?”
    The look of pure desire in her eyes told him all he needed to know about her state of mind. With a moan he pulled her close and sought the honeyed depths of her mouth. Her response was instantaneous as she clutched the back of his head and urged him deeper. But he couldn’t seem to get enough of her. He kept seeking a different angle for greater penetration as he reveled in her explosion of passion.
    The console was a frustrating barrier to the full contact he craved, but the separation of their bodies gave him access to the lush curve of her breast straining against her T-shirt. He cupped the weight of her breast through the soft material, and she moaned, pressing the tight bud of her nipple against his thumb. It was all the encouragement he needed to tug the shirt from the waistband of her shorts and reach underneath to flip the catch on her bra. At last