do.”
“What are we going to do about it?”
“I don’t know.”
He walked a few feet away, and she wondered if he was as confused, intrigued, nervous, yet excited, as she was. It shouldn’t be possible to feel all those emotions at once, but meeting Bryan had brought parts of her back to life that she thought had died with Tom. She couldn’t deny she felt something for Bryan that she hadn’t felt for anyone in a long, long time.
But he was in pain and lonely; she was in pain and lonely. Could anything come of them turning to each other? Or could it be just that simple?
“Do you want to know what we should do, or what I want to do?” he asked her finally.
“Want,” she whispered.
“I want to kiss you again.” He shoved his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. “Actually, I want to do much more than kiss you.”
Oh, boy. She pressed her lips together. “Okay, well…”
He was not only a client, he was still hung up on his ex-wife. Was she crazy to risk involvement in his tangled emotions? Had she been alone for so long thatany man’s desire was a compliment? Or was this whole business a problem she wasn’t prepared to deal with?
“These… wants will complicate things between us,” she said.
“Only if you don’t feel the same way.”
She could hardly believe they were having this conversation. They were barely getting along a few weeks ago. That kiss had catapulted them into a new arena, though she could hardly deny she’d been attracted to him from the first moment they’d met.
“Darcy?”
She jerked her gaze to his. “I do feel the same way. I just—” She wanted to laugh at herself, and them, for being so serious about a single kiss. “We have to be the two most romantically wary people on the planet. Maybe we’re just lonely.”
“I wasn’t lonely before you showed up.”
“But earlier you said you missed having dinner with someone.”
“I did. I do—but that only started a few weeks ago. After you showed up and starting feeding me every weekend.”
How he could look annoyed about something he enjoyed, she had no idea. But then they’d promised each other honesty. She supposed they were getting it. “I was perfectly content, too, you know.”
“Super. What’re we going to do about all this?”
The timer on the oven saved her from deciding or replying.
She served the plates of tender, baked chicken over the black beans and yellow rice, adding chopped, raw onions on top. They ate for a while in silence, other than Bryan’s compliments about the dinner. Darcy always enjoyed the hearty dish, but she was too distracted tonight to fully appreciate her efforts.
As Bryan rose to clear the plates, she remembered something that had her choking on her water. “You have a massage scheduled tomorrow.”
“Massage?”
“It’ll help relieve the stiffness in your knee.”
“I figured. There’s a massage therapist at the track?”
“Sure there is.” Her heart rate zipped into overdrive, even as the practical parts of her went into panic mode. “Me.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“A RE YOU SURE you’re comfortable with this?”
Bryan, lying on his back, on a portable massage table, wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts, clenched his hands at his sides. “Oh, sure.”
“I don’t want this to be awkward.”
“It’ll be fine.”
She didn’t move, and though his eyes were shut tight, he could feel her hands hovering over him.
Truthfully, he’d both dreaded and craved this moment since she’d said it was coming the night before. And he wasn’t comfortable in any way.
“Okay, so I’m going to, ah…touch you now.”
Bracing himself, he clenched his jaw. “Go.”
She laid her hand on his thigh; he jolted and sat up.
Eye-to-eye, his hands curled into fists, her hand jerked behind her back, and they stared at each other.
Then her hand cupped his jaw, her other hand slipped around his waist, and her lips were on his.
He pulled her tight against him,
“What are we going to do about it?”
“I don’t know.”
He walked a few feet away, and she wondered if he was as confused, intrigued, nervous, yet excited, as she was. It shouldn’t be possible to feel all those emotions at once, but meeting Bryan had brought parts of her back to life that she thought had died with Tom. She couldn’t deny she felt something for Bryan that she hadn’t felt for anyone in a long, long time.
But he was in pain and lonely; she was in pain and lonely. Could anything come of them turning to each other? Or could it be just that simple?
“Do you want to know what we should do, or what I want to do?” he asked her finally.
“Want,” she whispered.
“I want to kiss you again.” He shoved his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. “Actually, I want to do much more than kiss you.”
Oh, boy. She pressed her lips together. “Okay, well…”
He was not only a client, he was still hung up on his ex-wife. Was she crazy to risk involvement in his tangled emotions? Had she been alone for so long thatany man’s desire was a compliment? Or was this whole business a problem she wasn’t prepared to deal with?
“These… wants will complicate things between us,” she said.
“Only if you don’t feel the same way.”
She could hardly believe they were having this conversation. They were barely getting along a few weeks ago. That kiss had catapulted them into a new arena, though she could hardly deny she’d been attracted to him from the first moment they’d met.
“Darcy?”
She jerked her gaze to his. “I do feel the same way. I just—” She wanted to laugh at herself, and them, for being so serious about a single kiss. “We have to be the two most romantically wary people on the planet. Maybe we’re just lonely.”
“I wasn’t lonely before you showed up.”
“But earlier you said you missed having dinner with someone.”
“I did. I do—but that only started a few weeks ago. After you showed up and starting feeding me every weekend.”
How he could look annoyed about something he enjoyed, she had no idea. But then they’d promised each other honesty. She supposed they were getting it. “I was perfectly content, too, you know.”
“Super. What’re we going to do about all this?”
The timer on the oven saved her from deciding or replying.
She served the plates of tender, baked chicken over the black beans and yellow rice, adding chopped, raw onions on top. They ate for a while in silence, other than Bryan’s compliments about the dinner. Darcy always enjoyed the hearty dish, but she was too distracted tonight to fully appreciate her efforts.
As Bryan rose to clear the plates, she remembered something that had her choking on her water. “You have a massage scheduled tomorrow.”
“Massage?”
“It’ll help relieve the stiffness in your knee.”
“I figured. There’s a massage therapist at the track?”
“Sure there is.” Her heart rate zipped into overdrive, even as the practical parts of her went into panic mode. “Me.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“A RE YOU SURE you’re comfortable with this?”
Bryan, lying on his back, on a portable massage table, wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts, clenched his hands at his sides. “Oh, sure.”
“I don’t want this to be awkward.”
“It’ll be fine.”
She didn’t move, and though his eyes were shut tight, he could feel her hands hovering over him.
Truthfully, he’d both dreaded and craved this moment since she’d said it was coming the night before. And he wasn’t comfortable in any way.
“Okay, so I’m going to, ah…touch you now.”
Bracing himself, he clenched his jaw. “Go.”
She laid her hand on his thigh; he jolted and sat up.
Eye-to-eye, his hands curled into fists, her hand jerked behind her back, and they stared at each other.
Then her hand cupped his jaw, her other hand slipped around his waist, and her lips were on his.
He pulled her tight against him,
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