Michael's Discovery - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,48

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