he groaned. Cursed under his breath. Then put his sexy muscles to work lifting her off his lap. “Not like this,” he said, shaking his head while rubbing the back of his neck. “Not happening.”
No kidding it wasn’t happening. Her body was currently screaming at her for denying it a long-overdue release. She squeezed her thighs together in an attempt to relieve the needy ache he’d created. “Why do you come here if you don’t want to come?”
“Because I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“You don’t even know me. I might be the world’s biggest bitch outside this place. Maybe I chew with my mouth open and belch like a drunken backwoods hillbilly.”
“Go out to dinner with me so I can find out for myself. If you’re as nasty as you claim to be, I’ll excuse myself to use the restroom, sneak out the back door and never see you again. I’ll even stick you with the check.”
“That’s horrible,” she said, laughing. “Also, you’re relentless.”
“It’s gotten me this far.” He reached out to lightly stroke her leg. “Is it going to get me to an Italian restaurant with a beautiful blonde who may or may not be a belching bitch?”
God, she was tempted. She had to bite her tongue to prevent a yes from slipping out. “No. Not with this blonde, anyway.”
“Then I guess it’s a solo dinner at home for me, because you’re the only woman I want to take out.”
She shouldn’t find him sweet. Shouldn’t, but did. “Are you okay?” she asked, when he winced while pushing up, out of the chair.
“Yeah. Just overdid it at the gym with Curtis the other day and I’m still feeling the aftershocks. No big deal.”
Curtis. No. He couldn’t possibly be talking about the only Curtis she knew. Or could he? They were both cops, after all. She sucked in a breath while the room spun around her.
“Hey.” Jake lifted her chin with two fingers. “My turn to ask if you’re okay. All the pretty roses just disappeared from your cheeks.”
“I’m fine.” She shook off his touch. “Is Curtis your trainer at the gym?”
Jake snorted out a single laugh. “He’d like to think so. No. Curtis is a friend I met on the force. Sara’s boyfriend.”
Candace grabbed the back of the leather chair for support. “Oh my God, it all makes sense now.”
“What does?”
“Why a good-looking cop who could undoubtedly get all kinds of sex for free would come to a place like this. Your comment that you harassed Sara at the front desk as a favor for a friend. How every time I’m around you, I keep having to remind myself that I shouldn’t find you charming or likable, since you’re one of the douchebags who tried to intimidate Sara at her old apartment. Because you weren’t one of them.”
“Glad we got that cleared up. Now you can find me good-looking, charming and likable without all the guilt.” Laughing, he jerked away when she swatted at him. His smile didn’t mask the cringe of pain that accompanied the playful maneuver.
“How’d you overdo it at the gym?” she asked, stepping closer.
“Bench press, maybe. Or dumbbell flies. Weighted pull-ups. Pretty much everything I did on chest and back day.”
Oh, yes, she could picture him doing those things. How his jaw would clench as he pushed his physical limits, the way his muscles would flex and ripple during the motions.
She shook off the visual while gently pressing her fingers against the area she’d seen him rubbing. “Is this where you’re feeling the pain?”
“Yeah, that’s it. A bit in the front delt too.”
“Have you seen anybody about it? A doctor or physiotherapist?”
“It’s not that bad. I’ll take some ibuprofen. It’ll be good to go in no time.”
“Typical male solution,” she said, at which he grunted. “How many days has it been since you hurt it?”
“Enough.” He groaned as she kneaded a spot at the base of his neck. “That feels good. Not as good as when you were on my lap, but still damn good.”
“Hey, you’re the one who ended the fun.”
“Had to be done, sweets.”
“Know what else has to be done?” She abandoned him and walked to the massage table. She patted the white sheet, then crooked her index finger at him.
He shook his head. “Can’t do it. Not paying you to touch me.”
“No hanky panky, just a straight-up massage to ease some of those tight muscles. You’d pay somebody for that kind of massage, wouldn’t you?”
“Yeah, but not somebody I want hanky panky with.”