Evers & Afters (Dare With Me #2) - J.H. Croix Page 0,13

handle having her hands on my body. The physical therapist had talked me into this, as it was. Yet, her anxiety about it somehow pushed me. I wasn’t going to chicken out.

As she stood there, I asked, “Is there a problem?”

“No.” She shook her head quickly. “Unless you think there’s a problem”

“I don’t think there’s a problem,” I lied.

I supposed it wasn’t a total lie. The only problem was me and my body’s reaction to Cammi. Surely, I could handle that.

“Okay then,” she said brightly. “I just need you to strip down to your underwear. You can put everything on the chair there.” She gestured vaguely in the direction of the corner where the chair sat innocuously, oblivious to the undercurrents zinging back and forth in the air. “I’ll be right back. You can lay face down on the table.” She patted it and hurried past me.

“Didn’t think I’d ever hear you asking me to strip.” Those words just slipped out of my mouth.

Cammi spun back, her mouth opening slightly and pink cresting high on her cheeks again. She pressed her lips together in a line. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

I didn’t know what the hell had gotten into me. I just wanted to ruffle her even more. “I wouldn’t mind if you did.”

Cammi let out a flustered sigh, turning and leaving the room without even granting me a reply.

A few minutes later, I’d done as instructed. I heard a light knock on the door, followed by Cammi’s voice, “Can I come in?”

“Of course,” I called, my voice muffled through the face-rest of the massage table.

After I heard the door open and close, she asked, “Any music requests?”

“I get to choose?” I heard her moving around and resisted the urge to lift my head.

“Of course.”

“You pick.”

I heard her murmur something, and then some soothing seventies blues came on, of all things. Somehow, she’d picked my favorite era and type of music without knowing.

Another moment later, I heard her saying, “I’ll start with your back.”

Her palms rested at the base of my spine, sliding up in a smooth pass, the oil warm under her touch. Although it was pure heaven to have Cammi’s hands on me for reasons that had nothing to do with this massage, I didn’t realize how much stress was built up in my body. I had to bite back a groan at how good it felt to have her working the tension out of the corded muscles in my spine and shoulders before making her way to my glutes and then down my legs.

“Damn, I was more sore than I realized,” I mumbled.

My entire upper left side was balled with tension. Cammi’s touch was light but firm

“You’ve been compensating for your leg for months now. That takes a toll.”

It wasn’t until it was all over and I was practically jelly on the table that Cammi’s voice came again. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’ll give you time to get dressed.”

I lay there, almost undone. After a moment, I slowly rolled up, marveling at the absence of tension, especially in my spine and along that one leg. I definitely could’ve used a few more massages. I chuckled to myself as I got dressed with the Bee Gees playing in the background.

A few minutes later, there was another knock on the door. I was still sitting in the chair, although I was fully dressed now.

“It’s safe,” I called.

Cammi came in, her gaze sweeping over me. “How do you feel?”

“Better than I have in months.”

Her lips twisted to the side with a half-smile. “Good. You could use a little relaxation, you know,” she teased lightly.

“Well, Dan ‘prescribed’ it,” I said, using air quotes as I stood from the chair.

“Make sure to drink plenty of water. You might experience some soreness after the fact. The water will help.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, dipping my head in acknowledgment.

The room suddenly felt small, and the air lit with a humming charge. My rational side knew kissing Cammi again was a bad plan, but reason didn’t hold much power in the moment.

Stepping closer, I searched her eyes, watching as they darkened like the sky on a stormy day, the blue deepening to almost navy. Her lips parted with a breath, and that soft sound was like a match tossed in dry leaves.

I didn’t realize I was standing so close until she took a deeper breath and I felt the brush of her breasts against my chest. As if she could read my