Rylee worried that she might be starting to look like a tomato with her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth clamped closed. When she opened one eye to peek at him, she saw he was studying her ankle with very close attention and not even looking up at her face.
One hand stayed on her calf while the other gently caressed around her ankle. Rylee could feel the pain stretching into her joint, but Gage’s hands were soothing it, literally chasing it away. As he ran his fingers across her skin, goosebumps flew up her thighs and collided in that deep place that was throbbing and pulsing and begging for his attention.
He lifted her leg carefully, propping her foot on the low table as he wrapped the ice packs around her ankle. Rylee was careful to keep her knees pressed together the whole time. All Gage would have to do is look up, and he’d get an excellent view of her soaked panties clinging to her wet pussy.
“So, what do you do?” she asked lamely. It was a vain attempt to turn her attention anywhere except his careful, seductive hands.
“I’m a friend of Talon’s,” he said as if that explained everything. Rylee nodded.
“Oh, yeah. The owner of the club, right? He’s cool. I mean, my friend Cassie just got with him a short time ago. That must be why you’re at the club, huh?”
He made a low, noncommittal sound. Rylee nodded as if he’d spoken volumes.
“You know, Cassie works at the school. So do I. I’m a nurse there. It’s great working with kids.”
“Of course,” Gage muttered, not looking up. As much as Rylee appreciated his caring for her, she was wondering if there was really that much to see.
“Yeah. You’re right. Like, it can be exhausting sometimes, but I love it, you know?”
“Sure,” he said softly. Rylee grinned, a warm trembling feeling sweeping through her.
She found his short answers somewhat sweet, even though she knew most women would see it as a brush-off, maybe even hostility. She could tell by the way he was tending her ankle that he wasn’t cold or uncaring.
He’s probably just cautious, and why not? We just met. Everyone’s got their baggage to carry. I’m sure he’s all sweet honey under that hard exterior.
It was the wrong word to use. The second the idea of him being hard got into her head, she couldn’t get rid of it. Rylee cleared her throat, looking away and wondering what the hell she was going to do next.
Kiss him. Pounce on him. Make wild love right here on the floor.
No!
Why not?
Her eyes slid back to him. She just couldn’t stop looking at him. The light in the office was low, and his fine, bold features were engraved with shadows that only made him more appealing. The silence he carried around him gave him a sense of strength…a great fortress that could stand against time itself.
While she was gazing at him, he looked up. Their eyes met, and she couldn’t look away. The dark blue pools drew her in, whirlpools that refused to let her go. She saw his lips part, just slightly.
He wants to kiss me too!
She was so excited by the idea that she dismissed it immediately. She wanted him so badly, she’d talk herself into it whether it was real or not. Rylee knew she had to get a grip on herself before she made a huge mistake.
The longer they stared at each other, the more Rylee felt that this would not be a mistake. Whatever it was she felt, he could feel it too. She was sure of that. Behind the guarded gates of his expression, his eyes were gentle and warm.
Something in him longed for her the same way she ached for him. She knew it.
I am not imagining this.
Before the moment could pull them together, Gage’s phone went off. The sudden beeping cut through the thick silence and made Rylee jump as she let out a little shriek. She felt stupid as he pulled out his phone, covering her face and shaking her head.
Idiot. You act as if you’ve never heard a phone ring.
“Who is it?” she asked, trying to cover her shock. He shook his head.
“No one. I just set the alarm for twenty minutes, so I didn’t ice you for too long.”
I think I’m going to need that ice elsewhere, or neither of us is getting out of here with our pants on.
“Right,” she said, nodding. “I’m a nurse. I should know that.”