Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 72715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
She walked into the room and came up beside Jake. “Here. Let’s ice down the shoulder.” She placed blue gel packs on his bare skin, swallowing hard, knowing how much discomfort he was in and wishing she had more than her professional expertise to make him better. “This will contract the muscles and ease the pain.”
“Ahhh.”
She recognized his groan of relief and winced, knowing she’d caused him this agony. “So what did you have planned for us after this?”
She hoped the change of subject would help him concentrate on something else, and help her concentrate on something other than Jake. And her undergarments. For their session, she wore spandex Capri pants that provided ease of movement, but the tight material showed off both her legs and her behind for his view, as she’d intended. Beneath the skin-hugging material, she wore sexy underthings, and she felt the combination of silk and lace stretch and glide with every move she made. She’d handpicked the mauve panty and matching bra in tactile lace of delicate flowers. Between the flowers, sheerer lace allowed her skin to show through—a lot of skin.
She wondered what Jake would think and how soon he’d have the chance to think it. Her body trembled with delicious anticipation.
“Hey, I’m the one with ice on my shoulder. Are you cold, too?” he asked.
She forced a grin. “I stuck my hands in the freezer to retrieve that ice, remember?”
He nodded. “Are you too cold for ice cream?”
The simple question seemed to hold a wealth of importance she couldn’t understand. She met his blue-eyed gaze, which danced with possibility and…hope? She wondered if she was misinterpreting his expression and tone of voice, but she couldn’t help but sense her response was important to him. “I’m never too cold for ice cream. Why?”
“What’s your favorite flavor?” he asked.
“Well, I’m embarrassed to admit, I’m not picky. Any flavor will do.” At that moment, her stomach began to growl, a reminder she’d only had time to grab half a sandwich from the hospital cafeteria for dinner. “Especially now.” She laughed and pressed one hand against her stomach.
“Did you have dinner?” His forehead furrowed with concern.
“A little.” She’d been too rushed and too nervous about their time together to consume much. “But ice cream sounds great. What did you have in mind?”
“A place called Peppermint Park on the corner of Sixty-sixth and First. They have a huge assortment, and it comes highly recommended by Rina.”
“Yum.” She ran her tongue over her lips, noticing his eyes followed the movement. She obviously had the power to attract him, and they’d already made the bargain to act on that attraction. Slow and easy.
Did she have the nerve to move up the timetable? Heaven knows, she desired more than food and conversation with this man. His kisses had been just a prelude. She wanted much more.
He pulled his gaze from her lips, but his jaw clenched and his eyes stayed glued to hers, desire in the molten depths. If he kept looking at her that way, they’d never make it out for dessert. But the whole Peppermint Park thing seemed to mean something to him, and the idea of indulging in the creamy dessert held a long-forgotten appeal.
“You know, ice cream sorta fell into the category of pizza. If we had extra, we bought some, but generally we reserved it for special occasions. Birthdays, Marc’s graduations, things like that.” She shook her head, suddenly embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make my life sound like some poor me tale. Believe me when I tell you, all things considered, we had it good.”
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Nobody in their right mind would feel sorry for you. But I am glad to know I picked right.” He cleared his throat, and this time she sensed his embarrassment. “I wanted to take you someplace you’d remember. Someplace special.”
Good thing she had already acknowledged that she could fall hard for him and had barriers up to prevent it. Otherwise his concerned expression and tender, generous gesture would definitely steal her heart. She tried not to listen to the voice in her head laughing hysterically at her pathetic attempt to conceal her growing feelings for Jake Lowell.
* * *
Jake sat on a wooden bench beneath a huge awning, Brianne by his side and Norton at her feet. She’d insisted on giving him an airing, and while she was at it, Jake taught her how to get Norton to “do business” quickly and efficiently. She was impressed by Norton’s abilities and obviously pleased Jake had agreed to take the pooch along.
Seeing how happy he could make Brianne—and his sister’s dog, he thought wryly—gave him a warm feeling he hadn’t had in far too long. He glanced at Brianne. Vanilla fudge ice cream dripped over the sides of her cone, and her little tongue darted out to catch the remains.