Body Heat
Carly Phillips
Physical therapist Brianne Nelson has never worked on a body this hot before….Injured detective Jake Lowell is determined to get his man. Only, he finds his woman first. Night after night, Brianne has fantasized about the sexy stranger she met at the café where she works part-time. She never guesses that stranger will turn out to be a client….Thanks to his wealthy sister, Jake is the recipient of Brianne’s personal services for the next month. Only, Jake isn’t in any hurry to return to a cop’s life–he has to find the guy who shot him first. Still, he does need therapy. And Brianne’s definitely making him feel much better….
MORE PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF CARLY PHILLIPS
Summer Lovin’
“The wild and wacky Costas family is back, and it’s Zoe’s turn to find her mate.”
—Romantic Times BOOKclub (4 stars)
Under the Boardwalk
“As in-depth as it is entertaining, a romance which also delivers a far-ranging lesson of acceptance.”
—Bookloons
“Hilarity, hijinks, suspense, and a whole lot of love combine into a fabulously heart-warming story.”
—Romancejunkies.com
The Heartbreaker
“Carly Phillips, publishing’s newest, brightest star, shines!”
—Fern Michaels, New York Times bestselling author
“A steamy…read.”
—People magazine
The Bachelor
“A titillating read…on a scale of 1-5, a high five for fun, ease of reading, and sex—actually I would’ve given it a 6 for sex if I could have.”
—Kelly Ripa
“A romantic romp…the sexual chemistry explodes.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A bubbly romance.”
—Newsday
Dear Reader,
Thank you for all your letters telling me how much you loved the SIMPLY series! Guess what? Body Heat is a reprint, indirectly connected to the next SIMPLY book (Simply Sexy), due out next year. So settle in for a steamy read to warm your cold winter nights with Brianne Nelson and Jake Lowell’s story. And then get set for Jake’s sister, Rina, in Simply Sexy.
I’m so grateful for all your support! You can write me at P.O. Box 483, Purchase, NY 10577, or e-mail at carly@carlyphillips.com. As always, don’t forget to visit www.carlyphillips.com to see what other sexy, fun novels are coming your way soon!
Best wishes and happy reading,
Carly Phillips
CARLY PHILLIPS
Body Heat
To the original SEXY CITY NIGHTS authors:
Janelle Denison, Julie Elizabeth Leto
and Julie Kenner. We met as Temptresses and life’s
been good to us since! I love you guys!
Body Heat
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
THE DAYS WERE HOT but, thanks to her, his nights were even hotter. He welcomed the mixture of anticipation and desire that rushed through him as he looked around The Sidewalk Café. As he looked for her.
Jake Lowell clasped his hand around a chilled glass of ice water. The condensation left his palm cold and wet, in stark contrast to the New York City heat and humidity pulsing around him. In opposition to the inferno raging inside him. Nothing could extinguish the flame she’d ignited.
He leaned forward in the wrought-iron seat, shifting, trying to find a comfortable position for his back against the hard metal, one that wouldn’t put pressure on his left shoulder and the injury that had finally begun to heal. He shifted again, and pain shot through his upper body. Damn fancy chair. Outdoor cafés with sissy drinks weren’t his thing, they were his sister’s. But ever since he’d come here for the first time, ever since he’d taken a look at the sexy waitress with the compelling gaze, he’d forced himself to endure.
Jake glanced around, but the woman who starred in his fantasies was nowhere to be found.
Only a few couples graced the outdoor section of the restaurant. He looked at his watch. Typical of his sister, Rina, she was already fifteen minutes late. After a childhood of sharing one bathroom with a teenage girl, he’d become used to waiting for her; he’d be shocked if she showed up on time. But with the guy who shot Jake wandering the street, Rina’s lateness—typical or not—made him wary.
He took in the empty street once more, then turned toward the inside of the nearly empty restaurant and bar, reminding himself that the scum was now living a so-called clean life and that his sister was safe. He headed inside, figuring he’d wait for Rina in front of the television set and a good Yankee game.
That was when he saw her—his vision in white jeans and a black tank top with an apron tied around her waist. She stood by the bar, a bottle of water in hand. Her auburn hair had been pulled back in a ponytail while stray strands resisted confinement and curled around a face with delicate, angelic features. More than lust or desire, it was the purity in her expression and the smile on her lips that lured him back to this place, to her, over and over again.
After reading an order off her pad, she shoved it into her pocket, and the bartender got busy mixing drinks. Jake rose from his seat and walked to the open sliding glass door that led to the inside of the restaurant. She leaned against the wall and glanced around—looking for what, he didn’t know. Then she tipped her head backward and ran the bottle over her forehead, down one cheek and then the next, until she finally eased it over her long neck.
As the bottle moved over her skin, he swallowed a groan. Her back arched and her breasts pushed against the black tank. Taut nipples teased both the fabric and his restraint. He ought to feel like a voyeur, yet her every sensual, seductive movement seemed as if it had been choreographed for his eyes only.
Though she was a stranger, he felt as if he knew her intimately, yet not intimately enough. Eyes shut tight, her shoulders dropped and her muscles relaxed. As the cold plastic touched bare skin, her long sigh echoed inside him. Whether aware or not, she’d aroused both his curiosity and his imagination.
What would she taste like? he wondered. Would he find her lips moist, her mouth flavored with mint? Or would she taste sweet, like the coffee drinks served here? And in the throes of passion would she meet his gaze or shut her eyes in expectation and pleasure? Just imagining making love to her had his body strung tight with need and his soul on fire. He took neither lightly.
Little had piqued his interest other than the incident that had sidelined him and taken down Frank Dickinson, his best friend and fellow detective, causing Jake to rethink his direction in life. But desire licked at him now, hotter and with more force than the bullet that had seared his skin.
Neon lights over the bar reflected off the droplets of water on her flesh. He wanted to taste her damp heat, to absorb it with his body. He broke into a sweat that had nothing to do with the heat wave outside. His hand had turned wet from the condensation on the glass, and he wiped his palm on jeans that had grown too tight.
She straightened and placed her bottle on the bar before glancing around the confines of the small restaurant. He held his breath, but she didn’t look in his direction. Then she grabbed a napkin and blotted the glistening skin on her chest, patting downward to where droplets had probably dripped into the V of her cleavage, nestling between her full breasts.
Without warning, she turned and glanced his way. Her gaze met his and her eyes grew wide, not with horror but with surprise. Just as he thought, she hadn’t known anyone was watching. But when the surprise wore off, she stared at him with more than a hint of interest in her expression.
It was an interest he recognized because she captivated him, too. The mutual attraction had been strong from the first. And over the past few weeks, the sizzling awareness had only grown stronger.
His sister had fed his interest, meeting him here in the evenings so he could get his fill. And she’d always been here, always waiting on tables in stations other than his. He didn’t know why she hadn’t approached him, only why he’d maintained the distance. Fantasy, he’d learned, always surpassed gritty reality.
But never had the current between them been as charged as it was tonight. Their connection was electric, so all-encompassing that his body throbbed with need and his mind soared with myriad possibilities—none of which he intended to act upon.
She still held his gaze, as if waiting for him to make the next move. Without breaking eye contact, he lifted his glass in silent acknowledgment. He expected her to turn away, to rebuff his subtle advance. She did neither. Instead she held his stare with a searing heat and bold curiosity he hadn’t expected—until the bartender’s arrival with her order severed the connection.
She glanced back at him once more before she crumpled the napkin and tossed it into the trash. Then she returned to business, taking orders and serving drinks. But the flush in her cheeks remained, testament to what had passed between them.
“Oh my God, Jake, I’m sorry.” His sister’s voice calling him brought him out of the sensual haze, though the sizzling in his veins remained.
Relieved Rina had showed up unharmed, he headed back to his table and settled himself into the uncomfortable seat. Though distracted, he tried to focus as she slid into the chair across from him. Her skin glistened from the humidity and her dark hair clung to her cheeks. She was no different from most rushed and overheated New Yorkers, yet her outfit distinguished her from the other mostly jean-wearing patrons of the café. All elegance, she appeared out of place in the casual atmosphere, but Rina being Rina, she failed to notice.
“I know I’m late. But Norton hates the heat,” she said, talking about her Chinese sharpei. He was all wrinkles with a black tongue, a dog no self-respecting person would take out in public, but Jake had developed a soft spot for the pedigreed pooch.
He shook his head and laughed. “Money really has changed you, Ri.” They’d grown up with a half-breed mutt that had wandered through the dirt and grime of the South Bronx. The dog had taken a nap one day by the front of their building and had stayed.
When Rina, a legal secretary, had met and married her boss, Jake had had his doubts about the man and the marriage. Who wouldn’t question a guy who had his fingernails polished weekly? But he’d turned out to be the best thing ever to happen to his kid sister. But then he’d died, leaving Rina alone. She was too young to be a widow, but Jake found comfort in knowing she’d had happiness for a little while.
A union of opposites had worked well for Rina, but not for Jake. His marriage had ended in a bitter divorce because his wife hadn’t realized that marrying a cop meant living on a cop’s salary and adjusting to erratic hours. His wife hadn’t just given up being married to a cop; she’d given up on Jake. And, after five years, it still hurt. Not because he still loved his wife but because he thought he’d given that kind of life his best shot. Still, Rina’s marriage had flourished, and for that Jake was grateful.
“Money hasn’t changed me.” She sniffed, raising her chin in the air, pretending to take offense. “Well, not much, anyway. At least I walk him myself. I could pay someone to do it for me, but they’d quit after one day.”
“High-maintenance breed?” Jake asked, watching the sexy waitress out of the corner of his eye.
“You could say that,” Rina said.
He barely heard. She worked the inside restaurant, where the thickening crowd chose to sit. She impressed him with things that went beyond the superficial. Nothing fazed her—not the overwhelming heat, not the picky customer. She served with a thousand-watt smile, one he could watch all night. Especially since, every so often, she sent a covert look his way—to make sure he hadn’t left? He liked to think so.
Because he sure as hell was aware of her. Jake couldn’t recall the last time he’d been so sexually and emotionally conscious of a woman he didn’t know. He hadn’t been celibate since his marriage, but he hadn’t gotten seriously involved, either. And none of the women in his far or recent past had piqued his interest in quite the same way she had. The sensual game they played intrigued him. He wasn’t ready to end it by meeting her and destroying the fantasy. No woman could be as fresh and unjaded as she seemed to be. His marriage had taught him that.
Appearances, Jake knew now, were too often deceiving; women weren’t always what they seemed. The sexy waitress attracted him more strongly than his ex ever had, and if that wasn’t enough of a warning to steer clear, he had his current case to focus upon. He couldn’t risk the distraction.
Rina waved a hand in front of his eyes and grinned. Obviously she knew his mind had been not on her words, but on the waitress who fascinated him. Considering he’d insisted on meeting at this place, at this hour, on the same night for the past few weeks, Jake figured his thoughts were pretty much transparent.
“As I was saying,” she reminded him, “I had to walk Norton before meeting you, and he didn’t want to go. I mean, he’s trained to go on command, but you have to get him out onto the street, first. The poor thing hates the hot concrete on the pads of his paws. There I was, literally dragging him down Park Avenue, while he was trying to drag me back home. Can you imagine the sight?”
Jake shook his head. “The dog’s a wuss,” he muttered. He glanced over her shoulder, looking for the woman of his fantasies, but in the moment he’d refocused on Rina, she had disappeared. Disappointment gripped him as hard as the desire had earlier.
Rina patted his hand. “She’ll be back. And Norton’s not a wuss, he’s just particular about what he likes, who he likes…”
“And who he doesn’t,” Jake said, recalling the puddle that had ruined his new sneakers on their first meeting.
“Well, regardless, he was Robert’s dog, and I’m all he has left now.”
Jake leaned forward in his seat. “So how are you, really?”
Rina had decided not to accompany her husband on a business trip, and he’d died in a car accident while rushing home to avoid an overnight stay. She’d been consumed with guilt and grief, and Jake had made it a priority to keep her spirits up. That included meeting her for dinner or drinks a few times a week. Almost a year had passed—a year in which Jake had kept up the routine because he enjoyed it, too. Rina was stronger now. Even the jokes had come more freely to her of late. Jake’s mission had been a success. It had also recently led to his obsession with a woman he didn’t know.
“Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. How I’m doing. I’m going to take a vacation. A friend invited me to spend the summer with her in Italy. And I really need the break. I need to get away and…”
“I think it’s a great idea.” Jake didn’t hesitate. Not only would the vacation do wonders for Rina’s mental health, but it would keep her out of the country and safe until Ramirez was behind bars. “Anything that gets you out of that mausoleum of an apartment is good by me.” Besides, all that marble and china made Jake nervous. Every time he turned around in the penthouse, he felt in danger of breaking something.
“I’m glad you think so. But about the penthouse?”
“Mausoleum.”
“Whatever. I need you to stay there while I’m gone and watch Norton—and before you say no, think about the whirlpool and the pool. They’ll do wonders for your rehabilitation.” She opened her brown eyes wide and fluttered her thick lashes.
Not a good sign, he thought, and he knew he was in deep. “I don’t need physical therapy. I’m doing some exercises the orthopedist recommended, and my shoulder’s just fine.” He caught her stare and realized he’d been subconsciously rubbing the muscle with his hand. He quickly wrapped the hand around his glass, which had grown warm to the touch.
She raised an eyebrow. “The department says otherwise.”
Much as he loved Rina, no way could he let her in on the fact that he had been undertaking strenuous rehabilitation. Her well-meaning concern often translated into talking at inopportune moments and generally butting into his life. He couldn’t risk her informing the department that he’d be in shape sooner than they thought.
“The department has no say unless I choose to go back,” he told her. And he was no longer sure he wanted to. Getting hit by a bullet and damaging his shoulder while diving out of harm’s way had nothing to do with his uncertainty. The circumstances surrounding the episode did.
Louis Ramirez, who had been drug trafficking on college campuses and had access to major dealers, had been ripe for the picking. As a detective on narcotics detail, Jake had invested all his time and energy on the scum. He’d seen one too many co-eds in the morgue thanks to Ramirez’s tainted goods, too many once fresh-faced kids now addicted. Jake had sworn he’d nail the crook, and had skirted the edges of proper police procedure to arrange a bust that would put Ramirez away for a long time. He’d trusted a snitch, something he regretted the instant the first bullet was fired and he realized he and his fellow officers had been set up.
But they’d gotten their man, anyway. After the hail of bullets that had stolen Frank’s life and sidelined Jake, Ramirez had been taken into custody. And he would have stayed there, too, if Jake hadn’t been down for the count. If some rookie hadn’t screwed up and failed to give proper Miranda rights. Ramirez had walked, on a technicality. It wasn’t the first time Jake had seen a criminal go free but it was the proverbial last straw. Jake was disgusted, disillusioned with his role in bringing in the dregs of the earth only to have his efforts thwarted courtesy of America’s judicial system.
The detective Ramirez killed had been a good man—a man with a wife and kids—and though all cops knew the risk, Jake would have preferred to take the fatal bullet instead. He had no little ones who needed a father. Jake’s weekend visits and phone calls to Frank’s family were a poor substitute for the real thing.
“The system pisses me off and I’ve had it with the whole routine,” he said, giving his sister the gut-honest truth.
“So Frank’s gone and you’re just going to give up?”
Her tone conveyed disbelief, possibly because she knew Jake better than anyone. She knew his friendship with Frank and his family ran deep and she understood the pain of losing someone. But she also knew her brother. Jake Lowell didn’t throw in the towel, and he never left a job undone without a fight.
“I’ll redirect my energies,” he lied. He didn’t want to upset Rina by admitting he planned to get Frank’s killer on his own.
Jake couldn’t bring Ramirez in on any of the charges stemming from the original bust, but no doubt the guy was still selling drugs and somehow he’d slip up. Between Jake’s off-duty digging and the official information two of his detective buddies continued to feed him, Jake would nab Ramirez. It was only a matter of time. But he wouldn’t have the freedom to follow up leads if he was constrained by his superiors and newer cases he’d no doubt be assigned.
Jake also needed personal R-and-R. Time without the pressure and restrictions of the job to find out what direction he wanted to take in life. To decide what the restlessness he’d been experiencing lately meant. Was it the gritty life of a cop and the disillusionments that came with the job that had worn him down, or something more? Jake didn’t have any answers. And he had a hunch none would be forthcoming until his mind was free of Ramirez.
His lieutenant would jump on him if he thought Jake was ready, so allowing a prolonged recuperation provided the perfect excuse. “Can we change the subject?” he asked his sister.
She shrugged. “Suit yourself. Let the muscle atrophy until you can’t make it work. Then when you want to go back, you’ll flunk the physical and—”
“Rina,” he said, warning her with his tone.
But he understood her concern because it mirrored his feelings for her. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his sister. She knew it and played him shamelessly, but he adored her, anyway. Without a doubt, she had the same loyalty toward him, which prompted her pushing him now.
She held her hands up in surrender. “Okay, I’ll back off. So will you stay in the penthouse while I’m gone?”
He raised an eyebrow. Given her usual propensity to butt in where she didn’t belong, Jake didn’t buy the easy subject change, but he was grateful for the reprieve. “Couldn’t you put the dog in a kennel?”
“Norton doesn’t like kennels. He gets nervous. And if you won’t watch him, I’ll have to stay home.”
“Never mind,” he muttered, resigning himself to animal-and apartment-sitting for the summer. His fate had been sealed from the moment she’d batted her brown eyes at him across the table. It didn’t matter where he set himself up, as long as he had the freedom to come and go as he pleased on his quest for Ramirez.
With Rina out of town, Jake had nothing and no one cramping his movements. Besides, she needed the break. “You should get away, and if you need my help to do it, I’ll stay, even if it means walking that pathetic excuse for a dog in public,” he said, infusing his voice with warmth and humor. Once he said yes, he’d never knowingly make her feel guilty and, besides, he and Norton had developed a grudging respect for one another.
Her face lit up in a way Jake hadn’t seen since before her husband passed away. “Oh, thank you.”
Before he could blink, she was up and around the table. She wrapped one arm around his good side and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. You can’t imagine how depressing it’s been for me alone in the penthouse. This trip will help me put the memories behind me,” she whispered.
“That’s all I want for you.” He squeezed her back. “Now, can you get off me before the humidity glues us together?”
She laughed and resettled herself in the chair. “Now that we’ve dealt with my life, such as it is, it’s time to deal with yours.”
Jake groaned. “I knew my reprieve was too good to last. I’ll make a deal with you. Go to Italy and have fun. Come back happy, and then we’ll deal with my life.” By then Jake should have Ramirez back behind bars where he belonged. But he knew Rina wasn’t just referring to work.
Rina glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t know, Jake. If you wait too long, someone might snatch her up. For all you know, she might already be attached.”
“No ring,” he said, and immediately regretted the admission.
“Then, do something about it,” his sister said, challengingly.
He wanted to rise to the bait as he’d often done when they were children. But he couldn’t. After his ex-wife, the only women he’d consider now were the ones who were safe, who didn’t threaten his sanity or his heart. Considering the strong pull she exerted over him, Jake had a hunch this one was capable of doing that and more. With the Ramirez case hanging over his head, Jake didn’t have time for distractions. And she was most definitely a distraction.
SHE WAS LATE. Brianne Nelson sprinted down the street toward The Sidewalk Café. She needed this second job and the money it brought in, but all she could think about was him. Was he here as he’d been last night and the night before that? Was he waiting or had he given up and gone home? And was he alone or, as usual, was he with the beautiful woman? The woman Brianne had seen hug him last evening.
Brianne’s heart beat a furious pace, due more to anticipation and excitement than from her mad rush to make it to work. She’d thought she would never get out of the hospital. Her last client had gotten hung up in X-ray, and by the time Mr. Johnson arrived at physical therapy, he was forty-five minutes overdue for his appointment. After his second stroke, the older man needed rehabilitation as much as Brianne needed the money this waitressing job brought in. He had a new grandbaby he wanted to hold on his lap. She couldn’t reschedule or hand him off to another therapist any more than she could give up her night job.
Nor did she want to. Not since she had the man of her dreams waiting. He arrived three times a week, wearing the same type of outfit—a pair of jeans and a shirt he’d obviously created himself with a pair of scissors and one good rip. The cropped shirt exposed a hint of tantalizing tanned skin, with a dark sprinkling of hair running down his abdomen until it disappeared into the denim waistband. And his forearms…she’d never seen muscles that well toned. He’d piqued her interest and fed her fantasies.
She slowed her pace as she reached the outdoor entrance, her gaze taking in the crowded tables on the sidewalk, lingering on the men seated outside. Though many had jet-black hair, none made her heart race. None met her gaze with a knowing gleam in his eyes or caused a liquid rush of desire in response to his sexy grin.
She shook off the disappointment caused by his absence, reminding herself that the man she anticipated was already taken. Meeting with the same woman that many times a week spoke of devotion and commitment—to someone else. Which was why she’d asked Jimmy to let Kellie handle the outdoor tables. Kellie was an accomplished flirt who rarely took any one man seriously, someone who could handle such a gorgeous customer with ease. Unlike Brianne, who had way too much interest in the man. Besides, even if he weren’t involved, her dating and mating skills were rusty from disuse. Brianne understood her real life. He was a fantasy. She rushed in and past the bar.
“You’re late,” Jimmy called out.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hang on. Someone wants to—”
She ducked into the small bathroom, cutting Jimmy off before he could lecture her about burnout again. He was her boss and in the process had become her friend. She was a physical therapist by day, and Jimmy understood how badly she needed this job at night. No matter how tired or how weary she was of smiling for the customers, she had no choice. She needed the money.
She was just fortunate Jimmy put up with her often delayed arrival; he rarely complained. Like her, he’d lost his parents young, and he’d also raised a sibling. He just hadn’t had the added pressure of having a genius brother who deserved to remain in an exclusive, expensive, private boarding school and who would attend college thereafter.
Too bad her parents hadn’t thought of either Marc or Brianne when they’d gone out in a small plane in weather that even the FAA had warned against flying in. Too bad they’d invested their money in pleasure and not in insurance for their children.
She shivered, then pushed all thoughts of her selfish, risk-taking parents aside. She’d been her brother’s only means of support for so long, she didn’t know any different. But even a boss who was her friend couldn’t keep her on if she didn’t get her behind outside and start serving the customers.
Shoving her clothes under one arm, she paused to wash the grime of the New York City subway from her hands. Brianne wondered if he would show up later, and knew that thought would keep her going when her feet begged for a rest. Because, lately, she wasn’t as tired, nor did she approach this job with the dread she had felt in the past. He kept her spirits high and her adrenaline flowing. Just knowing he’d be waiting, watching, making her feel sexy and desirable, when she had no time to be desirable, caused her anticipation to soar.
She air-dried her hands, then grabbed her clothes and turned toward the stalls. Before she could blink, she ran smack into a customer. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“My fault.”
Brianne took a step back and found herself face-to-face with the woman who usually sat with her fantasy man. Her dark hair was layered and razored in the most up-to-date style. The shaglike cut was perfect with her lightly made-up face and trendy clothes.
The woman certainly didn’t look as if she’d spent the day massaging other people’s body parts, Brianne thought, glancing down at her own scrubs. Then she looked at her watch and groaned before meeting the other woman’s appraising gaze. “Excuse me. I’m running late.” Brianne started for the open stall.
“Can we talk first?”
The other woman’s voice stopped Brianne cold, and she pivoted fast. “Excuse me?” Her heart beat more quickly.
They had nothing in common, nothing to discuss—except him. She’d done nothing wrong, Brianne assured herself. Yet the thoughts and fantasies she’d spun about a man she’d never met were enough to make her—a woman who’d seen men and women in varying degrees of nakedness during patient therapy—blush.
But no one she’d seen in patient therapy had even remotely resembled him. He was every inch a potent, sexy male who allowed her the freedom to feel like a woman, to test her limits and flirt without fear of anything more coming of it, because he was involved and she was too busy—which made him safe. Or so she thought.
“Hey, are you okay? I don’t want you to faint on me,” the woman said with concern.
Brianne nodded. “I’m fine,” she said, embarrassment and shame filling her. Her fantasy man had a girlfriend who wanted to talk. Brianne had witnessed that hug between them last night with a pang of envy she hadn’t known she was capable of feeling. But it served to remind her that he was spoken for. She cleared her throat. “I’m fine,” she said again. “Thank you. It’s just that I’m running very late. My boss…”
“Is a great guy. He said we could take a minute when you got in.”
Brianne shook her head. “I’m not trying to be rude, but I really need to get to work. Jimmy’s wonderful, but he can’t compensate for the tips.”
“I understand much more than you think. I come here often.”
“I know.” Brianne could have bitten her tongue for that admission.
“Yes, well, I don’t want you to think I’m rude, or that I was eavesdropping, but…” She shrugged, and a sheepish grin lifted her lips. “I was eavesdropping. Last night. I heard you tell Jimmy how tired you were and how much you wished you could afford to get off your feet. And then he reminded you how much you want to move with your brother when he starts Stanford in the fall.”
“And you’d like to put me on the first plane west?” Brianne asked with a hint of sarcasm.
“Yes. No.” The woman let out a laugh. “I’d better just explain.”
Brianne wasn’t so sure she wanted to hear. If this woman thought Brianne was poaching on her boyfriend, she’d probably attempt to make California look good. Which it did—a new start for both her brother and herself. Physical therapy in a warmer climate, Brianne thought. Normal hours. Friends. A life.
She sighed. She’d sent résumés, but so far she hadn’t had much luck. Either she’d been turned down flat or the salaries offered didn’t come close to New York City’s. Brianne had to be picky if she wanted to pay off Marc’s boarding school loans and her own debts.
But reality aside, Brianne had a dream job in mind. A place she’d applied and still hadn’t heard back from. If the Special Kid Ranch offered her placement, she hoped she could afford to take it. Working with children had always been her goal, one she hadn’t been able to fulfill because the geriatrics job she’d gotten right out of school paid so well. Brianne didn’t hold out much hope that the Ranch offer would come or be any better than those she’d had so far. She and Marc would be separated for the first time in both their lives—which was probably best for her brother’s college experience, but still…
“Are you with me?”
Brianne blinked. “Yes. Sorry.” She had so much on her mind these days, it was a wonder she functioned at all. Brianne refocused on the woman before her.
“I’d say we should sit and talk, but…” The other woman glanced around, taking in the tiled floor and single stall, and she grinned. “Well, you see the problem there. But just hear me out. I’ve got a proposition that I guarantee you won’t be able to refuse.”
CHAPTER TWO
BRIANNE STEPPED into the ornate lobby of the luxury building on the East Side of Manhattan. A uniformed doorman met her at the entrance and greeted her with a welcoming smile. “Hello, Miss Nelson.”
Brianne paused, surprised the older man remembered her. She’d only met him once before, when she’d visited Rina earlier in the week. Brianne paused to take in the name on his badge before answering. “Hello, Harry.” She smiled in return.
He tipped his head and ushered her toward the private elevator leading exclusively to the penthouse, then he punched the button and illuminated the up arrow.
While waiting, Brianne glanced around her. Glass and chrome gleamed brightly, showing off her reflection from every possible angle. She had to admit, the impact of the ornate lobby hadn’t diminished on second viewing.
“You’ll get used to it, miss.”
The doorman’s unexpected words told Brianne she looked as stunned as she felt. “I doubt it,” she murmured. Not after living on bare necessities for so long. But she had no choice, seeing as how she’d be living here throughout the summer.
Without warning, the doors slid open. Brianne stepped into the elevator and the doors shut quietly, leaving her alone with her disquieting thoughts.
She’d never believed she could be bought, but that was before the woman named Rina had made an offer Brianne couldn’t resist. In return for being a physical therapist for Rina’s brother in the evenings, Brianne would earn more than enough money finally to have a life of her own. She’d be able to pay off Marc’s exclusive boarding school loans, and with his college costs covered by scholarships, her days of financial burden would be over. She’d even make a dent in her personal debt, thanks to the second part of Rina’s offer—the back room in her penthouse, rent-free for the entire summer.
At the thought of moving in with Rina and her brother, virtually total strangers, Brianne’s old anxieties threatened to resurface, but she battled them down with an ability she’d acquired over the years. Even if she hadn’t met Rina’s brother yet, Rina’s warmth had been enough to put her at ease. There was no reason to fall back into old patterns created by her parents’ dangerous and erratic lifestyle. Not now.
She had a larger concern—Rina’s boyfriend. And Brianne hoped she wouldn’t run into her sexy fantasy man during her time here. But Brianne felt certain that if Rina had an inkling of the attraction that had flowed between them, the other woman would keep them apart. Brianne swallowed at the painful notion, yet knew it was for the best—for Brianne, for her brother…for so many reasons.
The elevator cruised to a silent stop, and the doors slid open with a hushed glide. She stepped directly into the entryway and was overwhelmed by the large penthouse. Apparently Rina shared this place with her brother, an arrangement that would work well for Brianne’s evening physical therapy sessions. Glancing around at the crystal chandelier above her, the wide expanse of windows and the marble floors, Brianne was struck again by the enormity of her quick decision. But as she’d told herself before, if a wealthy widow, as Rina had called herself, wanted to spend her money making her brother’s life easier, Brianne would accept the residual good fortune and work hard in return.
She glanced down and smoothed the workout leggings she’d worn to meet Rina’s brother. Instead of dressing to impress, she’d dressed down, intent to prove she wanted to work and was ready to begin. She wondered now if she’d made a mistake. Perhaps she should have opted for a better visual impression, but it was too late to change her mind. All that remained was the initial meeting with her new client.
Difficult was how Rina had described her brother. Obstinate. Unwilling to continue therapy without being convinced. Brianne covered her stomach with her hands, attempting to calm her nerves. She’d learned a long time ago how to cover her insecurities and make the most of any opportunity.
No time like the present, she thought. “Hello?” Brianne called into the empty apartment, surprised when she didn’t hear an echo. The penthouse took up the entire top floor of the high-rise building, and no one could enter the private lobby elevator without the use of a passkey. She’d never been in any place as exclusive or as elegant as this. Or as empty, she thought. Considering the doorman had said she was expected, she wondered where Rina had disappeared to.
“Is anyone here?” she called out once more.
In response, the short, chubby dog she’d met on her last visit came bounding toward her, tail wagging in excitement and greeting. From his exuberance and glee, Brianne knew she had nothing to fear and bent down.
“Some watchdog you are.” She had to dig beneath the wrinkles on his skin to give him a loving scratch behind his ears. “You’re a cutey.” She’d never seen a dog like this anywhere but on TV. She glanced at the dog tag beneath his neck for a reminder. “Is anyone else here, Norton?”
He licked her hand. “Black tongue,” she murmured. “Interesting.”
“Rina? What are you doing back?” A distinctly male voice called from somewhere inside the large apartment. Before Brianne could answer, he continued talking, his masculine voice coming closer. “I thought you were on your way to the airport. You didn’t tell me the damn dog stands and licks your legs as you get out of the shower…” The voice stopped abruptly.
Brianne stood. She raised her gaze, and her breath caught in her throat. Her fantasy man stood before her—and he wasn’t dressed. Unless she considered a couple of small towels, one around his waist and another around his shoulders, being dressed. She didn’t, not when the parts that were uncovered were so muscular and spectacular. And he was tanned golden brown, except for the teasing glimpses of white skin below his waist, which disappeared beneath a towel that covered parts she didn’t even want to think about.
Yes, she admitted, she did. She wanted to do more than think about them, and those illicit thoughts were rampaging as fast as her beating heart. Needing oxygen desperately, she tried to suck in a breath, then forced her gaze upward to meet his shocked stare.
“You’re not Rina,” he said.
Just as Brianne shook her head and wondered if he was disappointed, a sexy grin lifted his lips into the most unbelievable smile.
Breathe, she silently ordered.
“I didn’t think you could be her. The limo picked her up for the airport a while ago.”
Her eyes strayed to the towel riding low on his hips. She could handle this. She had to handle this. Her hands curled into tight fists. When she’d accepted Rina’s proposition, she’d convinced herself she wouldn’t be running into him. She was sure Rina wouldn’t permit it. But she was seeing him here now.
And she’d be seeing a lot more of him, if he lived here, as she suspected he did. As if she wasn’t seeing enough already. She watched in awe as the sun reflected off his tanned, muscular chest. Brianne grew dizzy and forced herself to inhale.
He took a step closer. The clean scent of soap mixed with a masculine spiced aftershave assaulted her, until she was enveloped in his essence. She couldn’t take any more, not if she was going to maintain any dignity. “Don’t move,” she ordered. “Do not take another step.”
“She speaks. And here I thought you were mute.”
“Very funny,” she muttered.
“Why can’t I come closer?” He folded his arms low on his chest.
Damn, she wished he wouldn’t do things that drew her attention to his body. Thanks to the many nights she’d spent fantasizing about him, her own body was on edge—her skin sensitized, her senses too aware of him. It didn’t matter that they’d never actually met until now. This was a man she’d taken into her home, into her bed with her at night. And she now worked for the woman with whom he was involved. Brianne couldn’t pretend the knowledge didn’t bother her any more than she could pretend he didn’t affect her.
Forget the money, there was no way she could take this job.
As if he could read her thoughts, Norton whined once, then placed his head down on the marble floor and looked up at her with soulful eyes. But when her fantasy man braced the knuckles of one hand beneath her chin and tipped her head upward so their eyes met and their gazes locked, she forgot all about the wrinkled dog.
His masculine fingertips were hot against her skin, branding where they touched. “You look like you’re about to faint.”
His body heat was potent. The urge to wrap herself around him and let his damp skin meld with hers was strong. Too strong. “I asked you not to come closer.”
“And I asked you, why not? You never answered.”
His eyes were a deep shade of blue, she realized for the first time, so dark they could be black, but with a hint of navy—or was it indigo?—giving them depth and interest.
She searched for a response that wouldn’t leave her humiliated, and found none. She certainly couldn’t tell him the truth. If he was a mind reader, she might as well jump off the roof of this very high, luxury building.
When she remained silent, he groaned and dropped his hand. “Okay, let’s back up and try this again. I didn’t know Rina was expecting company. Hell, I didn’t know you and Rina even knew each other.”
Without his touch, she was able to focus a little more. “We met last week. And Rina’s not expecting me exactly, her brother is.”
He raised an eyebrow in definite surprise. “He is?”
“I assume so. Rina said she’d let him know I’d be coming. I’m Brianne Nelson.” Good manners dictated she extend her hand for a greeting. Self-preservation demanded she never touch him again. Considering he still stood in a towel and nothing more, Brianne figured she’d be forgiven for her lapse in social graces.
“Brianne,” he murmured. Her name seemed to roll off his tongue. “Beautiful. It suits you.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded. “So tell me, why do you think Rina’s brother is expecting you?”
Brianne narrowed her eyes. Wouldn’t Rina have mentioned she’d hired someone as her brother’s physical therapist? Or was their relationship so shallow, they didn’t discuss anything of emotional importance? Somehow, she didn’t think so. Brianne had sensed a depth to Rina, an innate sense of decency and caring. Much as Brianne would have enjoyed disliking the other woman, she just couldn’t, which suddenly made this conversation even stranger than it already was.
She opted for minimal explanation. “I’m a physical therapist.” She didn’t like the speculative gleam that came into his eye.
“I thought you were a waitress.”
Belatedly, she realized she knew no more about him than when she’d walked in, and she disliked being at a disadvantage. “You know, this has become a very lopsided conversation. You know my name and occupations, but I know nothing about you.”
“You know how I look fresh out of a shower,” he said with a grin. “And that’s an awful lot more than I know about you.” He seared her with his deep eyes and a meaningful glance.
“That isn’t what I meant.”
He shook his head and laughed. “Sorry. Let’s start over.”
“We tried that already.” She folded her arms across her chest—to cover her body’s reaction to his heated stare and to ease the slow-building ache in her breasts.
“Then, let’s do it till we get it right.” He extended his hand.
In his eyes, she saw a definite challenge, as if he knew how much his touch affected her and dared her to grasp his hand, anyway. She had grown up with a younger brother and had learned to never back down from a dare. She steeled herself and placed her hand inside his.
“Jake Lowell,” he said. “Nice to meet you, Brianne.” He curled his large fingers around her smaller hand. Although she thought she’d been prepared, the connection between them was strong and sure—heated in a distinctly physical way and warm in a purely seductive one.
Without warning, his words registered; Rina had mentioned her brother’s name. Brianne took a shocked step back. “Jake Lowell? You mean to tell me you’re the one who needs therapy?” He grinned, and the air left her lungs in a rush. “You’re Rina’s brother?” she managed to ask.
“I’m Rina’s brother, in the flesh.” His grin grew wider.
Her gaze fell from his smile to the towel tucked in so that it looked about to fall open at the slightest provocation. She had no doubt that what lay beneath that towel was as incredible as the rest of him. She swallowed hard.
He wasn’t Rina’s boyfriend. He was Brianne’s fantasy man. And she was his very own physical therapist, for as long as it took to both convince him to accept her help and bring him to full recovery. Fainting sounded good about now.
“And you’re the surprise gift Rina said she’d leave for me while she was gone.”
“Gone?” He’d mentioned something about a limo earlier, and Brianne’s mouth grew dry.
“To Europe for the summer.”
“You have got to be kidding.”
He shook his head, looking more amused than she’d have liked. More of his earlier words came back to her. “You said she’s gone and I’m the surprise gift?”
“Apparently so.”
“What the hell do you mean I’m a gift?” Anger and betrayal oozed inside her, and seemed destined to grow. “Physical therapy isn’t a gift; it’s a necessity.” And Rina had seemed to understand that.
She’d cared about her injured brother and wanted to speed his recovery despite his reticence, something Brianne could relate to. Her brother Marc had been a frail child, prone to illness and broken bones. Their parents hadn’t appreciated having their extreme fun curtailed, and often had to hire a private physical therapist to rush his recovery.
Brianne had been fascinated by the seemingly magical healing powers the therapists had possessed, prompting her to follow in their footsteps. And though Marc had eventually outgrown his childhood weaknesses, Brianne had never forgotten. Hence her desire to work with kids at the Special Kid Ranch, a place where she could heal children while they remained with their families.
Family. The word brought her back to Rina’s ploy. Fury settled inside Brianne, and she felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach. She curled one arm around her waist for support. “Why in the world would she play this kind of game?” Brianne asked aloud, anger simmering.
“Oh, I can venture a guess.”
He gestured back and forth between the two of them, and Brianne slapped her hand against her thigh and whirled around, starting for the door. Then she turned back again, not one to leave without letting her feelings be known. “Let me tell you something. I resent being taken advantage of. I take my job and my skills seriously. I’m not interested in some sort of matchmaking scheme.” At least, that’s what her mind insisted. Her rapidly beating heart begged to differ.
“Knowing Rina, it could very well be a scheme.”
He stepped closer again, so close she felt his body heat.
“I wish you would stop doing that.”
“How else can I prove you wrong?” His hand touched the pulse point in her throat, and she knew he felt it beating rapidly.
“Wrong about what?” she asked.
“You are interested.” His voice dropped a seductive note.
“I’m about as interested as you are in need of therapy.” She wondered briefly if he was involved in his sister’s game, but his shock at seeing her here seemed so real, she dismissed the notion. She might not be able to blame him, but she was furious just the same.
“Then, I guess we have something in common.” He reached for the corner of the towel hanging over his neck.
“What are you doing?”
“Making a point. See this?” Before she could argue or stop him, he lifted the towel high enough to reveal fading bruises across his powerful chest. “It was injured and my mobility’s limited…” he lifted his arm, squinting as he moved, stopping obviously because of pain and an inability to go farther, “which means I am in need of physical therapy. So by your own admission, that means you, Brianne, are most definitely interested. In me.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again, her thoughts reeling, her heart pounding. He’d been injured, and she couldn’t believe how knowing that affected her. She wanted to comfort him. To heal him. To make him all better.
She didn’t want to pull her gaze from the faint bruising on his chest and shoulder, but dropped her eyes only to find herself focused on the towel barely covering his waist. Obviously he was serious, and Brianne forced her mind to the task at hand. She needed the money his sister had offered too much to walk away.
If she saw this job through to the end, she could afford to move west, even if she didn’t get offered a job at the Ranch just yet. Working with Jake posed a challenge, but she’d never been a quitter, not even at the roughest, most exhausting points in her life. So what if she’d been manipulated into this job?
She pushed aside the hurt and anger and even managed to swallow some pride. He hadn’t set her up; his sister had. But the benefits would be all hers in the long run, and that’s all that mattered. She’d continue as planned, take this job, move into this apartment and rehabilitate this man’s shoulder.
Oh Lord, what had she gotten herself into?
JAKE MET HER GAZE. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted. The desire to taste those lips had never been stronger. He didn’t know what shocked him more—his sister’s meddling or the woman she’d handpicked as her parting gift. Amazing that she turned out to be a physical therapist.
No matter what Brianne’s occupation, Jake had no doubt Rina would have found a way to get them together. It just so happened that Brianne was the perfect woman to meet his current needs. And if she kept staring at the towel around his waist with blatant curiosity in her eyes, some of those needs were going to assert themselves, and soon.
He’d already gotten close enough to smell the lingering fragrance of strawberry in her hair. The scent was fresh and clean in a wholesome way, and yet it aroused a need so strong and intense, he’d been blindsided. For a man with a bad marriage and nasty divorce behind him, who stuck to low-maintenance, no-strings, unemotional relationships, his interest in this woman was too much.
He sure as hell hadn’t expected to walk out and find her here. His only consolation was that she was obviously just as surprised and a whole lot shaken up. Jake understood. There was no denying the chemistry between them. But attraction was easy; what sizzled between them was not. Something more was at work here than lust. In her heavy-lidded gaze, Jake saw a depth of emotion that made the pull between them much more than just physical.
He had a hunch she sensed it, too, because in those eyes he’d also seen wariness. He’d thought Brianne—God, how he loved that name—would bolt given the chance. And he ought to let her, Jake thought. Having her here was a distraction he couldn’t afford.
He needed his mind clear for the job at hand. Capturing Ramirez had to take precedence. He owed it to Frank and, more importantly, he owed it to Frank’s family. Jake could barely face his buddy’s wife and kids. Every time he answered to Uncle Jake, he felt like a goddamn fraud. He couldn’t bring their father back, but he could make sure no one else lost someone they loved to a lowlife named Louis Ramirez. And he would do it himself, leaving no chance for someone else to screw up the bust again.
“Ready to discuss your rehabilitation, or do you intend to give me as hard a time as you’ve been giving your sister?” Brianne asked.
Her voice startled him back to reality. She seemed to shore up her defenses and her resolve. His sister had hired her to do a job, and from her squared shoulders and her determined expression it looked as if that’s what she planned to do.
But rehabilitation was the last thing Jake wanted right now. Rina had obviously told Brianne that he’d been resisting rehab, and that was the impression he wanted the outside world to have. Brianne included. Everyone’s safety—Frank’s family’s, Rina’s, hell, even Jake’s, hinged on taking Ramirez by surprise. Until Jake brought Ramirez in, he needed everyone to think he was being an obstinate SOB. And he could be, given the right motive, he thought wryly.
With Ramirez out of the picture, Jake could then decide whether or not he wanted to return to the force. He couldn’t allow Brianne Nelson, physical therapist and the object of his desire, to threaten his “extended recovery.” He couldn’t have her reporting back to Rina with stories of his amazing improvement.
“You know what?” She cleared her throat. “Before we discuss anything more, would you mind putting on some clothes?”
A smile worked at his mouth. “If you insist.” He’d been too floored seeing her here to give a thought to what he was, or wasn’t, wearing.
“I have to insist.”
He met her gaze and discovered that her eyes were a gorgeous shade of green that sparkled beneath the overhead, high-hat lighting.
“It would help establish the therapist-client relationship,” she explained.
So she wanted to keep things professional. Or maybe she just wanted him to believe she did. It didn’t matter either way. He knew as well as she did that nothing between them could ever be purely professional. Around her, his heart beat harder, his adrenaline flowed faster, and he was more interested in her than he’d been in anything other than Ramirez since the shooting. He needed the distance she was attempting to place between them too badly to allow their sizzling attraction to screw up his head or his case—something he figured could happen very easily. As long as she wanted to hide behind the illusion of safety, Jake would let her.
Norton had settled himself on the floor at her feet. Obviously the dog was smarter than Jake had given him credit for. “I’ll take him with me. Come on, boy.”
Norton lifted his head, then placed it back down between his front paws. Jake groaned. He’d spent the better part of the morning trying to coax the dog out of the moping depression he’d fallen into when Rina had left, suitcases in hand. All he’d gotten for his effort was the doggie bath on his legs when he’d gotten out of the shower. Other than that, the mutt sat crying by Rina’s bedroom door. He glanced from the dog lying happily at Brianne’s feet, to her beautiful face.
He had to admit Norton had taste. And at least that pathetic whining had stopped. “Do you mind if he stays with you?” he asked, wishing he could do the same thing but knowing he needed some time alone to figure out the best way to avoid rehabilitation with his newly hired therapist.
She knelt and patted the dog’s head. “Of course, I don’t mind. We’ve become friends, haven’t we, boy.” With a prolonged sigh, Norton rolled onto his back, giving her access to his stomach and other body parts Jake would prefer not to see.
He rolled his eyes. “Kiss-ass,” he muttered, then turned to Brianne. “Make yourself at home.” He gestured to the living room and hoped she didn’t mind the velvet couches or the marble statues. They weren’t him, but they were here, and there was nothing much he could do about it except get through the summer.
“Thanks,” she murmured.
Jake turned and headed for the master bedroom Rina had insisted he take as his own. His body burned and sizzled, and he knew without turning back that Brianne’s gaze followed his retreat. He changed into clothes, still having no idea how best to avoid her rehab.
Then the telephone rang. He grabbed the receiver. “Hello?”
“Jake?”
It was Rina. If she hadn’t already sounded out of breath, Jake would have liked to strangle the breath out of her.
“Listen, I have some seating problems and I need to rush, but I wanted to check. Did—?”
“Brianne’s here,” he muttered. “And you should have butted out, Rina.”
“You and I spent enough time at the café for me to know better. Fate doesn’t send many gifts, and when one arrives, you can’t turn it away. The time Robert and I shared was too short. I want more for you. All I did was give you that chance. You can’t be mad at me for pumping her boss for a little information. She was heaven sent, Jake. You need her.”
In frustration, he ran a hand through his hair. If he wondered why he’d kept his rehab from Rina, she’d just reminded him. Any time she decided she knew what was best, there was no stopping her. Thank God she was headed for Europe. He couldn’t risk her messing with his career next.
He shook his head. “Isn’t it up to me to decide who and what I need?”
“Oh, did you hear that? They’re paging me. Maybe they found someone to switch seats. You know I can’t stand the window. I get claustrophobic, not to mention that I can’t get up and pee as often as I like on such a long flight.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Oh, and Jake? Before I go, did I mention Brianne will be moving into the spare room off the back hall? She was able to break her lease, and it’s so much more convenient for your workouts. Besides, I know she needs…” The rest of his sister’s sentence was cut off by a loud voice over a sound system. “I’m sorry, Jake. I really have to run. I’ll call from Italy. I love you.” And then she was gone, leaving Jake dizzy from her rushed admission.
And he damn well was concerned by her information. He lowered himself onto the bed, trying to absorb his sister’s news. His solitary existence was about to be royally screwed up. He’d no sooner gotten Rina safely out of the country than he had another female on his hands. At least this one wasn’t a relative. She had no overt ties to Jake, which made her safe from any retaliation by Ramirez. The thought brought him marginal comfort.
He couldn’t completely relax because he still had Brianne and their sizzling attraction to deal with. She was right in thinking they’d been set up. And he was right in thinking the physical therapy angle had made Rina’s matchmaking easier. But Rina would have found a way to move her in here even if Brianne had been a taxi driver.
Brianne had broken her lease and given up her apartment. She’d obviously accepted this job in good faith and was here to stay. There wasn’t a thing Jake could do about it. He couldn’t fire her or throw her out on the street. But no matter how much he desired her—and even now his body throbbed with yearning—she definitely didn’t fit into his summer plans. Her presence would put his ability to come and go as he pleased at risk, compromising his freedom and private agenda to nab Ramirez.
Once she moved in here, with him…The realization sunk in, slamming into his gut with startling clarity. The woman he’d desired for months was about to become his roommate. Not even a cold shower could douse the heat that thought inspired. He’d spent too many nights, after leaving the café, tossing and turning in his bed, thinking of her, yearning for the touch of a woman who existed only in his fantasies. Yet those fantasies were real enough for his sheets to rasp against his naked, aroused body. Real enough for his hands to become her hands, and for him to be spent, but not satisfied, thereafter.
But things were different now. Because, this time, she was more than a face, more than a fantasy. She had a name and a personality. Like it or not, she was his very own physical therapist who was moving in with him for the duration of the summer.
And she was waiting for him in the other room.
CHAPTER THREE
BRIANNE WALKED to the array of windows that offered a perfect view of the East River. Norton followed, his dog tags jingling behind her.
The sun’s rays were strong through the thick glass, heating her skin as well as the room. Not that she needed any more body heat. There wasn’t a part of her that wasn’t already on fire, thanks to Jake. A sexy name for a sexy man. A sexy, single and unattached man, she thought, again taking in the marble floors, sculpted works of art and modern paintings adorning the walls in the apartment he shared with his sister. From the mundane to the more in-depth aspects of his personality, there was a lot she didn’t know about Jake Lowell. She wondered what he did for a living, even what he liked to eat for breakfast.
Basically, she questioned everything about him, but she decided here and now, she wouldn’t ask. She couldn’t afford to find out. Jake excited her, but she’d have to keep their relationship professional. It wouldn’t be easy. This man, this apartment, this chemistry between them—all were the stuff from which fantasies were made. But fantasies didn’t come true; she knew that firsthand.
She’d wanted loving, concerned parents, and she’d gotten world travelers, more interested in their dangerous adventures than their children. She’d wanted security and the opportunity to live a normal life. To go out when her friends did, to date and to have fun. Instead she’d gotten the responsibility of a brother she loved more than life itself and the emotional and financial burden of seeing to it that he was raised right. More than most people, Brianne understood fantasies were necessary to ease life’s burdens, but they never came true.
Her aching desire for the man in the other room would remain in the realm of impossible dreams. It had no place in her real life. The less she learned about Jake Lowell, the safer she would be. As it was, taking this job would be hazardous to her mind, her heart and, most definitely, her body. How she would live here with him and survive the summer, she had no idea.
Physical therapy itself was extremely hands-on. Her palms would cover his upper back and shoulders, and ease around to the front of his chest. Her fingers would massage his strong muscles. She’d be getting up-close and personal with a man who sent her senses soaring and who’d unexpectedly touched her emotions as well. Brianne saw scars and injuries every day of her life, yet when she’d looked at Jake’s, an aching tenderness had risen to her throat. She didn’t know why he affected her so, but she knew it didn’t bode well for her vow to remain detached, to be the professional she was being paid to be.
But she would if it killed her.
“I’m ready.” His deep voice sent tremors of awareness racing through her.
He might be ready but she wasn’t. Brianne turned to face him. She could have handled it if he’d dressed in a Polo collared shirt and starched khaki pants. That would have created distance. Instead he wore his standard ripped sweatshirt, this one in navy, which brought out the depth of color in his eyes, and a pair of sweat shorts that didn’t come much lower than the towel had earlier.
At the sight of him, her heart began a steady, rhythmic beat. She sighed. Time to get things between them settled. “You’re ready. How interesting. Rina led me to believe you’d be a difficult patient. In fact, she said you’d be a hard sell. That you’d resist therapy.”
He shrugged. “And Rina was right. I meant I’m ready to talk.” He stepped over to the couch in the living room and seated himself on a velvet sofa. With his day’s growth of beard and his casual clothes, he appeared ridiculously out of place in the formal room, and yet nothing could detract from his rugged, bad-boy good looks.
“Join me.” He patted the space beside him.
Knowing she had no choice if she wanted to persuade him, she walked over and lowered herself onto the soft cushion, not as close as he’d suggested. But his masculinity couldn’t be denied, and even with a good amount of distance separating them, Brianne felt his powerful presence. Think professional, she reminded herself. And when her gaze fell to the enticing skin between the ragged edge of his shirt and the waistband of his sweats, Brianne again reminded herself to breathe.
“Tell me something, Jake.”
“Say that again.”
She tipped her head to the side. “What?”
“My name.”
He leaned forward until he was too close. His breath held a refreshing hint of mint, and her stomach curled with a delicious warmth.
“Jake,” he said. “Say it again.”
His gaze locked with hers and held. She couldn’t have turned away if she wanted to, and, heaven help her, she didn’t want to. Because she understood. They’d spent the past couple of weeks in silken, seductive silence. Her name on his lips had sounded so very sweet. She couldn’t deny him the same pleasure.
“Jake,” she murmured.
His eyes glazed and he inched closer, kissing distance away. The tingling scent of mint surrounded her, tempting her, teasing her.
“I’ve been curious for so long.”
His masculine voice reached deep inside her, and she couldn’t lie. “Me, too.” And curiosity was the only reason she’d allow the inevitable kiss, or so she told herself.
He touched her beneath her chin, holding her head in place as his mouth settled over hers. Strong and sure, yet achingly gentle, his kiss was everything she’d dreamed about, yearned for. And when his searching tongue traced her lips, moistening before slipping inside, her entire body shook in reaction. Pulsing began in her chest and settled lower, between her legs, strengthening the desire that had built between them from across a crowded room.
His breath was warm and minty, his mouth hot and needy, just as she was, and a sigh of pure pleasure escaped her throat. He caught her sigh in his mouth and used it as permission to deepen the kiss. But the sound she’d made shook her out of the haze of desire and back into reality. Therapist and client, she reminded herself, and forced her hands to his shoulders—not to feel the firm muscles beneath the sweatshirt, but to push him away.
Unfortunately, the motion took longer than she’d planned, as she first curled her fingers around the soft cotton and his flesh beneath. She allowed the prolonged kiss to go on for another sweet minute before breaking contact.
Shaking off the temporary insanity that had overcome her wasn’t as easy. “We can’t do this.”
He swallowed, his throat moving up and down before her eyes, his breathing as ragged as hers. “Can’t do what? Get acquainted?”
She licked at her damp lips, his lingering taste fueling the desire still flickering inside her. “That was more than getting acquainted.” Then the rest of his words registered. “Are you saying you’ve changed your mind about rehab?”
He shook his head and laughed. “I like your strategy. Kiss me and lower my defenses. Are you trying to take advantage of me?” A smile tipped the corner of his mouth.
“You kissed me first,” she reminded him.
“You didn’t stop me.”
They sounded like squabbling children, but there had been nothing juvenile about that kiss. “Let’s just say we got it out of our systems. Now we can move forward.”
“And you can move in?” He shrugged with his one good shoulder. “That was Rina on the phone. She just explained the new living arrangements.” His gaze intense and curious, never left hers, as if he were trying to read her thoughts.
But she couldn’t deny that he looked surprised by his sister’s call and revelation. As surprised as he’d appeared when he’d discovered her in the apartment earlier. “Obviously you didn’t know about that, either?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No.”
“I think this is called manipulation,” she muttered.
“Blatant,” he agreed. “But that’s Rina. Always with the best intentions, but not always thinking up here.” He tapped the side of his head. “She’s a romantic.”
“It’s nice to see people still are.” Her own heart pounded frantically in her chest, their kiss still lingering in her mind.
“My parents are one example. Retired, living in Florida and driving each other crazy. Rina’s another. She’s the secretary who married her wealthy boss. In her eyes, all things are possible.”
She wondered what things were possible in his. Did her fantasy man who kissed like a dream also harbor a belief in fairy tale endings? She shook her head, knowing her deluded thoughts and curiosity could only get her in trouble. “Does Rina’s romanticism extend to getting her stubborn brother into physical therapy by moving me in here?”
“I guess so.” He grinned a charming I’m-cute-and-I-know-it grin.
She’d already accepted the setup before that mind-blowing kiss. She couldn’t back down now, and her reasons were the same. She needed the money from this job to start her life over. She needed to move in, rehabilitate Jake’s shoulder and put her desire for him behind her.
Brianne glanced down. Norton lay at her feet, looking up at her with adoring eyes. Two cute males in one large apartment. However would she survive it?
One way was to get things between them out in the open. “Okay, Jake. Tell me exactly where we stand on the subject of physical therapy. Obviously you’re resistant, you’ve given your sister a hard time over the subject…”
“Of course I have. Do you have a brother or sister?”
She nodded. “A brother.”
“Then, you know siblings live to give each other a hard time.”
No, Brianne didn’t know. Because she’d been more of a parent to Marc than a sister, she’d never experienced classic sibling rivalry. She’d been too busy waitressing while finishing school and taking care of Marc at the same time to indulge in normal family dynamics. “Marc’s a good deal younger than me. Our relationship was—is different. But I’m not here to talk about my brother. Rina hired me for a reason, and I want to know if you’re going to let me do my job or not. I want to know what to expect from you.”
Jake forced a lighthearted smile. He had no idea what to expect from himself. That kiss had caught him off guard. He hadn’t planned to be so forward, and sure as hell hadn’t expected her to kiss him back. Or to taste better than he’d dreamed.
If he’d wondered how much trouble she could cause him, he now knew. “If Rina hired you, I certainly can’t throw you out.”
“Gee, thanks,” she said wryly. “But the question is, will you cooperate?”
The professional was back. Jake told himself he was glad, but deep inside he knew he lied. He liked the warmer, softer Brianne better. Still, this one was safer.
And he had to play it safe, too, keep it light, and keep her off guard. That way she wouldn’t get too close or discover he was further along in rehab than she and Rina believed. “I’m sure I can be persuaded. And I’m certain you’re up to the task.”
“So all of a sudden you’re willing to consider therapy?”
He shook his head, seeking to buy time. “I’m willing to let you try and persuade me.”
“Why the turnaround?”
“No turnaround. I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”
She raised an eyebrow, obviously unsure what to make of him. “But you will.”
“That certain of yourself and your abilities?”
“Absolutely. The only question I have is, why the change?”
She’d read him well, Jake thought. Or rather, she read them well. Did she really have to ask why he’d end up working with her despite his token resistance? “Do you want me to tell you the truth? Or what you want to hear?”
Jake had the distinct impression that the answer was “both.” She wanted to know the only reason he’d even consider rehabilitation was to get close to her. And she wanted him to lie so she didn’t have to face it.
“I’ll consider therapy because of you.”
She exhaled hard.
“Just like you’re not going to walk out on this job because of me.” He grinned.
“You’re a cocky one,” she murmured with a smile.
“And this is a good thing?”
“Sure is. It means you can take a tough workout.” She met his gaze head-on.
She hadn’t backed off at his admission. Even after that kiss, she wasn’t intimidated by the attraction between them. Score one for her, Jake thought. He admired her grit—something he rarely found in a woman.
It also helped his cause. She’d need that strength if they were going to bump into one another in the middle of the night, stealing a drink from the fridge. He would need that strength. “I can take anything you dish out, sweetheart. Just tell me what you have in mind.”
“You might be sorry you asked. Physical therapy involves strengthening with rubber bands and working the muscle with massage therapy.” The word massage hovered in the air between them and the blood pulsed inside him, making him ache as if her hands were already on his body.
“But water therapy works well, too,” she continued. “The resistance in the water is a help. Add a whirlpool, and the pulsating water jets work wonders to loosen the muscle,” she said, her voice resonating with a deep, husky quality.
“Pulsating water jets, huh?”
Her face flushed red. “Different therapists take different approaches, but there are many options.”
He wondered if she was imagining them naked in the whirlpool, water flowing freely around them. He wondered if she had any idea what fun two people could have in that whirlpool she’d mentioned, water jets and all. “It all sounds interesting, especially the pulsating water jets.” He wiggled his eyebrows provocatively.
“I’ll just bet.” Watching him warily, she folded her arms over her chest and studied him. “I save the water therapy for my most cooperative patients,” she said in a provocative, seductive voice.
Just as she probably had intended, his body began a steady rhythm, one that only those vibrating water jets could match. He sucked in a breath and forced himself to think like the cop he still was. First and foremost, he needed information about her schedule, if only so he could better plan his. When would she be in the penthouse? When would he be on his own? When could he slip out to work on the Ramirez case without her reporting back to his sister?
“So, when do you start—convincing me, I mean? Because with the right incentive, I can be very cooperative.” And damn if he didn’t want to comply with any and all of her water-related directives. “I’m a quick learner—and an even better instructor.”
He watched her struggle to maintain her composure. He was glad. If he kept her off balance, he’d be more in control. He needed that control, since he could too easily dismiss Frank and his family, and Ramirez in favor of Brianne. It disturbed him to realize that despite her ability to screw up all he’d worked for, he wanted her.
She cleared her throat. “Relax, water boy. We start as soon as I get a referral, diagnosis and prescription from your doctor. Probably sometime next week.”
He glanced at Brianne. She’d leaned against the couch, still professional but more relaxed, so certain she’d bought herself time before having to deal with him and his reluctance to begin therapy. Before having to convince him the only way he’d allow—a seductive, playful coaxing. Because as long as Brianne would live and work here, Jake intended to control the situation.
He ignored the voice in his head reminding him that he’d been seconds away from relinquishing control and turning the kiss from sensual to sinful, from easing her onto the couch and satisfying the basic yearning he’d had since laying eyes on the sexy waitress. Neither would or could happen, of course, or she’d know exactly how in shape his shoulder was. The games he’d coax her into playing as she attempted to seduce him into therapy would have to suffice.
She obviously recognized his intent and hoped for some breathing room that would come with waiting for the doctor’s response. Too bad for her peace of mind; the paperwork was in the other room. He’d had it for weeks. He just hadn’t used it because a close friend had been helping him privately. “Sorry, but you don’t get that kind of space, hon.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Does it offend you?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, it turns me on.”
Jake turned wide eyes her way.
She let out a laugh. “Sorry. I just can’t let you think you’ll always have the upper hand.”
He inhaled slow and deep, forcing himself not to concentrate on what she had just said. Not to contemplate the possibilities of her actually being aroused. Right now. By him. “I have the referral and paperwork in the other room,” he told her.
As he’d expected, that dimmed the wattage on her smile. “I need to get myself settled.”
“How long?”
“Not very,” she admitted. “Rina’s offer was so amazing, I spent last week organizing.”
“Can I help you move your things?”
Her gaze fell to his shoulder. “If you can manage that, you don’t need me.”
She was dead wrong. He definitely needed her. He just couldn’t afford to. “I’m certain you have some kind of use for me.”
She laughed. “I’m not going to touch that one.”
The sound settled inside him, making him feel more alive than he had since he’d both lost his best friend and injured his shoulder.
“Jimmy—you know, the owner of the café—can help me move in.”
Jake nodded, ignoring the unwelcome and unfamiliar stab of jealousy he felt at hearing another man’s name on her lips. He changed the subject to one more interesting. “I suppose Rina mentioned there’s a private gym, a pool on the roof, as well as that whirlpool?” he asked.
“The subject came up, yes. Although if you’d like to look into doing therapy at the hospital, we could use the facilities there.”
“I was referring to you using the pool and whirlpool in your free time. Not for therapy.”
“Oh, that’s right. You haven’t agreed to anything yet.”
He grinned. “Exactly right.”
She rolled her eyes. “Care to tell me why not?”
He averted his gaze.
“Guess not.”
He wondered if he imagined the disappointment that flashed across her features when he didn’t confide in her, and refused to dwell on why her feelings bothered him. “I’m curious. What exactly was the deal you made with Rina?”
She shrugged as if the answer were basic. “Private physical therapy.”
“When, Brianne?” He drew out her name, liking the feel of it on his lips. “How often?” He figured Rina would have pinned her down for two to three days a week, and told himself he needed to know the schedule she expected him to follow should he agree to therapy. But a part of Jake wanted to hear that she’d committed to more.
“I work rehab at the hospital during the day, so your therapy would be in the evenings.”
His evenings lately had been routine—dinner, television and bed—and he suddenly envisioned a wealth of sensual opportunities with a woman who interested his mind as well as his body, then mentally decked himself because he needed his nights free in case he got a tip on Ramirez. “How many nights a week?”
“At least five.”
He forced a laugh. “Rina’s a slave driver. I’m sure we can work out something easier on you. After all, you work days, too.”
She shook her head. “I made a deal and I’ll work what I’m being paid for.” Her green eyes zeroed in on his. “You’re not getting off that easily.”
Knowing what was good for him, Jake took her warning seriously.
BRIANNE HAD BEEN GIVEN a reprieve. She couldn’t move into the penthouse until she’d packed up her things and she couldn’t start working on Jake until she satisfied her obligation to Jimmy. She wouldn’t desert her current employer without fair notice.
She’d bolted from the penthouse last night because she’d needed space—fresh air that didn’t include Jake’s seductive, masculine scent. If she hadn’t gotten out of that apartment, she might have succumbed to his easy grin and seductive charm. She might have been tempted to steal another kiss.
She had a hunch he wouldn’t have stopped her. And she wouldn’t have been satisfied with just one.
She curled up on her bed, the morning light spilling through the window, and pulled out the paperwork Jake had given her earlier. Many of the answers she didn’t want to know lay before her. If she read these papers, she’d be given insight into him as a man. He would become more real, more flesh and blood than he was to her already.
But she didn’t have a choice. She hadn’t wanted to think about the fact that she’d have to look into his medical records and background before being able to begin physical therapy. That decision had been made, however, so Brianne took a deep breath and unfolded the documents.
One glimpse and her head spun in shock, disappointment and concern. He was a cop, a detective, injured on the job, who needed rehabilitation in order to return to active duty. By providing the physical therapy, she’d be giving him back his career, and enabling him to put himself in danger again.
Apparently she was destined to have her life filled with risk-takers, people whose adrenaline only flowed when in the midst of excitement. She sighed. Well, at least now she had a concrete reason to not let herself get involved with Jake on any level other than the professional.
As if the probability of her leaving for California at the end of the summer wasn’t enough of a deterrent to beginning any kind of relationship with this sexy, compelling man, she now had his hazardous occupation. She’d lost her parents and lived through the aftermath of their risk-taking. She’d built her present, established a future and gotten a handle on the way she wanted to live. No way she’d let herself lose her heart or her peace of mind that way ever again. Even if the man excited her in ways she desperately wanted to explore.
Leaving the papers on the bed, she headed for the shower. Anything to soothe her. She stripped off her clothes, turned on the water and stepped inside. Hot water on the hardest massage setting pelted her already sensitized skin. Kissing Jake had aroused her, and now she needed the stinging sensation against her flesh to dull the need he’d inspired.
But as the steady stream of water drilled her skin, instead of dulling the ache, it fanned the flame of desire. Her breasts felt heavy, her nipples tight and the sensitive flesh between her legs full to bursting. She tried to tell herself that the way her blood raced through her veins was a response to the knowledge of freedom. That she was reacting to the lure of having a life.
When the summer was over and her time with Jake complete, she’d move west and start over. She could just work one job and have the liberty to come home after work and curl up with a book, or to date a man instead of working a second shift. But Brianne knew she was deceiving herself about the reason for her excited state.
She was responding to Jake, to his flirtatious manner and the sizzling sexual awareness that shimmered between them. But it was an awareness that could go nowhere. She flipped off the water, knowing the shower was doing nothing to dampen her aroused state. No man had ever affected her so strongly, and nothing could ease the building desire.
She stepped out and grabbed for the fluffy towel she’d left hanging behind the door. Steam filled the bathroom, making her hotter than she’d been minutes earlier, if that were possible. Lifting her foot to the edge of the tub, she patted her leg dry, moving upward to her thigh. And she thought about Jake’s injury and the bruising that discolored the otherwise perfect, tanned flesh. She thought about his pain and wanted to ease it.
And she would. With caressing brushes of her fingertips and with stroking movements across his skin. But what would stop her from moving lower? From easing her hands from his shoulder to his hair-roughened chest, to the puckered, darkened nipples just begging for her touch?
What would prevent her from then dipping lower, tracing his firm abdomen, and passing the waistband of his shorts until she encountered the other powerful muscle that would be rigid and firm, waiting for her?
And what would stop him from reciprocating? From moving his strong hands between her legs, from slipping his fingers between the folds of her flesh and easing the ache with slow but sure thrusts? What would stop him from picking up her personal rhythm and from making slow and sure become quick and fulfilling?
Absolutely nothing. The answer came to her immediately, and Brianne’s breath flowed in shallow gasps as she realized her own hands mimicked her desire, arousing her wanting flesh. And she realized nothing could stop what was about to happen. Meeting him had fanned the flame that had been lit at the moment of their first illicit glance. His sexy voice and seductive touch had sent her over the edge.
Nothing could stop the fantasy.
Nothing could stop them.
Bright light and a wash of pleasure, strong and enveloping, rushed through her. And Jake’s name was on her lips.
AFTER A LONG DAY at the hospital, Brianne headed over to the restaurant to say goodbye to Jimmy one last time. She’d promised him two weeks’ notice, but when she’d arrived and given him details, he’d practically fired her on the spot. Jimmy knew how much money was at stake and refused to let her risk losing the opportunity. More than most, Jimmy understood the freedom Rina’s payment would provide.
Brianne packed the small stash of things she kept at The Sidewalk Café, a duffel bag with feminine and emergency items, then zipped it closed. “I’m set. I hate to leave you shorthanded, though,” she said, turning to Jimmy.
He leaned both elbows on the bar. “Sweetheart, much as I love you, there’s no shortage of waitresses in New York City.”
“Are you saying you won’t even miss me when I’m gone?” She placed her hand over her heart and feigned a heavy sigh.
“You’re dedicated and loyal—but rarely on time, and you took ages and three sets of dishes to train. Remind me again why I kept you on?” He winked, and a lock of sandy-blond hair fell over his forehead.
“Oh, you.” She tossed a wet rag his way. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“Speak for yourself.” His mouth tipped upward in a grin, showing dimples that charmed many women and brought in a harem most weekend nights.
Brianne was grateful for his friendship and support, but he hadn’t appealed to her that way—not the way Jake had. And though Jimmy had asked her out, he’d always respected the boundaries of friendship and accepted her no’s after the first couple of easy letdowns. With all they had in common, he’d become her closest friend and her brother’s male role model when he was home from boarding school.
“Seriously, though, if this guy puts any moves on you, you give me a call.”
Brianne stifled a cough, knowing any moves Jake made wouldn’t be unwanted, just unwise. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine.” She slung her bag over her shoulder, refusing to let even Jimmy see her bad case of nerves over taking this new job. “And you lay off the cigarettes, okay? They’ll kill you if some woman doesn’t do it first,” she said with a grin.
He shook his head and laughed. “I’ll be at your place bright and early to help you move in.” He ignored the cigarette reference, just as she’d expected.
“You’re a prince, Jimmy.”
“That’s what they all say. You aren’t angry at me for setting this up, are you?”
“How can I be angry when you dug me out of a deep hole? I finally see daylight. I’m grateful, even if you do have a big mouth.” She grinned, letting him know she was joking. Gossip was a hazard of his bartending occupation. She couldn’t fault him.
“You’ll keep in touch?”
She nodded. “You bet. Tell Kellie I’ll call.” She had a hunch after one night in the penthouse with Jake, she’d be needing both Jimmy and Kellie’s differing gender advice. She also had her friends at the hospital, especially Sharon, another physical therapist in whom she could confide. But there was something about Jake she wanted to keep close and private, share with as few people as possible, Brianne thought.
“Take care, Bri.”
She walked around the bar and gave her best friend a hug, then she strode out into the humid evening air. Heat wafted upward from the sidewalk, but Brianne had a feeling her nights were about to get even hotter.
THE PRECINCT smelled familiar, Jake realized as he walked into the place. Musty and old with linoleum floors and chipped-paint walls, it had been the place he’d called home for many years. He’d joined the force straight out of state college and never looked back. Until now.
Nodding as he passed people in the hall, Jake entered the squad room and pulled up a chair by a metal desk. “Hey, Duke.”
“Jake, buddy, how are you doing?” Duke Russell, his good friend and fellow detective, slid his chair back and stood, clapping him on the back.
Jake swallowed hard and refrained from wincing. “Hanging in.” He settled himself into a nearby chair. “Any news on Ramirez?” Duke and Steve Vickers were feeding Jake information.
“We can keep this between us?”
“Haven’t we always?”
Duke nodded his head. “Nothing’s changed. Like I’ve been telling you, Ramirez walked out of the courtroom and, from all reports, he’s living a clean—albeit sleazy—life. Not that we’ve stopped keeping tabs on him.”
“Well, damn.” Jake reached over and grabbed a box of Tic Tacs from the corner of Duke’s desk, shaking one into his hand and popping it into his mouth. The fresh peppermint cleared his palate but not the residual sour taste from a case gone bad. He leaned forward and spoke low. “Ramirez can’t stay clean forever. His girlfriend claims she hasn’t seen him.”
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