Bodywork Read online

Shelby spent the rest of the weekend cleaning her apartment and hanging out with Maggie. Anything to fill her time so she’d stop thinking about Shane. Not about his body or the demanding and thrilling way they’d had sex, but about his smile. That dimple added to the joy reflected in his beautiful eyes.

  So much for her new resolve to tramp the night fantastic. She hadn’t seen one man all week who made her feel even a tenth of what Shane had. The days passed by in blessed normalcy, and Shelby thanked her good fortune that her mother and Maggie seemed to have forgotten all about Shane Collins. She wished she could do the same.

  Her dreams about him grew more graphic each night. She wouldn’t have minded trying a few of the things her brain came up with, but he hadn’t approached her since their freakishly good sex on Saturday. And really, did she want to jinx it? Why not remember him fondly without all the drama of a relationship—one that didn’t exist?

  The weekend rolled around after what felt like forever. The first part of her Friday passed by in relative quiet. She worked with several repeat clients and had one walk-in. When administrative needs pressed, she headed into the back, where she kept her records, some office supplies and the main computer. She was in the middle of updating her files when Denise interrupted.

  “Phone call for you.” Denise nodded to the front of the clinic. “I’m not sure who it is. Want me to transfer it in here or take a message?”

  “Um…” Where the heck was the power bill for this month? She’d just had her hands on it.

  “Riiight. I’ll transfer.” Denise ducked out while Shelby sought her garbage bill. Being her own boss was terrific, but a hassle when it came to the books. The phone rang and she answered and tucked it against her chin and shoulder as she kept looking through her stacks of papers.

  “This is Shelby at Bodyworks. How may I help you?”

  “Shelby? It’s Geo.”

  “Who?”

  A huff. Then, “George Collins.”

  “Oh hey, Geo. How are you?”

  “I need your help.” He didn’t sound right.

  Shelby immediately put down the power bill she’d just found and focused on the call. “What’s wrong?”

  “I think I may have strained my knee earlier today at practice, and I wondered if you could take a look at it.”

  Now she understood his worry. The kid lived for two things: girls and football. “Sure thing. Do you want to come down here today? I have time after four.” After her last client of the day.

  “No.” He lowered his voice. “Actually, I need a big favor. I don’t want my mom to know about this.” He continued over her objections. “I’ll tell her if it’s a problem, but I’m not sure if it’s just sore or if I did real damage. If she even thinks I’m hurt, she’ll pull me from the team. Scholarship, Shelby. I can’t lose it.”

  “But I don’t want to lie to your mother.” Technically, George was seventeen and still a minor. Shelby liked Lorraine Collins. The woman only wanted what was best for her son. Unfortunately, she hated his participation on the football team. George had a right to be worried.

  “Come on, Shelby, please? It was all I could do to go back on the team this season. And I think I just strained it. Nothing major. I hate to worry her for no reason. I’ll pay you, I swear.”

  “It’s not about the money, Geo.” And it wasn’t. She genuinely cared about him and his promising future.

  “Look, my older brother will be with me. He’s thirty-one. An adult,” he bit out. “It’s not like I’m asking you to do anything unethical.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to help you, it’s just that—”

  “Shelby, please.” He sounded desperate.

  “Okay, fine.” She didn’t have to treat him if in her estimation he needed serious medical help. She’d give him her opinion. “But if I find anything wrong with you other than some normal wear and tear, I’m calling your mother and you promise to see a doctor. This is an unofficial visit, one you’re not paying for, because I’m not really seeing you. Understand?”

  She heard a sigh of relief on the other end. “Great, I knew I could count on you. Uh, Shelby? One other thing… I can’t come down there without her knowing. I was wondering if you could meet me at my brother’s house? I’ll give you the address.”

  Shelby frowned. She didn’t normally make house calls. “Can’t your brother bring you here?”

  “No. He’s working, and Dad’s still out of town. I’d have to use Mom as my ride, which won’t work. Tomorrow would be best to meet, if you can make it. My brother’s already going out on a limb for me with Mom. You met her, so you get me, right?”

  She did. Lorraine was friendly and loving, but a powerhouse. “I get you. But I won’t lie. If she asks me about this, I’ll tell her the truth.”

  “Sure. Don’t lie. Just see if it’s something to worry about first. If it is, I swear, I’ll tell her myself. You can watch me dial her number from my brother’s.”

  “Okay.”

  “Great. Saturday.”

  “Give me the address. It’ll have to be after six though, since I’m working the weekend again. Bills to pay, you know?” Especially since she’d found the power bill.

  “Whatever you can do. Perfect. Thanks, Shelby. You’re a lifesaver.”

  So why did she feel like a doormat, instead?

  She took a closer look at the address and frowned. His brother lived in the Green Lake area. Just like Shane Collins.

  The next day, Shelby arrived at just after six after a rough eight hours of work. If she had to sacrifice a weekend, she’d rather be busy than sitting around waiting for clients to walk in, so she couldn’t complain. Pleased at the amount she’d accomplished, she showed up at the address George had given her in a good mood.

  She’d take a look at his knee and head home for a long soak in the tub. A book and a glass of wine, then she’d hit the bed hard. She rang the doorbell of an attractive Craftsman. Dark red wooden siding covered the house, set off by bright white trim and black piping. A nice place and one worth a good bit this close to the lake.

  George opened the door with a wide grin. “You made it.” He looked boyishly cute in athletic shorts and a Seahawks tee-shirt.

  “You did tell me you needed my help. Weren’t you crying and wheedling for my expertise?”

  “Yeah, I was.” He looked nervous, and she had the odd feeling he wasn’t being completely honest about the knee, well, more than she knew. His last name continued to bother her. What were the odds George and Shane both had Collins as a surname? George’s brother happened to live close to Green Lake. And they both had similar facial features she started to notice the closer she looked at him.

  “George—”

  He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her inside. “Come on in, Shelby. I really appreciate this.”

  She followed his growing limp into the living room of a tastefully decorated house. Lots of oak built-ins with a masculine taste that wasn’t overdone or bachelor pad-like, but comfortable. But it was the picture on the mantle of the fireplace that drew her gaze. One of a handsome, smiling family: Lorraine and Chad Collins, George, and their older son—Shane.

  She turned around to glare at George and instead stared at the broad chest of a man she couldn’t stop thinking about, no matter how hard she tried.

  “Shelby. What a surprise.” Shane cocked his head, studying her. “Are you stalking me?”

  She snorted. “You’re kidding me, right?” Moaning drew her attention to George, who sat on a plush leather chair rubbing his knee. “Okay, champ. Let me take a look.” Focusing on George made it easier to breathe. Good God, but Shane looked better to her each time she saw him.

  Tonight he wore faded jeans and a tee-shirt molded to his powerful upper body. She loved that he didn’t look like he ate steroids for breakfast, but that his muscle looked sculpted, bunches of strength and nothing in excess.

  As she sat on the ottoman at the foot of the chair and took George’s knee in her hands, she had
to wonder if he’d colluded with his older brother to bring her here. The little sneak hadn’t said one thing about being related to the owner of the business card he’d just happened to find in her massage room last week.

  “Sorry about the secrecy. My little brother is freaked about our mother finding out he’s screwed up his knee again. She didn’t want him to play football this year, not after what he did to himself during baseball season the past spring.”

  “The perfect slide into home, Shelby. You should have seen it,” George bragged. He didn’t show any signs of swelling around his patella, nor did he flinch when she gently rotated his knee, looking for any trouble or strain.

  “Mom has never liked us playing football,” Shane continued. His deep voice stroked over her senses like a feather down her spine.

  She concentrated on George’s leg to dull the sensation, with no effect. “Right. Lorraine mentioned that when she first brought George to see me.”

  “Geo,” the teen murmured and stared down at her hand on his knee. “You have nice hands.”

  She yanked them from his knee and sat up straight. “I’m not seeing any trauma.” She glanced back at Shane, who grinned.

  “Great. I was worried about the idiot.” At her look, his grin faded. “What’s wrong?”

  “I mean, I don’t see anything that would account for his extreme limping the other day or even now.”

  Shane’s expression darkened. “Is that so?”

  They turned as one to stare at George.

  “Gee, guys. This has been fun and all, but it’s Saturday night. Gina and I have things to do.” He sprang from the chair and darted to the front door with the grace and speed of a gazelle. After grabbing a backpack from the closet and slipping into flip-flops, he yelled a goodbye and slammed out the door.

  After a few moments, Shelby broke the silence. “I should have realized. Same last name, and you guys look alike. But he never mentioned any relation. Funny he didn’t mention he was your brother when he found your business card at my office last week.”

  Shane shook his head. “I’m sorry for the trouble he put you through. I had nothing to do with it, honestly.” He took a step back when she stood, but didn’t give her enough space to be polite. “But I have to admit, I wouldn’t have argued if he’d clued me into his plan to get you over here.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. Last week was incredible.” He glanced down at her mouth. “I’ve thought about it. A lot.”

  Oh hell. “Me too.” She hated that she sounded so breathless. She cleared her throat and tried again. “It was really hot. But different. I don’t normally do stuff like that.” Would he believe it? And what should she care if he didn’t?

  His wide grin surprised her. “We have that in common then, because I don’t either. That condom I happened to have on me was a gift from a buddy who thinks I’m like two steps from being too pathetic to hang out with.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Seriously.” Shane started to lower his head then stopped. He let out a deep breath and moved back. “Want something to drink?”

  “God yes.”

  He chuckled.

  She followed him into a spacious kitchen designed for someone who liked to cook with wide counters, a triangulated work space for the refrigerator, stove, and sink, and beautiful wooden cabinetry. “My mother would love your place. She’s an interior designer. She says you can tell a lot by a person by the way they use their space.”

  “Beer okay?” he asked. When she nodded, he handed her one. “So what would she say about me after seeing the house?” Before she could answer, he stopped her. “But you haven’t seen the whole thing. Want a tour?”

  “This isn’t one of those wanna see my etchings lines, is it?”

  His grin made her feel tingly inside. Shane had such a warm smile. It made his eyes appear impossibly green. “Why? Would that work?”

  She gave him a look and he laughed again. They spent the next half hour going through his rooms looking at things. He showed off a few of his collector baseballs, answered questions about the many pictures of family in his study and living room, and showed her the projects he was working on with a confidence that didn’t come across as arrogant at all, but sure of himself.

  She found herself comparing his attitude and personality to Rick’s. Shane came off looking like a rock star with little effort.

  “My mom bugged the shit, I mean, the hell out of me about paint colors before I moved in.” He made a face as they went up the stairs. “I couldn’t have cared less. I mean, I like great architecture and design. But furnishings and decorating? I’m a practical guy more into comfort than flash.”

  And maybe that’s why he hadn’t minded having sex with her last week.

  As if he’d read her mind, he winked. “Although I’m not opposed to flash on occasion. Like on top of my desk, or in the middle of a running trail.”

  She couldn’t help the flush that warmed her cheeks. “Stop it.”

  “You are so pretty when you turn pink.”

  “Jerk.”

  “And so complimentary.”

  They looked into his spare bedrooms, one he used more as a room for storage and workout equipment.

  “Sometimes I don’t have time to hit the lake. I bought that treadmill a few years ago before I joined my buddy’s gym.”

  “Which one?”

  “Jameson’s, a few miles from here.”

  “Oh right.” She’d been by it a few times and wondered about joining, but she barely had time to walk around the lake with Maggie each week. “So you seem really into exercise.”

  “All kinds.” The look he gave her couldn’t be mistaken for anything but a leer.

  Idiot that she was, she liked it.

  “Yeah, if I don’t get to do something each day, I go a little crazy,” he added.

  I could give you a workout. The sudden images swirling through her mind belonged in a Penthouse letter. This despite the fact that he couldn’t have been too gaga over their time together or he’d have called her before now.

  She glanced at the door they stood outside.

  He looked from the door to her. “My bedroom.”

  She refused to give into the dark voice whispering all kinds of tempting things they might do in there. She’d be firm. Just because they’d had smokin’ hot sex once didn’t mean it had to happen again. Except he seemed more than interested, if that lingering gaze on her breasts was anything to go by.

  “Not scared to go in with me, are you?” he dared.

  “Unless you have frightened virgins tied down to your bedposts for sacrifice, I think I’ll manage.”

  He chuckled. “Good thing I tidied up before you came, then.”

  He opened the door and stood there in the doorway, forcing her to brush against him to enter.

  The feel of his body heat warmed her from the inside out. Her breasts brushed his chest as she passed, and she swore she heard his indrawn breath.

  “Hmm. Nice.” A king-size bed, one that had been made, took center stage in the large room. A small desk and chair stood on one wall, while a dresser and bureau fitted the rest of the room. The requisite man-size TV had been mounted to the wall above the dresser, and a few prints of military scenes decorated the walls.

  Seeing her attention, he said, “Marines. I served in the Corps, like my dad. Good times.”

  “So why did you get out?”

  “It was time.” He shrugged. She didn’t want to pry, but she could too easily see him in uniform. God, he would have been the star of her nightly fantasies forever if she’d seen him in Dress Blues. She was such a sucker for men in uniform.

  “You seem like the type to go for order and discipline.” She took another good look around. “You’re way too neat for a guy. Not normal.”

  His eyes glittered, and he slowly drew closer to her. She took a few steps back before she realized he’d neatly cornered her by the bed.

  “Order and discipline, hmm.” He c
losed the remaining distance between them. “Two things I’m pretty damn good at.” He leaned down and kissed her so softly she might have imagined it. “Shelby, last week was amazing. Unplanned, and totally unlike me.”

  “We went through this already, remember?”

  “But I think we could do more. You and me.”

  “More?”

  “You mentioned the sex was tame.”

  She was surprised he’d remembered that. “Um, did I say that?”

  He kissed her again, his mouth whisper-light over her lips. The sparse contact and heat of his breath made her shiver.

  “I’ve been thinking about it. Wanting to try a few things. You game?”

  “M-maybe.” She stood on tiptoe as he sucked her earlobe and nipped before letting go. His hands had found her waist, and he rubbed circles into her skin with his thumbs.

  “Guess what?”

  “What?”

  He answered with another kiss, one that wasn’t gentle or light, but firm, hot, and sexy. He thrust his tongue between her lips and took without asking. He plundered and delved, stealing her willpower with that talented mouth.

  “I have a lot more than one condom this time. What do you say?”

  Chapter Ten

  What could she say but yes? Shane kissed her until he couldn’t breathe. Their coming together on Saturday hadn’t been a fluke at all. The chemistry between him and Shelby stunned him. Just the touch of her skin, the feel of her smooth lips under his, and the knowledge that her nipples stood on end for him made him dizzy with lust. Everything about her appealed to the sexual beast inside him wanting to fuck her raw, while the romantic within wanted to drown in her whisky-brown eyes that looked up at him with fogged desire.

  “Shelby?” he asked, out of breath. “Yes or no, baby?”

  Baby. He liked calling her that, because everything he’d noticed about the stubborn female told him she was a woman of independence. He found her hints of aggression sexy. She was no one’s idea of a meek woman, or one who’d tolerate a pet name like baby. Yet it fit her, especially now. He could see a kernel of vulnerability there in her eyes, and it felt like looking into himself.