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.”His response was a noncommittal sound in his throat.After several minutes of deep tissue massage on one shoulder, Macey switched to his right side and started in.“This side’s even worse.”Derek didn’t say anything, didn’t stir, and she wondered if he’d gone to sleep.Could he have relaxed that much? When she finished, she glanced at his face, and saw his eyes remained closed.She stood quietly, staring down at this beautiful male specimen, trying not to think too hard about how amazing it was to touch him, to feel the strength of him on such a personal level.To best reach the rest of his back, she tentatively straddled his hips and lowered herself to sit on his butt.His tight, perfect butt.Forget trying to keep this clinical.She was only human.She ran her hands over his skin along the waistband of his shorts, from his sides to his spine.She feasted her eyes on the ridges of muscle that disappeared beneath the garment, imagining what he must look like out of it.Digging her fingers into those ridges, she elicited a low groan from him.The sound was erotic, or maybe her mind was just in the wrong place.“Pressure okay?” she asked in a half whisper.“More than.”She couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to make love to this man.What would it be like to touch him wherever she wanted, to have him touch her? To have him want her?Her breath hitched, snapping her to attention.She sincerely hoped he hadn’t heard that.She sucked in oxygen until her lungs were full, and let it out slowly, quietly.“Tell me about the fire,” she said softly.Just like that, he tensed.She could see and feel the change even though he was facedown.She figured she’d just screwed up a good half hour of work.But she refused to take back the question.“Dare?”It took an eternity for him to say anything.“Not going there.”“Why?”Okay, not the brightest question, but that’s what popped out.Anything to get him to say more.She hated this helpless feeling, her inability to do him any good.He rolled to his side and started to get up, sending her to the floor.“It’s time for me to go.”“Derek, wait.I’m sorry.” She put her hand on his shoulder.“No more questions.Just let me finish your massage.I’ll see if I can undo the damage I just caused.”He studied her unhappily.“Or are you afraid you’ll end up admitting how good it feels?” The corners of her lips betrayed a half smile.Her challenge had the desired effect.After he narrowed his eyes, he lay down on his stomach again.“How ’bout those Astros?”Derek gave what could almost be considered a chuckle.“Smart girl.”“That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me since I’ve been here.” She tried to make her tone light.“So what’s up with Gus? What’s his story?”“He’s my dad’s brother.He and another guy opened The Shell Shack fifteen years ago.”“What happened to the other guy?”“He followed a woman to the West Coast.Handed his half over.”“And now the whole thing’s yours.”She went to work on his upper arms, not allowing herself to consider how hard they were, how sculpted.“God, that feels good.”She smiled to herself in victory.It was all she could do not to say she’d told him so.After several minutes of silence, Derek said, “When I came here, I agreed to help Gus.”“Help him?”“He had to close the bar down when he moved into assisted living.It was killing him to watch it sit there and rot.”“So you agreed to reopen it.”“I shouldn’t have.It’ll be worse for Gus when I run it into the damn ground.”She stopped massaging.“You’re not going to run it into the ground.”Derek rolled over and sat up.He reached for his shirt and put it back on.She actually saw him shutter his expression.“I need to get home, let you sleep.”It was after three and she couldn’t hold back a yawn as she stood.“You need to get some sleep, now that your muscles are untied.”He stood up in turn and nodded.“I owe you one, Mace.”“Maybe I’ll hold you to that.”As she saw him out, she did her best to fight off the images of the ways he could make it up to her.What a lousy friend she was if she couldn’t keep her mind off her own pointless desires long enough to just be there for him.She’d have to do a lot better at keeping her thoughts under control than she’d done tonight.CHAPTER FIVEMACEY WAS IN SERIOUS NEED of a nap, and that was saying something for a girl who didn’t take naps, not even when she was a baby, if her mother’s tales of woe were true.Bar hours were going to be an adjustment.Normally she was in bed by ten and got up with the birds.Today, she’d stupidly still gotten up with the birds, even though she’d slept for only a few brief hours
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