“A little stiffer than it was before, but not really painful.”
“Ice it when you get home. No more skiing for you.”
“Skiing didn’t hurt it.” Tripp glanced away from the flurry of snow streaming past his headlights. “My shoulder was completely fine until I climbed down into those rocks. That’s how I tweaked it a little.”
“When’s your next follow-up appointment with Dr. Ingram?”
“Monday. Want to go with me to hear what he has to say?”
“I do, actually.” She turned to face him when he pulled into her driveway. “I’m going to be really angry with myself if today’s fiasco set back your progress.”
He reached across the center console to pat her knee. “I’m fine, and nothing that happened was your fault. I make my own decisions.”
She let out a sigh. “So I’ve learned. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He hesitated for a moment. “You still look a little shaken up. Want me to come in with you?”
“I appreciate the offer, but, no. I’ve been taking care of myself for a lot of years, now. I can pretty much handle anything that comes my way.”
He tightened the hand he’d left on her knee. “I don’t doubt that for a minute, but it’s okay to lean on a friend every now and then.”
In the dark interior of the truck, her expression was hidden, but her voice held a hint of uncertainty. “Is that what we are? Friends?”
“I’d like to think so. Since we’ve been getting along so well, we can take it to the next level anytime you want.”
She drew in an audible breath. “What level is that?”
“Friends with benefits.”
Is that what I want? For the first time ever, he wasn’t one hundred percent sure.
Hannah’s rich chuckle filled the cab. “Always playing an angle. Thanks for making me smile, Tripp. I needed a good laugh.”
“Is that a no?”
“What do you think?” She swatted his hand off her leg.
“I promise we’d have a lot of fun.”
“I’m sure we would.” She unclipped her seatbelt and opened the door. “Not gonna happen, bud.”
“We’ll see. Don’t forget your skis in the back.”
“Right. Good night, Tripp.”
“Night, Hannah. Sleep well.”
He waited while she collected her gear from the bed of the truck then headed up the path to the front door. As soon as she opened it, her dog ran out, bouncing around her in circles. After a moment, she managed to get both the skis and dog inside, and with a little wave, shut the door behind her. He shifted into gear and backed out onto the street. He should have gotten out to help her with her equipment, but Hannah projected such a level of confidence—not to mention a hands-off attitude—that he hadn’t thought about offering assistance until she had the situation well under control.
Kind of the way she did everything.
In his world, flirting with a woman as fine as Hannah was pretty much a knee-jerk reaction.
Tripp turned left onto the main road and stepped on the gas. With Hannah, he found he actually cared what she thought and waited in anticipation for her response. Which, despite his best efforts, nearly always was to shoot him down. The fact that she’d finally agreed to eat dinner with him was a true testament to how ragged her nerves must have been after the events on the mountain. He figured she’d simply been too tired to argue.
Damned if he wouldn’t convince her he was worth breaking her no-dating-a-client rule.
Then what?
The skeptical voice in his head sounded suspiciously like his little sister.
Hannah’s special. Don’t you dare hurt her.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened as he sped through the lightly falling snow. Hurting Hannah was the last thing he intended. Maybe he’d have to rethink his strategy, figure out if he wanted something other than a quick fling.
Then, and only then, would he reconsider his pursuit of the elusive Ms. Ryder.
* * * *
Hannah dug into the muscle of Tripp’s shoulder, executing a deep tissue massage with professional detachment…or so she kept telling herself. The man’s body was gorgeous. Sculpted arms, well-defined abs, nothing but lean muscle from the waist up. But the thighs of a professional skier stretched the legs of his shorts tight, the results of hours and hours of training. Then there were those rock-hard glutes. The man had one fine ass.
“God, that feels good, in a torturous sort of way.”
She stroked her hands across warm and elastic oiled skin. Despite having put him through a tough session, he still smelled good, citrusy and primal. She drew in a breath and stepped back from the massage table. Time to wrap this up before her imagination got completely out of control.
“You aren’t quitting, are you?” Turning his face to the side, he met her gaze. Green eyes the color of the forest outside the window, sparkled with humor. “What about the happy ending?”
A smile curved her lips. “You aren’t paying me enough.”
“Are you sure? When I opened your bill, I almost fainted.”
The smile broadened. “You wanted me to work exclusively with you. That costs.”
“No friends and family discount?”
“What I gave you was the discounted rate.” She wiped her hands on a towel. “We’re finished. You can go take a shower now.”
He rolled over and sat up. “I don’t suppose you want to join me?”
She eyed him up and down. “As tempting as you are, all greased up like a pig at the county fair, I’ll pass.”
He let out a snort of laughter. “With you around, I don’t have to worry about getting an inflated ego, that’s for sure.”
“Consider ego squashing a free perk. I’ll see you later, Tripp.”
As she headed toward the door, he reached out to grab her arm. Lean fingers held her in a loose grip, but she didn’t try to pull away when he tugged her one step closer.
“Do you know what tomorrow is?”
One of her brows shot up. “Sunday?”
“Yes, but more importantly, it’s my birthday.”
“Oh yeah? The big three-oh?”
“I’m officially ancient. Want to know what I’d like to do to commemorate such an auspicious occasion?”
She scowled. “If you say have sex—”
“Believe it or not, I have a little more class than that. A real date…not a burger at the Bridgetender. A grown-up, dress nice and go out to dinner date with an elegant and fascinating woman. What do you say?”
Dating a client wasn’t an option. Ever. And getting emotionally involved with Tripp was the last thing Hannah wanted. She had absolutely no doubt she’d wind up with a bruised and battered heart if she was foolish enough to give in to his persuasive charm. She’d fallen for this man once before with no more encouragement than a few easy smiles, and all her youthful fantasies had been hopelessly crushed. Still, turning him down on his birthday seemed…wrong. Forewarned is forearmed, right?
“Since