She snorted. “No.”
Skepticism riddled his frown. “Why not?”
“Because of what I’ve seen today. You may be a pushy, overconfident alpha male—” she smothered a grin at his scowl “—but ironically, your ethics work in your favor. There’s no way you’d knowingly sabotage your reputation.”
If that brief look of surprise hadn’t spoken volumes, his silence did. She couldn’t help smiling now.
“I see,” was all he said.
Then he shook his head and swept a hand through his hair again, a gesture Beth was beginning to equate with pent-up frustration. The coal-black strands stuck up in spikes and she had the urge to smooth them down. Especially when she saw that flash of emotion in his eyes.
In that instant, Beth realized she’d just caught a glimpse of the real man behind the veneer—how his perceived failures ate at his pride, how much his status meant. How totally ineffective he must be feeling.
No wonder his reputation was perfect. He was a driven man and driven men often set impossibly high standards for themselves. And when they failed to live up to them, they frequently crashed to earth.
Something inside her shifted. She had to help him, even though he had something she so desperately wanted. Her compassion, her training, demanded no less.
“I can stop that ache in your neck, you know.”
He barely gave her a glance. “Can you?”
There it was again. More than anyone, Beth could understand his frustration. But right now he didn’t need empathy—he needed stress relief. She ticked off the telltale signs one by one and knew she couldn’t ignore his discomfort any longer.
She stood, reached over and firmly removed his hand from his nape. “Let me help you.”
The sudden heat flaring in his eyes disappeared as quickly as it started, yet despite that, it still had the power to warm her belly.
“It’s my job,” she clarified. “You’re no good to anyone burned-out, and I can help you relax.”
“You don’t need to—”
“Yes, I do. Let me do this, Luke. Please.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Luke glanced away with a shrug. “Okay.”
And, dammit, her pulse began to pick up the pace.
“Go into the living room,” she said in a too-thick voice. “I’ll get my things.”
She hurried up to the spare room, determined to outrun the doubt dogging her footsteps. Right now was not the time to take a close look at her reasons for offering her help. She was a professional and she could do this, no matter that the body she was about to lay her hands on was six foot four inches of hard, warm male.
Beth returned with her oils and pulled the curtains closed, casting the room in half shadows, then pulled out a massage table from under the stairs and unfolded it.
He watched it all in silence.
“So I take it you’ve never had a therapeutic massage,” Beth said.
“Once, ages ago. Now I don’t have the time.”
“You should make time.”
“Before or after I solve world hunger?”
Her mouth tilted. “Take off your shirt and lie facedown.”
He did as he was told, settling his face into the cutout oval of the padded table. Now that his body was within her grasp, she would get to feel every contour, every crevice. A deep breath was needed.
Maybe another.
Pouring some oil onto her palms, she rubbed them together and began.
Her thumbs started gently at his lower back and Luke nearly leaped off the table. “What the hell …?”
He twisted, but Beth placed a restraining hand on his back. “Lie still.” She stifled a smile.
“But it hurts!”
“Stop being a baby.” She pushed him down and tried again, this time easing back on the pressure.
“You’re doing this on purpose!” he accused.
“I’m trying to get the tension out, so yes, I am.”
She went as softly as she could, warming up his muscles. She had to hand it to him, he managed to bite his tongue even though a few grunts made their way through his tight control.
“Do you get migraines?” she asked.
“No.”
“Panic attacks?”
“You think I get—”
“Performance problems?”
“No.”
She bit her lip, swallowing a chuckle at his indignant reply. “Lucky. They’re all symptoms of a high-stress environment.”
Luke stifled another groan. She was good. In fact, if they gave Oscars for massage, she’d win hands down. She had handfuls of his muscle and used pressure from thumbs, palms and all fingers.
“So how is it,” she began, digging deep into his back, “that some lucky woman hasn’t already snapped you up?”
A slice of memory twinged, but he thrust it back. “A demanding career and relationships don’t mix.”
“That’s a bit of a broad statement. Maybe you just haven’t met the right woman.”
“Trust me, I know.” He grunted, swallowing a groan as she shifted her hands. “And I meet plenty of women.”
“I see.”
She continued in silence, and pride demanded he keep it that way, but when she caught a particularly tight spot, a hiss escaped his clenched teeth. And through the somewhat painful movements, he could feel himself getting aroused.
It was the thought of her standing over him, touching him with her firm, skilled hands that stirred his blood.
Then she reached his shoulders and silence flew out the window with a ragged gasp.
“You’re pretty tight up here,” she said, concern threading her voice.
Luke muttered something and tried to shake off the pleasant fantasy of Beth naked and massaging him all over. She shifted to stand at the head of the table, her body bent forward over his shoulders while her palms stretched and rubbed down his left arm. Her toes came into view—long, elegant digits with nails painted a soft coral, strapped into well-worn sandals. He also noticed that her second toes were longer than her big ones and the one on the left bore a silver ring with a green stone in the center.
Sucking on those toes would be …
He squeezed his eyes shut as she dug around for such long, agonizing seconds that he wondered if his circulation would cut out. Finally, she took pity on him, easing off until he relaxed with barely disguised relief.
“You should do this more often. It’ll hurt less.” She gently squeezed his trapezius and was rewarded with a sharp hiss. “See what I mean?”
He grunted.
Beth patted his shoulder. “Don’t try to talk. I know it’s a big effort holding all that groaning in.”
“I’m trying to maintain a dignified silence.”
She chuckled, bending close to his ear. “You don’t have to. Let it all out.”
Her whispery breath sent a shock of heat