Her breath caught, arousal unfurling inside as her imagination took flight. She chewed her bottom lip, trying not to tense and undo his good work.
Connor stroked her shoulders, letting his thumbs press into her muscles, his fingers glide over smooth flesh. He enjoyed touching her like this—having the freedom to handle her without restraint or worrying about anyone else noticing.
His hands drifted downward, easing his strokes as he skimmed her lower back to work her upper glutes. Her backside was curvy. Rounded. Uncharitable people might call it plump, but he loved Maggie’s appearance. He pressed his fingers into the muscles, his mind drifting to spanking. Maybe he could give her an experimental swat or two at the end of the massage.
The last time he’d given her a swat had made for great sex. Hot sex. But no matter how much he rationalized spanking in his mind, told himself it was something she wanted, he hesitated. He couldn’t reconcile pain and sex—good sex—together.
Yeah, he’d read Maggie’s blog posts, he’d done a little research on the Internet. Hell, he’d even swallowed his embarrassment and talked to his mother and Frank. It might have been easier if he’d sucked up his discomfiture and talked to Maggie about spanking, but he couldn’t tell her he knew about the blog when Julia had sworn him to secrecy.
And, as far as he knew, Maggie hadn’t experienced spanking in person. Thinking about doing and doing it were two different things. What would happen if he spanked her and she hated it? What would happen if their relationship changed because of the spanking?
Mind in turmoil, he continued the massage on automatic pilot. He skipped down to her thighs and calves, paying close attention to the muscles used most in running.
“You’re fantastic at that,” she mumbled.
“I excel at a lot of things.”
“Like what?”
“Is that doubt I hear in your voice?” he asked. “Because I’m telling the truth. I have lots of hidden talents.”
“Tell me.”
Connor laughed. “Where’s the fun in that?” He ran his fingers up the back of one thigh, his hand coming to rest on her butt. “You need to discover them on your own.”
“You’re blowing smoke.”
“But I’m good at massage. I have you purring like a kitten.”
“That’s true,” she murmured. “You have magic fingers.”
“And I make you hot.” She set him on fire. Connor tried to ignore his rising urgency, but the tight jeans were crowding his cock.
“Also true.”
Satisfaction filled him at her admission. He wanted her to need him, as much as he needed her. For the first time in years, he hadn’t looked at another woman or become uneasy in a relationship. He didn’t want out. “I told you this would work between us.”
“It does, but I don’t like keeping secrets.”
“We could tell the others—”
“No.” Maggie’s raised voice echoed with finality. “I don’t want them to look at us differently or speculate about when we’ll breakup. I don’t want to explain our arrangement.”
Connor frowned. “Are you ashamed of being with me?”
“No, of course not.” Maggie turned to meet his gaze. “I enjoy being with you.”
Connor gave a swift nod, although her reply didn’t reassure him. “Turn back onto your stomach. I’ll finish your other leg.”
She followed his instructions, placing her face in her arms and relaxing. Spending time with Maggie was what he wanted, but it was a minefield trying to keep everything straight. He hated the dishonesty. Tangled bloody webs and juggling balls. Connor snorted and feathered strokes across her hamstrings, working his way back to her glutes.
“Finished,” he said, staring at her backside.Do it.Give her a quick swat. It’s what she wants. Before he could think a second longer, he lifted his hand and gave her a half-hearted slap across her buttocks. “All done.” He stared, trying to measure her reaction. Pity he couldn’t see her face. “How do you feel?”
“Good.”
“My massage skills must be lacking if it was only good.”
She rolled over, a broad grin on her face. “One problem. Your massage skills are clearly superior, but I don’t feel relaxed.” She ran her tongue across the sweep of her bottom lip. “I feel…” She paused again, teasing lighting her eyes. “…incredibly horny.”
