"Feels amaz?—"
Wait. He's referring to my leg, not the warm fuzzies swarming me.
"It's good." Her words came out a hoarse whisper.
"But you're still shaking." It was a statement, not a question.
She nodded anyway as a sudden desire to kiss him hit her. Would his lips be as firm as his embrace or would they be gentle and teasing?
Stop it! You can’t kiss your physical therapist. You’re done with men, remember?
His gaze dropped to her lips as though he read her mind. His breathing sounded as ragged as hers.
She was wrong. There was nothing safe about crushing on her therapist. He should have been untouchable, but she was touching an awful lot of him right now. And it felt so good. She leaned into him.
He sucked in a deep breath, and his whole body tensed. "I hope you're steady, because I need to let go now."
Then he was gone, and she missed the contact immediately. Not just his touch or the feel of his arms around her but his presence too, because he didn't stop moving until he reached the side of the pool.
He propped his elbows on the edge and shoved his hands into his hair. His shoulders rose and fell as he took deep breaths.
She sucked in a deep breath of her own. Thank goodness, he was disciplined enough to walk away when she'd been ready to kiss her physical therapist.
Talk about inappropriate.
That wasn’t her. She didn’t kiss men unless there was long-term relationship potential. And she definitely wasn’t ready for another relationship yet; long-term or otherwise. Especially not with her physical therapist.
This is all Mom’s fault.
Paige hadn’t been able to forget her mother’s suggestion that sheget to know Dr. Rivera on a personal levelafter she finished PT. It didn’t help that he was so personable and easy on the eyes.
She watched the water lap at his broad shoulders. Was Gabe as good of a man as he seemed? Or did he have a hidden duplicitous side like Phillip? Had she learned anything after all she’d been through? Or would she always overlook personality flaws because of physical attraction?
Considering what almost happened, she should give Gabe some space, but she needed to know who he really was.
The movementof the water alerted Gabe to Paige's approach, but he refused to look at her. He couldn't. Not while the overwhelming urge to kiss her still coursed through him.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
He'd almost ruined everything. He finally had his own practice, and he almost threw it away by giving into a temptation that could result in a sexual harassment lawsuit.
Talking to Paige felt so effortless. She was so animated and entertaining, that it was easy to forget he was her physical therapist. It didn’t help that despite the modest cut of her new swimsuit she was stunning. Her eyes look bigger and bluer than ever, thanks to the vibrant cobalt blue swim top. The way it swooped to the side accentuated Paige’s hour-glass figure.
She’d clung to him with complete trust and what felt like longing, making him want to hold her forever. And the water droplets clinging to her rosy lips…
Enough!
Sucking in a deep breath, he steeled himself and turned to face Paige, who stood little more than arm’s length away. He wasn’t sure what he expected to see in her face, but it wasn’t the puzzled expression that furrowed her brow and turned her lips down in a slight frown.
“What?” he asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Was she trying to decide whether to call him out for almost kissing her? With her dad being his boss—sort of—she could easily get him fired, if she wanted to.
The twin creases between her brows deepened as she chewed on her lip for a long moment. "Have you ever been unfaithful in a relationship?"
"What?" His head jerked back.
Where on earth did that come from?
