Her eyes appear lighter, the sun making them look even brighter. For some reason, I don’t want to disappoint her. “It was great. Really good.”
“How’s your arm?”
“It’s fine.”
“I can show you some exercises to help improve mobility.”
I don’t tell her that Michael has already given me ten exercises that I work on weekly because I like the way her mouth curls up in a smile when she suggests it.
“That would be great.”
“Um, I’m free this afternoon if you are.”
“Austin and I are going to the hospital after this. But I’m free after that. Your place or mine?”
“I thought you were staying with Austin and Jane.”
“I am. Let’s make it yours then.”
She shakes her head. “I’ll text you the address. What’s your number?” She pulls out her phone.
“I like how sly you did that. Getting my number and a date at the same time.”
“This isn’t a date,” she says but a small smile refutes her statement.
“Right. You are just going to show me ways to move that will help me feel better. Not a date. But sounds like the makings of a good date to me.”
She shakes her head again and pushes her hair off her shoulder. “I’ll see you around five.”
“See you then.”
I watch her walk back to her mat where she bends over and rolls it up. Austin nudges me with his shoulder. “I always knew that you and Sage would hit it off.”
“I haven’t hit anything yet, but I plan to, brother. Real soon if I’m lucky.”
“Whoa.” Austin punches my arm, and I wince. “That’s not what I meant. And you better not break her heart, or you’ll have to deal with me, little brother.”
I massage the spot that he hit and ponder my predicament. Sage Summers is hot. And she makes my body feel things I onlyfeel when a woman touches me, and she does it with only her voice. I don’t want to break her heart. I only want to taste her lips. And maybe a bit more if she’ll let me.
Sage
The house is a mess. I gather three fluffy blankets from the couch and shove them into the hallway closet. There’s a pack of dried blueberries lying on the coffee table with a half-empty glass of water beside it. I grab them and put them in the kitchen. Tidying up is a lot more exhausting than a full day of yoga because my brain doesn’t care if my place is neat and tidy. I like how my house looks after I clean it, but I usually get distracted by the million other things I want to do instead of cleaning. But now that it's done, I look around my place and smile.There, that does look nice.
Checking my phone, I realize I only have ten minutes before Casey is supposed to arrive.
Despite his annoying habits, his flirtations earlier made me feel a certain kind of way, I’m not necessarily proud to admit.
I’m here to help him, though, not date him. Yes, he irritates me, but I wish it was enough to not make my body react to him. I can’t help it. I’ve fantasized about him for years, and the way he takes care of his father makes me wonder if there is more to his character.
I pick up my anatomy notes and some of the research I’ve been working on for muscle strains. There’s a lot here that I want to go over with Casey, but I promise myself not to pry. Afterall, I’m not his therapist.
My hand flies to my chest at the sound of the doorbell. He’s early. I was hoping to take a few minutes to meditate before he arrived.
Patting my hair down and twisting it around my fingers, I square my shoulders and open the door. “Hi,” I say, a little too breathless. Darn it.
He’s wearing fitted grey pants and a black T-shirt. There’s no name brand on the clothing but from the fit and trim of the hem, they look expensive. His eyes roam up and down my body and despite the warm weather, I shiver. His gaze lands on my bare shoulders and I realize I haven’t changed. I’m still wearing the tube top and skin-tight shorts I put on after my shower. “Hi,” he says, and sucks on his bottom lip.
Ugh. It looks like I wore the skimpiest clothes on purpose. “You’re early. I just need a minute to change.”
