Page 29 of Treat Her Right

“Yeah? To do what?” Her fingers found just the right amount of pressure, and he groaned low before he could work up the energy to answer. “Maybe be a supervisor,” he said, “or an operations manager. Or maybe I’ll instruct. I think I’d like that.”

Wynn made a sound of interest, and her hands moved lower, over his gluteus medius, then his gluteus maximus…

Damn, but her fingers were magic…marvelous…intimate!

Zack jerked around to face her. “You’re seducing me!”

She tried for an innocent expression and failed. “Naw, just copping a feel of your nice tight buns.”

He sputtered, both outraged and stupidly complimented, and, if he was honest, vaguely turned on. Okay, more than vaguely. He felt mellow and ready. Primed even.

She had the gall to laugh in his face, then pat his chest. “Relax Zack, your virtue is safe with me. And you do feel better now, right?”

He flexed, rolled his shoulders in experimentation; she was right, damn her. He gave a reluctant nod.

“Good.” She patted him again, this time ending with a caress of his pecs. “If you tighten up again, come see me.”

He was tight already, just not where she meant.

“It probably wouldn’t hurt to use a little ultrasound on the affected muscles, and I can do that at the gym.”

“I’ll be fine,” he croaked.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re a regular superhero, aren’t you? Impervious to the needs of your body, both sexual and physical?”

Being pushy probably came naturally to her. She’d likely been born making demands and causing conflicts. “I’m trying to do what’s right for both of us and you know it. We’re neighbors. Anything beyond a friendly association would be too difficult.”

She gave a heavy sigh, saying, “Whatever,” and turned to leave.

“I hope you understand,” Zack called out, watching her as she walked into the light from her back porch. His body felt relaxed but zinging with life, too. An odd mix. Acarnalmix.

She sent him an airy wave without looking back. A second later she went through the door and it closed with a click that echoed around the empty yards.

Damn irritating woman.

He’d made the right decision, despite his still raging hard-on. But then why did he feel so pissed off with himself? Why did he hate the right decision?

An upstairs light came on in her house, and through an open window Zack heard her begin to whistle again. She was a woman without a care, while he still stood there in the yard churning with a riot of emotions and physical needs. He stared at her window hard, willing her to move into view, but then the light went out and he knew she had gone to bed.

From now on, he’d just have to be very careful to avoid her. Given his hours, that’s shouldn’t be too hard to do.

* * *

WYNN WATCHEDthrough her dark bedroom window as Zack tipped back his head and stared up at the moon. He looked so rigid, every line of his body denoting frustration, that she half expected him to howl, but all he did was turn on his heel and head back to his own house.

Her massage had been a waste, she could see that now; the man was determined to be tense. She sighed.

What a twist of fate, she thought, her heart sinking a little at the sight of his retreating back. Her hands were still tingling from touching him, from feeling all those smooth hard muscles and hot skin and vibrating tension. She huffed. The first man who really pushed her buttons, who made her feel like gelatin on the inside and made her breathe too fast just being near, and he was a blasted prude.

Her thought process crashed there and she was forced to face the possibility that he wasn’t a prude at all. A man as big and sexy and intelligent and responsible as Zack was more likely suffering disinterest than moral restrictions.

Why would he be interested inher?

She’d done nothing but make a fool of herself since meeting him, and her naturally forceful personality had been in rare, suffocating form. But he brought out the extremes in her, and half the time she didn’t even know what she was going to do until she did it.

She closed her eyes on a wave of remorse and embarrassment. God, she’d accosted him at every turn, provoked him and even rolled on the grass with him. She’d called him names and insulted him, and here she was, wishing he’d want her just a little?

Wynn shook her head. She was a complete and utter dolt.

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