Page 10 of Reaching His Heart (The Sartoris 3)

“That’s all we ask.” She patted Solette’s shoulder and wandered off. Solette watched her disappear around the corner and pondered not for the first time about the Sartori family. They were close, even Sonya who wasn’t technically a part of the family. They loved honestly and fought the same. She knew all the Sartoris were rooting for her to get Cason well.

* * *

Solette leaned forward as she pushed against the bottom of Cason’s foot. He winced, and she eased off for a minute. An angry blue gaze flew to hers. “You’re trying to break it.”

“I would never.”

For an instant, she saw a slight smile.

“You enjoy complaining, Mr. Cason.”

“I’m trying to think of a way to have you drop the Mr. Shall I let you massage my leg?”

She resisted rolling her eyes, feeling amused. “I give you a massage every day.”

“Yes, but it’s so impersonal. I’ll let you go higher on my thigh.”

“You’re very confident for a man who lost ‘everything.’”

He tensed, and she kicked herself for teasing him. Reminding him of his accident wasn’t the way to bring him out of his misery. All kinds of emotions flitted across his face before he spoke.

“I see I’ve been a bad influence on you. You’re cruel.”

“I apologize. I never meant—” He moved swifter than she had seen him do since she met him, and she lost the hold on his foot and fell forward. She landed on top of him as he lay on the bed, and his arms came up around her.

Solette had never been so aware of a man’s body as she was lying on top of him. Their legs tangled together as she tried to regain her balance. Her feet kept slipping so she couldn’t get a firm grip on the floor in order to push herself up. Cason wasn’t making it any easier since he held her in a firm embrace.

She stopped struggling and looked up at him. His eyes were narrowed, and she realized he hadn’t spoken a word since she fell. He just watched her in silence.

“Mr. Cason…”

“Cason.” The word was clipped. She tensed. Was he angry about her clumsiness?

“You have to let me go. I didn’t mean to lose my balance. I’m so sorry…”

She tried to get up again. He shifted a bit under her, bringing all kinds of terrible thoughts to mind as their forms melded together. In that second, Solette couldn’t be happier about her rich cocoa skin because he couldn’t see her blush.

Oh, wow, he’s definitely still a man. He didn’t lose everything at all!

She swallowed and tried to pull her thoughts out of the gutter.

“I thought you were plain, but up close you’re pretty, especially when you smile.”

She ducked her head. Nobody knew better than Solette that she was plain. Joe Sr. had told her plenty of times what he thought of her looks—whenever he was angry. She clenched her teeth.

“It’s a good thing I don’t have to be a beauty to take care of you, Mr. Cason. Please let me go.”

“I’ve hurt your feelings.” He said it without emotion.

“I’m fine. Trust me. I’ve had plenty of patients who called me out of my name whenever the exercises got to be too much or they were having a bad day. Also—” She clamped her mouth shut.

“Also what?”

“Please,” she begged.

His voice dropped low. “Cason.”

Her breath caught in her throat at the deep timbre of his voice. A normal woman wouldn’t still be attracted to a man who basically admitted he thought she was ugly. Solette had no doubt he kept saying she was almost pretty to drive the point home.

---