Page 54 of Sadie's Highlander (Highland Protector 1)

The Seven Serenities’ massage therapist cleared her throat. “All right, ladies. My name’s Rachel, and by the time you leave here, you’ll be relaxed and feeling better than you have in years. Please remove your robes and lie facedown on the tables. Close your eyes and place your faces in the cushioned face cradles. That’s right. Just put your face in that hole and I’ll cover your derrieres with a towel.”

Alec strained to listen closer. He couldna see through the paper-thin screen and he dare not look over it. He couldna risk the possibility of Sadie spotting him.

The masseuse’s voice traveled back to him loud and clear. “There’s my assistant. I told you he wouldn’t be long.”

Quietly, Alec came around the screen, nearly cringing at the sight of Miss Martha lying on the padded table with nothing but a towel across her skinny arse.

The old woman shimmied and wiggled her pale, bony body from side to side, her knobby blue-veined legs spread dangerously far apart considering the shortness of her towel and Alec’s current angle in the room. Some things were ne’er meant for him t’see. Liver-colored age spots and patches of dry red skin spread across her back and arms like a topographical map of the world. Alec swallowed hard and held his breath.

Without lifting her face from the headrest, Miss Martha excitedly patted the sides of the table. “Over here, big boy. This old Cadillac is ready for a good rubdown.”

Alec shuddered and shied away, holding up a hand to shield his eyes from Miss Martha.

The masseuse gave him a dirty look and hurried over to Miss Martha’s table. “Actually, I’m going to work on you, Miss Higgins.” She jerked her head toward Sadie and widened her eyes at Alec as though asking him what the hell he was waiting for. “My…uhm…Toddis going to take care of Miss Williams today because I think you’d benefit more from a warm stone massage, and that’s my particular specialty.”

“How hard is it to rub somebody with rocks? You’re tellin’ me that he can’t figure that out?”

“Stop your grumbling,” Sadie said, her voice muffled from the depths of the padded face cradle. Strained exasperation was apparent in her tone. “Behave yourself or we’ll leave right now.”

“Fine,” Miss Martha grumbled. “Get to rockin’ and rubbin’, girly.”

Alec edged over to Sadie’s table, thankful that it was high enough to hide his already rock-hard erection. Even with the partially naked Miss Martha in the room, the sight of Sadie lying there waiting for his touch nearly undid him.It’s been so damn long.

He rested his hands on her shoulders, tenderly working his thumbs in circles through the tension knotting her back. Closing his eyes, he silently inhaled, breathing in the very essence of her. His body reacted with a starving vengeance.Hell’s bells and damn the demons.He managed to halt the painfully exquisite shudder before it vibrated out to his fingertips.

Take me,her body seemed to whisper. The warm silk of her skin beckoned him to bend and kiss his way down her spine. Sadie barely stirred beneath his touch, releasing a soft sigh as she moved. Alec locked his arms, stiffening as he bit down on the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood.

“Are you all right…Todd? Your name’s Todd, right?” Sadie’s body tensed under his hands.

“Todd’s unable to speak today,” Rachel supplied. “He’s a singer and a wannabe Broadway actor. Had to have throat surgery for some kind of polyps. Too soon for him to strain his tender vocal cords just yet.”

Sadie relaxed slightly beneath his touch but was still more tensed than when he’d first placed his hands upon her. “Oh my. I am sorry. I hope everything turns out okay for you.”

He gently patted a silentthank youon her shoulder, then pulled in a steadying breath and continued running his fingers and thumbs in tiny circles down the taut ridges of muscle on either side of Sadie’s backbone. His poor love’s body was one large, overly tightened knot. Her pain and worry pulsated up into his fingertips, nearly breaking his heart.

’Twill be better verra soon, dearest love. I swear it,he silently assured her. Just one more day until all was to be revealed.And only one more night alone in my cold bed,he promised to himself.

“Speakin’ of Broadway—what time are we supposed to meet with those Broadway folks tomorrow?” Miss Martha asked.

Sadie pushed up onto her elbows, then folded her arms in front of her and propped her chin atop them. “Bright and early. Jarvis said ‘eightish.’ ”

Alec froze, standing with Sadie’s left foot and calf in his hands, afraid to breathe for fear she’d turn around and see him.

Rachel noticed his reaction and hurried over to Sadie’s table, placing her body in front of Alec to hide him as best she could. “Face back down in the cradle, Miss Williams. You’re going to undo all the good that Todd’s doing.”

“Oh, sorry.” Sadie complied with Rachel’s orders, shifting with another big sigh. “I still think this is a big mistake. Once they read the rest of my stuff, they’re gonna look at me and say, ‘We don’t know what the hell we were thinking. Get out! You suck!’ ”

“Oh, they are not. Now you just stop. Not another word of that nonsense.”

Alec heartily agreed with Miss Martha. He flinched and held back a gag, averting his eyes as Rachel slid away the towel shielding Miss Martha’s more private parts to balance a heated stone at the end of her tailbone.

That which has been seen canna be unseen. Especially no’ that.

Chapter 32

I am so going to throw up.Sadie clutched her hands in her lap, concentrating on pulling in slow, deep breaths, then just as slowly releasing them. Today had to go well. It just had to. Now that she’d finally accepted that this unbelievably wonderful fairy tale was really happening, she was terrified she was going to screw it up. Maybe she could just send Miss Martha up to talk to them while she waited in the limo. Miss Martha could convince them that Sadie was one of those eccentric artsy-fartsy types that avoided contact with everyone except her select inner circle. There was only one problem with this grandiose plan. Miss Martha had already refused to do it the first time Sadie had asked.Maybe if I sound even more pitiful, I can get her to change her mind.

“Miss Martha—”

---