Page 73 of I Can't Help It

“Oh, I’m sorry about that,” Luke apologizes as he takes the phone and slips it into his pocket. “Thank you, Brady. And thank you again for the massage. You were great.”

“Of course.” Brady offers a short nod. “You both take care.”

What the—

“Clearly, something has you upset,” Luke jumps right back into our conversation. “So, why don’t you tell me about it?”

My brain is too busy trying to put the pieces together.

“Brady, that guy, he was your massage therapist?”

Luke’s eyebrows crease. “Yeah? But what—”

I don’t give him a chance to finish.

Instead, I tip my head back before kissing the heck out of him. His lips immediately part against mine as he welcomes the kiss with a brief moan, and then he slides an arm around my waist to draw me closer.

Yes, yes, yes.

In case you were wondering, the moment is absolute bliss.

Compared to our other kisses, this one is a tad bit calmer, but the energy between us is still just as strong. Everything else disappears, we’re kissing like we could do it forever, and I don’t want to stop. All of me is craving this more than should be possible, which is why I kiss him even deeper as I cling to his arms with a happy sigh.

But then Luke starts to drag his mouth away from mine, causing me to whimper in protest.

No, no, no.

He pulls back just enough to study me, and hopefully he can see that my lips are needing some more attention. “As much as I love kissing you,” he murmurs, resting his forehead against mine, “I didn’t get an answer about why you’re upset.”

Oh. That.

I’d rather go back to kissing.

“It’s nothing.”

“You said that already…” His warm breath teases my skin. “And I don’t believe you.”

“It’s stupid,” I attempt to derail him. “And embarrassing.”

“Maybe you’re right. But that doesn’t make it any less valid, whatever it is.”

I can’t believe I’m about to admit this…

“I was jealous,” I whisper, keeping my eyes glued to his chest. “I-I didn’t know your massage therapist was a guy, and I couldn’t stand the idea of you being touched like that by another woman.” I proceed to cringe. “Not that I’d touch you like a massage therapist would. I mean, I would if you wanted me to, but I’m obviously not licensed for that and—”

“You were jealous?” His voice is quiet. Curious. And he lifts his forehead from mine, causing me to finally look at his face again. “That’s why you were upset?”

“I told you it was stupid.”

“It’s not stupid,” he disagrees, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. “I hate that you were upset, but I’m also flattered that you were jealous.” He drags his nose along the curve of my cheek, making me melt all over. “And as for you touching me like a massage therapist would—”

I curse before shaking my head. “That totally came out wrong!”

“I thought it was funny,” he drawls with a chuckle. “I’ll have to take a rain check for someday in the future, if the offer still stands.”

My rampant embarrassment hasn’t gone anywhere, but guess what?

Someday in the future with Luke sounds pretty darn good.

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