Born to Be Wilde

Chapter Four

LORA tipped her head, lifted an inquiring brow, and regarded Joel with an amused smile. "John Smith, I presume?"

He chuckled, the sound as intimate as the blue-eyed gaze traveling down the length of her body. "I wanted to surprise you."

"You definitely accomplished that."

His gaze slowly, gradually returned to her face, making her all too aware of how drab and sensible she looked compared to how he had seen her at her night job at The Electric Blue. Per the spa's rules for female employees, her hair was pulled back into a neat and tidy ponytail, and she had on a white smock, matching cotton pants, and rubber-soled shoes she wore more for comfort than style.

The outfit certainly wasn't something to inspire a man's lust, yet the spark of desire darkening Joel's gaze was as real as it got. And seductive as hell.

She turned away for a moment-to check the heat setting on the massage stones and make sure they were ready, as well as to compose herself and her response to him-before glancing back at Joel. "I don't know if I'm more surprised to see you here, or more surprised to find out that Ashley St. Claire made special arrangements to fit you in at the last minute."

"It's great to have connections," he said, and grinned shamelessly. "I never know when I'll need to pull in a favor, but it comes in handy at times like this."

"Times like this?" she asked as she picked up one of the warmed basalt stones and placed it on his upper left thigh.

"Yeah. Getting-to-know-you time. You're so busy that I figure I ought to take whatever time with you I can get."

She laughed, truly flattered that he'd call in a favor in order to pursue her. "You didn't have to go to this extreme." She added another stone to the middle of his hamstring, one to the back of his knee, and a smaller stone on the center of his calf.

"Yeah, I did." He let out a low, pleasurable groan as the heat of the stones penetrated the corded muscles along his leg. "I wanted to find out for myself just how good those hands of yours really are," he teased.

Despite the cheesy pickup line, her pulse raced a bit faster. The conversation had definitely taken a turn toward the kind of sensual banter they'd indulged in the night before, and while she enjoyed flirting with Joel, she was at work and wanted to keep things on a purely professional level. If that was possible when she was about to touch, caress, and massage nearly every naked inch of the man.

She placed a new set of heated stones down the length of his right leg and turned the discussion back to something less tempting. "You seem to have connections all over town-last night at The Daily Grind, and now today, with Ashley St. Claire."

"Actually, Ashley St. Claire is really Ashley Wilde," he said in a low, relaxed tone of voice. "She's married to my older brother, Scott, but keeps the St. Claire last name for business purposes."

Lora had no idea, and was intrigued by that bit of information. "Are you serious?"

"Yep." He exhaled a seductive sigh as she set a pile of hot stones on his lower back to warm the muscles there. "So far, most of my connections are among my brothers' and cousins' spouses. That means lots of perks for me."

She heard the lilting humor in his voice and wondered just how large his family was. But instead of asking, she answered with a soft, soothing, "Ummm," and let the moment segue into a comfortable silence.

"Ummm?" He murmured back to her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She smiled to herself and placed more of the therapeutic stones on his wide shoulders, around the nape of his neck, and down along the slope of his spine. "I'm trying to be quiet so you can relax and enjoy the experience."

"I'm enjoying it very much," he assured her in a sexy, rumbling voice that had the same effect as if he were stroking his fingers along her bare breasts and belly.

"Good. Now be quiet." She returned to his left leg, grateful that Joel's eyes were, closed, because her nipples had tightened against her bra, and her body's reaction to him showed through her white work blouse. God, if the man's voice alone could elicit such a searing response, she could only imagine what a kiss, or a slow, deliberate caress of those big hands along her body, could do to her. Make her melt and unravel, she was sure.

"So, what if I want to talk and relax at the same time?" he asked, and groaned as she began massaging his calf and thigh with the warmed stones in firm, upward strokes. "Does that cost extra?"

His humor got the best of her, and she laughed. "No, but most clients would rather take in the music, along with the scent of the aromatherapy candle, and just destress." She moved around to his right leg, and gave it the same massage treatment with the stones.

"Well, I can do all that and talk, too," he assured her. "I'm multitalented that way."

Lora just bet he was. His tone was infused with pure male confidence, hinting at other, more provocative, talents he possessed, as well. "Pleasing the client is my job," she said, and before he could turn that innocent statement into something more suggestive, she added quickly, "What would you like to talk about?"

"You name it. I'm an open book."

And she had to admit that she was way too interested in, and fascinated with, Joel. Picking up two larger, newly warmed basalt stones, she glided them up the sides of his muscled back, all the way up to his neck, then repeated the process again.

"Okay, Mr. Open Book," she said, smiling, "tell me, just how big is your family, anyway? I'm curious about all those perks you get to take advantage of."

"In my family, there are four of us. I have two older brothers, Scott and Alex, and a sister, Mia." He groaned deep in his throat when she hit a particularly tense set of muscles along his neck, then added just the right amount of pressure to ease the taut group of muscles. "Mia is the only girl and the youngest in the family, including my three male cousins, Steve, Eric, and Adrian."

"So, there's seven of you in all," she mused, thinking that there must have been a helluva lot of male testosterone running rampant in the Wilde family, considering six of them had been boys. "Is everyone married or single?"

"The funny thing is, we all were single until a few years ago. And then one by one, my cousins got married and settled down, then my two brothers." His voice was as relaxed as his body, a lazy, deep-timbered sound that told her the massage was doing its job. "Just recently, my sister, Mia, got engaged to Cameron, who is my cousin Steve's business partner. He's a P.I."

Finished using the therapy stones, she removed them from his backside so she could begin the second part of Joel's treatment. "Ahh, one of the perks you were talking about earlier?"

"Definitely," he murmured. "Being a security agent, there are times when certain things need to be investigated or looked into, and Steve and Cameron are two of the best in the biz, with some great connections."

She poured massage oil into her palm and rubbed her hands together to warm the slick substance as she moved back down to the end of the table, to his feet. Wanting to know more about his sister, and the lone female in his family, she kept the conversation going. "Where does your sister, Mia, work?"

"She used to work for the family tile business, as do both of my brothers, but she quit so she could concentrate on the stained glass designs she's been creating for some time now." His toes curled as she kneaded the balls of his feet and pushed her thumbs along the arch. "She's getting ready to open her own gallery here very soon."

She heard the pride in his voice and smiled as she went to work on his other foot, then began kneading the firm muscles in his calves with her palms and fingers.

"Good for her," she said, wishing she had the same kind of support from her own brother when it came to her life and dreams.

"We're all really happy for Mia. She's been through a lot, so it's really nice to see her settled down and satisfied with the direction her life is taking." There was no mistaking the affection and caring he felt toward his youngest sibling. "Now, with everyone pretty much married or heading toward the altar very soon, lots of babies are following. It's kind of cool watching the next generation of Wilde kids grow up."

The thought of Joel being an uncle to a bunch of adorable nieces and nephews, playing with them, warmed her deep inside. Yet, despite his siblings' and cousins' committed relationships and the families they were starting, he didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that he was still single and unattached.

She glided her hands along the back of his knee and up to his hard, muscular thigh. Using her thumbs, she rubbed the taut tendons along his hamstring, all the way up to his buttock, with firm, deep strokes. "So, I take it you're the token confirmed bachelor of the family?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," he said, and grunted when she dug deep into a knot of muscle to work out the tension. "I've pretty much resigned myself to being a bachelor. It suits me and my lifestyle, so I can't complain."

She switched to his other leg, telling herself that she ought to take his open and honest admission about his permanent single status at face value and proceed with caution, But the awareness between them was strong and sexual… and undeniable. And the temptation of physical pleasure beckoned to that part of her that had been without a man's touch and attention for so long.

A comfortable silence fell between them as she finished the lower portion of his body. As her hands slid beneath the towel to massage his toned buttocks, she realized that Joel's breathing had grown shallow and even, and his body lax and pliant. He was either in a deep state of contentment, or he'd fallen asleep.

Either way, she wasn't going to bother him with more conversation. She oiled up her hands again and went to work on his upper back. Placing both hands at the base of his spine, she slowly, gradually, made her way up all that hard, sleek flesh and contoured muscle, kneading out a variety of knots she encountered along the way and massaging the oil deep into tense muscles and his smooth skin.

The man had a body to die for. Amazingly well built, toned to perfection, and made for sex, sin, and all kinds of wicked delights. It had been forever, if ever, that she'd touched a body so incredibly strong and powerful, and because she had Joel in such a relaxed state, she did something she'd never, ever done before during a professional massage. Something forbidden and decadent and just for her. She closed her eyes and immersed herself in the sheer, sensual pleasure of stroking his warm, golden skin, and just let herself feel and enjoy.

She continued the massage, going purely by touch, skill, and years of practice. Her palms and fingers outlined the shape of his back and glided over hard planes and rippling muscle before she pressed her thumbs firmly along each one of his vertebrae, all the way up to his neck. She kneaded and massaged his broad shoulders, then went to work on each of his muscled arms.

With her eyes closed, her other senses came alive, adding to the desire unfurling within her. She could hear Joel's steady breathing and the soft background music, could feel the thickly corded tendons in each of his arms, despite how lax and pliant the rest of his body was. But most of all, every time she inhaled, she not only drew in the fragrance of rosewood, but also the arousing scent of a hot-blooded male.

Undeniably turned on, her own body responded to the onslaught of sensations. Her breasts grew tight, her stomach tumbled, and between her thighs she pulsed with a need she ached to fulfill. Not in a dream or in a fantasy, but for real, with this man sliding deep, deep inside of her…

She heard a moan and snapped her eyes back open, horrified by the possibility that the telltale sound had escaped her lips. But then she heard it again, the tone alternating between a low growl and a soft rumble of pleasure.

"God, that feels good," Joel murmured huskily. "You do have amazing, magical hands."

"Thank you." She felt herself blush, and wasn't sure if it was because of where her thoughts had strayed before he'd interrupted them, or from his compliment. "I'm ready for you to turn over."

He hesitated. "Ummm, so soon?"

"So soon?" She laughed lightly and moved down to the single towel draped over his butt, holding it in place so he could turn over without revealing any private parts. "I just spent forty minutes on your back side."

"I know, but… are you easily shocked?" he asked.

The odd question confused her. "No. Why?"

He lifted up on his forearms and twisted around to glance back at her. He wore an adorably sheepish grin on his face that made him look like a naughty little boy who was about to be caught doing something bad. "I really enjoyed that massage. A whole lot," he said meaningfully. "Especially having your hands all over me, and there was something incredibly sensual about your touch that, well, certain parts of my anatomy couldn't help but react to."

The warmth in her cheeks grew hotter as understanding sunk in. Obviously, the massage had aroused him as much as it had her. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." His gaze flickered with laughter, along with something hotter, like lust. "I'm not a shy guy at all. The Marines pretty much stripped me of any modesty, but I just didn't want you to think I'm some kind of pervert. I swear I tried to keep my mind on other things during the massage, but considering how attracted I am to you, nature kind of took its own course."

At least she hadn't been the only one who'd allowed a few touches and caresses to get her all hot and bothered-a first for her, but then again she'd never been so attracted to a client before.

"I promise not to swoon or faint from embarrassment," she said with a grin. "But I do appreciate the warning. Now go ahead and turn over onto your back."

She pinned one end of the towel securely to the table with her hip, then discreetly lifted the other end a few inches so he could shift and move to his back. Once he was done and settled, she re-draped the towel and tucked the ends around his hips and thighs.

Oh, yeah, he was definitely, impressively aroused, and maintaining that professional exterior was going to take effort. Luckily, he closed his eyes and let her do her job. They both remained quiet during the hot stone massage, and she segued right into the actual hands-on massage. When she reached his left thigh, her hands slowed as she caught sight of a jagged line of puckered flesh-the only visible flaw on his otherwise perfect body.

Her fingers grazed over a long, thick scar, at least two inches in length, and beneath that light caress she felt the muscles in his leg tense. His reaction was enough to tell her that having her touch the healed wound made him uncomfortable.

"What happened?" she asked softly, curious to know how he'd hurt himself, and why the scar bothered him so much now.

"A large piece of shrapnel got lodged in my leg," he said gruffly, and didn't expand on the details of the incident.

She glided her thumb one last time over the disfigured skin before moving to his abdomen. "How?" she asked, and glanced up at his face. His eyes were still closed, but there was no mistaking the slight clench of his jaw before he replied.

"A roadside bomb in Iraq," he said, his tone brusque. "An IED, actually."

An improvised explosive device, she thought with a shudder, grateful that he hadn't ended up a casualty.

Her fingers stroked and kneaded over his solid stomach and across his impressive six-pack abs. "What was it like in the service and Iraq?" she asked, curious to know. "Was it really bad?"

His long, sooty lashes slowly lifted, revealing eyes that were carefully guarded. "Why do you want to know?"

She shrugged and glided her hands over his ribs to his chest and solid pecs, bringing her closer to his gorgeous face and his watchful expression. "No matter how many times I asked, Zach wouldn't tell me anything. He refused to talk about the war or his time in the service."

"There was a reason for that, Lora," he said quietly. "There wasn't a whole lot of good stuff to talk about."

And it was clear that Joel didn't want to discuss it, either. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." He closed his eyes again and released a heavy sigh. "I didn't mean to be rude, but our time in the service wasn't a pleasant experience. We saw and did things that no one should ever have to deal with, but we did what we needed to do. What was necessary. For our country, and to protect our own men that we fought side by side with for days on end."

Joel spoke matter-of-factly, but there was an underlying thread of emotion beneath his impassive attitude. Lora had no doubt that Joel and Zach had seen their share of death and heinous attacks, and she respected them both for risking their lives to save others. But at what cost to their own mental state, she wondered?

As much as that question plagued her mind, Lora let it go and finished up their session. She spent a good amount of time on his arms, shoulders, and neck, and felt him relax once again beneath her skilled hands. She worked out any last lingering stress and tension, and when she was finished, she lifted her palms from his body and stepped away from the table.

"You're all set," she said in a low, soothing tone as she recapped the bottle of oil and turned the heat off the stones. "I hope you enjoyed the hot stone massage."

"Ummm, I did." He moved to a sitting position, thankfully remembering to hold on to the towel covering all his manly assets. "Ashley said I'd feel like a new man afterward, and she wasn't kidding. That was beyond anything I could have imagined. Thank you."

"It was my pleasure." More than he would ever know. "Your clothes are behind that screen in the corner, and you can get dressed as soon as I leave the room." She started for the door.

"Wait," he said, stopping her before she reached the exit. "We're not finished yet."

She turned back around and tipped her head, which caused her ponytail to brush across her shoulder. "Did you want another massage session?" She honestly didn't know if she could handle another hour or more of touching that body of his in a platonic manner.

"No. Not another massage, though the thought is very tempting." He winked at her, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously. "Actually, I want you to go out with me tonight."

A tiny thrill raced through her, until she remembered her hectic schedule that left little time for a social life. It was Friday, and that meant a late night shift at The Electric Blue. "I can't," she said, unable to disguise her disappointment and regret. "I'm working at the bar until closing."

"Tomorrow night, then?" he asked hopefully.

Normally, she worked a full day and night on Saturdays, but she'd managed to free up the entire day. Sydney had offered her the evening off, which Lora had taken, since it was rare that she had a weekend night off. As for the spa, one of the other massage therapists had asked Lora to switch her Sunday day off with the other woman's Saturday, and Lora had jumped at the chance to have an entire day and night to herself.

"Actually, Saturday is my only full day off this week." And she really did have errands to run and things she needed to catch up on that she'd been putting off for a good week, like laundry, grocery shopping, and paying bills.

"And what better way to spend the evening than with me?" He treated her to one of those devastating grins. Coupled with the fact that he was sitting only feet away from her, completely naked beneath that small towel and looking like a Greek god, she was hard pressed to resist.

She shifted in her rubber-soled shoes and bit her bottom lip, seriously considering his very persuasive offer. There were so many reasons why she ought to turn him down, but whatever was happening between her and Joel, she was oh-so-tempted to throw her normal caution to the wind, go for it, and enjoy whatever he was willing to give.

It had been so long since she'd done anything just for the sheer pleasure of it. And longer still since she'd had such a sizzling, captivating chemistry with a man, along with a connection that went beyond the physical. She liked the way he made her feel, so why not?

The best part was, she knew the score going in, and so did Joel. She wasn't looking for anything permanent, not with her erratic work schedule and visions of opening her own spa, and Joel had made it clear that he was a confirmed bachelor, and liked it that way. There would be no unrealistic expectations between them, just a few fun, enjoyable dates, and hopefully a whole lot of hot, satisfying kisses.

"Come on, Lora," he cajoled when she took too long to answer. "I'll even pick you up on my bike and take you for the ride of your life."

Oh, he was definitely pulling out all the stops to sway her, and there was no denying that he'd wanted her to think about that fast and fierce conversation they'd had the previous night, along with her being the first woman to ever ride his bike with him.

She was hooked. "Okay, I'll go out with you tomorrow night, but it's only because I really want a ride on your motorcycle."

He chuckled and watched as she crossed the room to one of the counters and pulled open a drawer to retrieve a pad of paper and a pen. "Hey, that works for me."

She jotted down her home and cell phone numbers, and her address, then turned back around to give him the piece of paper. Realizing he had nowhere to put the information-not unless she wanted to tuck it into his itty-bitty towel-she set the note back on the counter for him to get later, when he was dressed. "You can pick me up at six."

"Perfect." He grinned like a man who was very pleased with his powers of persuasion. "I'll be there."

She left the room with a smile on her face, thinking that Sydney would be very proud of her for saying yes to Joel.