In His Brother's Place by Elizabeth Lane Read Free Book Online

a groan. He knew better than to think he could take her. But he ached to have her close enough to touch. Earlier, the smooth tautness of her muscles beneath his hands had roused his senses. Now the desire to smell her damp hair and feel the satiny warmth of her skin through her wet shirt burned away all caution.
    “We never did finish that shoulder rub.” His voice emerged thick and husky.
    Her lips parted, but she said nothing to stop him as he moved alongside her and turned her shoulders away from him. He’d promised not to lay an ungentlemanly hand on her. But a friendly massage hardly qualified as improper, especially when the lady appeared willing.
    He heard the sharp intake of her breath as his thumbs worked the tightness from the base of her neck. She was small-boned, almost fragile to the touch. But Jordan knew that beneath her softness was a core of tempered steel. Angelina Montoya was not a woman to be trifled with. He’d do well to remember that—now and in the days ahead.
    * * *
    Angie stifled a moan as his skilled fingers moved downward. What had begun as a chaste massage in the patio garden was evolving into something warm and sensual.
    In the four years since Justin’s death, she hadn’t even dated. At first she’d been grieving. Then she’d been too busy rebuilding her life, earning a living and caring for her son. Strange, she’d almost forgotten how it felt to be touched by a man.
    Delicate nerve endings quivered under the pressure of Jordan’s strong thumbs, shooting spirals of heat down her limbs and into the root of her belly. Slumbering urges woke and trembled. The moisture that slicked the crotch of her bikini had nothing to do with being in the water. Her control was sliding away and she had no will to stop it.
    She should say something, she thought—start a conversation about something trivial that would break the tension. But her mind refused to form words, and Jordan wasn’t talking, either.
    Angie’s head fell back as he manipulated her shoulder blades, working away the tension. Her nipples contracted like tiny fists, throbbing deliciously. How would it feel if his hands were to slide around to cradle her breasts through the clinging fabric of her T-shirt? Would he do it? Heaven help her, did she want him to?
    His fingers had reached the hem of her shirt. Slipping them beneath, he kneaded the small of her back. His touch on her bare skin triggered a rush like water breaking through winter ice. Her pulse slammed as his hands slid up her spine.
    And abruptly halted.
    “Massage over.” He withdrew his hands and eased away from her. She turned, staring at him in the darkness.
    “I made you a promise, Angie.” His voice was a growl. “I don’t intend to break it, especially not on your second night here. Now off to bed for both of us. It’s getting late, and I’ve got meetings in town tomorrow.”
    Hot-faced, she found the step, pushed out of the pool and grabbed the robe she’d left nearby. Wrapping it around her dripping body, she looked back. Jordan was still in the hot tub. “Aren’t you coming?” she asked.
    “In a minute. Go on.” He glanced down at the water. Only then did it hit her. The seemingly innocent massage had affected Jordan, too—in a way a man couldn’t hide.
    Knotting the robe and yanking it tight, she fled to the dressing room.
    * * *
    How could she have let it happen?
    Angie lay awake in the darkness, her thoughts churning.
    From the first time she’d met him, Jordan Cooper had been her enemy. He’d fought against her engagement to Justin, and, like the rest of his family, he almost certainly blamed her for his brother’s plane crash. Rightly so, Angie reminded herself. If she’d taken the money he’d offered and broken their engagement, Justin would still be alive.
    Jordan had every reason to hate her.
    Now she was under his roof, and she had something he wanted—Justin’s son. He was already insinuating himself into her little boy’s life; and