Something Wild by Patti Berg Read Free Book Online

more rapidly than the light thud of his footsteps on the floor. There was nothing immoral about what they were doing, but it looked far from innocent. Deep inside she wondered if Mike had any lascivious thoughts on his mind. He might be a minister, but he was also a man, and she couldn’t imagine any man carrying a woman to bed—and then leaving without trying ... something.
    Much to her dismay, he didn’t leave her. He set her down gently in the middle of the big soft mattress and fluffed some pillows behind her back. A fat dollop of nervousness settled in her throat as he dropped his hat, gloves, and coat on a chintz-upholstered wingback chair, sat on the edge of the bed, and drew her booted foot into his lap.
    Okay, so maybe he
was
just going to look at her ankle, but his gentlemanly ways didn’t ease her nerves.
    He put one hand on the heel of her boot and the other just above her ankle. “This might hurt.”
    “I’m pretty tough.”
    His gaze settled on hers for just a moment, and he smiled softly. “I’ve noticed.”
    She noticed him, too, and she concentrated on him as he carefully worked at removing the boot without jarring her ankle. His hair was as black as a starless night, flattened at his temples from his hat, but she could easily see that it was thick and neatly trimmed around the ears and the nape of his neck. With her imagination running amuck, she envisioned a wavy lock falling over his forehead. Wasn’t that a prerequisite for all gorgeous men?
    And his body. She couldn’t see his muscles, but she knew they were hard and well defined, after all, they’d been stuck in a saddle together, their bodies rubbing against each other for the longest time, and she’d been able to feel his power even through their heavy clothes. He stood a good six-foot-four if not more, so tall that even she would have to stand on tip toes to kiss him—if she wanted to kiss him, which she didn’t, but the thought had surprisingly crossed her mind.
    She’d noticed all those things and more about him when she’d seen him that first time at Lauren and Max’s wedding, but she’d forgotten the breadth of his shoulders, the strength of his chest, and just how flat his stomach was. She remembered now, and she doubted she’d ever forget.
    Was it a sin to admire a minister’s body? she wondered.
    A jolt of pain ripped through her ankle and up her leg when he slid the boot from her foot. Was that payback for thinking about Mike’s physique?
    His gaze shot toward her. “You all right?”
    She nodded, then laughed inside at her ridiculous notions. The world would be in pretty miserable shape if everyone who’d ever took delight in gazing at a marvelous body was found guilty of committing a grievous sin.
    She rested against the pillows Mike had stacked between her and the headboard and breathed slowly, easily, as she watched Mike pull off her heavy wool sock. He cupped one hand around her heel and with the other gently examined her ankle. “Does this hurt?” He moved her foot easily, checking to see if it was swollen, to see if he heard any cracks or pops, but she didn’t feel anything more than the tenderness of his touch, the heat of his fingers.
    “I’ve sprained it a few times. I know the difference between twisting it and doing real damage.”
    He didn’t turn his head from what he was doing, but he looked up at her through thick black lashes. “And you still dance?”
    “Would you give up being a minister if you had a sore throat?”
    He shook his head slowly.
    “Dancers don’t give up because of sprained or tender ankles, either. Fortunately I’m between jobs right now, so this little mishap won’t be much of a problem.”
    “I thought you were in some big stage show.”
    She wondered if he realized that he was rubbing the bottom of her foot, his callused thumb making small circles on her skin. Slow circles. Sensual circles.
    Her heart fluttered. So did a million butterflies in her stomach. She took a