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.