Free Just Desserts by Tricia Quinnies Page A

Turkish bath house.” She glanced at the massage table in the corner.
    He set down the towels next to her. “I think I’m getting tired of this jinxed job and need to finish. I want to go home and enjoy my own digs.”
    “Any aloe vera in this spa?” She popped open the top of the shampoo and sniffed. “I like lemon ginger, too.” She stretched out her sore leg. “Thought something might calm down the throb. In my shin.”
    He shrugged his shoulders and she noticed his broad bare back. It sent a shiver through her.
    “Not sure. I’ll check in the kitchen.” He stepped into the glassed-in shower and turned on the faucet. “The water will take a minute to warm up. Old plumbing.”
    “Thanks. I hate cold showers.”
    “Me, too.” He gave her a cheeky grin and held out his arm. “Grab on and let me help you rinse off the scrape.”
    Grasping his forearm, she stood and leaned toward him for support. His searing body heat caught her off guard. She stumbled slightly and her breast grazed against his chest. For a second, she thought her bra and tank top had disappeared—spontaneously combusted.
    “Careful, hon.” He gently clutched her elbow and led her into the shower. “Hold on to me and stick your leg under the water.”
    We are in the shower, clothes still on. “Sure.”
    They stood outside the perimeter of the flowing water and she extended her leg out to let the tepid water cascade over her shin and rinse out the gash. As a bonus, the water realigned a bit layer of skin that had been ripped away. “Goodie. It doesn’t look as bad but it still stings.”
    “I’ll search for something. Will you be okay alone? While I leave?”
    No. I want to peel off your jeans and kiss you. “I’ll be fine. I’ll finish taking a shower.”
    “Your arms look a little too red. I’ll try and scare up something.”
    After he left the bathroom, Sadie undressed and showered. She became more anxious than ever to get away from the exotic man cave. Quinn kept lighting her up like a Christmas tree. Desire came on quickly and so easily she felt desperate. She scrubbed her scalp with the fancy shampoo.
    After Sadie got out of the shower and dried off, she began easing her bra straps over her arms. The skin boiled under her touch. The late afternoon sun had fried most of her exposed skin while she had stupidly taken a rest on the cooler.
    She tossed away the bra and sat on the sauna bench until a sudden wooziness disappeared. She wrapped a towel around her like a sarong and tiptoed out the bathroom to find aloe, cocoa butter, or even olive oil to cool her skin before she dressed. Then she could make her escape.
    Quinn talked on the phone in the animal menagerie. She found a galley kitchen tripped out with all high-end stainless appliances. While searching in the slick euro cabinets to find olive oil, another sick wave hit her in the gut. This is bad.
    She slouched to the floor to keep the contents of her stomach sequestered.
    “There you are. Come on, let’s get you in bed.” Quinn came into the kitchen with a stack of sheets. He draped an ice-cold cotton sheet around her and picked her up off the marble floor.
    “The cold stone floor kept my skin from melting off me, I think,” she mumbled. “I don’t feel so well.”
    He carried her into a bedroom and laid her on top a four-poster bed covered in ice packs. The cold soothed her overheated skin.
    “Great. I wanted to escape your evil lair, but this feels too wonderful.” She contained her nausea to arrange her towel and make certain nothing spilled out. She couldn’t wait until Quinn left to flip over and cool her thighs on the icy pouches.
    “I couldn’t find any aloe, so I threw some sheets in the freezer while you were showering. There are more in there icing up. I think you’ve got a mild case of sun poisoning. You’re not going anywhere for a day, or two. I talked to your dad and told him what happened.”
    “Right. Your new best friend. You won, Quinn . Ms.