Free Take Your Time (Fate and Circumstance #2) by Leddy Harper Page A

water.
    “What? Cat got your tongue?” I teased with a giggle, letting him know I was aware of how much I affected him.
    “You’re really good at this,” he said breathlessly.
    He was so hard to read at times, and so easy at others. Like right now, I knew how turned on he was just from my touch—and not even a sexual touch—yet I couldn’t tell if he felt ashamed at me knowing, or if it didn’t bother him. I’d practically thrown myself at him Saturday night, letting him know I didn’t want the night to end, but he turned me down. Now, here he was in my salon, my hands running through his hair, and somehow, I felt as if he’d still turn me down if I came on to him, even though his desire for me was evident.
    “I’m good at a lot of things, Bentley.” I forced myself to stop the massage and turn on the water to wash the shampoo out. “Would you prefer it if I used cold water to rinse your hair? You seem like you might need it.”
    My eyes widened in shock and my breath caught in my throat when I caught him gripping himself through his jeans, adjusting his position once more in his seat. His brazen action threw me for a loop—I completely did not expect that.
    “Use whatever temperature you want, Sarah. I can handle it.”
    Oh my God . It became my turn to shift uncomfortably where I stood, feeling my lady parts burn with need by the tone of his rugged voice. The insinuations that came from his response lit a fire in my panties unlike anything I’d ever felt before. And the smirk that rose on his lips let me know he was aware of it. Damn him .
    In my rebelliousness, I turned the water all the way to hot, knowing just how scalding it could get, and quickly began to rinse out the suds from his hair. I’d only intended to douse him with it at first, but quickly became sidetracked, forgetting all about the temperature of the water. He flinched a few times and squeezed his eyes shut, but my focus wouldn’t remain on his face like I knew it should. I’d been taught to read a client’s expression while rinsing their hair. It was the easiest way to tell how they felt about the temperature of the water. And even though I’d noticed his wincing, I couldn’t form enough thought to adjust it. My attention became glued to his jeans, to his large, manly hands clasped tight over his groin, to the impressive outline along his thigh. I wanted to see it, feel it…I fantasized about tasting it.
    “Sarah…”
    I didn’t know how many times he’d said my name before it registered in my brain, but when it finally did, I shifted my gaze to his face, noticing he’d tilted his head back and could see my eyes. He knew what I’d been looking at. He’d caught me. And the flames of my embarrassment burned my neck, licking its way up my cheeks.
    I quickly shut off the water and blinked rapidly, shaking my head. My throat worked hard to swallow past the giant lump that felt stuck in my esophagus. My reaction seemed completely foreign to me, considering I wasn’t the type of girl to become flustered over things like this. I knew how to handle myself, and how to play the game better than most men. It’s how I had them eating out of the palm of my hand when I chose to go out and play. But Bentley had a way of twisting everything up for me. He threw me for a loop and didn’t fall in line like the rest of them. He’d managed to get me to open up to him when all I ever did was shut down. He—briefly—made me yearn to have someone to talk to, to hold me, to be there for me. And now, he had me embarrassed and rattled over something I typically excelled in—sex. I’d had the upper hand in the situation, but he’d effortlessly stolen it from me and caught me off guard.
    “Yeah?” I finally asked, clearing my throat in the hopes it would calm me down some. I didn’t want him to see me that way—he’d already seen me vulnerable and crying; he didn’t need to witness my embarrassment as well.
    “I know I said I could handle