Free Arrested Pleasure by Holli Winters Page A

"Did you enjoy your massage?"
    she asked him.
    Cassie heard him chuckle. "It was um . . . interesting."
    "Hmm . . . I spotted Dani running down the hallway. Of course, I didn't hear anything." Lola tugged her ear. "I think I need my hearing aids adjusted."
    Cassie took a deep breath. She needed to pretend everything appeared normal.
    She spun around to face him. "I suppose you should get a reduced price since we were interrupted. I'm sorry about"—she glanced at the bent head of Lola, who was now engrossed in the appointment book—"my shock at seeing you again."
    "You two are acquainted with each other? You didn't tell me this earlier."
    Cassie gritted her teeth as Lola gazed at them curiously. Some days weren't worth it to get out of bed. "Not really. We met a few days ago, and I didn't catch his name." She shifted her attention to him. "I didn't expect him to show up here, or if I'd been aware, I'd let one of the other therapists take care of him." She glared at him, daring him to argue.
    He nonchalantly shrugged. "I didn't have a clue until you screamed."
    "How wonderful." Lola clapped her hands. "I'll make the next appointment—"
    "There won't be a next appointment." Cassie knew her tone sounded brusque, but she didn't care. "Goodbye, Mr. Banks."
    His eyes narrowed. She blithely returned his gaze. She wasn't going to back down.
    "Oh! I'm sorry." Lola fidgeted awkwardly. "Uh, well, let me take over." She cleared her throat, staring at Cassie.

    Deciding the conversation had ended, Cassie strode to her desk and sat down.
    She tapped on the power to her computer, intent on ignoring Judson Banks at the reception desk. He continued to talk in low tones with Lola while she pretended not to listen.
    Damn. Go away.
    She signed onto her program and bent her head to focus on her books. After a moment, footsteps headed her way. Cassie paused and stiffened, but didn't lift her head.
    "Cassie, can we talk?"
    She glanced up, met his hazel eyes . . . and nearly melted.
    He was too sexy for her sanity.
    "Yes?" She lowered her gaze and tried to concentrate on the vase of roses on Lola's desk. Maybe if she didn't stare at him she wouldn't have any panty melting thoughts. "Do you need something? I'm sort of busy."
    "We need to get a few things straight."
    "About what? I gave you a discount on the massage. Isn't that satisfactory?"
    "This is not about the massage." He hesitated, and she stole a glance at him. He seemed flustered, not the ruthless, self-assured man she'd seen up until now. "It's about the other . . . day. At Gavin's."
    Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Lola as she leaned forward, listening to their conversation. The one thing Cassie didn't have around here was privacy, and she didn't want Lola to find out about what happened between them .
    Jumping up, Cassie grabbed her purse. "Okay, let's go across the street to the deli. They have terrific coffee." She didn't spare Lola a glance, afraid the other woman would see the guilty little secret in her eyes.
    His mouth dropped open, but he didn't argue as he followed her out the door.

    Warm sunshine greeted them. The rush hour had begun, and traffic picked up on the roadway. The sooner they got this "thing" out in the open and over with, the better off she'd be. Every time she looked at him, her insides tingled with memories of his mouth—and hands—on her.
    Stepping off the sidewalk, she checked the traffic and then started across.
    "Watch it!" he yelled as he grabbed her arm. A car zoomed by, narrowly missing them.
    She backed up—right into his arms.
    "Are you crazy? These idiots will run you down." He pulled her closer to his solid body, his arms circling her waist.
    She willed her heart to stop thumping. "The street is usually not hard to cross—"
    "Well, with the cars whizzing by, you'd be crazy to try to cross Front Street." She almost flinched when he began to stroke her arm. The closeness reminded her of the other day. Memories came flooding back of how