Free Through the Night by Janelle Denison Page B

his seat so that his knees were almost touching hers. “Give me your foot,” he said, intending on both distracting her and taking the edge off her anxiety.
    She eyed him warily. “Why?”
    “Stop being so suspicious,” he chastised lightly. Reaching down, he curved his hand along her silky smooth calf and gently lifted her leg so that her foot was in his lap. “I promise I’m not going to suck on your toes or do anything else inappropriate,” he said with humor as he slipped her sandal off and let it drop to the floor. “I’m going to help you relax.”
    A delicate brow arched skeptically.
    Ignoring her misgivings, he decided to let his fingers do the convincing. In a slow, firm stroke, he massaged both his thumbs along the arch of her foot all the way up to her pink painted toes, and was rewarded with a low moan of pleasure from her that made him grin. As he continued to press and rub certain pressure points in her foot, the tension from her body eased—despite the few bumps the plane continued to hit along the way.
    “Okay, I hate to admit it, but you’re good,” she murmured, her lashes drooping and her hands no longer clutching the armrests. “ Really good. Where did you learn how to do this?”
    “I was on a job in China about a year ago and I went to a massage parlor there,” he said as he applied a steady pressure with his thumbs just below the pad of her foot that coaxed a soft sigh of contentment from her. “The woman used these amazing massage and acupressure techniques on my feet and other body parts that completely destressed me. It was incredibly therapeutic.”
    Her head lolled against the back of her leather seat, and a lazy smile lifted the corner of her too-kissable mouth. “Did your massage come with a happy ending?”
    He chuckled and shook his head. “Nah, not my thing, though it would be my pleasure to give you another happy ending if you want.”
    Realizing that he’d been very aware of her orgasm last night, a pink flush suffused her cheeks, and she ducked her head in embarrassment. “I’ll pass and just stick with the foot massage, thank you very much.”
    “Aww, you’re no fun.” He picked up her other foot and repeated the same process along the arch, giving it equal treatment. “How about you just close your eyes and completely relax.”
    She did as he asked, and he continued to knead and rub her foot as the plane finally found its way out of the turbulence. In time, and because he was enjoying this free moment of touching her, he slid his hands around to her ankle, then gradually skimmed beneath the hem of her gauzy skirt and up to her calf. The muscles there were strong and toned and so damn sexy, and he dragged his thumbs upward along the delineation of lithe muscle until he reached the back of her knee.
    He stroked his fingers along that sensitive spot behind her leg, envisioning what it would feel like to have her slender thighs wrapped tight around his waist, and her lips parted on a soft intake of breath. Oh, she was definitely relaxed, her body soft and pliant in his hands, but now he was the one who was suddenly tense, aroused, and very aware of her as a woman.
    Her skin was warm and sensual against his fingertips, and he had to suppress the urge to let his hand wander higher, along the inside of her thigh. But that didn’t stop his mind from traveling there and imagining her legs parting for him, welcoming the caress of his fingers in intimate places, the touch of his open mouth on her flesh, and the slow, gradual lap of his tongue all the way up to her …
    “Stop it,” she murmured huskily.
    Chase jerked his gaze upward and found Valerie watching him, her eyes heavy lidded and filled with desire, which completely surprised him. His hand was still on her calf, and while his thoughts might have gone down an erotic path, he hadn’t actually touched her in any way that could be construed as improper or blatantly sexual.
    “Stop what?” he asked cautiously,