Free The Mechanic by Trinity Marlow Page B

remained serious, and there was a wariness in his eyes that wasn't normally there.
    She pulled away, her letting her smile fade as she looked around the small, utilitarian bathroom. Something wet slipped down her arm, and she frowned, looking at the strap of her bra with growing unease. Why would she take a bath with her underwear on? Everything came back like a freight train, and she pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly as she remembered Mike taking her clothes off. Or had that just been part of the dream?
    She shivered, cold suffusing her body just as the heat had earlier. "I...um...sorry," she said, positive her face was beat red. "I didn't...I mean, I thought I was dreaming." As soon as the words were out, she wanted them back. Had she really just told Mike Galway she was dreaming about him? Or implied that she had, anyways? This day really couldn't get any worse, could it?
    "It's okay. You had heat exhaustion. I had to cool you off before it turned into heat stroke, and this was the quickest way to do that." He stood up, opening a cabinet somewhere behind her. "Come on, I'll help you out. You need to drink some water."
    "Um, thanks, but you can just leave a towel. I can take it from here." He wanted her to stand up while he watched? She didn't think so. At least he'd left her bra and panties on, but they were nearly sheer dry, and wouldn't hide anything wet. Besides, she needed to take them off. The wet fabric was making her skin crawl.
    He didn't move. "Sorry, but I don't want you falling and cracking your head open if you're still dizzy when you stand up. 'Fraid you're stuck with me for awhile longer."
    She looked up at him, holding a towel open for her. His flat expression made her want to scream. "I'm not getting out of this tub while you're here. And that's final." She looked at the wall in front of her, planning to ignore him until he left. From the corner of her eye she saw the towel swing down as he laid it nearby on the sink. Relaxing a little, she waited for him to leave as she shivered in the cool water.
    Then strong hands slipped under her arms and hauled her up out of the water. Her back practically sizzled when it made contact with that broad, bare chest, and she gasped at the hard ridge in his pants that nestled snuggly in the crack of her ass as he held her tight. Her head spun, and she knew that if he hadn't been holding her she would have slipped to the floor. By the time the room was steady again, he'd wrapped the towel around her and hoisted her into his arms.
    Mortified, she wasn't sure what to do as he carried her out of the room and set her down on a bed. "Do you always just force women to do what you want, or am I a special case?" she asked, something telling her she really didn't want to know the answer.
    A hint of a smile played at the corner of his mouth as he placed one hand on either side of her and leaned in, forcing her to lay back on the bed if she wanted any space at all. "I like to be in charge," he said, his face just inches from hers, his hard thighs pressing hers open. "And I think," he paused, staring deeply into her eyes, "that you need someone to be in charge. At least until you're feeling better." He pushed away then, and left her panting on the bed as she tried to catch her breath.
    "I left some shorts and a t-shirt on the bed for you. Sorry I didn't have any ladies underwear, but you can hang yours in the bathroom to dry. I'll be back in ten minutes to check on you." His footsteps were firm on the floor as he walked out, shutting the door behind him with a click.
    * * *
    Alyssa stared at the ceiling after he left. If his intention had been to cool her down, he'd failed miserably. He liked to be in charge? What was that all about? Images of kinky activities she'd read about in her special ebook file came to mind, and her cheeks burned wondering what it would be like to actually do some of them. With Mike.
    Warm moisture pooled between her legs at the thought, and