LITMIR.BIZ

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In me.”

      She opened her mouth, then closed it again, her thoughts reeling, her heart pounding. He’d been injured, and she couldn’t believe how knowing that affected her. She wanted to comfort him. To heal him. To make him all better.

      She didn’t want to pull her gaze from the faint bruising on his chest and shoulder, but dropped her eyes only to find herself focused on the towel barely covering his waist. Obviously he was serious, and Brianne forced her mind to the task at hand. She needed the money his sister had offered too much to walk away.

      If she saw this job through to the end, she could afford to move west, even if she didn’t get offered a job at the Ranch just yet. Working with Jake posed a challenge, but she’d never been a quitter, not even at the roughest, most exhausting points in her life. So what if she’d been manipulated into this job?

      She pushed aside the hurt and anger and even managed to swallow some pride. He hadn’t set her up; his sister had. But the benefits would be all hers in the long run, and that’s all that mattered. She’d continue as planned, take this job, move into this apartment and rehabilitate this man’s shoulder.

      Oh Lord, what had she gotten herself into?

      

      JAKE MET HER GAZE. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted. The desire to taste those lips had never been stronger. He didn’t know what shocked him more—his sister’s meddling or the woman she’d handpicked as her parting gift. Amazing that she turned out to be a physical therapist.

      No matter what Brianne’s occupation, Jake had no doubt Rina would have found a way to get them together. It just so happened that Brianne was the perfect woman to meet his current needs. And if she kept staring at the towel around his waist with blatant curiosity in her eyes, some of those needs were going to assert themselves, and soon.

      He’d already gotten close enough to smell the lingering fragrance of strawberry in her hair. The scent was fresh and clean in a wholesome way, and yet it aroused a need so strong and intense, he’d been blindsided. For a man with a bad marriage and nasty divorce behind him, who stuck to low-maintenance, no-strings, unemotional relationships, his interest in this woman was too much.

      He sure as hell hadn’t expected to walk out and find her here. His only consolation was that she was obviously just as surprised and a whole lot shaken up. Jake understood. There was no denying the chemistry between them. But attraction was easy; what sizzled between them was not. Something more was at work here than lust. In her heavy-lidded gaze, Jake saw a depth of emotion that made the pull between them much more than just physical.

      He had a hunch she sensed it, too, because in those eyes he’d also seen wariness. He’d thought Brianne—God, how he loved that name—would bolt given the chance. And he ought to let her, Jake thought. Having her here was a distraction he couldn’t afford.

      He needed his mind clear for the job at hand. Capturing Ramirez had to take precedence. He owed it to Frank and, more importantly, he owed it to Frank’s family. Jake could barely face his buddy’s wife and kids. Every time he answered to Uncle Jake, he felt like a goddamn fraud. He couldn’t bring their father back, but he could make sure no one else lost someone they loved to a lowlife named Louis Ramirez. And he would do it himself, leaving no chance for someone else to screw up the bust again.

      “Ready to discuss your rehabilitation, or do you intend to give me as hard a time as you’ve been giving your sister?” Brianne asked.

      Her voice startled him back to reality. She seemed to shore up her defenses and her resolve. His sister had hired her to do a job, and from her squared shoulders and her determined expression it looked as if that’s what she planned to do.

      But rehabilitation was the last thing Jake wanted right now. Rina had obviously told Brianne that he’d been resisting rehab, and that was the impression he wanted the outside world to have. Brianne included. Everyone’s safety—Frank’s family’s, Rina’s, hell, even Jake’s, hinged on taking Ramirez by surprise. Until Jake brought Ramirez in, he needed everyone to think he was being an obstinate SOB. And he could be, given the right motive, he thought wryly.

      With Ramirez out of the picture, Jake could then decide whether or not he wanted to return to the force. He couldn’t allow Brianne Nelson, physical therapist and the object of his desire, to threaten his “extended recovery.” He couldn’t have her reporting back to Rina with stories of his amazing improvement.

      “You know what?” She cleared her throat. “Before we discuss anything more, would you mind putting on some clothes?”

      A smile worked at his mouth. “If you insist.” He’d been too floored seeing her here to give a thought to what he was, or wasn’t, wearing.

      “I have to insist.”

      He met her gaze and discovered that her eyes were a gorgeous shade of green that sparkled beneath the overhead, high-hat lighting.

      “It would help establish the therapist-client relationship,” she explained.

      So she wanted to keep things professional. Or maybe she just wanted him to believe she did. It didn’t matter either way. He knew as well as she did that nothing between them could ever be purely professional. Around her, his heart beat harder, his adrenaline flowed faster, and he was more interested in her than he’d been in anything other than Ramirez since the shooting. He needed the distance she was attempting to place between them too badly to allow their sizzling attraction to screw up his head or his case—something he figured could happen very easily. As long as she wanted to hide behind the illusion of safety, Jake would let her.

      Norton had settled himself on the floor at her feet. Obviously the dog was smarter than Jake had given him credit for. “I’ll take him with me. Come on, boy.”

      Norton lifted his head, then placed it back down between his front paws. Jake groaned. He’d spent the better part of the morning trying to coax the dog out of the moping depression he’d fallen into when Rina had left, suitcases in hand. All he’d gotten for his effort was the doggie bath on his legs when he’d gotten out of the shower. Other than that, the mutt sat crying by Rina’s bedroom door. He glanced from the dog lying happily at Brianne’s feet, to her beautiful face.

      He had to admit Norton had taste. And at least that pathetic whining had stopped. “Do you mind if he stays with you?” he asked, wishing he could do the same thing but knowing he needed some time alone to figure out the best way to avoid rehabilitation with his newly hired therapist.

      She knelt and patted the dog’s head. “Of course, I don’t mind. We’ve become friends, haven’t we, boy.” With a prolonged sigh, Norton rolled onto his back, giving her access to his stomach and other body parts Jake would prefer not to see.

      He rolled his eyes. “Kiss-ass,” he muttered, then turned to Brianne. “Make yourself at home.” He gestured to the living room and hoped she didn’t mind the velvet couches or the marble statues. They weren’t him, but they were here, and there was nothing much he could do about it except get through the summer.

      “Thanks,” she murmured.

      Jake turned and headed for the master bedroom Rina had insisted he take as his own. His body burned and sizzled, and he knew without turning back that Brianne’s gaze followed his retreat. He changed into clothes, still having no idea how best to avoid her rehab.

      Then the telephone rang. He grabbed the receiver. “Hello?”

      “Jake?”

      It was Rina. If she hadn’t already sounded out of breath, Jake would have liked to strangle the breath out of her.

      “Listen, I have some seating problems and I need to rush, but I wanted to check. Did—?”

      “Brianne’s here,” he muttered. “And you should have butted out, Rina.”

      “You and I spent enough time at the café for me to know better. Fate doesn’t send many gifts, and when one arrives, you can’t turn it away. The time Robert and I shared was too short. I want

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