Read Online 04 - Born to be Wilde.txt by Born to be Wilde.txt - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Born to be Wilde.txt
Ads: Link
exterior was going to take effort. Luckily, he closed his eyes and let her do her job. They both remained quiet during the hot stone massage, and she segued right into the actual hands-on massage. When she reached his left thigh, her hands slowed as she caught sight of a jagged line of puckered flesh—the only visible flaw on his otherwise perfect body.
Her fingers grazed over a long, thick scar, at least two inches in length, and beneath that light caress she felt the muscles in his leg tense. His reaction was enough to tell her that having her touch the healed wound made him uncomfortable.
"What happened?" she asked softly, curious to know how he'd hurt himself, and why the scar bothered him so much now.
"A large piece of shrapnel got lodged in my leg," he said gruffly, and didn't expand on the details of the incident.
She glided her thumb one last time over the disfigured skin before moving to his abdomen. "How?" she asked, and glanced up at his face. His eyes were still closed, but there was no mistaking the slight clench of his jaw before he replied.
"A roadside bomb in Iraq," he said, his tone brusque. "An IED, actually."
An improvised explosive device, she thought with a shudder, grateful that he hadn't ended up a casualty.
Her fingers stroked and kneaded over his solid stomach and across his impressive six-pack abs. "What was it like in the service and Iraq?" she asked, curious to know. "Was it really bad?"
His long, sooty lashes slowly lifted, revealing eyes that were carefully guarded. "Why do you want to know?"
She shrugged and glided her hands over his ribs to his chest and solid pecs, bringing her closer to his gorgeous face and his watchful expression. "No matter how many times I asked, Zach wouldn't tell me anything. He refused to talk about the war or his time in the service."
"There was a reason for that, Lora," he said quietly. "There wasn't a whole lot of good stuff to talk about."
And it was clear that Joel didn't want to discuss it, either. "I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry." He closed his eyes again and released a heavy sigh. "I didn't mean to be rude, but our time in the service wasn't a pleasant experience. We saw and did things that no one should ever have to deal with, but we did what we needed to do. What was necessary. For our country, and to protect our own men that we fought side by side with for days on end."
Joel spoke matter-of-factly, but there was an underlying thread of emotion beneath his impassive attitude. Lora had no doubt that Joel and Zach had seen their share of death and heinous attacks, and she respected them both for risking their lives to save others. But at what cost to their own mental state, she wondered?
As much as that question plagued her mind, Lora let it go and finished up their session. She spent a good amount of time on his arms, shoulders, and neck, and felt him relax once again beneath her skilled hands. She worked out any last lingering stress and tension, and when she was finished, she lifted her palms from his body and stepped away from the table.
"You're all set," she said in a low, soothing tone as she recapped the bottle of oil and turned the heat off the stones. "I hope you enjoyed the hot stone massage."
"Ummm, I did." He moved to a sitting position, thankfully remembering to hold on to the towel covering all his manly assets. "Ashley said I'd feel like a new man afterward, and she wasn't kidding. That was beyond anything I could have imagined. Thank you."
"It was my pleasure." More than he would ever know. "Your clothes are behind that screen in the corner, and you can get dressed as soon as I leave the room." She started for the door.
"Wait," he said, stopping her before she reached the exit. "We're not finished yet."
She turned back around and tipped her head, which caused her ponytail to brush across her shoulder. "Did you want another massage session?" She honestly
Her fingers grazed over a long, thick scar, at least two inches in length, and beneath that light caress she felt the muscles in his leg tense. His reaction was enough to tell her that having her touch the healed wound made him uncomfortable.
"What happened?" she asked softly, curious to know how he'd hurt himself, and why the scar bothered him so much now.
"A large piece of shrapnel got lodged in my leg," he said gruffly, and didn't expand on the details of the incident.
She glided her thumb one last time over the disfigured skin before moving to his abdomen. "How?" she asked, and glanced up at his face. His eyes were still closed, but there was no mistaking the slight clench of his jaw before he replied.
"A roadside bomb in Iraq," he said, his tone brusque. "An IED, actually."
An improvised explosive device, she thought with a shudder, grateful that he hadn't ended up a casualty.
Her fingers stroked and kneaded over his solid stomach and across his impressive six-pack abs. "What was it like in the service and Iraq?" she asked, curious to know. "Was it really bad?"
His long, sooty lashes slowly lifted, revealing eyes that were carefully guarded. "Why do you want to know?"
She shrugged and glided her hands over his ribs to his chest and solid pecs, bringing her closer to his gorgeous face and his watchful expression. "No matter how many times I asked, Zach wouldn't tell me anything. He refused to talk about the war or his time in the service."
"There was a reason for that, Lora," he said quietly. "There wasn't a whole lot of good stuff to talk about."
And it was clear that Joel didn't want to discuss it, either. "I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry." He closed his eyes again and released a heavy sigh. "I didn't mean to be rude, but our time in the service wasn't a pleasant experience. We saw and did things that no one should ever have to deal with, but we did what we needed to do. What was necessary. For our country, and to protect our own men that we fought side by side with for days on end."
Joel spoke matter-of-factly, but there was an underlying thread of emotion beneath his impassive attitude. Lora had no doubt that Joel and Zach had seen their share of death and heinous attacks, and she respected them both for risking their lives to save others. But at what cost to their own mental state, she wondered?
As much as that question plagued her mind, Lora let it go and finished up their session. She spent a good amount of time on his arms, shoulders, and neck, and felt him relax once again beneath her skilled hands. She worked out any last lingering stress and tension, and when she was finished, she lifted her palms from his body and stepped away from the table.
"You're all set," she said in a low, soothing tone as she recapped the bottle of oil and turned the heat off the stones. "I hope you enjoyed the hot stone massage."
"Ummm, I did." He moved to a sitting position, thankfully remembering to hold on to the towel covering all his manly assets. "Ashley said I'd feel like a new man afterward, and she wasn't kidding. That was beyond anything I could have imagined. Thank you."
"It was my pleasure." More than he would ever know. "Your clothes are behind that screen in the corner, and you can get dressed as soon as I leave the room." She started for the door.
"Wait," he said, stopping her before she reached the exit. "We're not finished yet."
She turned back around and tipped her head, which caused her ponytail to brush across her shoulder. "Did you want another massage session?" She honestly
Similar Books
