The Devaney Brothers: Michael and Patrick: Michael's Discovery

Kelly nodded.

He struggled awkwardly from the chair to the table, then stretched out facedown. Kelly put some of her aromatic oil on his injured leg and began to massage, trying to ignore the body heat the man put out. If she were ever stranded outdoors in a blizzard, Michael was definitely the man she’d want with her. He emitted heat like a blast furnace.

His muscles were also knotted with tension, probably due in part to her. She smoothed her hands over his powerful thigh and down the length of his calf until she finally felt the tension begin to ease.

The massage probably went on longer than necessary because she enjoyed touching him so much, enjoyed the fact that for once they weren’t at odds, enjoyed even more the soft sigh of pleasure that eased through him.

It was the sigh, though, that snapped her back to reality and reminded her that the massage was not about her enjoyment, or even his. It was therapy, a prelude to some of the stretching exercises she’d scheduled for today. Kelly had a feeling that one reason she’d put off getting to those was the knowledge that Michael was going to be indignant that she wasn’t assigning him anything more strenuous.

“Okay, that’s it,” she forced herself to say finally.

Michael sat up slowly and regarded her with confusion. “For the day? We’re finished?”

She smiled at his obvious dismay. “Not just yet. I have some stretching exercises for you to try. It’ll help with getting those torn muscles and ligaments back into shape.”

As she’d expected, he frowned.

“Stretching?” he asked disdainfully. “Come on, Kelly, can’t we move beyond that?”

She regarded him evenly. “You straighten that injured leg out and do ten leg lifts and we’ll reevaluate my plan.”

“Piece of cake,” he boasted.

“Okay, then, let’s see it,” she said, her arms folded across her chest as she stood back and waited.

She wasn’t the least bit surprised when he couldn’t get his leg to straighten completely. Nor when his first attempt to lift it in the air had sweat beading on his brow. He was wincing in obvious pain as he finally managed to raise the leg a scant three or four inches.

“Okay, you win,” he grumbled, scowling fiercely. “But nobody likes a know-it-all woman, you know.”

“I don’t need you to like me,” she said cheerfully. “I just need you to trust me.”

“Sweetheart, there are very few people on earth I trust,” he said bitterly. “I don’t know you well enough for you to make the cut.”

The comment tore straight through her, but she forced herself not to let it show. “Then maybe we need to do something to change that.”

His gaze narrowed. “Such as?”

“Spend some time together.”

Her response clearly startled him.

“You’re asking me out?” he inquired warily.

Kelly’s pulse skittered crazily at the idea, but she kept her tone even. “As if I’d date an ill-tempered old man like you,” she taunted.

He frowned at that. “I’m only three years older than you.”

She grinned. “I notice you didn’t try to argue with the ill-tempered part.”

He shrugged. “Didn’t see much point in it. When you’re right, you’re right. I’ll try to stop taking my bad moods out on you.”

“Thank you.”

“So, if you weren’t suggesting a date, what were you suggesting?”

“Just getting out in the world. It’ll give me a chance to evaluate your motor skills in a more realistic setting, and you can ask me whatever questions are on your mind.”

He regarded her doubtfully. “And you think that will build trust?”

“Couldn’t hurt,” she said.

“What do you think your brother will have to say about you and me going out?”

“Bryan doesn’t interfere in my work. For that matter, though, he’s welcome to come along.” Maybe her brother could smooth things over between them, keep her from saying the wrong thing, or at the very least, keep Michael from misinterpreting what she said and taking offense. “Is it a deal?”

He seemed to be struggling with the offer, weighing it from every angle to see if he could find a catch. Kelly could almost see the wheels in his head turning. She realized then that this whole trust business was a far larger issue than she’d first assumed. Obviously it had to do with his family background. How on earth could she be expected to overcome that kind of distrust in a few short therapy sessions?

She looked him in the eye. “Or would you prefer to start over with another therapist.”

“No,” he said at once.

She might have found the quick response flattering if she didn’t suspect it had more to do with his dread of wasting time searching for someone new than it did with her.

“Okay, then,” she said. “Pick a day and we’ll get together.”

“Friday,” he suggested finally. “I promised my sister-in-law today that I’d go to the pub Friday evening. Why don’t you and Bryan come along?”

Kelly nodded. “Sounds good. Want us to pick you up? You’re on our way.”

“Sure,” he said eventually, as if he’d wrestled with that decision, too.

She grinned at him. “You’re not sacrificing your independence, you know. You really are on our way.”

He gave her a self-deprecating grin that made Kelly’s heart flip over.

“I know,” he admitted. “That’s why I finally gave in. I’m stubborn. I’m not an idiot.”

She laughed then. “A distinction I’ll try to remember.”

His expression sobered. “So will I. I really am sorry for giving you such a rough time. It’s just that all this is so blasted frustrating.”

She patted his hand. “Compared to some people I’ve worked with, you’re downright sweet-natured.”

Michael winced at the description, just as she’d expected him to.

“Don’t worry,” she reassured him. “I won’t let it get around. I imagine you big, tough SEALs pride yourselves on being as cantankerous as they come.”

“You’d better believe it,” he agreed, his fierce expression belied by the twinkle in his eyes. After an instant, the sparkle dimmed. “Of course, ex-SEALs are another breed entirely.”