Page 77 of Apparently, I’m Trouble

The freakouts I’d had were nothing compared to what I was feeling now. I was lying on my stomach in nothing but my underwear, about to have Theo rub warm oil on my bare skin.

Come on. Make it make sense.

I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped the edge of the massage table. This was fine. Totally fine. Professional. Clinical. Nothing to freak out about.

Except it was Theo.

His mouth had been on mine. His hands had pressed into my waist, pinning me to a wall as I ground down on him. And now, those same hands were supposed to work the knots out of my muscles?

Yeah, no. This wasn’t fine.

I was so in my head about it that I barely heard him walk in. The door shut softly, blocking out the light from the hallway, and my muscles seized. I curled my toes, bracing myself.

“You’re tense,” he said, voice low.

I spoke into the cushioned table. “It’s a little hard not to be.”

His fingers slid around my foot, and I let out a squeak as his thumb pressed into the arch. His voice was low, calm. “Try and forget that it’s me.”

I swallowed and said, “Okay,” but it was impossible. His hand slid up and over me. From my foot to my leg. To my ass. And I just couldn’t help it. Theo was touching my ass.

“I can’t do this.”

I grabbed the towel and sat up. He was probably waiting for me to say those exact words. He’d let me get dressed, walk out of here, and schedule a new appointment for next week. My regression couldn’t be that bad. I could survive without treatment.

He stepped around the table, and I stared at his back–his beautiful, broad back–as he folded his sleeves over his forearms and picked up a bottle.

“Theo, I’m not comfortable with this.”

He glanced at me over his shoulder as he poured slick, warm oil into his hands. The last thing I expected was the quiet patience in his voice when he said, “You don’t trust me.”

I bit my bottom lip as he came back to the table. I didn’t know how to answer that.

“Mia, this is my office. You’re my client.” He bent just enough to meet my eyes. “You’re safe with me.”

I knew that. I wasn’t afraid of him. I was afraid of me.

I couldn’t remember wanting anyone’s touch as much as I wanted his.

He ran his hands down my thighs, along the length of my legs, crouching to the ground to reach my feet. My stomach swooped, my skin prickled, and I held back a moan as he worked my heel.

“Lie back. Let me take care of you.”

He cupped my calf, working the tight muscle there, and this time, I couldn’t keep a whimper from slipping out.

I glanced back at the door once, pursed my lips, and did as he asked.

“Fine. But only because you’ve already put oil on me.”

Chapter 32

Theo

I didn’t know why I talked her into staying.

If Mia knew about her regression, understood our full schedule, and still chose to leave, then the issue would’ve been taken out of my hands.

But as my hands skimmed over her soft, warm skin, I knew. I wanted this. I wanted to touch her.