Page 44 of The Wedding Pact

‘Yeah, he works hard to make sure his hotels add something to the place they’re serving. He’s actually in the process of buying a new one to expand his portfolio right now, which is probably why he’s been a bit incommunicado.’

‘Wow. He’s taking over another hotel? That sounds like a lot of work.’

‘No doubt. He’s a powerhouse though. The dude deserves a break, but I doubt he’ll take one. He works too hard.’

‘Sounds like you’ve got a lot in common,’ I say with a grin.

‘Hey, might I point out that I’m here talking with you, after spending the afternoon having fun with you. I think it’s a bit tight to accuse me of working too hard right now.’

I hold up my hands in surrender. ‘True. I take it back. You were extremely present earlier. When you were trying to catch me up.’

‘Thanks for reminding me,’ he says with a grin. But when he crosses his arms, he winces a little then rolls his shoulders.

‘Do you want me to give you a massage?’ I blurt, before I’ve had time to properly think about the wisdom of offering something like that. I actually meant it in a very innocent way, but I’m hyper aware of how it could be misinterpreted.

He blinks at me for a second, then seems to pull himself together and says, ‘Err, yeah, sure. If you don’t mind? My shoulders and traps are pretty tight at the moment.’

Perhaps he feels like he can’t say no in case it seems rude.

And I can’t retract the offer now; it’d make things even more awkward between us if I suddenly seem like I don’t actually want to touch him.

‘I don’t mind,’ I say with a confidence I no longer feel. ‘I’m not trained or anything, but I’ve been told I’m pretty good at them.’

‘Uh, great. Go for your life. Where do you want me?’ he asks.

Where don’t I want you, I force myself not to say.

‘Why don’t you stay there on your chair and I’ll come behind you?’ My face immediately heats as I realise how badly that came out. ‘Stand behind you, I mean,’ I say, knowing full well it’s too late to fix the accidental innuendo.

Raffa, bless him, doesn’t even smirk, keeping his face dead straight and saving my blushes. ‘Okay,’ he simply says, giving me a nod.

I stand up on shaky legs and walk round the table to where he’s sitting, keenly aware of the silence in here and therefore how alone we are.

Alone together.

When I reach him, he shuffles a little in his chair, adjusting his posture and putting his hands firmly in his lap, and I realise he’s nervous too.

I guess he’s still thinking about me freezing on him earlier and is determined not to appear at all lecherous.

Hmm. Yeah. I’ve definitely pushed things too far for comfort with this suggestion.

Time to lighten up the mood.

I gently slap both hands onto his shoulders in a just-mates-being-friendly way, then start to dig my thumbs into his traps, immediately feeling the knots of tension there and realising he probably needs this more than I’d appreciated.

I guess he’s wound up pretty tight about this business deal.

The thought makes me feel better about offering the massage now and determined to give him some relief from his pain. It’s the least I can do for him.

He lets out a small moan as I press harder into the base of his neck and I feel his shoulders stiffen as he realises what he’s just done.

‘Moan and curse as much as you like,’ I tell him, ‘it’s supposed to help deal with pain to vocalise it when you’re feeling it. Fun fact, it’s actually called lalochezia. Or cathartic swearing for we laypeople.’

I feel his shoulders shaking as he lets out a low laugh at that.

Okay, good. We’re getting back on our friendly track.

‘Try and relax if you can,’ I tell him, pressing my fingers lower down into his shoulder blades.