CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Hank had been counting: minutes, hours, and now days since he’d made love with Cat. Just the memory of touching her—of being touched—set off a series of shivers. Yet in the six days since they’d first gotten together, she’d been keeping herself exceedingly busy. Unavailable, in fact. She’d whet his appetite, then spent the rest of the week running around Manhattan on “appointments.”
She’d pass him in her apartment, compliment his progress on her armoire, then toss him a smile and dash out the door. Making a serious dent in her project had been the only upside to her absence. Too bad the progress he most wanted to make had nothing to do with construction.
This morning he’d met with Jackson in Wilton until eleven, which left him only a few hours to work at Cat’s in the afternoon. All week he’d run ragged, back and forth to Manhattan, juggling his work and his family. When he’d finally get home, he’d find Jenny at her wit’s end, incapable of dealing with his mom’s increasingly difficult behavior.
He needed a break, but first he hoped to squeeze in an early dinner and more with Cat. Of course, he suspected she had some big-city plans of her own. His grand plan to woo her into a real relationship had stalled out before it even got started.
He knocked before unlocking Cat’s front door, then entered her apartment with his key.
“Hi!” Cat greeted him with a kiss—on the damn cheek—and then gestured toward another woman. “Hank, this is Melissa.”
“Melissa, nice to meet you.” He shook her hand. Apparently Cat had already made other plans for her afternoon, as he’d guessed. Plans that didn’t include him. “Sorry to interrupt you ladies. I’ll head to the bedroom and get out of your hair.”
“Not so fast!” Cat grasped his forearm. “I’ve actually brought Melissa here as a surprise for you.”
“Huh?” A couple of crazy scenarios raced through his mind, none of which made any sense.
“She’s my absolute favorite masseuse, but today she’s all yours. Follow her back to the guest room and prepare for the best ninety minutes of your life.”
Melissa grinned while Cat beamed, so he hated to douse them both with a dose of reality. “Cat, in case you forgot, I’ve got a schedule to keep.”
“No one’s going to die if my project takes an extra day or two. This is a little treat for you. A bit of the pampering you never allow yourself.”
“I promise I won’t bite.” Melissa joked, apparently noticing his discomfort.
He scratched his head. “Melissa, I don’t want you to have wasted your time by coming, so how about Cat takes the appointment and I get to work?”
“Good grief, Hank. I really want you to do this. Or, more honestly, I want to do this for you. Please.” Cat set her hands on her hips, clearly growing agitated with his reluctance.
“Guess I don’t have a choice.” He raised his hands in surrender. “Lead the way, Melissa.”
As he followed her down the hall, he glanced over his shoulder at Cat. With a self-satisfied wave, she said, “I’m going to visit Esther. See you later.”
In the guest room, a scented candle burned on the nightstand. The lights were off and shades drawn, so only the bit of daylight coming through the sides of the blinds lit the room. Although he’d much rather get an unprofessional massage from Cat than an official one from Melissa, he kept his trap shut.
His little temptress kept him guessing, as always. But he couldn’t deny the way her thoughtful gesture wrapped around his heart like one of his nephew’s full-body hugs. Just as loving, too, even if she wouldn’t ever admit to it.
“I’ll step outside while you undress. Then lie facedown on the table.” Melissa turned to go, but then said, “Feel free to pull that sheet over yourself and I’ll rearrange it once I come back in.”
Ninety minutes later, Melissa left him alone after mentioning that Cat had said he could use her shower before he got dressed. Neither his body nor his muscles had ever been so relaxed. In fact, he doubted he could lift his limbs, and didn’t even want to try. The lavender aroma, the quietude, the absence of tightness in his neck and shoulders—Cat had been right. Ninety minutes of bliss.
After indulging another few moments of utter contentedness, he forced himself to slide off the table, pick up his clothes, and duck into the guest bathroom. By the time he’d cleaned up and dressed, Melissa and her heavenly table were gone.
He meandered down the hall to the living room to thank Cat for her thoughtful, generous gift. He found her arranging flowers amid several lit candles. Her smile worked over his heart like Melissa’s hands had worked over his body.