Rugged Cowboy: A Grumpy Sunshine Western Romance

Chapter 7

It took some doing, but Viv and Mike got Wade settled on one of the massage tables in a room at the spa. Fortunately, they had an opening and Viv was able to work some scheduling magic to keep this room free for Wade for as long as he needed it. They’d had someone more proficient in first aid than Viv check Wade over to be sure there was nothing more serious going on. Viv refused to work on him without having that check done and she didn’t feel comfortable making the call herself. Thank goodness the guest ranch employed someone full time with emergency skills for guest safety. She supposed being a distance from any hospital, they had to have someone on staff qualified to provide advanced first aid in case of something serious for a guest.

Wade had taken his muscle relaxer—she hadn’t wanted to think about why he had it ready on hand—and was settled, face down on the table, naked save for a sheet covering his body. The lights were dim in the room. She had a sandalwood diffuser going to inspire relaxation. She had the music playing a low, soft melody to help relax him. She pulled the sheet back and sucked in a breath. Her imagination was so lacking when it came to Wade. She’d thought he had a strong, well-built body from the time he had saved her from the cows, but seeing him naked, damn. Her mental pictures were severely revised and for the better.

He was beautiful. Carved from warm stone, each muscle carefully defined, but not like one of those bodybuilders she was accustomed to seeing at the gyms back home, who worked hard with weights to sculpt and accentuate each one. No, this was a body built by God, hewn by hard work, and a true masterpiece. How the hell was she going to stay professional when she was finally going to get her hands on him?

She swallowed past a suddenly dry throat and poured a peppermint essential oil infused lotion onto her hands and worked it through her fingers. It was already warmed from the warming station, but she liked to make sure her hands were warm too before touching a client, especially one who was in pain. She started at his shoulder, touching lightly, to let him know she was beginning, then smoothed the lotion into his skin, working on the knots carefully as she encountered them, gently, easily, not too hard as he was still newly injured and she had to be careful to work with the healing, not against it.

Wade groaned at her touch, tensing periodically, then easing depending on where she worked. She lost herself to the music, to the familiar rhythm of the massage, the technique and motions something she was well acquainted with.

The music wound down, indicating the passage of time, which was roughly an hour, more than enough time for Wade’s first massage after an injury. She blinked and pulled herself out of the trance she often found herself in when she massaged clients. One of her instructors once told her that she often did reiki energy work as she performed her massages, merging her energy with her clients, helping to balance and regulate her client’s energy fields when they needed it. Which might explain why Viv sometimes felt drained by certain clients when they needed major rebalancing or help in the energy department.

However, with Wade, she felt a little drained but at peace, calm and relaxed, as if they had synced their energies so perfectly. That had only happened with Eden, and only because Viv and Eden had been such good friends. It was disconcerting to feel that with someone else, someone she barely knew.

She pulled up the sheet to cover Wade and picked up a towel to clean her hands.

“Are you done?” His words were slightly slurred, almost drunk, confirming her thoughts that she had done some energy work during the massage.

She rested a hand lightly on his shoulder.“Yes, we’re done with the massage, but stay put for now. I want the muscles to have some time to rest and stay loose before you move. If you get up too soon, they might tighten again.”

He groaned.“I kind of have a situation here.”

“Do you have to go to the bathroom? That’s not unusual. People often have to release toxins after a massage.”

“Umm, not that kind of situation.”