Relief washed over his expression. “I appreciate that.”

She tipped her head to one side. “But you’d obviously like something in return?”

“It’s not a quid pro quo, Brianne. You can say no, and I’ll still give you my full cooperation. It’s to both of our benefits for my rehabilitation to go off without a hitch. I just think we have something more to offer each other.”

Aware of how he affected her, Brianne believed he was right. “What exactly are you referring to?” Her pulse tripped as she awaited his answer, though a part of her already knew.

“I want to explore this attraction between us. You can’t deny it exists.” With his hands wrapped in her hair, he brought his fingers to her cheek and stroked slowly, methodically, over her skin. “I know I feel it every time we’re together. Don’t you?”

He leaned closer. Their breaths mingled, and a hint of peppermint reached her nose, a scent she’d never found arousing until now. Her heart hammered out a rapid beat. “You know I do. I’m just not certain it would be a good idea.” No matter how much his suggestion appealed to her.

“Why not?”

“We’re living together, working together…it can get messy.” Painful, she thought.

“Or it can be amazing. Think about it, Brianne. An entire summer that belongs to us alone.” His eyes blazed with determined blue fire and his finger slid over her face in a lingering caress. “We’ve already proven we can’t be together without fireworks exploding. All the more reason to indulge.”

She swallowed hard, his suggestion so very tempting, but if she agreed she knew it would cost her. She was drawn to this man deeply and if she got involved with him sexually, she feared she’d risk losing her heart. A heart she couldn’t give to a man who thrived on risk and danger, whom she could lose to a bullet.

But she wasn’t ready to divulge all the heartache and pain her past had caused. To share her fears and insecurities would be taking that step toward connecting with him on more than a physical level, something she couldn’t afford. “I’m not in the market for a serious relationship. Once the summer’s over and my brother leaves for Stanford, I’m going to move to California with him,” she told Jake, settling on the easiest truth, one she figured a man would accept and understand.

At her words, something unreadable flickered in his eyes-whether it was disappointment or surprise, she couldn’t tell, and he spoke before she could deliberate further.

“I’m not looking for a serious relationship, either. Seems to me every argument you’ve got strengthens my argument.” Obviously Jake wasn’t put off and he couldn’t be deterred. His deep eyes bore into hers.

“We want the same things-each other and something short term. And we need each other. I need your professional expertise.” He paused. “And I need you and this time we could have together. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit you need it, too.”

Brianne’s breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t speak even if she wanted to. He was so dead-on accurate, she couldn’t argue. Her newfound freedom courtesy of Rina would begin in the fall. But that freedom was scary because she’d been cocooned by her job and responsibilities for so long, she barely knew how to start a life of her own. A personal life.

So just as he needed her professional expertise, she needed his, in areas both sensual and sexual. He was offering her the opportunity to explore her femininity and everything she’d suppressed all these years.

“You want an affair?” she managed to ask, exposing her deepest desire and deepest fear.

“Ideally, yes.”

Her stomach twisted with a burning need to agree. After all, she was leaving in September, and they’d be together for the summer. Nothing was stopping her from grabbing this short span of time. Except that everything inside her shouted this man was potentially dangerous to both her peace of mind and her heart.

“I promise you no matter how much I want, I’ll go slow.” His finger stroked her cheek. Soft and sensual, he ignited her skin with a light caress. “I’ll go easy.” His touch feathered lightly down her neck and teased beneath the V of her spandex top. “Seductively,” he murmured at last. “And I promise you’ll enjoy.”

She had no doubt he’d keep his word. Brianne had indulged in past affairs, knowing they could go nowhere. Yet she’d been so desperate for company, she’d accepted less than she’d wanted from life. But even in the midst of those relationships, brief as they were, no man had made her feel as desirable as Jake did.

He wanted an affair. By its definition, short term. No strings. Safe, if she didn’t factor emotion into the equation. “You don’t ask for much, do you,” she murmured.

“No more than I’m willing to give in return.”

“What about our patient-client relationship?” she asked, and Jake recognized the last lingering doubt.

She hadn’t rejected him outright, and he exhaled hard. “We’re alone, no rules or regulations binding us except the ones we make ourselves.”

His fingers still lingered on her shoulder, and he savored the feel of her silken skin, wishing he had the freedom to taste and knowing he was a long way from gaining permission.

“When it comes to therapy, I don’t fool around,” she said, an attractive flush staining her cheeks. “I mean, I don’t play games when it comes to rehabilitation. I take my job seriously.”

He nodded. “Okay, then, no fooling around during therapy.” Damn, but he hadn’t meant to constrain himself that way. “I’ll take our workouts seriously,” he amended. As she’d said herself, therapy was hands-on and no way could he completely refrain from “fooling around” if she agreed to his suggestion.

Though she needed persuading, he could see she was warming to the idea. She just had to put her inhibitions and professional concerns aside.

“You’ll work out?” Those beautiful green eyes assessed his sincerity.

“Diligently. You’ll give me your free time in between?”

“I don’t have much,” she warned him.

“Then, it’s a good thing my schedule’s a lot more flexible. And even better that we’re living under one roof. Are you saying we have a deal?” he asked.

The seconds she hesitated were the longest of his life.

Finally she nodded. “We have a deal.”

She extended her hand for an awkward shake, but Jake had no intention of letting her off the hook that easily. He grasped her hand, her flesh a smooth contrast to his more roughened skin. “Then, we need to seal our bargain.” He pulled her close, and she came willingly.

Her lips parted and her breath caught in her throat. He knew she was waiting for a kiss and he wanted to oblige her, yet as her lashes fluttered closed, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against her forehead instead. Unexpected tenderness washed over him, alien and welcome at the same time.

But that was just the start. He met her wide-eyed gaze. “Slow and easy, remember?”

Her hand rose to cup his cheek. “What happened to seductively?” she asked.

“I think between the two of us we’ve got that nailed down, don’t you?”

“Mmm.” Her voice came out like a purr to his ears and, drawn to her in a way that consumed him, he lowered his mouth to hers.

Her lips were soft, pliant and willing, as he slipped his tongue inside. She tasted uniquely Brianne, feminine and warm. Delicious, he thought, and treated himself to a thorough exploration of the heated depths, eliciting a moan of pleasure from her.

The soft sound was all it took for slow and easy to flare quickly out of control. Desire had been simmering for months, denied by distance and fueled by longing. Neither of them was denying now, and the kiss turned hot. What had been a gentle exploration now became a demanding acknowledgment of need. The powerful thrusting of his tongue mating with hers matched the powerful arousal nudging against his jeans, causing an ache only she could satisfy.

He braced his hands on her shoulders, kneading the muscles with his palms and dipping his fingers beneath the front V of her tight top, caressing the soft skin on her chest and teasing her with low dips downward with the pads of his thumbs. Her back arched, lifting her breasts, giving him access should he choose to take it. And he wanted to. But his promise of slow and easy echoed in his head, as did her initial hesitance in agreeing.

She’d given him what he desired. And now that he knew what lay ahead, they had time. His body fought hard against that argument, demanding gratification now, but he didn’t want the desire between them to burn out too fast.

Though a little voice in his head questioned whether he’d ever tire of Brianne, Jake pushed the notion aside and focused on her instead. But it was that voice, that dangerous thought, warning him against too much too soon, that gave Jake the strength to break the kiss first.

Still, physical contact with Brianne wasn’t something he’d give up willingly, and he kept hold of her shoulders, drinking in her dazed eyes, flushed cheeks and damp, parted lips. “Seductively, like I said.” He drew uneven breaths, his labored breathing loud to his ears, evidence of the potent desire alive between them.

She touched a shaking hand to her lips. “I enjoyed.”

He couldn’t prevent a smile. “I always keep my word.”

“I like that quality.” She smiled in return.

“We’ll be good together, Brianne.” He squeezed her shoulders in reassurance.

“Oh, you proved that.” She let out a laugh. “But we’ve got other things just as important between us, remember? And just because you tempt me doesn’t mean I won’t be tough on you during your workouts.”

He wasn’t surprised she’d brought them back to business. After the searing kiss, her need to latch on to the familiar was understandable. “I wouldn’t expect any different.”

She licked her lips, and his gaze followed her enticing and distinct reminder of what had just passed between them. But Jake sensed her action was more a nervous reaction than a deliberately seductive move.

“Good.” Without warning she rose. “I think we both need to get some sleep.”

She was back in protective mode. He respected this side of her as much as he admired her softer, more vulnerable side. He loved learning all facets of this woman, and she obviously had many.

“As long as you don’t change your mind come morning.”

“I won’t.” She looked at him, all seriousness, but it was the barest hint of vulnerability in her eyes that reached out to him and made him care more than was prudent.

“Me, neither.”

She gave him a hesitant smile before disappearing out the door.

Long after she’d turned in for the night, Jake pondered the wisdom of his bargain, wondering if he’d solved his dilemma or merely complicated his life.

BRIANNE PACED outside Victoria’s Secret on Fifth Avenue, wondering what had possessed her to ask Kellie to meet her here, of all places. She shook her head. She knew exactly what possessed her. Jake.

Or rather Jake’s bargain. Her rapidly beating heart had warned her she was playing with fire by getting involved with the man on any level other than the professional. His kiss, the effects of which she still felt, had proven her right. And what a kiss it had been. Slow, seductive and persuasive, it had quickly flared into much more. The attraction had been obvious from day one, but she hadn’t been prepared for the heat they generated each time they came together. And next time, she felt certain, they wouldn’t stop with a kiss.

Warmth still suffused her stomach and a pulsing excitement rippled through her veins and settled between her legs, leaving her empty and wanting. Wanting Jake. She’d put her life on hold for so long, and suddenly things had changed. She’d be embarking on an affair, she thought, amazed. And she was completely unprepared.

Last night, Jake hadn’t been thrilled when she’d abruptly turned in for the evening, but Brianne had needed time. Not only had his proposition and her own acceptance caught her off guard, but she’d never felt less attractive than she had in her workout clothes and disheveled hair. She wanted Jake to see her as an attractive woman, and she needed to feel like one, and so she’d promised to begin their…liaison-for want of a better word-tomorrow night instead.

And today, she’d taken her first personal time off in ages to prepare. She’d head on back to work this afternoon, but this morning she’d devote herself to the task. And she’d begin by buying sexy underwear.

Brianne glanced at her watch. Although she could handle shopping on her own, she desired feminine advice and company, and for that Kellie ought to be here any minute. Brianne wiped her hand across her damp forehead. The heat outside was getting to her and, after another glance at her watch, she drew a deep breath and entered the store alone. The distinct scent of lavender drifted around her as she surveyed the racks of lace and silk garments dangling temptingly from plush-looking hangers.