His masculine fingertips were hot against her skin, branding where they touched. “You look like you’re about to faint.”

His body heat was potent. The urge to wrap herself around him and let his damp skin meld with hers was strong. Too strong. “I asked you not to come closer.”

“And I asked you, why not? You never answered.”

His eyes were a deep shade of blue, she realized for the first time, so dark they could be black, but with a hint of navy-or was it indigo?-giving them depth and interest.

She searched for a response that wouldn’t leave her humiliated, and found none. She certainly couldn’t tell him the truth. If he was a mind reader, she might as well jump off the roof of this very high, luxury building.

When she remained silent, he groaned and dropped his hand. “Okay, let’s back up and try this again. I didn’t know Rina was expecting company. Hell, I didn’t know you and Rina even knew each other.”

Without his touch, she was able to focus a little more. “We met last week. And Rina’s not expecting me exactly, her brother is.”

He raised an eyebrow in definite surprise. “He is?”

“I assume so. Rina said she’d let him know I’d be coming. I’m Brianne Nelson.” Good manners dictated she extend her hand for a greeting. Self-preservation demanded she never touch him again. Considering he still stood in a towel and nothing more, Brianne figured she’d be forgiven for her lapse in social graces.

“Brianne,” he murmured. Her name seemed to roll off his tongue. “Beautiful. It suits you.”

“Thank you.”

He nodded. “So tell me, why do you think Rina’s brother is expecting you?”

Brianne narrowed her eyes. Wouldn’t Rina have mentioned she’d hired someone as her brother’s physical therapist? Or was their relationship so shallow, they didn’t discuss anything of emotional importance? Somehow, she didn’t think so. Brianne had sensed a depth to Rina, an innate sense of decency and caring. Much as Brianne would have enjoyed disliking the other woman, she just couldn’t, which suddenly made this conversation even stranger than it already was.

She opted for minimal explanation. “I’m a physical therapist.” She didn’t like the speculative gleam that came into his eye.

“I thought you were a waitress.”

Belatedly, she realized she knew no more about him than when she’d walked in, and she disliked being at a disadvantage. “You know, this has become a very lopsided conversation. You know my name and occupations, but I know nothing about you.”

“You know how I look fresh out of a shower,” he said with a grin. “And that’s an awful lot more than I know about you.” He seared her with his deep eyes and a meaningful glance.

“That isn’t what I meant.”

He shook his head and laughed. “Sorry. Let’s start over.”

“We tried that already.” She folded her arms across her chest-to cover her body’s reaction to his heated stare and to ease the slow-building ache in her breasts.

“Then, let’s do it till we get it right.” He extended his hand.

In his eyes, she saw a definite challenge, as if he knew how much his touch affected her and dared her to grasp his hand, anyway. She had grown up with a younger brother and had learned to never back down from a dare. She steeled herself and placed her hand inside his.

“Jake Lowell,” he said. “Nice to meet you, Brianne.” He curled his large fingers around her smaller hand. Although she thought she’d been prepared, the connection between them was strong and sure-heated in a distinctly physical way and warm in a purely seductive one.

Without warning, his words registered; Rina had mentioned her brother’s name. Brianne took a shocked step back. “Jake Lowell? You mean to tell me you’re the one who needs therapy?” He grinned, and the air left her lungs in a rush. “You’re Rina’s brother?” she managed to ask.

“I’m Rina’s brother, in the flesh.” His grin grew wider.

Her gaze fell from his smile to the towel tucked in so that it looked about to fall open at the slightest provocation. She had no doubt that what lay beneath that towel was as incredible as the rest of him. She swallowed hard.

He wasn’t Rina’s boyfriend. He was Brianne’s fantasy man. And she was his very own physical therapist, for as long as it took to both convince him to accept her help and bring him to full recovery. Fainting sounded good about now.

“And you’re the surprise gift Rina said she’d leave for me while she was gone.”

“Gone?” He’d mentioned something about a limo earlier, and Brianne’s mouth grew dry.

“To Europe for the summer.”

“You have got to be kidding.”

He shook his head, looking more amused than she’d have liked. More of his earlier words came back to her. “You said she’s gone and I’m the surprise gift?”

“Apparently so.”

“What the hell do you mean I’m a gift?” Anger and betrayal oozed inside her, and seemed destined to grow. “Physical therapy isn’t a gift; it’s a necessity.” And Rina had seemed to understand that.

She’d cared about her injured brother and wanted to speed his recovery despite his reticence, something Brianne could relate to. Her brother Marc had been a frail child, prone to illness and broken bones. Their parents hadn’t appreciated having their extreme fun curtailed, and often had to hire a private physical therapist to rush his recovery.

Brianne had been fascinated by the seemingly magical healing powers the therapists had possessed, prompting her to follow in their footsteps. And though Marc had eventually outgrown his childhood weaknesses, Brianne had never forgotten. Hence her desire to work with kids at the Special Kid Ranch, a place where she could heal children while they remained with their families.

Family. The word brought her back to Rina’s ploy. Fury settled inside Brianne, and she felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach. She curled one arm around her waist for support. “Why in the world would she play this kind of game?” Brianne asked aloud, anger simmering.

“Oh, I can venture a guess.”

He gestured back and forth between the two of them, and Brianne slapped her hand against her thigh and whirled around, starting for the door. Then she turned back again, not one to leave without letting her feelings be known. “Let me tell you something. I resent being taken advantage of. I take my job and my skills seriously. I’m not interested in some sort of matchmaking scheme.” At least, that’s what her mind insisted. Her rapidly beating heart begged to differ.

“Knowing Rina, it could very well be a scheme.”

He stepped closer again, so close she felt his body heat.

“I wish you would stop doing that.”

“How else can I prove you wrong?” His hand touched the pulse point in her throat, and she knew he felt it beating rapidly.

“Wrong about what?” she asked.

“You are interested.” His voice dropped a seductive note.

“I’m about as interested as you are in need of therapy.” She wondered briefly if he was involved in his sister’s game, but his shock at seeing her here seemed so real, she dismissed the notion. She might not be able to blame him, but she was furious just the same.

“Then, I guess we have something in common.” He reached for the corner of the towel hanging over his neck.

“What are you doing?”

“Making a point. See this?” Before she could argue or stop him, he lifted the towel high enough to reveal fading bruises across his powerful chest. “It was injured and my mobility’s limited…” he lifted his arm, squinting as he moved, stopping obviously because of pain and an inability to go farther, “which means I am in need of physical therapy. So by your own admission, that means you, Brianne, are most definitely interested. In me.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, her thoughts reeling, her heart pounding. He’d been injured, and she couldn’t believe how knowing that affected her. She wanted to comfort him. To heal him. To make him all better.

She didn’t want to pull her gaze from the faint bruising on his chest and shoulder, but dropped her eyes only to find herself focused on the towel barely covering his waist. Obviously he was serious, and Brianne forced her mind to the task at hand. She needed the money his sister had offered too much to walk away.

If she saw this job through to the end, she could afford to move west, even if she didn’t get offered a job at the Ranch just yet. Working with Jake posed a challenge, but she’d never been a quitter, not even at the roughest, most exhausting points in her life. So what if she’d been manipulated into this job?

She pushed aside the hurt and anger and even managed to swallow some pride. He hadn’t set her up; his sister had. But the benefits would be all hers in the long run, and that’s all that mattered. She’d continue as planned, take this job, move into this apartment and rehabilitate this man’s shoulder.

Oh Lord, what had she gotten herself into?

JAKE MET HER GAZE. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted. The desire to taste those lips had never been stronger. He didn’t know what shocked him more-his sister’s meddling or the woman she’d handpicked as her parting gift. Amazing that she turned out to be a physical therapist.

No matter what Brianne’s occupation, Jake had no doubt Rina would have found a way to get them together. It just so happened that Brianne was the perfect woman to meet his current needs. And if she kept staring at the towel around his waist with blatant curiosity in her eyes, some of those needs were going to assert themselves, and soon.

He’d already gotten close enough to smell the lingering fragrance of strawberry in her hair. The scent was fresh and clean in a wholesome way, and yet it aroused a need so strong and intense, he’d been blindsided. For a man with a bad marriage and nasty divorce behind him, who stuck to low-maintenance, no-strings, unemotional relationships, his interest in this woman was too much.

He sure as hell hadn’t expected to walk out and find her here. His only consolation was that she was obviously just as surprised and a whole lot shaken up. Jake understood. There was no denying the chemistry between them. But attraction was easy; what sizzled between them was not. Something more was at work here than lust. In her heavy-lidded gaze, Jake saw a depth of emotion that made the pull between them much more than just physical.

He had a hunch she sensed it, too, because in those eyes he’d also seen wariness. He’d thought Brianne-God, how he loved that name-would bolt given the chance. And he ought to let her, Jake thought. Having her here was a distraction he couldn’t afford.

He needed his mind clear for the job at hand. Capturing Ramirez had to take precedence. He owed it to Frank and, more importantly, he owed it to Frank’s family. Jake could barely face his buddy’s wife and kids. Every time he answered to Uncle Jake, he felt like a goddamn fraud. He couldn’t bring their father back, but he could make sure no one else lost someone they loved to a lowlife named Louis Ramirez. And he would do it himself, leaving no chance for someone else to screw up the bust again.

“Ready to discuss your rehabilitation, or do you intend to give me as hard a time as you’ve been giving your sister?” Brianne asked.

Her voice startled him back to reality. She seemed to shore up her defenses and her resolve. His sister had hired her to do a job, and from her squared shoulders and her determined expression it looked as if that’s what she planned to do.

But rehabilitation was the last thing Jake wanted right now. Rina had obviously told Brianne that he’d been resisting rehab, and that was the impression he wanted the outside world to have. Brianne included. Everyone’s safety-Frank’s family’s, Rina’s, hell, even Jake’s, hinged on taking Ramirez by surprise. Until Jake brought Ramirez in, he needed everyone to think he was being an obstinate SOB. And he could be, given the right motive, he thought wryly.

With Ramirez out of the picture, Jake could then decide whether or not he wanted to return to the force. He couldn’t allow Brianne Nelson, physical therapist and the object of his desire, to threaten his “extended recovery.” He couldn’t have her reporting back to Rina with stories of his amazing improvement.

“You know what?” She cleared her throat. “Before we discuss anything more, would you mind putting on some clothes?”

A smile worked at his mouth. “If you insist.” He’d been too floored seeing her here to give a thought to what he was, or wasn’t, wearing.

“I have to insist.”

He met her gaze and discovered that her eyes were a gorgeous shade of green that sparkled beneath the overhead, high-hat lighting.