How Much of It Was Sincere?

“Ah...”

A stiff, neuralgic pain—as if something inside me were being pulled in two directions—briefly swept through me.

“You seemed to be doing better lately, but you’re not in great shape today. I’ll be a little gentler.”

Derek’s massage, which I always got during the free time between dinner and bed.

Just as he said, it hurt a little today.

“Looks like it might rain tomorrow.”

Honestly, I had no idea whether it would actually rain.

Maybe I was just making some silly remark because, for the first time, I was conscious of Derek massaging my bare shoulders.

Using the heat as an excuse... no, I really was hot, so I’d exposed my shoulders in an off-the-shoulder top. While I was at it, I’d undone a couple of buttons and shifted the fabric aside a little to make the massage more effective.

I’d even taken off my bra on purpose so it wouldn’t get in the way during the massage...