“Do you have a preference as to—”
I pointed to the female. “You for her.”
Maisie giggled, got off the bed, and wrapped her arms around me. “I wouldn’t have wanted her touching you, either.”
They set up the tables, told us what to expect, and stepped out of the room. “I want to be able to touch you,” I said when we were both facedown and I reached out between us. Maisie did the same, and we clasped hands.
“Thank you for this, Ranger.”
“Market research, right?”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to stop thinking about business and start thinking about what we’re going to do once our massages are over.” She turned her head and winked.
“Great. Now I’m not going to be able to roll to my back through this whole thing.”
10
MAISIE
I was in a cocoon of happiness I never wanted to crawl out of. Ranger was sweet, smart, sexy, not to mention, the best-looking guy I’d ever been with. Actually, he was the best-looking guy I’d ever known.
When I was in high school, if anyone had told me that in only a few short years this is where I’d be and who I’d be with, I would’ve told them I had a better chance of winning the lottery.
We were partway through our massages and still hadn’t dropped hands. I loved the feel of our fingers woven together and that we were still connected. I never wanted to let go. Not ever.
I knew exactly what he meant when he’d said he was in no hurry to get back to the place where I slept in one bed and he slept in another. After only one night, I already knew I’d miss him.
We’d decided to stay one more night here at the Saratoga Arms before heading up to Lake George for another two nights. I also needed to get to Lake Placid by the end of the week for a meeting with potential investors. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t told Ranger about it. Wait. That wasn’t true. I hadn’t told him because one of the people who would be at the meeting was a man I’d had a relationship with when I was in college.
I’d been honest with him. It wasn’t serious. In fact, the guy ended up being in another relationship at the same time he was dating me.
That I’d been duped left me feeling as humiliated as pissed. And while I really didn’t want to face him ever again, he’d wheedled his way into the meeting when a mutual friend, whom we’d both attended Tuck with, let it slip it was taking place.
That he was so slimy and smarmy—and a cheater—made me wonder if he’d simply take my ideas and launch his own development campaign. I wouldn’t put it past him. Especially if the other potential investors showed enough interest.
“Relax. Your muscles have tensed up on me,” the woman giving me the massage whispered in my ear.
Ranger squeezed my hand. “What’s wrong, beautiful?”
“Nothing. Just habit, I guess.” That response made no sense, but rather than question me more, he squeezed my hand a second time.
Maybe it was the lack of rest the night before, but when I flipped to my back for the second half of my massage, I fell asleep. I hated when I did that. It felt rude. The other part of it was that I slept through feeling my muscles being soothed. What was the point of the massage if you didn’t get to feel it?
Ranger walked the massage therapists to the door, came back, and sat beside me on the bed. “I’d say that experience did the exact opposite of what it was supposed to.”
“I’m sorry.” I was sulking and wished I could pull myself out of it.
“Come here.” Ranger scooted up on the bed and gathered me in his arms. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a nap followed by a really nice meal.”
“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
“Here’s the thing. I don’t want to sleep too long, so I’m counting on hunger to wake me up.” He snuggled me closer. “Come on, let’s sleep.”
I didn’t. I lay awake, worrying about the upcoming meeting. I wasn’t fully prepared. That was part of my problem. I also wondered how bad it would be if I contacted my friend and asked him to uninvite Mr. Smarmy.
“You’re still tense.”
“I’m sorry,” I repeated, wriggling out of his arms and getting up from the bed. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
He tucked his elbows under him and leaned up.
“I have a presentation to a potential investment group in Lake Placid on Friday.”
He counted on his fingers. “That’s four days from now.” His eyes scrunched. “Are you worried I’ll be in the way?”
“No. Yes. No.”
“Glad we got that straightened out.” Ranger rolled off the bed and walked over to me. “It’s your meeting, beautiful. I won’t interfere. I know how to make myself scarce.” He chuckled. “Hiding in plain sight is kind of what I do for a living.”
Hearing him say he’d be there, although not visible, made me feel better and worse at the same time. I’d never been skittish about a presentation. Why was I now? It made no sense, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong.
He cupped my cheek. “Talk to me.”
“There’s a guy who will be there…”
His eyes scrunched momentarily, the reaction vanishing so quickly I would’ve missed it if I hadn’t been paying close attention.
“He’s a jerk and…”
“Someone you were once involved with.”
I nodded.
His expression softened. “No matter how much I might want to, I promise not to beat him up. Unless he touches you, of course.”
While I laughed, it was forced.
“Come sit and tell me more about him. Start with his name.”
“It’s Maxim,” I said, sitting next to him on the end of the bed. “He was in the MBA program at Tuck.”
“Go on.”
“We dated for a while. Until I found out he was in a long-term relationship with someone else.”
“Scumbag,” he muttered under his breath.
“He played it off like it was nothing, but the friend who told me about the other woman said it was pretty serious.”
Ranger lay back on the bed and put his hand on my shoulder so I did the same. “Tell me what you want, Maisie. I’ll do whatever it is, even if you want me to go back to Canada Lake.”
“That’s the last thing I want.”
He let out an audible sigh. “Do you want me to be in the meeting?”
“I think so.” Again, since when was I indecisive? I rubbed my chest, where I felt the dread the most.
“You don’t have to decide right now, but tell me what’s got you all worked up. Is it that you still have feelings for him?”
I nodded. “Feelings of disgust.”
Ranger laughed and rolled to his side so he was facing me. “There’s more to this.”
“There is, but I can’t explain it.”
He stroked my hair. “Let’s get some lunch. I don’t know about you, but I always feel better after I’ve eaten.”