The Boy Next Door Read Online Free Page A

anticipation ran through her.
    Rory gently took hold of her left foot and began kneading the sole. His thumbs were firm as they pressed into her flesh, easing the tight muscles and tendons. Melissa gasped and leaned back in her seat as a delicious, relaxing sensation washed through her.
    “Where did you learn to do this?” she murmured.
    “A lady in Ko Samui showed me,” he replied. “You can make a decent living giving massages if you know what you’re doing.”
    All of a sudden Melissa’s mind was filled with images of Rory doing this to other women. Rubbing their feet, their back, their shoulders, and heaven knows what else. And one thing might lead to another…Did he climb on top of those women and fuck them until they moaned his name?
    Melissa’s stomach turned over. A hot stab of jealousy quickened her breathing. Was she, Melissa, just another in a long line of women Rory had done this to?
    She opened her mouth to tell him to stop but her annoyance suddenly melted away as he found the aching muscles and gently probed them until the pain drained away.
    “To do this properly we need some essential oils,” Rory commented. “Then I can really show you what a foot massage should feel like.”
    “Mom has some in the bathroom,” Melissa found herself saying. “She went through a phase of being into aromatherapy. It didn’t last of course, like all of mom’s fads. Do you want me to fetch them?”
    “No it’s okay,” he replied, standing. “You just sit here and relax, I’ll go find them.”
    Melissa watched him stride away and her heart gave a strange little lurch. The room seemed suddenly colder without him in it.
    Rory returned with two small glass bottles cupped in the palm of his hand. In the other he held a glass bowl. Melissa watched in silence as he crouched in front of her.
    “Lavender and base oil,” he said, holding up the bottles. “Perfect.”
    With the precision of somebody who had done this countless times before, Rory unscrewed one of the bottles and tipped some oil into the bowl. Next he opened the smaller bottle and carefully measured out several drops of a clear liquid. The unmistakable scent of lavender stole through the room, caressing Melissa’s nostrils with its soothing fragrance.
    Rory slid his hands into the bowl and coated his fingers in the fragrant oil.
    “Lie back,” he commanded.
    Rory began with her toes. The pads of his thumbs pushed into the base of each digit, pressing the tense areas. His palms glided smoothly over her skin, the oil feeling deliciously warm and sensual between them. After a minute, Rory’s sure fingers moved up the soles of her foot, kneading the pressure points there.
    Melissa moaned as the pain and tension drained away to be replaced by a growing heat in her groin. The way he touched her was so firm, so sure and so sensual that Melissa found herself surrendering completely.
    Perhaps Rory noticed the effect he was having on her because he said in a gruff voice, “Slip your top from your shoulders.”
    Melissa leaned forward and shrugged her top down her arms, exposing her neck and shoulders to his scrutiny. Rory moved to stand behind her, so close she could smell his intoxicating male scent. Gently he placed his hands on her shoulders, sending goosebumps riding up her skin.
    She sighed as Rory began massaging her shoulders, the skin of his fingers gliding smoothly over hers, his masculine scent mixing with the lavender from the oil to create a heady, almost overpowering combination.
    Melissa’s eyes gently closed as she felt her body surrendering. Her resistance melted away. Rory was in control here.
    But abruptly Rory withdrew his hands and stepped back. Puzzled, Melissa opened her eyes and looked at him.
    He shook his head, making his wavy hair bounce on his shoulders. “I’m sorry.”
    Sorry? Melissa wondered. Sorry for what?
    She noticed for the first time how tense he looked. His whole body seemed to be quivering, his eyes dark with