Dream of Me: A Sweet Contemporary Romance Read Online Free PDF

her staring after him with a mixture of chagrin and annoyance.
    Knowing he was right didn’t make it any easier to follow his advice. After retrieving the aloe, Aubrey surveyed the damage in the bathroom mirror. There was no doubting the truth of Corbin’s comments; she was as red as the proverbial beet.
    Applying the cool gel to her face, shoulders and arms was no problem, but it was impossible to reach the majority of her back. A knock on the door sent her scurrying for a towel. Holding it in front of her, she called out a breathless, “come in”.
    “Still at it?” Corbin asked as he closed the door behind him, seeming not to notice her startled glance. “I came to see if you needed any help.”
    And to make sure she realized how stupid she’d been. “I got most of it.”
    He smiled faintly. “Unless you’re unbelievably flexible, you probably didn’t get it all. Turn around and let me see.” He walked toward the bed while she did as he asked. “Just as I thought. Lay down on your stomach.” He watched her efforts for a few minutes in silence. “Aubrey, you’re more than adequately covered. I promise; I can’t see a thing.”
    “I know that,” she answered in an annoyed tone. “It’s just that we’re practically strangers and we don’t…” She stopped abruptly.
    “like each other,” he finished for her with a knowing grin. “I understand that, but I think we’re adult enough to put aside those feelings for the moment.” When his hands touched her back, she stiffened. “Would you relax? I’m not planning on doing anything other than trying to save you from blisters.”
    “Will you stop with the stupid comments? You’re only making things worse.”
    His short laugh was equal parts amusement and pique. “Maybe this one will be better. I can’t help noticing you’re ridiculously tiny.”
    “Especially when compared to you. We’re like two extremes.”
    “Hopefully, we’ll match up better on a professional level.”
    “What are the odds of that?”
    “Better than they were a few days ago.”
    “Have you factored in my behavior today?”
    “Of course. All done; I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly.”
    It hadn’t hurt at all, but she wasn’t going to admit that. His hands had been surprisingly gentle for so large a man. “It looks worse than it feels.”
    “That won’t be the case tomorrow or the day after. I put the aloe on kind of thick so you’re going to have to wait a bit before you get dressed. Otherwise, you’ll have a sticky mess.”
    Corbin walked into the bathroom to wash his hands. He hoped he might be as successful in washing away the memory of touching her. It would have been wiser to send Paul to do this. When he returned, Aubrey was sitting up, the towel tucked under her chin.
    “Thanks for your help. I would never have been able to manage this alone.”
    His grin made her long to throw something at him. “I know and asking me was the last thing you wanted to do.”
    “Can you blame me? You’re not the easiest person to approach at the best of times.”
    “Don’t you mean at any time?”
    Aubrey fidgeted with the towel. “No, I didn’t mean that, but when I’ve obviously made a mistake, you don’t make it easy to admit it. Anyone can get sunburn.”
    “True, but not too many people do it on their employer’s time.”
    “Don’t you ever give way to impulse?” she asked after a moment.
    His eyes danced with amusement, and his lips formed a lazy smile that Aubrey had the greatest difficulty in ignoring. “Not usually, but I did recently, and I’ve been regretting it ever since.”
    “I suppose that’s a reference to me. Have I been that bad?” she asked innocently.
    Corbin shook his head. “I’m not falling into that trap.”
    A sweet smile crossed her face, and he could feel himself responding to it. Then he remembered another smile – one that had promised everything and given nothing.
    “I’ll make sure my next outing to the beach is on my