Fucking.
Shit.
I was a doctor, so seeing a human body was nothing to me. Skin and bones were things I inspected throughout my career, so I should have been prepared. Yet, my mouth had started to water at the sight of the hockey player before me. His body a work of art with a mix of violence made for the ice. This man was something else entirely. His torso was a masterpiece of muscle and ink, tattoos covering most of his chest and arms in intricate patterns. Scars crossed through some of them, evidence of his role as the team's enforcer.
"Happy?" His voice was strained.
"Ecstatic," I managed, keeping my tone professional. "Arms up."
He raised his arms, and I moved closer to check his shoulder mobility. The second my fingers touched his skin, electricity shot through me. He was burning hot, his muscles tensing under my hands.
"Relax," I said, though I was anything but relaxed myself.
"Can't." His breathing had gone shallow. "You need to hurry."
I ran through the shoulder tests quickly, trying to ignore how my hands wanted to explore every inch of him. His range of motion was good, the partial tear healing well.
"Grip strength test," I said, grabbing the dynamometer.
He squeezed the device, and the numbers climbed higher than any I'd recorded. His eyes never left mine.
"Again," I said.
The second he squeezed the device again, the space behind my ear began to tingle. I’d placed an extra small rounded suppressant patch there. Immediately, my fingers flew to the spot, but the patch had already started to drop away from my skin due to the area become damp with sweat.
Fuck,the thought hit my brain quick fast and in a hurry.
The training room was too hot, or maybe that was just Knox's proximity, but either way, the patch was failing.
I saw the exact moment he noticed.
His pupils dilated completely, turning his eyes black. His entire body went rigid, and a growl, an actual fucking growl, rumbled from his chest.
"Your scent," he breathed, standing abruptly. "Goddamn it, Harper, your actual scent."
I stepped back, hand going to my ear where the patch was hanging on by a corner. Without it, my natural Omega pheromones were leaking out, mixing with the artificial suppressants in a combination that probably smelled like chaos.
"I need to…"
"Don't fucking move." Knox’s voice came out in a slow, low growl. He was between me and the door in one stride. "Why do you smell like that?"
"Like what?" I tried to sound calm, but my voice shook.
Naturally, my body was responding to his proximity, to his Alpha pheromones that were flooding the room. Heat sparked low in my belly, dangerous and wanting.
He could fuck me like a rag doll right here, right now,I thought biting at my lip.
"Like mine," he said roughly. "You smell like you're already mine."
"That's impossible. I'm not…we haven't…"
"I know what you are, Doc…" He moved closer, backing me against the wall. "Unmated. Un-fucking-claimed. But your scent... Christ, it's like you were made for me."
My legs were shaking. The heat sparks were getting stronger, my body recognizing a compatible Alpha and responding against my will. I needed to get out, needed to replace the patches on my body, and get in control of myself.
"I have to go," I said, ducking under his arm.
But he caught my wrist, spinning me back against his chest. The full contact of our bodies made us both gasp. His dick was furiously hard against my stomach, and it was clear as day he was exercising a huge amount of control by the way his face had contorted above me.
