A few strides later, he stood directly in front of the desk, three feet from me. “Is there something going on between you and Jackson I should know about?”
His question threw me, and I hoped to God he hadn’t seen the surprise written all over my face.
“Nothing other than him hiring me to be his sports therapist.”
“Hmmm.” He stole a large breath of air before shifting from one foot to the other. “What made him change his mind?” His tone was accusatory, which didn’t sit right with me.
“You’ll have to ask him.”
“I will,” he replied.
“Good.” The tension between us continued to build, but I was still at a loss as to why. “Is there anything else? I should finish this up before Jackson is done with training,” I said, pointing toward the screen. Truthfully, I’d finished ordering the supplies needed right before he walked in.
Trevor retreated a step and turned toward the door, but he didn’t leave. Instead, he swiveled back around to face me.
“I see the way he looks at you. We all do. And none of us are thrilled.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”I know exactly what he means.
“He’s distracted, and he needs to be focused. More now than ever. His upcoming fight could affect his career if he loses. And Jackson doesn’t lose. But he might if he doesn’t get his head back in the game. He has…. Weallhave a lot riding on this. So, if there is something going on between you two, it needs to stop. Now.”
I’d abandoned my chair and stood beside the desk, struggling to maintain my even-keeled breathing. I wanted to tell him to fuck off and mind his own business, but I refrained.
“I can assure you there is nothing going on between us other than professionalism.” I lied right to his face. Yes, neither Jackson nor I had crossed the line, but we’d come unbelievably close. And who knew what would’ve happened if I’d grabbed on to the brazen rope he’d thrown me. We might both be dangling from it right now.
“Good.” He appeared pensive for a moment. “Let’s keep this conversation between us. I don’t need him worrying about anything else.”
“Agreed.”
Agreed? Why did I say that? I was the last person who would be aware of what weighed heavy on Jackson’s mind. I barely knew anything about him other than how his moods switched on a dime and that there were a couple instances where he seemed concerned about me.
And he’s attracted to you. Don’t forget that pivotal point.
With his back to me, Trevor said, “He’s probably done training now if you want to do what he hired you for.” His irritated tone bristled over me, but I cast aside my own annoyance and followed him out of the office, heading toward the back room as he stopped to talk to Elton.
As I ran my conversation with Trevor through my head, I didn’t notice Jackson until I heard sloshing water. Clear across the room, he lowered himself into a large steel basin, his movements slow and steady until he was completely immersed.
“I should be used to the shock of the freezing water by now,” he said, the faintest smile flashing across his face. It disappeared the second our eyes locked.
Ice baths were commonly used after an athlete’s intense training, working to speed up recovery time as well as helping to ease inflammation and pain. Buried to his neck, Jackson closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the basin.
“Can you set a timer for fifteen minutes?” he asked without looking at me. And I was thankful because after my blunt conversation with Trevor, I wasn’t really in the chitchatting mood.
“Sure.”
“And can you grab me a towel?”
“No problem.” It was then I noticed he’d discarded his shorts next to the bath. “Are you naked?”
I wished I could steal back the words, but there they were out there, floating around in the air between us.
His lids popped open, and that same faint grin made another appearance.
“Of course. And I’m gonna need you to give me a full rubdown once I get out.”
“While you’re naked?” My voice rose with the question, higher than I liked.
“Yes. Is that gonna be a problem?”
