“Ha, ha.”
“And physicality aside, he’s missing the kind of strength that counts.”
“Which is?”
“Mental strength. I think most girls have got guys outmatched in that department. And that’s one of the most important attributes of a great hockey player. Especially a goalie.”
“Is that a compliment, Parker Darling?”
“I said,mostgirls. Clearly, I wasn’t talking about you.”
“Clearly.” I shook my head at him but couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
We held each other’s gaze a little longer than I expected and something in his expression shifted. The way the air charged between us took me totally off guard. I’d always thought looking into Parker’s eyes was a little dangerous, like boarding a dinghy in the middle of a stormy ocean. It was wild and unpredictable, and all you could do was allow the waves to toss you about and pray you survived. I was simply trying my best not to get swept away.
I needed an excuse to pull my eyes from his, so I shiftedpositions to stretch out my other leg. But, as I did, I felt a jolt of pain in my hamstring. I inhaled sharply and reached my hand to the back of my leg.
“Are you okay?” Parker asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I tried to massage the spot that was hurting but winced as the muscle cramped.
“Lie down,” Parker responded. “I’ll help you stretch it out.”
“I said, I’m fine.”
“Has anyone ever told you how stubborn you are?”
I squinted at him through the pain shooting up my leg. “Has anyone told you how persistent you are?”
“Frequently. I like to think it’s one of my greatest strengths. So, you should probably just let me help.”
“But I don’t need your help.” Despite my words, I knew my face was still visibly contorted in pain.
“Fine. Don’t blame me when you’re limping your way through our next game.”
I huffed and lay back on the mat. “Okay, you win.”
Parker wore a satisfied smirk as he knelt beside me. He took my ankle in one hand and rested his other hand on my thigh just above my knee. I swallowed as a shiver danced up my leg all the way to the back of my neck. His strong hands were firm but gentle as he eased me into the stretch. When my leg tensed, I let out a hiss, making me realize I’d been holding my breath.
Parker paused, a serious look on his face. “Am I hurting you?”
“No, no. It’s good.”
The sparkle instantly returned to his eyes. “How good?”
“Notthatgood,” I quickly corrected myself. “In fact, I hatethis. It’s worse than the cramp.” It was a blatant lie. I didn’t want him to stop, and every place on my body his hands touched was tingling.
Parker smirked with delight, and when his hands shifted so he could deepen the stretch, the slight movement left a trail of fire across my leg. We were totally alone in here and the silence seemed heavy around us, like the room was holding its breath in anticipation.
Parker’s gaze didn’t move from mine, and I was too damn stubborn to look away first. I was determined to ride out the storm, but I felt dangerously close to capsizing. There was so much intensity in his eyes, it was like he knew exactly how he was affecting me. Whatever he was thinking, I hoped he kept it to himself.
“See, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re enjoying this.” Parker’s voice was low and hit me somewhere in my core. Yes, I definitely hadn’t wanted to know what he was thinking.
“I literally just told you I’m hating it.”
“No, you hateme. You can hate me and not hate this.”
“I hate this too.”
