Perfect. Absolutely fucking perfect.
When I reached the door of physio room four, I gave a single knock and pushed the handle. She was crouched by the cupboard, restocking tape and gloves, hair pulled up, LTA polo stretching just enough across her waist to make my mouth dry and my shorts tighten.
Her eyes flicked up, completely unreadable.
“What’s that?” she asked, nodding at the two cups in my hand.
“Peace offering,” I said, holding one out. “Or bribe. Depends how mean you’re feeling today.”
She stood, wiping her hands on her pants as she did. She took the cup slowly, eyes scanning me with suspicion that didn’t quite hide that blink of surprise.
“Cappuccino?” she asked, sniffing it.
I shrugged. “Didn’t know what you liked. Figured you had classy coffee taste.”
She arched a brow, her mouth twitching. “So your plan was to gamble on caffeine and charm?”
“My two best assets.”
She sipped, looking at me over the rim. “Hmm.”
“Hmm, what?”
“It’s not awful, thank you,” she said dryly. “Which is more than I can say for your timekeeping.”
I grinned. Finally I was getting somewhere with her.
The sky had darkened with rain outside the window, so she flicked the light on, gestured to the table. “Hoodie off. Shoes off. Lie down.”
“You’ve gotta stop saying that to me,” I muttered, tugging my shirt over my head.
“Why?”
“One of these days, I might take it the wrong way.”
Her expression was laced with amusement. “I’ve said it to ten players this week.”
“Yeah, but I’m the only one who brought you coffee.”
That earned the tiniest twitch at the corner of her mouth. Almost a smile. I’d take it.
I dropped onto the table, palms behind my head, and let her get to work. She set the coffee beside the sink and snapped her gloves on, hands moving with that same maddening precision she always used. Her thumb found the back of my knee as she took a slow sweep up along my hamstring. Her signature touch was cool and clinical, and just a fraction too close to…
Yep, without fail, my cock twitched.
“So what’s the verdict, Doc?” I asked, voice a little strangled.
“Still tight. Could use more glute activation.”
“Medical recommendation or personal opinion?”
Her eyes cut up to mine, slicing through the charm. “Your ego’s doing enough activating.”
I laughed. “That was a good one.”
“I’ve got loads,” she said, not looking up. “But I save the best for athletes who actually listen.” She didn’t meet my eye but I felt the tension between us. Her hand trailed higher on my thigh, her touch firm but focused. My abs locked, but I kept my face blank. Her touching me like this shouldn’t have felt so intimate.
“You ever gonna say yes to that date?” I asked quietly, still staring at the ceiling.
