Page 19 of Paxton

Nope. Ice baths. This is just muscle work. There will be no emotions right now.

“Never,” I say, clearing my throat. “I’m just saying, you’re amazing.”

“Thank you,” she says. “It’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me. Maybe if I give you enough work, I’ll feel like I’ve earned this vacation we’re going on.”

“You don’t need to pay me back?—”

“I want to,” she cuts me off. “Any problem areas you want me to check out?”

My heart.

My heart is giving me a big fucking problem right now.

“No,” I say. “I feel better already and I felt fine before. Who knew?”

Monroe laughs, finishing up by having me flip to my back. She works on my neck for so long I nearly fall asleep with how great it feels, and before I can even think about slipping up and reaching for her, she’s telling me to take my time getting dressed and that she’ll have a water for me downstairs.

She quietly heads out of the room, and Idotake my time laying on that table, my head spinning from the work she’d done and from the feelings I managed to mostly quash the entire time she worked on me. The last thing I’d ever do is cross professional lines with her while she did her literal job, but damn, pushing those feelings down was afeat.

After I get dressed, I can’t help but smile.

She loved the room I set up for herandshe wants to go to the Maldives with me. I feel like I’ve just won the lottery, and I can’t help but wonder how in the hell I got so lucky for her to be in my life.

CHAPTER 6

MONROE

“How arethings going with Nash in the off-season?” I ask Reese, who sits across the table from me, Blakely on her right, at our usual brunch haunt.

She grins while she chews her bite of pancakes, nodding. “Really well,” she says after she swallows. “We’re enjoying the time off.”

“I bet you are,” I tease, slicing off a piece of my Belgian waffle and taking a bite, sighing contently. “And Lawson?” I ask Blakely. “How is that?”

“Fantastic,” Blakely says. “We’ve started talking about moving in together.”

My eyebrows raise, but the smile on my best friend’s face is everything. “That’s amazing!”

“Definitely,” Reese agrees. “Have you set a date?”

“No, not yet,” Blakely says. “We’re still in the discussion phase, but honestly, it makes sense. I’m over at his place more than my apartment.”

“Speaking of living with a Badger…” Reese says, eyes on me. “How are you adjusting?”

I nod, taking another bite to give myself a moment. I knew this conversation would be coming, seeing as how we spent thefirst half of brunch catching up on all things work related. Now on to the personal stuff. We have a running group text, so they know daily deets I give them, but…yeah.

“Paxton really saved my ass,” I say, blowing out a breath. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“And I’m assuming you two get along just fine as roommates?” Blakely asks, picking up a piece of bacon and taking a bite. “You mentioned a little at Clay’s party, but didn’t fully divulge.”

“Of course,” I say. “We’ve been friends forever, so there’s a trust between us that makes living together a breeze. It helps that I never get tired of him, and he’s been so damn sweet. He even turned one of his extra bedrooms into a massage space so I don’t have to travel to clients if I don’t want to.”

“Holy shit,” Reese says, and we all laugh at her shocked reaction. “Sorry,” she chuckles. “But that’s huge. Talk about the definition ofif he wanted to he would.”

“Right? I’ll never be able to repay him, even though he says I don’t need to. And he’s letting me crash his off-season trip tomorrow, like I mentioned.”

“To the Maldives,” Blakely says. “I wish he would’ve told Lawson about that trip. We could all go together.”

“Same,” Reese says. “But I get he wants a solo friend trip with you.” She eyes me suggestively.

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