Page 49 of Playing for the Hat Trick
Not when her hand is warm and firm, her fingers curving against my side like she’s sculpting me. Like she could undo me if she wanted to.
“You’re tilting too far forward,” she says, voice maddeningly calm.
Of course, I am. You touched me.
“You need to keep the twist in your torso, not your knee.”
I glance over my shoulder, lips twitching. “I’d probably perform better if you stopped putting your hands on me.”
She doesn’t even blink. “You’d perform better if you focused on your form instead of flirting like a twelve-year-old who just discovered boobs.”
“Too late for that,” I say, straightening, breath punching out of me. She sighs through her nose. “Jason.”
“You leaned over a treatment table wearing that white tank during eval,” I continue, because I’m a shameless asshole with zero self-preservation. “It was practically an invitation.”
She steps back. Just a fraction. Not annoyed. Just recalibrating.
I miss her hand instantly.
“Rotate again. Let’s try the other side.”
I shift position. My thigh burns. My brain’s fried. My dick is still debating whether it wants to be part of the conversation or just take a nap out of spite.Take the nap, buddy; there’s nothing for you here.
Scottie circles me like a lioness in leggings. Cool. Focused. Her tablet beep-beeps when she taps notes into it. Her gaze flicks to me again.
“How’s the pain?”
“Manageable.”
“How’s the swelling?”
“Also manageable.”
She nods. “And the erection?”
I almost choke. “Excuse me?”
Her eyes dance—teasing. “Just checking if the discomfort is all knee-related.”
“Wow,” I say, standing up straight, letting my gaze drag down her body. “That was bold, Crawford.”
She shrugs like my raging libido isn’t her problem. “You’re the one moaning every time I touch your leg. I’m just gathering clinical data.”
“Well, my clinical data says you should kiss me and see if that helps with the inflammation.”
Scottie pauses. Just long enough to make me wonder if I crossed a line. Then, her voice drops just slightly. “You really want me to kiss you right now?”
I freeze.
Because, yeah. I do, I so fucking do.
I want it like I want oxygen. Like I want a second chance at the career I’m not sure I’ll ever get back. Like I want her legs around my waist and her mouth open beneath mine.
But the room shifts. The energy thickens with something else.
Vulnerability?
I don’t answer right away. She’s watching me too closely now.
