Page 113 of Force Play
“Lucia,” I say firmly. “You know damn well your plan wasn’t the issue. Arturo is a great player, but he’s as thick-headed as they come. Was he actually following your plan?”
She’s quiet for a moment, fidgeting with the hem of her white tank top. “No.”
I cross my arms. “That’s what I thought. Don’t stress over how good you are at your job when your mission was to help the most stubborn and injury-prone player on the team.”
Lucia lets out a breath. “I somehow knew you’d make me feel better about it.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
She shakes her head and softly smiles. “I actually talked to Dr. Coltrain about a new idea this morning. I was talking to the girls when they were all down here, and they suggested I do some outreach. Try to talk to women and help them gain an interest in what I do. There aren’t a lot of female athletic trainers.”
“That’s a pretty awesome idea,” I state. “What does Dr. Coltrain think?”
She can’t hide her grin. “He loved it. Says it’s a great idea and that I would be a great example to young women about how weallbelong in the world of sports.”
“That’s fucking amazing,” I say, and Lucia lights up.
“Thank you.”
I can’t help but smile. “Why don’t you come in and relax, Luc? I’m not really doing anything tonight.”
“I’m not really in the mood for sex, Ari.”
I huff out a laugh. “Believe it or not, neither am I. But we’re friends now. Friends can hang out, Lucia.”
“Put on someModern Family,and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
“Deal,” I smile. “Come on.”
Lucia walks ahead of me into the room and looks over my bed.
Shit.
I still have my ice bag lying there.
“Ari,” she says, whipping her head toward me. “Why is there a bag of ice on your bed?”
“No reason,” I shrug, trying to drag my leg over to the bed so she can’t see me limping.
“Ari Morgan.” She stands in front of me with her hands on her hips. “Did you get injured today?”
“It’s nothing,” I wave my hand dismissively and crawl onto the bed.
“You’re icing it, so it’s not nothing.”
I sigh. “I tweaked my quad at practice today. Moved too quickly to chase the ball. It’s fine; just need to ice it a bit.”
Lucia narrows her eyes at me. “The woman you’re fucking is your athletic trainer, dipshit. You have to tell me when you get hurt.”
“I’m fine. Seriously. It’s a little sore, but I’ll be fine tomorrow.”
She crawls over me on the bed and sits beside me. “Oh, you’re not playing tomorrow, Ari.”
“The fuck I’m not,” I chide. “I’m getting on the field.”
“No, you aren’t,” she says sternly, and it’s honestly unfair that she can look so hot when she’s pissed at me. “You’re injured, and you need to take it easy. You don’t need the IL for a strained quad, but you do need a couple of days of rest.”
I groan because I know she’s right.
