Page 17 of Desperate Pucker
“Well, get used to it, ice princess. Things are a little different in hockey than in figure skating.”
I’m usually naked whenever my physio works on me during a full-body session. It makes for a more effective massage since they can get deeper into the muscle. I’ve done this for so long that it doesn’t feel weird.
“If you can’t handle being in here, you should leave,” I say. “You might get an eyeful of something you don’t wanna see, and I can already tell you’re uncomfortable.”
She glares at me. “I’m fine.” She looks over at Camden and holds up a Bashers baseball hat. “You left this at the rink after our session.”
“Oh, damn. Didn’t even notice. Thanks.” He grins at her and sits up. He’s just wearing boxer briefs since his physio was focusing on his back this session.
She hands it to him.
“You call her ice princess?” Camden says, a dopey grin on his face as he looks between the two of us.
“Yeah. She loves it.”
“I hate it,” she spits out.
Camden laughs. So does Xander.
She turns to me. “Still sore from the one skating lesson I gave you?”
There’s a satisfied lilt to her voice that I can’t stand.
“Only a little,” I mutter.
Eric laughs and looks at her. “You should have heard him when I was working on his hamstrings. He was whimpering like a baby.”
A giddy smile pulls at Maddy’s lush mouth. I try to ignore how pretty she looks when she does that.
I frown at Eric. “Shut up.”
He just laughs, then pats my quad. “You’re good to go.” He walks off, and I sit up.
Maddy crosses her arms and aims that smug smile at me. “If you need more time to recover before our next session, I understand. You’re not as young as Camden. You don’t bounce back as quickly.”
Camden grins like a puppy dog that’s been given a treat. He hops off the massage table and gives her a soft pat on the shoulder. “Aww thanks, Coach,” he says before putting his Bashers hat on and walking off.
Annoyance amps up inside of me. “I don’t need any extra time. I bounce back just fine.”
“Whatever you say. But hey, I can have a wheelchair waiting for you next time, just in case you’re really sore. Or a walker.I could ask my great-grandma if you can borrow hers. She’d be happy to loan it out.”
I grit my teeth, pissed off at how smug she is to see me in pain. Xander and Del finish up their sessions and quietly shuffle out of the room along with their physios, clearly uncomfortable with the way Maddy and I are snapping at each other.
I shift my weight on the table, and my towel slides down an inch. Her eyes widen as she glances down at my lap. I’m still covered up, but if the towel moves anymore, I’ll be showing Maddy all of my goods.
An idea pops into my head.
I stand up, holding the towel in front of me. “I don’t need a walker or a wheelchair, princess.”
Those big eyes go wide again. A smug, satisfied feeling flickers in my chest. She can’t stand me, but she also can’t help but stare at me when I’m barely covered up. And I like it. I like making her so flustered after she’s spent so much time giving me shit.
A hard swallow moves along the length of her delicate throat. “Y-You need a bigger towel,” she says, the bite in her tone fading.
“A way, way bigger towel.”
She glowers at me.
I should stop. She’s clearly thrown off, but I’m a petty bastard. I want to see her squirm. It feels really damn good after how she handed me my ass at skating practice and made fun of me for it.
