Page 54 of Cheap Shot
“So why in the fuck would you quit because of my stubborn ass?”
“Because if I can get the great Cole Hendrix to listen to my instructions and sing my praises, everyone else will fall in line easily.”
“You’re going to use me?” I smirk down at her. The urge to wrap my arms around her, pressing her body into mine, is almost unbearable. Almost.
“Like you’re not using me. It's a win-win for both of us.” She smiles, throwing in a playful wink for good measure. “Do we have a deal?”
“We have a deal.” I hold out the hand attached to my good arm. I learned my lesson the first time.
Michele giggles softly before giving it a firm shake. “Good.”
Michele grabs the yellow band and holds it out toward me, but I shake my head. “I thought I was going to be back on the ice in a week.”
“You will, but how about we try to make an actual compromise this time?” She drops the band, reaching out to grab the red one. “You do the reps I ask for using the red band. If you can get through them without any major pain, you can do one with the green before we move on to something else.”
I take the ends of the band into each hand and start pulling. She watches—closely. Too closely, if you ask me. Goose bumps pebble across my skin as she watches. I can practically feel her eyes tracking every movement, like she’s waiting for any sign of pain, but she won’t find one. I could do these in my sleep.
She grabs my wrist, guiding my movements at a slower pace. “You’re going too fast.”
I grunt and reset, moving much slower this time. Instead of a slightly annoying ache, it slowly intensifies to something a little more persistent around rep ten. By twelve, my shoulder burns.
“Good,” she says quietly, releasing my wrist to grab her tablet. I watch as she pulls the pencil from its holder and starts jotting something down.
“You keep paying such close attention to everything I’m doing, people are gonna think I’m your favorite patient.”
That earns me a dry look. “Don’t flatter yourself, Hendrix. You’re just the most stubborn one.”
“Stubborn gets results.”
“Stubborn gets people hurt.” She narrows her eyes as I reach for the green band. “Not happening today, mister. You barely finished the reps I asked for using the red one.”
There it is—that spark between us. Irritation. Concern. Maybe something else neither of us is ready to put a name to. I roll out my shoulder, testing the range, feeling the burn a little more than I’d like to admit, but no pain. Now that is a step in the right direction, especially compared to the last time I did these at home. I didn’t even make it through my reps before I had to stop and take my pain medication. Maybe Michele will fulfill her promise after all.
“All right,” she says, setting the tablet back down on the table beside us. “Let’s do overhead presses next. Start with a lighter weight. If you can do a few reps with no pain, we can increase your weight.”
I don’t waste any time arguing and take a seat on the bench, reaching for the one dumbbell perfectly positioned on the floor. My body stiffens as she kneels beside me. Her hand brushes my forearm—just a light, clinical touch—but it sends heat up my spine like she lit a fuse. She must feel it, too, because her breath hitches. Barely. But I hear it.
“Just checking the alignment,” she whispers, trying to keep a casual tone. She looks up, eyes meeting mine for a second, before flicking back down to the ground.
“You’re afraid I’m going to cheat. Not that I’ve ever been accused of that before.”
Her voice is firm and low as she runs her thumb across my whitened knuckles. “Cole.”
“Trouble,” I respond, every muscle in my body attuned to her movements, waiting for her to make the next move, but it never comes.
“Do your reps, Hendrix. We need to stay on schedule if I want to win our bet.” She pushes to her feet and strides toward the end of the room to talk to another trainer.
“I want to win, but something a lot more than our stupid bet,” I mumble, my eyes focused on her as she laughs at something they say.
Jealousy bubbles in my stomach, wanting nothing more than to be the one to make her laugh, to make her smile without worry. I want to be someone she can confide in, not the person who causes her nothing but trouble.
I don’t know what to make of what is happening between Michele and me, but the lines between us are blurring. Maybe more than either of us is prepared for.
“Get back to lifting, Hendrix. That weight won’t lift itself,” she shouts, winking at me with a shy smile.
“Anything you want, Trouble.”
I continue my set, lifting the weight slowly before starting the process all over again. Michele watches me from her position in the corner of the room, but she doesn’t come any closer. For now, I need to remain professional and stay focused on getting enough movement back to be back on the ice after rookie camp.
