“Unlock the adjoining-room door after you change clothes, and I’ll get you loosened up.”
After she shut her door, he went into his room and changed into a pair of sweats, leaving his shirt off. He unlocked his side of the adjoining-room door, then stretched and sat on the edge of the bed.
Alicia came through a few minutes later. She’d changed into her yoga pants and had put on a T-shirt that fit snugly against her breasts.
Not that he would notice what his therapist was wearing.
But he definitely noticed everything Alicia did. Or wore. And as she leaned over him, he breathed in her scent, something musky that made him want to grab her hair and bury his face in her neck.
“I’m glad you left your shirt off. I can put some massage lotion on your arm and really work into it after I stretch it. Then I’ll go down the hall and fill the ice bucket and ice you down.”
He grimaced. “Sounds fun.”
She smiled. “No, it won’t be, but it’ll loosen your shoulder.”
“Let’s get this over with.”
“Lie down on your back on the side of the bed so I can get to your shoulder. We’ll put some heat on it first, and then I’ll stretch you.”
He laid down, and Alicia kneeled at his side to put the heating pad on his shoulder. He turned to face her. “You’re going to stretch me kneeling on the floor like that?”
“Yes.”
“That can’t be comfortable for you.”
“It’ll be fine. I’ve stretched people in more uncomfortable positions than this. And trust me, it’ll be way more uncomfortable for you than it will be for me.”
That made him smile. “So, what you’re saying is that I shouldn’t feel sorry for you.”
“Not in the least.”
“Okay. I hope you suffer.”
She laughed. “That’s the spirit.”
“Did you have a good time tonight?”
She leaned back on her heels. “I did. Surprisingly.”
“Why are you surprised?”
“I guess I wasn’t prepared for—how nice and how much fun your friends were going to be.”
“Yeah? What did you expect?”
“I don’t know exactly. It’s hard to come into new situations, be surrounded by a bunch of strangers. These are all your friends, and it’s your reunion. I was the interloper. It could have gone badly. They might not have taken well to you dragging some strange woman in. They were very nice. So funny and so welcoming to me.”
“I’m glad you like them.”
“I do. You have great friends. You should see them more often.”
“Okay, Mom.”
“Hey.” She shoved at him.
“It’s not like any of us have the time for regular get-togethers. We all have busy careers. Or at least they do.”
“You will, too, once I whip you into shape.”
“I don’t feel very in shape right now. Just whipped.”
She let out a soft laugh. “Once we’re finished working together, you’re going to be a rock star on the mound again.”
That’s all he wanted.
She pulled the heating pad off and started lightly stretching his arm. She was right—he was stiff, and as she got deeper into the stretch, holy shit did it hurt. He ended up clenching his jaw as she pulled at his arm in those vicious, unnatural positions that ended up making him sweat.
But by the time she finished and went to grab some ice, he was looser. He was already seeing improvement in his range of motion, and for the first time in a long time, he felt hopeful.
“Here you go.” She had brought wraps to put the ice in, so she laid it on his shoulder while he leaned up against the headboard of the bed.
“Thanks for doing this. My arm actually feels looser.”
She dried her hands on one of the hotel-room towels. “It’s no problem. And that’s a good thing, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Leave that on for ten minutes, then just dump the ice. I’ll come back for the wrap in the morning.”
“You’re leaving?”
Her lips curved. “Yeah, I’m beat. And unless you have something early to do with the guys in the morning, I’d like to hit the fitness center with you for a full workout on your arm.”
“No, nothing planned in the morning.”
“Good. Say around eight?”
“That’ll work.”
“See you then. Goodnight, Garrett.”
“Night, Alicia.”
She closed the adjoining door. He waited for her to click the lock, effectively barricading herself in.
She never locked it.
For some reason, that made him smile.
Alicia was in the zone the next morning. After thirty minutes on the treadmill and another thirty on the bike, plus weight training and now stretching exercises, she had Garrett drenched in sweat and working the hell out of his arm when a guy walked in.
She actually had to do a double take because he looked a lot like Garrett. Tall, shaggy raven hair, but with the most piercing eyes she’d ever seen. He zeroed in on them with a cocky grin on his face.
“You look like shit,” he said as he stopped beside Garrett.
Garrett raised his head. “Thanks.”