She went into her bedroom, slipped out of her dress and into her yoga pants and a tank top so she’d be more comfortable. When she went into the workout room, Garrett was already there, shirtless and in low-slung sweatpants.
He still made her knees weak, but she swallowed and took a sip of water, mentally readying herself.
She put Garrett through the thirty-minute stretching session. He gritted his teeth and endured it, but he was tight, and his body was tense. When she finished, he sat up and grabbed a towel to wipe down his face and body.
“How about a massage?” she suggested.
He slanted a glance her way. “I thought that was against your rules.”
“You’re tense. You look like you could use it.”
He grabbed a bottle of water and downed it in two swallows. “I’m fine.”
He was not fine. “A massage will relax you. Therapist’s orders.”
He let out a resigned sigh. “Sure.”
She set up the massage table with towels.
“Facedown,” she said.
He smirked at her.
“What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. Nothing appropriate, anyway.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I know.” He climbed onto the table, and she got out her massage lotion then turned on some music.
He lifted his head and looked up at her. “Really? You’re going to play that new age shit?”
“Well, yes. It’s very calming and relaxing.”
“It’ll put me to sleep.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you sleeping while I massage you.”
“I don’t really feel like sleeping right now. How about something a little edgier?”
She leaned her hip against the table. “Edgier doesn’t seem very relaxing, Garrett.”
He lifted up on his forearms and shot her a grin. “Maybe not to you.”
“Okay. I’ll find something . . . edgier.”
She scrolled through her music until she hit something that rocked.
“That’ll do,” he said, and put his face down on the table.
Nope. Not relaxing at all, but if that worked for Garrett, so be it.
“I’m going to put some heat on your injured shoulder first. That way by the time I get to that part, it’ll be warmed up and ready for me.”
He lifted his head again. “God, you’re not going to stretch the fuck out of it again, are you?”
Her lips curved. “No, I’m not going to stretch it. This will be a gentle massage. I promise.”
“Good.”
She put the heating pad on his shoulder then mentally centered herself by breathing in then out. After rubbing the lotion between her hands to warm it, she started in the center of his upper back and worked her way down, wanting to save his shoulder for last because she knew that’s where the worst tension would be.
She was going to make him feel better and melt the knots in all his muscles. And maybe help him relax.
Though touching him like this wasn’t going to be relaxing for her.
At. All.
TWELVE
GARRETT WASN’T MUCH FOR MASSAGE, THOUGH A LOT of his teammates swore by it. A lot of the guys got weekly massages to help with their sore muscles. Garrett just got in the whirlpool or a hot shower and otherwise sucked it up.
But Alicia was right. Talking about his parents tonight had knotted up the tension between his shoulder blades, and now his shoulder hurt. Of course some of that probably had to do with the way Alicia worked him in their therapy sessions.
Not that he’d tell her that. She was tougher on him than any of his previous therapists had been. He’d wanted to cry. And he never cried.
He hoped to hell whatever she was doing to him would result in some good. Because he’d take whatever pain she dished out if it put him back on the mound.
Right now, though? Whatever she was doing back there was pure pleasure. He focused on the sweep of her soft hands over his back, the way she seemed to target every sore muscle, coaxing it into submission with her thumb or the heel of her hand.
He’d tried massage once or twice before and always seemed to get some tiny little woman who seemed nice but then proceeded to employ some Marquis de Sade technique of massage, determined to outdo her peers in how much they could hurt their clients.
Alicia didn’t do it that way. Her hands glided over his back until he couldn’t help but let out a groan of pure pleasure.
She rolled her fist down his spine, all the way to where his sweats rested low on his ass. He wanted her hands all over his body, rubbing him down front and back.
When she took the heating pad off and smoothed her hands over both his shoulders, he sank deeper into the cushioned table.
“You have magic hands.”
She laughed. “Sure I do.”
“No, really. This is a great massage.”
“Your muscles are cooperating. Be quiet now. You shouldn’t talk while I’m massaging you. Take deep breaths, in and out.”
No, he shouldn’t talk. He shouldn’t think, especially not about Alicia. If he thought about her, about her hands moving over his body, and about what he’d really like her hands to be doing, he’d end up getting hard.