And if it wasn’t bad enough feeling her, he had to listen to her, to the sounds she made as she touched him. Just hearing her breathe turned him on.
It sounded like sex, made him think about thrusting as she put force against his muscles. And when she exhaled . . .
Jesus. He really had to stop mixing Alicia and sex together. This was what happened when his mind went blank and he relaxed.
The music was pumping, but it wasn’t helping to take his mind off Alicia, her hands, and the sounds she made. If he could sing a note himself, he would, but that would only send her screaming from the room, so that was out.
She leaned down to put a little pressure on his muscles. He caught a whiff of her perfume. No, not perfume. Soap or shampoo, maybe. Something citrusy. He sucked in a breath.
She stopped. “Is that a rough spot?”
He gritted his teeth. “No. I’m fine.”
She laid her palms flat and moved down his back, then up.
“Talk to me, Alicia.” Maybe if they carried on a conversation, he’d stop visualizing.
“You shouldn’t be talking. You should be breathing. Deep, even breaths that’ll carry oxygen to your muscles.”
“I’m not talking. I want you to talk.”
She paused. “Is it so difficult for you to relax?”
“Yeah. I like conversation.”
She let out a soft laugh. “Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
“I don’t know. I know about Gavin since we play together. Is that how you got interested in sports medicine?”
“Sort of. I watched a lot of sports when I was younger, obviously. The family is entrenched in sports with Cole and my cousin Mick playing football, and Gavin in baseball. Even the girls always played sports.”
“The girls?”
“My cousin Jenna and I.”
“What sports did you play?”
“I was on the dance team. And I played tennis and golf.”
He lifted his head and looked at her. “You like golf?”
“I can play.”
He sat up.
She frowned. “We’re not finished.”
“My muscles are relaxed. Let’s talk golf. You didn’t tell me you played that weekend we were in Oklahoma.”
She shrugged. “You didn’t ask me. Besides, no way would I have played in that weather. Too cold for me.”
He laughed. “For me, too. So, you think you’re good, huh?”
“No, I don’t think I’m good. I am good.”
“We should play.”
She folded her arms. “You think you’re ready to swing a club?”
“I don’t know. You’re the therapist. Am I?”
She studied him for a bit then said, “Actually, it would be good for your shoulder, help loosen you up for pitching. We should play.”
If there was one thing Garrett loved, it was competition. “Good. I’ll arrange a tee time.”
“I don’t have my clubs with me.”
“Neither do I, so we’re both at a disadvantage.”
“Fine. We’ll play. Now lie back down. I’m not finished with you yet.”
He rolled his shoulders. “Honestly, I feel fine.”
She pointed to the table. “Lie down. I haven’t given you the full Alicia Riley massage yet.”
He wanted to groan. Any more of her hands on him and he’d be hard the rest of the night. “No, really.”
She gave him that glare he was getting used to seeing. The one that meant she was going to win, so he might as well not argue.
“Okay. Geez.”
He flipped over, and she put more lotion on her hands then went back to work on him, this time spreading his arms out and rolling her hands over his biceps. Admittedly, that felt really good. She hit the rough spots and melted away the last of his soreness from the therapy today. But her touch and scent still set him off, so while he was relaxed, he was still keenly aware of her.
“That should do it,” she finally said.
He stood and stretched. Alicia looked at him then quickly turned away. “All right, then. I’ll just clean up in here, and you can head out. You should drink more water.”
“Why?”
“Massage releases toxins and can make you sweat. The water will replenish you.”
“Fine.”
Maybe he wasn’t the only one aware. He’d caught her checking out his abs—and lower. His cock tingled at the thought, but he brushed it aside. In these sweats hiding an erection wouldn’t be possible. He left the room and went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, downed it in a few gulps, then stepped outside for some air.
Alicia was right. He’d broken out into a sweat, and the cool night breeze helped.
“Feeling all right?”
He turned to her. “Yeah. Feeling great now. Thanks for the massage.”
“You’re welcome.” She took a sip of water, then laid her glass on the table and took a seat.
He parked it on the top step, turning so he was half facing her, half facing the ocean.
“If I lived here, I don’t think I’d ever leave the house,” she said. “This place has a definite allure.”
“It’s great, but I think you’d get bored.”