“Yeah, yeah.”
He was grouchy and he knew it. He’d expected to get on the mound and start throwing pitches the same way he had before he got hurt. It wasn’t looking like that was going to happen, and it pissed him off, which was no reason to take it out on Alicia.
“Hey,” he said, pausing just inside the tunnel leading toward the locker room. “I’m sorry.”
She cocked her head to the side. “For what?”
“For snapping at you.”
She laughed and touched his arm. “This is a big deal for you, Garrett. You’re entitled to be tense about it.”
She understood. Of course she did. Right now she knew him and what he was going through better than anyone. He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. “Thanks.”
Except a few of the players took that moment to come in from the dugout.
“Whoa, Garrett.” Tommy Maloney, a fellow pitcher, gave Garrett a shove. “Shouldn’t you two get a room or something?”
“I don’t know, Tommy.” Dedrick Coleman crossed his arms, his glove dangling from his fingers. “I’d say we’ve got a pretty good show going on right here. I might want to stay and watch.”
“Fuck off, Deed,” Garrett said, seemingly unconcerned that they’d just been caught making out in the tunnel.
Dedrick laughed, and he and Tommy headed toward the locker room.
“Sorry about that,” Garrett said, turning back to Alicia.
Her eyes were wide with shock. “Oh, God. That’s the worst thing that could have happened.”
Garrett frowned. “What? Oh, the guys? Don’t worry about it.”
“Are you serious? The last thing I need to have happen is for my boss to find out about the . . . about what’s been going on between the two of us.” She took two giant steps back. “That can’t happen again. I’ll meet you inside the therapy room.”
She hurried away, and he wondered what she meant by “that.” Kissing her in public or being with her at all.
Their time together in Florida had been nearly perfect. They’d had a lot of alone time, especially in the house together. He’d been free to touch her, to taste her, to make love to her without anyone around. Yeah, once they’d gotten to the ballpark, it had been professional and hands-off.
Except in the dugout that night . . .
He smiled remembering the way her body had arched when he’d been inside her, the sounds she’d made when she’d come.
He’d like to do it again. Here in this dugout. Or maybe in the bullpen.
His cock tightened, but he pushed aside his own needs. Alicia was pissed. And scared. And all he was thinking about was having sex with her again, getting close to her, touching her.
He needed to respect her boundaries.
He went into the training room and found her, head down in that damn notebook where she charted—whatever the hell she charted about him. He knew her notes were all about him since right now he was the only one she worked with.
She looked up. “Let me loosen up your shoulder. You had a hard workout today.”
“Sure.” He changed, and she put heat on him then loosened him up with a series of stretches that not that long ago caused agony. Now it felt good to have his muscles and tendons stretched. Plus, having Alicia’s hands on him had a whole different meaning than it did back then. He craved her touch, the way her hands slid over his shoulder and down his arm.
And all the while, she didn’t even make eye contact with him, not even when she bent down to push deep into his muscle, when her face was so close to his, if he lifted up even a little bit, their lips would touch.
“Alicia.”
“Yes.”
“You can look at me, you know.”
She gave him a brief glance, but she backed away first. “Am I hurting you?”
“No.” But they weren’t alone in the treatment room, and he knew she was freaked out by what had happened earlier with Dedrick and Tommy. He wasn’t going to be able to talk to her about it now, because there were other athletes and other therapists in here.
Later. They’d talk later.
Except later, after they had both left—and he’d noticed that she’d hightailed it out of there as soon as she’d finished with his therapy—he’d called her and asked if she wanted to come over to his place. She’d told him she was busy with some family stuff and couldn’t see him tonight. And she’d gotten off the phone with him in a hurry.
A cold knot formed in his stomach. Maybe she was being honest, and she really did have family obligations.
Or maybe she was creating distance in more places than just the ballpark.
And to Garrett, that just wasn’t acceptable.
The next day, he tried again. After workouts and therapy, making sure they were alone in the treatment room, he asked her.
“What are your plans for tonight? I thought maybe we could go out for dinner.”
She paused, mid stretch of his arm. “Um . . . what?”