I wonder if the other girls he slept with while we were together did this for him.
Our gazes catch, and my heart lodges in my throat the moment he notices my burning face. A slow smirk slides onto his face, like he’s caught me doing something I shouldn’t.
“So,” he starts, tucking his hands behind his head. “This is a good time to have a quick chat.”
My stomach rolls with nerves, but I hold my expression neutral. Under my hands, the muscle is loosening up, thank god. “Go for it.”
When he apologizes, I’ll be gracious. I won’t lord it over him. I just want to move on.
He laughs lightly, glancing down at my hands on his inner thigh with a conspiratorial grin. “Given our history, can you be professional this season?”
My hands pause. Yeah, he just said that. The sick feeling in my stomach starts simmering, a low boil, and I yank my hands back.
“What?”
He gives me a knowing look, like we’re sharing a secret. “Come on. You being my physio this year was a pretty big coincidence, and now this?” He gestures at his inner thigh.
A weird feeling loops through me, pounding harder with every heartbeat. It feels like I’m falling, like the contents of my stomach are in my throat.
He winces. “I just want to make sure it’s not going to be weird with us this year.”
Oh, Hazel. Wrong again. It’s almost laughable how wrong I am about guys.
He’s not going to apologize. He thinks I’m trying to get him back. After what he did and said, he thinks I’d actually be interested.
To him, I’m the person who walked out of that party crying while everyone whispered about her. I’m the girl who took summer courses so I could follow him to university, like a clueless, lovestruck fool.
I’m not that person anymore.
Rage drips into my blood, followed by an intense need to prove him wrong.
“I didn’t request to be your physio.” My voice sounds weird. Strained.
He arches an eyebrow. “No?” It’s clear he doesn’t believe me.
“No.” Shame squeezes my throat. Clingy, I remember him saying about me.
Girls like you don’t end up with guys like me. God, even now, the words slice through me.
I want to prove him wrong so, so fucking badly.
Across the gym, Rory watches. He’s had one eye on me the entire session. His desire to help earlier pounds in my thoughts.
He lifts a weight, holding my gaze and flexing his biceps and triceps. My pulse stumbles, because even if he is a cocky dickhead, Rory Miller is wildly handsome. I can see why women fall all over him, even if I’ll never be one of them.
Wait.
They hate each other, Rory and Connor. They’ve never gotten along. They’re going to be at each other’s throats all season. Rory’s a better player than Connor, and even though Connor’s never admitted it, that’s why he doesn’t like Rory.
And Connor made it clear that I’d never do better than him.
Rory is the only player on the team whose ego surpasses Connor’s. He’s smug, arrogant, and competitive as hell, and best of all, he hates Connor almost as much as I do. Like he can hear my thoughts, Rory’s mouth tilts into a grin, one eyebrow lifting.
So cocky, so confident.
The back of my scalp tingles as I hold his gaze in the mirror. I’m about to do something very stupid, but I don’t care. I’d do anything to get rid of this ashamed, powerless feeling. The desire to spite my ex has me by the throat.
I summon the unflappable bitch-demon deep inside me and give Connor a puzzled smile.
“You know Rory and I are together, right?”
My heart races as I watch his reaction. It might be worth it, watching his expression flip from smug to confused to surprised before he finally looks to Rory and it turns flat-out pissed.
“Really?” Connor asks, glaring at Rory across the gym. “Miller?”
I’m a hurricane of female rage and revenge, and I’m totally fucking doing this.
Rory’s trainer says something, but he’s not listening; he’s just looking between Connor and me.
I give him a flirty, twiddly finger wave. His eyes light up with victory and amusement, and I fight the eye roll as he shoots that grin at Connor.
God, Rory’s going to be the worst about this.
“Mhm.” I hear the question he asked me moments ago—the one about being professional—and my blood rattles with anger again, but I continue to smile.
Worry flickers in my chest. Rory’s unfairly hot, and I’ve been able to keep my distance until now with sharp barbs and light amusement, but he’s going to be all over me, murmuring in my ear and putting his hand on my waist with that intense charm and doing whatever he can to press Connor’s buttons.
The soft, vulnerable part of me worries that I’ll catch feelings. That I’ll fall for him.
My fingertips rub against each other, and when I feel the massage oil on my skin, another serving of molten, furious anger tips into my blood.
Rory’s also a spoiled hockey player who’s had life handed to him on a silver platter. I’m not going to catch feelings. Connor’s a reminder of what would happen if I let that line blur.
With Rory’s help, I’m going to make Connor regret what he did.
CHAPTER 5
RORY
“Well.” I take a seat on the bench beside Hartley after McKinnon leaves. “Someone’s had a change of heart.” I put on a pretty smirk and do a fluttery, feminine finger wave, tucking my hair behind my ear.
Her mouth tightens like she wants to laugh. It’s such a nice break from this tense, nervous version of her I’ve been watching like a hawk for the last hour.
“Is that supposed to be me?”
“I’m guessing McKinnon’s apology wasn’t what you were expecting.”
Any humor in her expression drops. “He said, um.” Her nostrils flare, and she takes a deep breath like she’s trying to hold back from torching this place.
“What?”
“He made it seem like I asked to be his physio.” Her face goes red. “Like I was hung up on him.”
I’ll kill him. “Really.”
A shudder rolls through her, but she shakes it off. “And then the groin stuff.”
Oh, I remember. I almost lost it, seeing her discomfort while she was working on him. Seeing the way he looked at her. Even now, hot jealousy twists in my gut.
Her tongue taps her top lip, and she sneaks a reluctant glance at me. “I told him we were dating.”
My thoughts stop before a smile spreads over my face. “Really.”
Well, shit. This day just got a lot better. The smile is ear to ear now as her blush deepens. She’s so fucking cute when she’s embarrassed like this.
She looks down, fiddling with her fingers. “I, uh. I really wanted to get him back, and he hates you.” Her gaze lifts to mine, tentative. “Because you’re a better player than him.”
“Oh, I know.” My heart beats in my chest like a hummingbird. I really, really like this turn of events.
“If you don’t want to do it—”