Delay of Game (San Francisco Strikers Book 3) Page 4
Apparently his pity party hadn’t been internal last night.
“It’s fine. Feels great,” he said, leaning toward the handlebars, keeping his pace steady.
“You should use the other bike,” Sully said, gesturing to the recumbent bike that sat low to the floor.
“And burn one calorie? Nope. I’m good,” he said, pushing himself harder. And then the throbbing became unbearable, the pain heading up to his knee. He fought back the oh fuck and slowed his pace, but Sully caught his wince as Finn stepped off the bike.
“Ah, man. Why are you so damn stubborn?”
“I’m fine,” he said, refusing to hobble as he made his way to his towel and water sitting on one of the weight benches. It was only a few steps, but his ankle was cursing him. Shit.
“Sure you are. Your PT is going to hand you your ass today,” he said, shaking his head. “Hell, maybe you’ll get the cute one.”
“What?” Finn asked before he could stop himself.
“Boosh mentioned the new PT assistant. Heard she’s hot,” Sully said, his pace never slowing on the treadmill.
“I guess. Been too focused on my rehab to notice,” Finn said nonchalantly, before gulping down half his bottle of water.
“Sure, sure,” Sully said, his eyes narrowed, but Finn ignored him. He was thinking about her again. Dammit. She was going to rip him a new one in a few hours. He didn’t want to think about why that didn’t upset him. Hell, he was looking forward to it.
“And now you’re smirking. Want to tell me anything?”
“Nope. I’m heading back. Enjoy your workout,” Finn said, escaping from the room, and from Sully’s chuckle.
Normally he would’ve taken the stairs down to his condo, but his ankle wasn’t in the mood for that so he headed to the elevator, cursing himself the entire way. Why the hell had he pushed himself that hard? But he’d always pushed himself. That’s how he’d gotten to the Strikers. How he continued to do what he loved and getting paid a ridiculous amount for it.
He walked into his condo. Bash greeted him at the door, jumping up to put his paws on Finn’s outstretched arm, and knocking him slightly off balance.
“Okay, buddy. Sit,” Finn said, bracing his other hand on the edge of the door and trying not to put all of his weight on his ankle. Bash sat on his haunches, his tongue lolling out. Finn grabbed a treat from his pocket and tossed it in the air. Bash easily caught it and then followed Finn over to the couch.
“We’re just going to lie here for a little while,” Finn said, stretching out and shoving a pillow under his aching ankle. Bash jumped up, narrowly missing Finn’s lap, before settling down next to Finn, his head propped up on Finn’s thigh.
Finn scratched Bash’s head and sunk into the couch, flipping on SportsCenter. He’d rest for a few minutes, and hope that the swelling and pain would ease before he had to get in the shower. As Bash drifted off to sleep, Finn regretted not grabbing a few pain pills from the kitchen, but Bash looked so comfortable.
“Shit,” he said, bolting upright, his eyes darting to the clock on the TV. He’d slept for an hour, and Bash was currently drooling on Finn’s leg. He had forty-five minutes to shower and get to Dr. Anders’ office. He stretched, rotating his ankle, testing his foot. It still throbbed but the pain had decreased. Maybe he hadn’t done too much damage. Lifting Bash’s head, Finn shifted and braced himself to stand. He winced as he put weight on his injured leg. Okay. Maybe not as diminished as he’d hoped.
He gingerly made his way to the shower, then scarfed down a quick lunch and fed Bash. “Kenny will be here soon, buddy,” Finn said, ruffling the fur between Bash’s ears, before giving him a treat. Finn grasped the crutch, pissed at himself for needing it again because of his own stupidity.
***
He reached the office with five minutes to spare. Luckily there was a parking garage next to the building, so he didn’t have to walk far to get to Dr. Anders’ office. He greeted Susie, Dr. Anders’ receptionist and was ushered back into an exam room within minutes.
“Hi Finn, how’s it feel today?” Dr. Anders asked, gesturing for Finn to get on the table. He set his crutch against the wall and willed his grimace to not be too obvious as he hopped up on the table. So focused on not showing his pain, his hand slipped, and he wobbled to the side, barely catching himself before soft but strong hands gripped him to help. Her scent washed over him. Sophia. He hadn’t noticed her entering the room behind Dr. Anders in his rush to get on the table before the doctor noticed his pain.
A soft floral, mixed with something else. Something sweet. He wanted to inhale her. Shit. He was in trouble, and it had nothing to do with his ankle and everything to do with the side of her breast pressed against his arm, the soft hair of her ponytail brushing his exposed skin. Fuck. He wanted to wrap it around his hand and tug her closer.
He took in a deep breath, pushing his desire away. He hadn’t reacted this strongly to a woman in ages. He needed to get laid. It’d been months. He’d casually dated for years—until his injury. This was just a dry spell he needed to end.
“Finn. Are you okay?” Sophia asked, her voice soft, her breath washing over his throat. Jesus Christ, he needed to get a grip, and pull free of hers.
“Yeah. Just slipped,” he said, his voice gruff. Hopefully she’d read his tone as irritation and not the desire to pull her close.
“I noticed that you had your crutch today,” Sophia said, pulling away from him as he finally settled on the table.
Of course she noticed.
“Yes. I thought you refused to ever use it again,” Dr. Anders cut in, a knowing look on her face.
“Yeah, my ankle hurts a little today, so I brought it,” Finn said.
“And what did you do this weekend?” Dr. Anders asked.
“Not much. A few walks. Took my dog to the dog park. Did all the exercises you gave me. Nothing strenuous,” he replied. Hey, he hadn’t lied. His stupidity had happened this morning. Monday wasn’t the weekend.
“And how bad is the pain,” Dr. Anders asked.
“Not too bad. Just thought I’d take it easy.” And then he glanced at Sophia, her eyes narrowed again. He should’ve kept that last remark to himself.
Chapter 4
“You? Take it easy? What really happened?” Sophia asked, moving to the end of the table and touching his ankle, pressing lightly. She didn’t miss his grimace, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
And as much as she enjoyed touching him, she was in full PT mode. She held back her snort. That was a total lie. Even his ankles were hot, which was ridiculous. He shifted on his ass and she pressed harder, keeping her eyes locked with his.
“Yeah, I don’t believe you. Remember, if you push yourself too hard, you will set yourself back.”
“I know that,” he said.
“Finn, listen to Sophia. I know this is hard and you want to be one hundred percent now, but you need to focus on the end goal, and that’s getting back on the ice for the season. Focus on that. We want you to push yourself, but be smart about it,” Dr. Anders said.
Sophia didn’t miss the brief flash of embarrassment in Finn’s eyes. It was not endearing. Nope. Definitely not. She had a job to do, and she had to focus on that. None of the other patients threw her off like this. She’d been in his personal space—that was part of her job—but when she’d rushed to help him when he’d started to slip from the table, her breast pressed against his impressive arms and she’d had to catch herself from leaning in, from the overwhelming urge to sink into his chest.
“I know. And I’m working on it.” His voice cut through her fog, and she released his ankle and stepped back.
“Sophia is going to take over the appointment today, if that’s okay with you. You work well together, and I have the utmost confidence in her,” Dr. Anders said, and Sophia held in her surprise.
Her boss had briefly mentioned having Sophia take over a few of her patients and take the lead, but she wasn’t expecting Finn to be the first
one. Sophia fought back the nerves in her belly.
“Ahh, sure,” Finn said.
Sophia didn’t miss the hesitation in his response, and it rankled.
“But you’ll still check on everything, correct?” he continued. Sophia tried not to bristle in irritation. Yes, she was new to the office, but she had all the training needed to run the appointment.
“Yes. Sophia and I have gone over the exact treatment I want for you, so you don’t need to worry. Sophia knows what she is doing, so listen, and trust her,” Dr. Anders said. Sophia tried not to beam at her boss’ complete faith in her after so short a time.
“Okay.”
He still sounded wary, and Sophia resisted the urge to defend herself. She would do that through her actions. His hotness was starting to diminish with each doubt he verbally and non-verbally portrayed.
“Great. And stop pushing too hard,” Dr. Anders said.
“It’s who I am,” he grumbled.
“Yes, we are well aware of that, and taking the extra effort is important, until you push yourself too hard and reinjure yourself. You didn’t just sprain your ankle, you fractured it in two places. Recovery takes time. Now, listen to Sophia, and I’ll be back to check on you,” she said, offering him a smile before she exited the room.
“What are we doing first?” he asked, his steely blue gaze on her, his mouth almost tight.
What the hell was his deal?
“Look, I know you’d rather the PT of the office lead your appointment, but Dr. Anders and I have gone over everything she wants you to do, and I know what I’m doing.” She couldn’t hold back her exasperation, and when his eyes widened, she knew he hadn’t expected her to call him out on his comments. “I have all the certifications and training required to run this appointment. Not to mention that I handled my own caseload of patients at my last PT office.” And without a single complaint. She was damn good at her job.
“Look, I’m sure you’re great at your job, but this is my life, and I need to be back on the ice for the season.”
She knew he was a grump on and off the ice, but now he was just being an ass.
“And if you follow our treatment, I have the utmost faith that you will be skating as early as next month,” she stated, still angry, but understanding his frustration.
“I’m holding you to that.” His voice was gruff, and it did not skate down her spine. Definitely not.
“Now do you want to tell me what really happened this weekend?”
“Nothing happened this weekend.” His eyes darted back and forth as he said it.
She narrowed her gaze, silently thrilled when he pulled back and took a breath. “Try again.”
“Fine. I overdid it on the bike this morning. But to be fair, today is Monday, so it wasn’t over the weekend.”
She scoffed. “You’re going to go with semantics when we are trying to help you rehab?”
“Don’t glare at me. It was stupid, I know. I’m stu—”
“—stubborn. Yes, I know. But you can’t keep using that as an excuse. You need to be smart about this. And I’m guessing it was an upright bike, not recumbent?”
“What kind of workout am I getting on a recumbent bike? I’m basically lying down,” he muttered.
She refused to think about him lying down. Refused.
“A better workout than if you reinjure yourself and are stuck doing nothing but the stretching exercises we give you,” she shot back.
“I’m a slow learner.”
“Clearly,” she replied, unable to focus when he offered her a small grin. That grin was devastating, quirking up on one side, making him look boyish and adorable. Shit. She bit the inside of her cheek and grabbed the EMS machine, rolling it toward the exam table.
He rolled up his pant leg, and she attached the disks to his ankle and shin, before turning the machine on.
“Relax, and I’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” she said, then stepped out of the room and took in a calming breath. She’d gone through way too many emotions in the brief time since her boss had left the room. And getting sucked into his charming smile, or even flirting with him, would get her nothing but heartache, and possibly fired.
“Everything going well?” Dr. Anders asked as Sophia walked by her office, still collecting herself.
“Yes. Great. Just doing the EMS now,” Sophia said, slipping into Dr. Anders’ office.
“I know you weren’t expecting to take him on without me just yet, but I think you’re ready, and you work well together. You have the perfect level of determination to take on his stubbornness and help him rehab correctly. And more than a few patients have said how much they liked working with you since you’ve started.”
“Thanks Dr. Anders. I’m still learning every day, but I’m glad I can be an asset to you and your patients.” Regardless of Finn’s assumption, Sophia was good at her job and it thrilled her that her new boss had received positive feedback about her so quickly.
“Did Finn tell you what he did this weekend?”
Sophia sank down into the chair across the desk from her boss, not feeling an ounce of regret as she ratted him out. “He said that nothing happened this weekend, so he wasn’t lying. But he got a little overzealous on the upright bike this morning.”
Dr. Anders laughed. “Stubborn. Stubborn man,” she said, shaking her head. “One day, I would love to have athletes listen to us.”
“Me too, but I’m not sure that’s in their nature. They’re a competitive lot, and being injured completely frustrates them.”
“Yes, it does. And I know you’ll help him see reason. Our own stubbornness helps us succeed when they fight us,” she said.
They chatted for another ten minutes about upcoming appointments for the day before Sophia headed back to Finn. She knocked lightly before slipping into the room. He had one arm behind his head, his bicep stretching the seams of his t-shirt. His arms were the size of her head. And the tattoos peeking out made her mouth water. A swirling mix of colors that she knew covered his shoulder. She’d known they were there, having Googled him shirtless before.
Hey, he was one of her favorite players and her Google search had happened well before he’d injured himself and walked into this office.
He tapped out something on his phone, then set it aside to look at her.
“Still mad?” he asked.
His question made her pause. Why should he care how she felt? “I’m not mad. Just trying to help you and I wish you would listen to us. You need to trust that I know what I’m doing, even if I’m just a PT assistant.”
He held her gaze, and she didn’t miss his chagrin. “I am listening to you, and I’m sorry for taking out my frustrations on you. I honestly thought I wasn’t pushing too hard and that my ankle could take it if I was.”
She set her tablet on the counter, removed the disks from his skin and pushed the machine back into the corner.
“I’m not telling you to avoid that bike, but don’t lean forward when you’re on it. Keeping your spine straight and not putting your weight on your ankle will allow you to build your strength without reinjuring yourself.”
“Fine.”
“It could be worse. At least you didn’t try to use any of the machines that require you to put all your weight on your feet,” she said, shaking her head, and catching his guilty expression out of the corner of her eye. “You didn’t?”
“I thought about it, but nixed it, knowing that lifting weights with my foot was a bad idea. I’m just afraid my ass is going to start shrinking, and what kind of hockey player would I be without it?”
“Your ass is just fine.” Her hand flew up, covering her mouth, and heat rolled through her body in embarrassment.
They both stared at each other, and she didn’t miss the faint pink in his cheeks. Shit. That wasn’t awkward at all.
“Umm, thanks,” he said.
“I meant that you don’t need to use that machine.”
He grinned so deep his eyes sparkled.
“Let’s get back to your ankle.” She kept her head down and started working over his ankle and calf, her movements robotic, ignoring his groan when she pressed hard above his ankle, her fingers skating over his calf, the muscle clenching under her touch.
They spent the next twenty minutes in relative silence. One-word answers to most of their questions to each other. She interspersed a few tips for what he could do at home while she worked. She could push aside her embarrassing comments and do her job. There was a vat of ice cream at home that she would drown herself in tonight and forget about the brief conversation about his ass. It truly was a thing of glory and she had no business thinking about it that way. She refused to have Dr. Anders regret her decision to put her trust in Sophia.
She forced herself not to look at his ass when he left the room ten minutes later. She didn’t know what had gotten into her. She was good at holding everything in. Being restrained.
But there was something about him. Something that made her feel more alive than she had in years.
And that was scary as hell.
“I know you’re itching to run, buddy. So am I,” Finn muttered as Bash tugged on his leash. They’d spent an hour at the dog park, and Bash should be tired, but he never ran out of energy, so Finn had decided on a walk along one of the paths in the park. Joggers ran past them. Up until last year, this walk never would’ve been an option because Bash had an overwhelming need to meet and be petted by everyone he saw. Joggers tended to frown on dogs getting in their way. Bash continued to tug on his leash, but he’d stopped jumping in front of joggers within the last four months.
Staying out longer wasn’t solely for Bash’s benefit. Finn wasn’t ready to go back to his condo and veg. Not that he didn’t have options for tonight, but he wasn’t in the mood to join Sully at C&B. To lean up against the bar and watch his friend flirt with anyone in Sara’s line of sight. Plus, he had a new recipe he was going to try out. One he was sure Molly would actually eat, even with the vegetables. Cooking for his family was something he’d done since his father had walked out the first time. His mother had worked three jobs to keep him in hockey gear and able to afford ice time, so he’d picked up the slack with cooking dinner. It was the least he could do for everything she’d done for him and his sister.