Delay of Game (San Francisco Strikers Book 3) Read online

  He missed cooking for more than just himself, for his family, but hopefully he’d get a chance to go home for at least a week or two before the season started. It was one of the reasons he’d pushed himself so hard to rehab faster. Setting himself back wasn’t an option, so he’d steered clear of the upright bike for the rest of the week. Although part of him had missed Sophia’s stern scolding from Monday, when he’d shown up in her office as a model patient for their next appointment.

  Her blush had been adorable when she’d reprimanded him and then remarked on his ass Monday afternoon. He’d wanted to make her blush again, and that was a problem.

  Bash tugged on the leash again, and Finn focused on their surroundings. They’d come to the end of the path and Bash was pulling him toward the entrance.

  “You ready to head home, buddy?” he asked, turning in the direction for home. Finn loved days like this. The blistering heat wave had ended, and the breeze off the water made him forget that it was the middle of summer. Another positive was that he’d spent hours on his feet today and his ankle wasn’t throbbing. He’d gone easy on his workouts, even tried out the recumbent bike, and it was paying off. The crutch was buried in his closet and he was moving around like his old self. Well, almost his old self. He still wasn’t getting on the ice anytime soon, but he was grudgingly happy with his progress.

  His arm jolted as Bash caught the scent of something, and Finn’s head shot up, spotting two chipmunks peeking out of the shrubs. Bash barked and the chipmunks darted through the bushes, Bash’s attention solely focused on the small animals, and Finn groaned.

  “Bash, knock it off. They don’t want to be friends with you,” he admonished, tugging on Bash’s leash, knowing that if Bash yanked Finn off his feet, Finn would be in trouble.

  The chipmunks darted around the corner with Bash on their heels, and Finn had no choice but to follow, his pace moving to a power walk, until he slammed into something soft. His arms immediately surrounded the woman in a momentum he couldn’t stop. At least he hadn’t smashed into a wall.

  “Umph,” a soft voice—a familiar voice—gasped, and he looked down to find Sophia in his arms. What were the fucking odds?

  “I don’t know, but you don’t need to sound so upset about it. You just crashed into me,” she huffed.

  “Shit. That was out loud, wasn’t it?” he said, still trying to wrangle Bash, whose leash was fully wrapped around Finn and Sophia’s legs. His dog sat on his back haunches, his gaze darting between both of them, while Finn tried to process the fact that Sophia was currently in his arms and she fit like she belonged there.

  He shouldn’t have thoughts like that rolling around in his head.

  “Yes it was,” she said, wiggling against him.

  He tried to pull his hips back because her rubbing her breasts all over him was not helping.

  “Could you stop?” he gritted out.

  “Why are you being so rude? I’m just trying to untangle us,” she shot back.

  “Rubbing your breasts against my chest isn’t helping,” he mumbled, but her raised eyebrows told him she’d heard him loud and clear. And the flush that stained her cheeks as she froze against him made him want to tease her further.

  “Sorry,” she said, her hands going slack, and then she started to laugh.

  “This is not funny,” he said, his heart racing at the sound of her laughter.

  “Your dog is licking my fingers,” she said, shifting against him again.

  “Bash, haven’t you caused enough trouble?” He looked down at Bash, who didn’t have a care in the world as he licked Sophia. Finn should not be jealous of his dog.

  “Sit,” he ordered, and Bash sat back again, his tongue lolling out, but not touching Sophia.

  Finn pushed the leash off of his wrist and started to untangle them, his fingers brushing against her back. He felt the slight shudder that rolled through her, but stifled the smirk of satisfaction that he affected her. Nice to know he wasn’t the only one suffering. Bash stayed put as Finn quickly unhooked the leash from Bash’s collar in order to pull it completely free. Finn hooked it back on before Bash could get any other ideas about chasing chipmunks. His body was still not up for a full-out chase.

  “So well-behaved,” Sophia said, finally free of the leash and crouching to pet Bash, who pushed his head against her hand and sighed with joy. Yep. Jealous of the dog.

  He snorted. “Maybe now, but his need to make friends with chipmunks got us into this mess, so well-behaved is a stretch.”

  Sophia laughed, still petting Bash, who was loving the attention, his tongue out, licking any skin he could find on the woman showering him with love.

  “Oh, you just wanted to make friends, didn’t you?” she said, ruffling his ears.

  “Chipmunks aren’t friends,” Finn grumbled. He stared down at them, finally getting a good look at what she was wearing. A bright pink sports bra peeked out from her thin tank top, sweat glistening over her tanned skin. The tank skimmed her curves, stopping just shy of covering her amazing ass. Her running shorts were loose, but not baggy, and he ached to pull her up against him again. He’d been hasty in freeing them from Bash’s leash.

  “He’s adorable. And Bash? Like for Sebastian?” she asked, standing up. He attempted not to salivate over her toned legs. Fuck. She was gorgeous.

  “Nope, like bashing into the boards. I’m a defenseman after all,” he said.

  “Of course,” she said, shaking her head and grinning. “Bashing into the boards can lead to injuries.”

  “You know I play hockey, right? And it wasn’t even a hit to the boards that busted my ankle.”

  “I know. You took a slap shot to your ankle off of the guy who won Hardest Shot at the All-Star game last year.”

  He couldn’t hide his shock. “Wait. You’re a hockey fan? How am I just hearing about this now?”

  “Umm. I like watching. You know, if it’s on,” she said, her gaze focused back on Bash.

  “Nope. Don’t buy it. Someone who just watches it if nothing better is on, not that there is anything better than hockey, wouldn’t know about All-Star games or whose shot I stopped with my damn ankle.”

  “So… what are you doing around here? And how is your ankle? You really need to be careful. What if you would have crashed into someone else and fallen and twisted it? We can’t have you regressing if you’re going to get back on the ice soon.”

  He quietly laughed at her sudden concern and swift subject change. He’d let her evade him for now, but they’d be circling back to her hockey love in the very near future.

  “It’s fine,” he said, rotating his ankle for her. It throbbed a little, but he’d elevate it when he got home, and she’d never need to know that chasing after his dog and getting tangled up in her arms had done any damage.

  “Do you come here often?” she asked, and then groaned. “That was not supposed to come out as a line.”

  “You can try your lines out on me any time,” he teased, ignoring the heat that rolled through him at the thought of her truly hitting on him. Shit. He had to stop this.

  “Seriously. You weren’t overdoing it, were you?”

  He was so damn tired of her not trusting him to follow her rehab instructions. Not that he’d given her much faith to go on. “No. Just took Bash to the dog park. It’s at the other end of the park. We’re here every day. And now we’re headed home. Nice sedate ten-minute walk as long as he doesn’t try to keep up with any more chipmunks.”

  She looked back at Bash. “I’ll let you get back to your walk, but no more chasing chipmunks. Your dad is fragile,” she said, wagging her finger at Bash.

  The damn dog gave her his best puppy grin.

  Finn scoffed. “No one has ever called me fragile.”

  “You know what I mean. I’ll see you on Monday. Behave. Both of you,” she said, and then jogged back down the street.

  When it came to Sophia, he no longer had any desire to behave. And that was a problem.

 
; Chapter 5

  “I hate jogging, and didn’t you just go yesterday?” Claire groaned as she tied her shoes, while Sophia jogged in place at their front door.

  “Come on. It’s good for you. And then you can swing by the restaurant for dinner. Stuffed shells will be waiting for you,” Sophia said, wiggling her eyebrows at her best friend.

  Claire rolled her eyes. “They’re always on the menu whether I jog with you or not. And maybe I have plans tonight?”

  “Hot date? Please tell me it’s someone new. That last guy,” she broke off, shaking her head.

  “What? He was hot and really good in bed,” Claire said as she stood up.

  “Yeah, that’s great for you, but I didn’t need to see him walking around our apartment naked the next morning. I think he sat on the couch, and he was really hairy, like everywhere,” she said, then shuddered.

  “Checking out my dates, are you? I know it’s been a while for you. The guys that have gotten past the first date have been so boring. Didn’t you say you made grocery lists in your head during sex with the last one? And you can’t even cook,” Claire teased.

  “Oh, shut up,” Sophia grumbled, still traumatized. Maybe she hadn’t dated in a while, and the men she’d dated were tame, but she had her reasons, and Claire knew that. Claire was the only one who knew that.

  “I’m not prepared for naked men before I’ve had my coffee.”

  “That is sad on so many levels, Soph.”

  “Are we jogging or not?”

  “You’re the one holding us up, talking about checking out Martin before coffee.”

  “Just keep him clothed when he’s on our couch,” she said, placing her sunglasses on top of her head and snagging her keys.

  “Don’t worry. Martin won’t be walking around the living room naked anymore. At least not in this apartment. While he was a good time, having a real conversation with the guy was not on my list of things to do. His tongue was put to better use in other areas.”

  Sophia chuckled. “You’re awful.”

  “Nope. Just honest. When is your next night off, from both jobs? We’re going out.”

  “Ugh. I’m so tired after both jobs.”

  “You could quit one. You know, the one that feeds us. They won’t turn away family when you finally leave.”

  “I’m working on it.” Sophia was tired of this subject, but it was her own fault. She liked to think she was strong in every other aspect of her life, but putting her foot down with her family—telling them how she really felt about everything—was something she still couldn’t manage.

  “Work faster. But you know, not tonight. I’m so getting those shells after this run. I wonder if Nicky’s working.”

  “No. You cannot hook up with my cousin. It was a disaster last time.”

  “We were sixteen. And stupid. I’d like to think we’re adults now.”

  “Says the woman letting Mr. Good-with-his-tongue lounge around in his birthday suit on our couch.”

  “I vacuumed it after he left. That was totally adulting,” Claire said with a grin.

  “So gross.” Sophia shook her head and held the front door open. “We are going to have to jog an extra mile just to get that image out of my head.”

  “Or you could just find something or someone to replace it with. How’s Finn doing?” Claire asked, shutting the door behind her and taking off down the steps and chuckling, while Sophia stood there and tried not to think of Finn in her apartment in his birthday suit.

  Oh hell.

  “I think I need a new roommate,” she called out when she caught up with Claire just outside their building.

  “A new roomie that looks like Thor?”

  “You are the worst friend, and I never should’ve told you that he’s a patient,” Sophia replied, and jogged next to Claire. She’d finally confessed to Claire that she was helping him rehab last week. Sophia could still hear Claire’s shrieking in her ear, and then her immediately asking if she could swing by for lunch. Not happening.

  “How’s that going, by the way? We never get to talk about it. You know, because of all the working.”

  “Stop guilt-tripping me. I get enough of that from my father.”

  “You could just—”

  Sophia cut her off. “I know.”

  “How’s the hockey god doing?”

  “He’s not a hockey god.”

  “Looks like Thor and plays hockey. Sounds like a hockey god to me. Did you tell him you have his jersey?”

  “No.” That was a conversation they would never have. Things were awkward enough. She was still trying to figure out how to read him. Yesterday he’d been fun and charming, almost sweet. The complete opposite of the grouchy man who sat on her exam table three times a week. She understood his frustration, but he was recovering at a good pace, and she’d made that clear. But if the man she’d been wrapped up with yesterday showed up in her office—well, her willpower was only so strong.

  Claire tutted. “So disappointing.”

  Sophia ignored her friend’s line of questioning. She didn’t want to talk about Finn in the office. Which was ridiculous since she was jogging along the same path as yesterday, her eyes darting around to see if she could spot Finn with Bash. She should turn around. Run in the complete opposite direction, but she couldn’t stop her forward momentum.

  He’d mentioned taking Bash to the park every day. She’d brought Claire along as a buffer so she had an excuse if she did run into him and he commented on seeing her two days in a row. She was a mess. He was her patient, and as hard as she tried to remember that, the feel of his body pressed against hers yesterday pushed out all thoughts of how wrong it was to desire him.

  Sure, she’d lusted after him for years. As a hockey fan. A fan that was never going to meet her stupid crush, but here she was, scoping out a dog park in the hopes of running into him, knowing full well that she’d have her hands on him tomorrow.

  For medical reasons only, of course. She wondered how many times she’d have to tell herself that for it to sink in.

  “Why are you so quiet? Is the job not going well? I thought you loved it,” Claire said, pulling Sophia from her inappropriate thoughts.

  “What? Oh, I do love it, and I’m learning so much. The staff is great and the patients are nice.” The answer sounded wooden in her ears.

  Claire grabbed her arm, pulling Sophia to a stop.

  “Want to try that again?”

  “What?”

  “Don’t what me. We’ve been friends since we were kids. I know when you’re bullshitting me. I thought you liked your new job.”

  “I do. I’m just tired. But, I swear, I love working with Dr. Anders.”

  “You’re tired, so we’re jogging?” Claire eyed her.

  “Yep. It feels good to get out of the apartment.”

  “That you’re never in because you’re always working.”

  “Fine. I ran into Finn and his adorable dog yesterday coming out of the park. Like literally ran into him and the leash got tangled around us and it was awkward. I like him. And I can’t like him. He’s a patient. And now I’m dragging you to the dog park because Finn said they go there every day. And what the hell is wrong with me? We don’t even have a dog. Yeah. This is wrong. He’s a patient. I’m supposed to help him heal, not try to get into his pants. But holy hell, his thighs pressed against me yesterday. And his arms wound around me. They’re bigger than my head. This is ridiculous. We should just go. Sorry for dragging you out here.” She paused and took in a deep breath.

  Claire gaped at her. Sophia wished she could’ve reined in the crazy that had just spewed from her mouth.

  “Wow. Umm. Okay. Wait, what’s bigger than your head? His arms or thighs?”

  Sophia snorted. “That’s what you got out of all of that?”

  “No. Seriously. Arms or thighs?”

  She shook her head. “Both.”

  “Both,” Claire echoed.

  “Could we focus on something besides his body
?” Not that she’d been successful in that endeavor.

  “We could, but why should we?” Claire said, and then laughed.

  “Not funny. He’s my patient. And yes, he’s one of my favorite players, and he’s cute. But I can’t. This is my life. My future. And I have to be professional. I can finally have the career I’ve wanted for so many years and I’m going in the right direction. I can’t be the PT assistant that hooks up with her patients. Who would hire me? Trust me?”

  Claire led her over to a bench, and Sophia plopped down, turning to face her friend. She hadn’t intended to tell Claire everything, but if she couldn’t tell her best friend, then who could she tell?

  “Okay. Yes, I get it. You shouldn’t hook up with a patient, but don’t beat yourself up for being attracted to him. And he’s not going to be your patient forever.”

  “True, but it’s still not a good idea, even after his treatment is over. Dr. Anders does a lot of work with the Strikers. Not that he asked me out or anything. Why am I making such a big deal out of this?”

  “Because it’s been a while and you’re up close and personal with a guy you’re attracted to. And you look,” Claire paused, “happy. Like, happier than I’ve seen you in longer than we want to admit. Yes, focus on your job and being professional, but don’t throw something away that could be amazing once he’s no longer a patient. Some risks are good. Isn’t that what your therapist used to say?”

  Sophia smiled at her best friend. “Yes, she did.” After Tony, Claire had convinced Sophia to see a therapist. Sophia had dug in her heels at first, but Dr. Lee had helped her get back on track and back into school.

  “Then you should listen to her. Now, tell me more about yesterday,” Claire said, unable to hide her grin. “You were wrapped up in a leash in his arms. Sounds kinky.”

  Sophia groaned. “Of course you had to go there. It was a freak accident. His dog was chasing a chipmunk, and he ran right into me, and then the leash got wrapped around us. I may have squirmed against him trying to get free.”