He laid down, and Alicia kneeled at his side to put the heating pad on his shoulder. He turned to face her. “You’re going to stretch me kneeling on the floor like that?”
“Yes.”
“That can’t be comfortable for you.”
“It’ll be fine. I’ve stretched people in more uncomfortable positions than this. And trust me, it’ll be way more uncomfortable for you than it will be for me.”
That made him smile. “So, what you’re saying is that I shouldn’t feel sorry for you.”
“Not in the least.”
“Okay. I hope you suffer.”
She laughed. “That’s the spirit.”
“Did you have a good time tonight?”
She leaned back on her heels. “I did. Surprisingly.”
“Why are you surprised?”
“I guess I wasn’t prepared for—how nice and how much fun your friends were going to be.”
“Yeah? What did you expect?”
“I don’t know exactly. It’s hard to come into new situations, be surrounded by a bunch of strangers. These are all your friends, and it’s your reunion. I was the interloper. It could have gone badly. They might not have taken well to you dragging some strange woman in. They were very nice. So funny and so welcoming to me.”
“I’m glad you like them.”
“I do. You have great friends. You should see them more often.”
“Okay, Mom.”
“Hey.” She shoved at him.
“It’s not like any of us have the time for regular get-togethers. We all have busy careers. Or at least they do.”
“You will, too, once I whip you into shape.”
“I don’t feel very in shape right now. Just whipped.”
She let out a soft laugh. “Once we’re finished working together, you’re going to be a rock star on the mound again.”
That’s all he wanted.
She pulled the heating pad off and started lightly stretching his arm. She was right—he was stiff, and as she got deeper into the stretch, holy shit did it hurt. He ended up clenching his jaw as she pulled at his arm in those vicious, unnatural positions that ended up making him sweat.
But by the time she finished and went to grab some ice, he was looser. He was already seeing improvement in his range of motion, and for the first time in a long time, he felt hopeful.
“Here you go.” She had brought wraps to put the ice in, so she laid it on his shoulder while he leaned up against the headboard of the bed.
“Thanks for doing this. My arm actually feels looser.”
She dried her hands on one of the hotel-room towels. “It’s no problem. And that’s a good thing, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Leave that on for ten minutes, then just dump the ice. I’ll come back for the wrap in the morning.”
“You’re leaving?”
Her lips curved. “Yeah, I’m beat. And unless you have something early to do with the guys in the morning, I’d like to hit the fitness center with you for a full workout on your arm.”
“No, nothing planned in the morning.”
“Good. Say around eight?”
“That’ll work.”
“See you then. Goodnight, Garrett.”
“Night, Alicia.”
She closed the adjoining door. He waited for her to click the lock, effectively barricading herself in.
She never locked it.
For some reason, that made him smile.
Alicia was in the zone the next morning. After thirty minutes on the treadmill and another thirty on the bike, plus weight training and now stretching exercises, she had Garrett drenched in sweat and working the hell out of his arm when a guy walked in.
She actually had to do a double take because he looked a lot like Garrett. Tall, shaggy raven hair, but with the most piercing eyes she’d ever seen. He zeroed in on them with a cocky grin on his face.
“You look like shit,” he said as he stopped beside Garrett.
Garrett raised his head. “Thanks.”
“Is this your dominatrix, and does she always schedule early morning sessions to beat the crap out of you in the gym?”
“Yeah, it’s my favorite new workout program. Drew Hogan, meet Alicia Riley, my physical therapist.”
He stuck out his hand. “Hi, Alicia. Anyone who can make Garrett look like he’s about to cry is a new friend of mine.”
She shook her head. “Nice to meet you, Drew. Now get out of here so I can continue to torture him,” she teased. “Unless you’d like to be next.”
He shook his finger at Alicia but looked at Garrett. “I like her, Garrett. You should marry her. Or have at least a week’s worth of mind-numbing sex with her. Why don’t you two meet me for breakfast after your . . . uh . . . session?”
Garrett looked up at Alicia for confirmation.
“Sure,” she said. “We’ll be through here in another thirty, so about an hour?”
“Great. See you in the restaurant.”
Alicia laughed as Drew left the gym. “He’s kind of a force of nature, isn’t he?”
Garrett grabbed the towel and swiped it over his face. “You have no idea.”
They finished up their workout then went up to their rooms to shower.
Drew was waiting for them in the restaurant, along with Trevor and Gray.
“Where are the other guys?” Garrett asked as he held out a chair for Alicia. The waiter was right there to pour coffee for them.
“Lincoln, Hull, and Ted got up early to hit the golf course,” Gray said.
Alicia looked outside. The sun was out, but it couldn’t be more than forty degrees outside. “Die-hard golfers?” she asked.
“You’d have to be to play when it’s this cold,” Trevor said. “I won’t drag my clubs out until it hits at least seventy.”
“Wimp,” Gray said.
“I don’t see your ass out there making it a foursome,” Trevor shot back.
“I had some business to do this morning. Couldn’t make it.”
“You lie. You just didn’t want your balls to freeze in the cold.” Drew gave Gray a smug look. “You might need to use them on—who was that pit bunny I saw when you were giving those interviews?”
Gray lifted his chin but smiled. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Whatever. Whoever you’re currently ha**g s*x with, you don’t want your equipment to malfunction.”
Gray took a sip of coffee. “I have no pit bunny, despite what Drew thinks. I’m too busy working. Unlike Garrett here, who brings his work and play with him.”
Garrett rolled his eyes. “I already explained who Alicia is. Believe me, she’s all work. Not play.”
“It’s true,” Drew said. “She had him bound up and crying like a girl in the gym this morning. She definitely had him by the balls, but not in the fun way.”
Alicia slanted a smile at Drew, who winked at her.
“I wasn’t crying. I was rehabbing. And if Alicia had me by the balls, trust me, I’d know it. And it would be for fun.”
Alicia rolled her eyes. “Is it always like this with you guys?”
“Yes,” Gray said. “Ever since college. It’s like a sport.”
“And I win,” Garrett said. “Every time.”
“In your dreams, Scott,” Drew said. “How many times did you have to buy the beer?” Drew asked.
“Not very often. Because I won.”
Trevor leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I never had to buy the beer. I just let these clowns argue it out until they declare someone the loser. Then I reaped the benefits.”
“I heard that,” Garrett said.
Alicia laughed, then sat back and listened while they bickered back and forth. It was like being in college again, partying at the frat houses. Lots of one-upmanship, who won what argument, who was the best at this or that. But it was clear that Garrett was relaxed and enjoying himself. She was glad. He needed that release of tension. This weekend would be very good for his state of mind, which was so integral to his recovery.
“I don’t know what you morons have planned for the day, but I’m going to get Alicia out of here for a while. We’re going into the city so she can have some fun that doesn’t include soaking up all this testosterone.”
Alicia turned to him. “What?”
“You’d take her away from all of this?” Drew asked, pointing to himself.
“Yes. Especially you.”
“Have fun,” Gray said. “But be back for poker tonight.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” He pushed back his chair and held hers out while she stood.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Treating you to a day of fun.”
She stopped in the hall. “Why?”
“Because this is boring for you.”
“No, it’s not. And even if it is, I’m not your girlfriend, Garrett. I’m not here to be entertained by you. I’m here to work on your therapy. If I’m bored, I can always go up to the room and work on my treatment plan notes or read or watch TV.”
“Oooh, sounds fun.”
“Stop that.”
“No, you stop. I feel bad enough for dragging you here this weekend. At least let me make it a little fun for you by taking you out and showing you around the city.”
She inhaled then sighed. “Wouldn’t you rather hang out with your friends? Isn’t that the primary reason you’re here?”
“I’ll see plenty of them. And believe me, a little of those guys goes a long way. Besides, we won’t be gone that long. I’ll take you to Bricktown then to the outlet mall.”
That got her attention. “There’s an outlet mall?”
“There is. Unless you prefer the regular mall. There’s a really nice one.”
“Oh, no. I love outlet mall shopping.”
He pressed the button for the elevator. “Outlet mall it is, then.”
Alicia went upstairs, slipped into her boots and a sweater, then grabbed her bag and met Garrett in the hall. She was ridiculously excited to be going out exploring; she’d never been to Oklahoma City before. Okay, she’d never been in Oklahoma at all, so everything here was a new adventure.
“You’re kind of . . . bubbly and wiggly,” Garrett said as the valet brought his car.
“I know. It’s ridiculous, really,” she said as she slid into the seat.
“Tell me.”
“I love travel. It’s one of the highlights of being with the team. I’m so looking forward to hitting the road. When I was growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money, so while I had friends who would come back after summer vacation and talk about all these fantastic trips they took, about the only thing we got to do was go camping. Locally.”
He laughed.
“It’s not funny.”
“Oh, I know it’s not. It’s just the face you made was like tasting rotten food.”
She pointed at him. “It was exactly like that. Imagine how I felt when my best friend came home, tanned and beautiful, from spending time with her grandparents in Florida. Me? I had mosquito bites from traveling a few hours up the road to a sucky campsite.”
“Poor you.”
“Fuck you.”
He shook his head. “Such a mouth on you, Alicia. I should complain to your boss.”
“Go ahead. Just remember who twists your shoulder. I can make it hurt even more.”
He shot a glance her way. “Oh. Blackmail, too?”
She lifted her chin. “I’m not above it to save my own ass.”
“The things I’m learning about you. And you look so innocent.”
“Looks can be deceiving.”
“Hmm, is that right?”
This time he gave her a long gaze that made her body heat up. Maybe that was just because the heater in the car had finally kicked in.
Or maybe it was because he was assessing her in a way that made her want to check her lip gloss and smooth her hair, which was decidedly girlfriendlike. Or datelike. And neither of those situations applied.
She didn’t know what to expect, but as they drove along, she decided she liked Oklahoma City. It was more sprawling, less congested than most major cities. A lot like St. Louis, actually, and she loved where she lived.
He took her to the outlet malls first. When he parked, she turned to him and laid her hand on his arm.
“Are you sure you know what you’re getting into?”
He laughed. “I’ve taken my mom shopping before. I can handle this.”
“Okay. But I have to warn you—I’m like a storm trooper shopper. I’m relentless, and I’ll go in every store.”
“Have at it.”
It was a great outlet mall with super bargains. And if there was one thing Alicia loved, it was a sale. By the time they’d been through the first half of the outlet mall, she had four shopping bags filled with clothes and shoes. And every time she came out of a store with a bag, Garrett took it from her hands and held it for her.
“Are you sure you don’t mind holding those?” she asked.
“Nope. Go ahead and shop.”
“Are you sure you’re a human male? Your species mostly doesn’t enjoy shopping.”
He laughed. “You’re having a good time, aren’t you?”
“Well . . . yes.”
“Then don’t worry about me. I enjoy watching the people.”
She shrugged. “Okay.”