Page 9 of His Jersey Girl

“Alyssa? What are you doing here?”

A spark of the playfulness she’d been filled with last night entered her eyes as she raised an eyebrow and gestured to her outfit. “I work here.” A blush flushed her cheeks as she looked down at the clipboard she clutched in her hands. “You're the Destroyer? A professional fighter?”

For the first time in my life, I hesitated answering that question. I wasn’t ashamed of what I did for a living, but it wasn’t the part of me I wanted her to know. When she’d asked me last night if I was a god, there had been wonder and delight in her face. Knowing more about me hopefully wouldn’t tarnish those feelings. “Yes. It’s not a very creative name, but it’s easy for marketing.”

Her quiet giggle gave me hope. “I guess it is. It says here you hurt your back training yesterday.” Her scowl as she looked up at me was adorable. “If you hurt your back yesterday, you shouldn’t have been at the club. You definitely shouldn’t have been picking clumsy women up off the floor.”

I held back a laugh at the huffy tone in her voice. “I didn’t realize it was this bad till after I slept. And you better not be insulting yourself, little girl. I might not be able to spank you at the moment, but there is always tomorrow.”

Her gasp made me laugh. Pain tore through me as my back clenched. I leaned over gripping the table trying to breathe. I didn’t bother to fight her when she guided me to lay face down over it and gently slipped the robe off my shoulders. Under other circumstances, I might have enjoyed the softness of her hands as they brushed over my skin but at the moment I was having trouble biting back a scream.

Holding back the curses on the tip of my tongue was hard but I didn’t want to frighten her away. There was nothing this tiny slip of a woman could do to help my back, but I wasn’t going to throw away a single minute of the two hours Rocco had me booked with her.

Intense heat seared my lower back and I hissed. It took a minute to realize she was laying damp towels across my skin. They were scorching hot, as if they’d just been pulled out of boiling water. It took long minutes before the muscles finally stopped their painful twitching. My moan was probably a little too sexual but the relief after so long was intense.

“Better?”

I could hear laughter in her voice, and it settled something inside me. “Yes, thank you.”

“Maybe this won’t be a complete waste of your time?” Her tone was light, but I could hear echoes of hurt.

“You heard that?”

“I did.”

Damn me and my temper. I turned my head so I could see her. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”

Alyssa’s shrug was dismissive. I could only imagine how often she had to put up with assholes belittling her work. How was I going to explain without making things worse?

“It’s fine.”

Wanting to be honest and attempt to soothe the hurt I caused, I continued. “Princess, the kind of massage I need, you don’t have the muscle to deliver. Even an Amazonian warrior would have to struggle to break through the tension. Why don’t we talk for a bit and get to know each other, then I’ll hit the jacuzzi or sauna and pray it helps.”

“Hmph.” The amount of indignation in the simple sound was impressive. Was she considering leaving? I should’ve kept my mouth shut. The spark of challenge in her eyes was sexy as hell. “You’re sure about that?”

“About what?” I would not laugh at her no matter how adorable she looked when pissed.

“That I couldn’t possibly be strong enough to give you the massage you need.”

Her body was lean and fit. I scanned over every inch trying to commit it to memory. For her size she was probably stronger than most, but I wouldn’t lie to her. “Positive.”

“Wanna bet?”

She was so fucking adorable. Having her hands on me would be wonderful even if it didn’t help my back so I would play along. “What are we betting?”

Alyssa tapped her chin as if thinking. “I bet that I can give you a massage that will not only loosen your back, but make you feel like a new man.”

My thoughts immediately sprung to so many dirty places that lying face down was now uncomfortable for reasons other than my back. “And what do you want if you win?”

Her hesitation was so short I almost missed it. “You take me out to dinner anywhere I want.”

What had been her first thought? I would have to get her to confess it later.

Since I would happily take her out anywhere she wanted it was a no-lose situation. “Deal. But if I win you agree to be my Little.”

“Forever?”

Her surprise made me chuckle. What would she say if I answered yes?

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