Page 45 of See You at the Finish Line

“You’re the worst!” She sends a big wave of water my way and I easily dodge it with a smirk on my face.

I’m not fast enough to avoid the two big bodies that come barrelling towards me.

Liam and Simon each grab one of my arms and take me over the edge of the dock with them.

The water cools my burning skin, and I’m lighter than I’ve felt in a long time.

“Who do you like?”

Julien’s voice jolts me out of my thoughts.

“What? I don’t like anybody,” I tell him hurriedly, peeling my eyes away from Paige.

I couldn’t tell whether she had read my email about the race when she walked in the Monday after I sent it. And then no mention of it the rest of the month. A whole month and nothing.

I’m assuming she saw it—who doesn’t check their email for a whole month? She doesn’t seem bothered by it though since she hasn’t said anything to me about it.

Not that that’s a good thing. She’s not bothered by my presence, so why would this? I wasn’t necessarily expecting it to bother her, but maybe excite her? A race is a good excuse to get back into running.

Maybe I was hoping she’d thank me. Or punch me. Something more than this pleasant, easygoing Paige.

“You don’t like any of the new recruits?” Julien asks, surprised.

“What?”

“The massage recruits. You don’t like any of them?”

“Oh, that. I don’t enjoy massages, so they haven’t worked on me.”

“Fair enough.”

“Who do you like?” I ask him hesitantly. Do I want him to say Paige? Do I not?

“I like Paige.” Ever a man of few words.

My heart. I make a noncommittal sound, hoping that ends the conversation.

“Her hands are great. Looking at her, you wouldn’t think she’d be that strong, but she gets the right amount of pressure. And it’s as if she can sense what your body needs.”

I take it back. I liked it better when he barely spoke.

Julien and I have become close since I started working here. Since, as a goalie, he has his own training staff, we’re free to be friends outside the rink without a conflict of interest.

He’s quiet with people he doesn’t know, and it takes a lot to crack his hard exterior. But once he opened up, it was easier for him to be himself.

“I mean, isn’t that kind of her job?” I ask, trying to distract myself from the image of her hands on Julien.

“Yeah, but some massage therapists only go through the motions. She doesn’t. She feels what your body needs and then works with it. She has magic hands.”

Ugh.

“That’s good.”

“Connor is great too,” he says like he can sense I don’t want to talk about Paige anymore. I haven’t told him, haven’t told anyone at work besides Mateo. But Julien can be perceptive.

“What do you like about Connor?” I jump on the change in subject from Paige and her magic hands. Hands that I have repeatedly thought about in intimate moments with myself and other, less appropriate, times.

My cock twitches.

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