Page 8 of Match Point

Sorcha mimicked his stance and waited for him to count off, all the while gritting her teeth at the burn. Getting ready for competition was one part of her plan, the other was to get him to talk and perhaps share some insight into Miller or at least confirm Raina’s role in the Pioneers organization beyond a mere attorney. “How long did you say you worked for Howler?”

“Two years. Lean your body back more and straighten your spine,” he said, demonstrating. His arms were muscled, a dusting of hair on his forearms.

Her stomach contracted, and not from the exercise. Focus. She had to focus on gaining information, not on the man. “Two years. That’s a long time. You must know him pretty well then.”

“You could say that. You need to get your knees over your ankle.”

She did as he instructed, and a shooting pain cut across the top of her foot. Breath held, she reached out, her hand latching onto the nearest object for balance. His thigh was rock solid beneath her palm, heat radiating under his nylon jogging pants. “Sorry, I, um, I’m feeling a bit dehydrated and lost my balance. I’m used to exercising on flat surfaces, not slippery mud and potholes.”

Holy hell, she’d almost let slip that her ankle was acting up. She had to be more careful. Here she was, trying to finalize a contract with a new agency, and she’d almost given herself away. Howler might not agree to represent her if he knew the injury was still plaguing her.

“If you’re dehydrated, I’d suggest you drink more water.” He clasped her elbow to help her up, and a tiny thrill shot up her spine at his touch. Ridiculous. There was no denying he had a rocking body, but she wasn’t desperate and wouldn’t even contemplate anything physical between them as it would be detrimental to her goals.

“There is one thing that’s been bothering me. If you’re Howler’s personal assistant, what makes you qualified to be my trainer?” Sorcha stretched the muscles of her neck. She’d stayed up late reading and a kink in her shoulder gave an unwelcome twinge. “Other than you’re obviously in shape and he told you to be.”

He cast her a wry grin, “You’re just asking this now?”

A flush warmed her cheeks that had nothing to do with the exercise. “It never occurred to me until now. Personal assistant and a personal trainer.”

“I’d answer you, but it’s personal.” He turned his head but the laugh lines around his eyes gave him away.

She took another sip of water. So, he did have a sense of humor.

“If you must know, I recently finished my degree as a sports trainer and I’m a certified personal trainer. This job is just temporary. Now, can we get back to work? After we’re finished here, we’ll head over to Howler’s and discuss potential new coaches.” He sighed and rubbed a hand along his shorn head. “Damn, we have a lot to do and a small window of time.”

The crack in his armor was an insight into his personality. He was a control freak; she could sense it. She couldn’t sympathize, and she couldn’t let him off the hook if she wanted to gain the upper hand. Stay on course and keep pushing her line of questioning. “We could have saved a lot of time by working out in a gym. I’m not used to rain showers and mud baths that aren’t in a spa.”

“You sure do bitch a lot,” he said with a chuckle, resuming his lunge stance. “Don’t they have grass courts in tennis?”

“Wimbledon is the only major tournament that has grass, and they don’t have potholes.” Careful to advert her face, she put weight on her foot. Other than some swelling that tightened her shoe more than normal, she’d survive. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d sucked it up.

“On three.” With his shoulders back and hands on his hips, his stomach under the fitted shirt moved with each breath.

Would he have a six pack or an eight pack? Her guess was the latter. Licking her lips, she began more of the excruciating exercise. Adding to the discomfort in her ankle, the burn in her thighs turned to numbness. She’d be damned if she’d let him see her pain... “I heard that Howler’s wife is the attorney for the Pioneers.”

“Yes, she is. Are you a fan?” he asked, his profile to her, lips parted with each downward motion.

“I enjoy watching the occasional game.” Okay, she’d watched one or two over the years. “We don’t have American football in Ireland. Soccer is the biggest sport there.” She’d been dating the goalie of the Spanish team until she’d found out that he was married. Jerk.

“I’m a big soccer fan. Hell, I like all sports. There’s something about physical activity that cleanses the mind. Okay, that’s twenty. You can stop and rest for 30 seconds, then we’ll do one more set before we move into squats.”

“Oh, joy,” she said, unzipping her jacket. From where they stood, the trees filtered most of the rain, the cool mist welcome. She hadn’t worked this hard in well, never. “Do you attend the games?”

Instead of standing, he bent over to stretch. She allowed her gaze to settle on his nice ass.

“Games? As in all sports or soccer?” He gripped the back of his knees and stared at her from between his legs.

“Football. American football. Well, I guess here you just call it football. The Pioneers specifically.” Embarrassed as shit, she averted her gaze. What was it about this man that had her on the defensive? In time, she’d have to change the dynamic between them, but right now he had the upper hand.

He stood upright and snatched his bottle from the ground. The definition in his arms was even more pronounced, biceps flexing with his movements. “Yes, to all. Tacoma has a soccer team.”

Interesting side note, but not the direction she wanted to go. “Since Raina works for the team, I’d imagine she gets free tickets. Or does she get to have one of the boxes reserved for VIP’s?”

“She has access to the owner’s box.”

Excitement over the prospect of getting close to Miller through Raina sent her pulse racing. “The owner? What’s his name? Tiller or, something like that?” Play it cool. “No, it’s Miller. Have you met him?”

“He’s a dick.” The alarm on Leo’s watch beeped and he stood. He glanced down at the screen, frowning. “Crap, we need to cut this short and head back down. We covered three miles coming up, so…”

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