Page 10 of Off Limits PUCK

Kenz is the one who relaxes once she sees us arguing. “Oh. That’s all this is? It’s about work? Geez. You two need to grow up. Look, Jake, Allie and I are going out. Whatever work issues you two have are not my problem. Save it for tomorrow at the office.”

She gives me a sassy smile and loops her arm through mine as the Uber she ordered pulls up. “Ready to go meet this hunky guy?”

I pretend to be excited, for her sake.

But as I turn around to look at Jake, who is dawdling by his sports car in my driveway, he flashes me a cheeky grin and a wink. Then he holds up his phone and types something. A second later, my phone lights up. I slide into the back seat with Kenz, who is messaging the man she’s meeting tonight on the app.

I secretly check my phone.

Jake’s message reads: Think we fooled her? ;)

I chuckle: Yep. Why are you here?

He types: You’re staying with me tonight.

I turn a deep shade of red as my whole body reacts to his text. And I can’t deny the arousal I feel.

Chapter six

Jake

Istare at theman in my living room. He is certainly not the person I want to spend tonight with. But the team’s owner was clear: both my PT Allie and the team doctor, John Jones, will check on me for the next five days to ensure that I “rest.”

I do plan to rest, but I also plan to romp a little with Allie in between my resting. She looked so cute earlier tonight, standing in her front door with my sister, looking at me with those big, beautiful eyes full of anger. I try not to smile at the memory.

Dr. Jones is surveying the set up in my living room with a critical eye. Some of the staff had brought over as much of the recovery equipment as they reasonably could. I have bands, inflatable balls, rollers, two tables—one for massage and the other to be tortured… I mean worked on… by Allie. For as tiny as she is, she is incredibly strong. Her idea of giving me range of motion in myshoulder includes some intense poking and prodding into my entire back.

I feel a tightness in my groin as I remember prodding her in intimate places in the Eagle’s PT room in the storage closet.

“I hope you are taking this seriously,” Jones says, looking at me with a stern eye. I guess I was smirking a bit thinking about sex with Allie.

I put a serious look on my face. “I want to be on the ice next week, doc. So yeah, I’m taking this seriously. But I can’t believe you agreed to ‘bed rest’ for me. I’m a professional athlete. You’ve got to know that sitting around while I’m in the prime of my health is going to be ridiculously hard.”

He crosses his lean arms and gives me a cold-fish look. “You are not in the prime of health. If you were, then you would be with the team preparing for the season’s opening game.”

I look away. He’s right. I don’t think my mental health is going to win any awards this week if I’m kept totally separate from the guys.

“I’ll take the anti-inflammatory meds you gave me,” I say as a peace offering. Other than those pain pills from Juan, I really don’t like taking meds.

“You do that. And you better hope to your lucky stars that our latest blood tests, and that tissue biopsy we sent out, come back clean. Your PT is sharp,” Jones adds after a little pause where hetested the two tables set up, nodding when he saw how sturdy they are. “If this is an inflammation issue and you’re able to play after full rest, she’ll be a real hero.”

I laugh. Allie, a hero? Who would have thought it? “She is something, isn’t she?” I mumble to myself.

Unfortunately for me, Jones hears it. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to keep your hands off that young woman, do I?” His tone is stern, but thank the gods he’s finally moving toward my front door, ready to leave me in peace. Allie should be here soon and I don’t want him mucking up the intimate plans I have for her and me tonight.

“Wow, doc, you have no faith in me, do you?” I say, feigning hurt feelings.

He doesn’t chuckle. “On the ice at your best? I have absolute faith in you. With pretty women who are putting their hands on you the way she does? No. I wouldn’t trust you even if she was dressed from head to toe in an oversized marshmallow costume.”

That makes me laugh. And the visual I have of Allie with sugary white stuff all over her that I can lick off just makes me hard for her. He’s looking at me like he expects me to promise to be hands off with our cute little PT. No can do. So I distract him.

“Absolute rest means absolute rest. Nothing more. But I mean I do have a pool out back—would swimming constitute exercise? I am going to need to know the rules here, doc.”

He switches back into doctor mode, leaving my potential connection to Allie alone. “No. Jake,” he sighs, “are you incapable of taking anything seriously here?” He’s irritated. That makes me irritated.

“I’m thirty-two, doc. I can play until I’m, what, thirty-six or thirty-seven? I think everyone is acting like I’m forty and incapable of recovery.” I regret my words as soon as they’re out in the air. His eyes darken at me. He’s accountable to the team owner and to Coach for my health. I may have just crossed a line.

“It is starting to look like I need to stay here for the next five days. I’m unsure you are capable of following orders.”

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