Page 25 of Tamed to Be Messy

“No…of course not.” She’s struggling to open the Band-Aid.

Am I making her nervous?

With a grunt, she tugs at the outer wrapper and rips the whole thing in half.

“Here, let me help.” I snag another one with my left hand, pull the wrapper apart, and hold it out to her.

Her fingers brush mine, sending an ache through me that eclipses the one in my shoulder. After she applies the Band-Aid,I push off the table to stand, but a sharp pain shoots through my shoulder. This time a loud hiss slips between my lips.

Instead of fighting my attraction to Hannah, I’m fighting the surge of panic slamming into me. Did I re-injure my shoulder? That could totally derail my plan to recertify in seven weeks.

Concern shields her face. “What hurt? Your elbow or your shoulder?”

I swallow. “Shoulder.”

Her lips purse together as she nods. “Let’s get some ice on it.”

“What about my workout?” My voice sounds rough even to me.

“Ice first. Then we’ll see, okay?”

I can tell she’s trying not to worry me, which just makes me wonder if she’s as concerned as I am. “I can’t lose time getting back to speed.”

She pulls an ice pack out of the mini freezer and drapes it over my shoulder. “I understand, Nick, but we can’t rush this.”

I clench my jaw, trying to lock down an eruption of angry words. I’m not mad at her, but the situation. “No, you don’t understand.”

Hannah tilts the head of the table up into a lounge position and helps me lie back. “I do, trust me. I know what’s at stake here for you. Try not to worry. You probably just jarred your shoulder a little. The tissue is still tender. Let the ice do its job.”

I shake my head. “I need to be back to normal in seven weeks.”

She freezes mid-turn toward the counter. “Why seven weeks?”

“I have to recertify.”

“That’s not much time, Nick. Can’t you put it off?”

“Not really. There’s a thirty-day grace period, but after that, I’d have to retrain.”

“Oh…I didn’t know that.” Her voice is soft, tentative.

I dare to meet her eyes, terrified of what I’ll see there. What if she thinks getting me back on the beach that soon is impossible?

Jenny and The General burst through the door. “I got him!” Her cheeks are bright pink, and she’s breathing quickly. “This guy can run for an old geezer.”

Hannah laughs. “He’s not that old.”

“Oh, well, whatever. He’s fast for his age.”

Hannah snaps a leash on the dog-horse. “Doesn’t help that his legs are almost as long as yours, and he has four of them.” She rubs one of his ears, then leans over to kiss the top of his head. “You mischievous boy, you.“

Right now, I want to be that dog more than anything.

When The General’s owner arrives, I close my eyes and practice some deep breathing to counter the earlier surge of adrenaline and to help relax the tense muscles in my body while listening to Hannah’s voice.

She’s amazing in how she handles her clients with such care and encouragement. Could I be misinterpreting that same concern for me as mutual attraction?

I open my eyes when I hear the door close. Jenny must have left, too, because it’s just the two of us now.

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