Page 14 of From Helsinki with Love
And it all clicks that exact moment. “Wait, you were the guy fighting last night?”
“Yeah, that was me. Could you just help me, please?” he pleads with a bored tone.
Taking the pain relief cream from him, I slowly squeeze it into my palm. It feels oddly familiar against my skin. The tingling sensation isn’t new, I used the same cream while playing soccer growing up. I haven’t played since high school, so I haven’t needed it much. Still, it brings many memories to the surface.
Trying to hide my nostalgic smile that he could misread if he saw it, I clear my throat to speak.
“Okay, Jasper, I’m about to put this on. If it hurts, please let me know.”
He nods and turns to look the other way. With a long breath, I press my palm against his heated skin. His entire body tenses, and he groans again. I wish he was making those sounds because of pleasure, not pain.
My feelings for this random guy I met only a few hours earlier are intense. The connection between our bodies feels intimate even though he only asked me to help as nobody else was around. It is like I was supposed to be here to do this.
That makes no sense whatsoever. What are you on, woman? You can’t just have a crush on the first nice guy after Tucker. Calm your tits, and respect the injured man.
I SPEAK NO HOCKEY
JASPER
After a moment of hesitation, Vivian starts rubbing the Icy Hot Pro on my injuries. I wish I had packed the no-mess applicator with me to the cabin, but that’s in my other bag. At least I remembered the cream.
As her hands glide over my skin, they are cool at first and then heat up, just like expected when someone spreads pain relief cream. The warmth of her touch is soothing, and I can’t stop thinking how soft her hands are. She must’ve done this before as she moves her hands just right in small circles.
I let out another groan as it feels so fucking good, but the cream also helps with my aching body. The hurting is a part of being a professional athlete, so it isn’t anything new to be bruised. It’s just that I don’t usually have someone to help me like this. Damn, I could get injured more to have her fix my boo-boos. Just kidding—I don’t want to take another hit from Rasmus Westerholm any time soon. Or any other player that shares the ice with me on a regular basis.
“Is this okay?” Vivian asks behind me, stopping the movement.
“Better than okay.”
“So you aren’t in pain?”
“No, it’s all good. Just keep going.”
Vivian does as I asked, and we are quiet for the next minute before she speaks again.
“So, Jasper, are you really a hockey player, or were you trying to impress me earlier?” She chuckles at her own question. “I won't be too mad if you actually do something else.”
“That’s oddly specific. But yeah, I’ve been playing hockey my entire life. Why?”
“Well, my dad is a huge fan of ice hockey and the Woodpeckers. But I was never interested.”
I enjoy her honesty. At least she isn’t like the women who pretend to love the sport to get a night in bed with me. “Is that so? Are you telling me you don’t like what I do for a living?”
She lets out a strangled noise and stops rubbing my back again. Even though she has a mouth on her, it’s like she sometimes realizes what she says too late, and her entire brain freezes. “I guess I just said so…Yeah. But it doesn’t have to be an issue between us.”
“There is anusnow?” I ask, turning to look at her over my shoulder, a smirk on my face.
She covers her face with the hand without the Icy Hot Pro cream, mumbling, “Why can’t I speak like a normal person when next to—”
Her following words could be clearer. “What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”
“When next to a sexy as fuck hockey player. But please, don’t make me repeat that,” Vivian whispers with a slight flush to her cheeks.
“Why, thank you.”
She chuckles and crosses her arms, arching an eyebrow in amusement. “I knew it would just go straight to your already big head.”
“It could have gone to my other big head,” I tell her as I lower my shirt to cover my back and turn to a normal sitting position, trying not to let my back touch the seat.
