Page 76 of Unwritten Rules
“I know,” he murmurs, lying on his back. The training jersey clings to his defined chest, and the athletic shorts struggle to contain the sheer size of his thighs. Talk about mouth-watering. “But when it comes to you, I can’t seem to help myself.”
I drag my bottom lip between my teeth as I examine the once swollen area of his quad. When I first checked him over, the muscle was irritated and tender. Sinnett was worried he wouldn’t heal in the time it would normally take for a muscle contusion injury, and I understood why, given the state of his quad. But I was determined to help get him back on the fieldsooner rather than later. And it seems my recovery plan has been working wonders.
“How’s it looking?” Sinnett asks, his voice wavering as he folds his arms behind his head, eyes focused on the ceiling. “I’ve been following your plan to a tee.”
I probe the skin, feeling the muscles beneath. “It’s looking good,” I murmur, and get to work bending and twisting his leg. Sinnett’s face doesn’t twist with pain when I work the area. “Better than good.”
Sinnett’s eyes snap forward, searching my side profile. “You’re not fucking with me, are you? Because I have a session booked with Ian, the club doctor, on Sunday to see if I will be medically cleared to play again.”
I turn my attention to a stressed Sinnett. Without breaking eye contact, I lower his leg down and offer him a small smile. “Sin, trust me, your quad is looking great. From the outside, the skin is no longer discoloured, the muscles are moving as they should, and as long as you’re not lying to me about the pain level, then it’s a no-brainer that you’ve done everything you can to heal this injury.”
Relief washes over Sinnett’s features, and he exhales a sharp breath. “You’re serious?”
I nod, watching as he pushes himself into a seat position. He turns his body so his legs hang over the side of the table, conveniently on either side of my hips. His hands find my waist, fingers digging gently into the skin as he holds me. Neither of us speak.
Working with Sinnett for the past month has given me a front row seat to how hard he has worked to get to where he is now in the recovery process. He did everything he was meant to, and now the hard work is paying off.
“Are you okay?” I ask, tilting my head back to meet his eyes. Even sitting on the table, his six-foot-three frame towers over me. “Something on your mind?”
“I’m worried,” he murmurs, voice tight as he holds my gaze. “I just… don’t know if I’m ready to be cleared. What if Ian finds something you missed and I’m sidelined for longer? What if I haven’t been training hard enough in the gym and now I’m not up to the fitness standard? So many things could go wrong, and I just—” He shoves a hand through his hair and groans. “I’m just worried, Tate.”
My hand cups his cheek, the light stubble ghosting his skin prickling the inside of my palm. Sinnett’s breath catches as he watches me, blinking slowly. Standing this close, I catch the hues of green scattered across his irises, like lily pads drifting on a calm river.
“Sin, listen to me,” I urge, voice gentle. “You’ve got this, okay? You did everything right. Not only did you follow my plan, but you put in the effort to go the extra mile of keeping up with the training schedule and sticking to the nutrition plan. Once Ian gets my letter of approval to have you medically cleared, I would be shocked if you weren’t.”
Sinnett swallows hard and nods. “Yeah, you’re right.”
I smile. “Just try to relax, okay?Breathe. You’ve got this.”
Ocean eyes blink at me, and I have to resist getting lost in them. Sinnett’s hands squeeze my waist, pulling my body closer until my chest is flush against his. My breath catches in my throat, eyes rounding.
Sinnett’s lips brush over mine, gentle and tender. Within seconds, my hands wrap around his neck as I melt into the kiss. His lips are soft and taste of Powerade. Heat explodes across my chest as our tongues meet. No matter how many times I kiss this man, he manages to steal the breath from my lungs and cause butterflies to erupt in my stomach.
Sinnett pulls back long enough to murmur, “Thank you,” against my lips.
“For what?” I breathe, chest heaving.
“For helping me. For making me believe I’ve got this.”
“You do have this,” I reaffirm, my nose brushing his. “You’ve always had this, even without my help. I just guided you along the way while you did all of the hard work.”
Sinnett’s fingers flex around my waist. “You’ve done more for me than you realise.”
My brows crease, not understanding what he means. But before I can ask, a knock sounds at the door. With my heart in my throat, I step away, hating the distance between us. Sinnett holds my gaze as we stand in silence, neither of us moving or acknowledging the person behind the door.
Dad pops his head through, eyes narrowing as he flicks them between me and Sinnett. “Am I interrupting?”
I clear my throat and turn to Dad, slipping a smile on my face that hides the pounding of my heart. “Nope. We were just finishing up.”
Dad turns his attention to Sinnett. “All good?”
Sinnett nods, rubbing a hand over his right thigh. “Yes, sir. Your daughter has been takinggoodcare of me.”
The emphasis on good as my cheeks burning. God, I hope Dad doesn’t notice. With how bright my office is, a change in hue to my cheeks would be hard to miss.
Dad knocks his knuckles against the door frame, nodding slowly. “Wonderful. The guys are out on the field running drills, so why don’t you join them? Todd has a few light exercises for you to go through. We need to start getting you ready to get back on the field, but we’ll start small, okay? And once you’re ready, and Tate here approves it, you can join the rest of the squad.”
A light I only see when talking about rugby explodes in Sinnett’s eyes, and he nods. “Yes, of course. I’ll see you out there.”
