Page 18 of Wild For You
In truth, ice baths never did any man favors in that department.
With little help from him, I moved Andrew into a standing position and worked to remove the brace around his knee. While I worked it free, he tried removing his shirt but struggled. Even though he injured his back, there was a good chance he’d have a hard time moving his limbs as well.
“Can you hold still for a moment? I know something that will help.”
Andrew nodded as his jaw ticked. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed the scissors poking out of the knife block.
Back in the room, I gripped the hem of the scrub top and sliced the material up to his chin and then did the same along the back. This allowed me to pull the shirt off down his arms, revealing a battered and bruised trunk. There was barely any natural skin color left, only shades of purple and yellow. I held back my gasp as his muscles rippled beneath my hands whileI slid the material down his arms. Even injured, Andrew had a glorious build—one that the scrubs had hidden. I knew how he sustained his injuries and was flabbergasted he even survived. But now I knew all these muscles had definitely helped keep his bones safe.
Crouching, I placed my hand on his thigh and nearly dropped the scissors when he jerked.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “I told you—”
“I was just going to cut the legs off,” I interrupted, so he wouldn’t start another argument.
After a moment, he nodded. “That’s fine.”
I cut along the scrub bottoms to make them boxer-length and tossed the shears and material onto the bed. Then I tucked myself under Andrew’s arm so I could help him walk, trying to ignore the fact that I was touching his bare skin.
He wasn’t one of my players, so it almost felt wrong. Especially since little flutters whipped around inside my belly. I couldn’t remember the last time those butterflies broke free of their cocoons.
Turning my back to the toilet, I allowed Andrew to relieve himself before I moved him to lean against the bathroom counter, so I’d be able to get the water started.
“Do you think a bath or shower would be easier? The doctor mentioned you had surgery so you can’t submerge the wound, but I brought a shower seat with me.” If he chose the bath, I wouldn’t be able to let the tub fill. The shower in Rory’s house was a tub and shower combination, and either choice was going to be a challenge, but I was up for it. I’d never let anyone know I needed the distraction to keep my mind off my own life.
“Probably a bath. Let me get a hold on the washcloth bar to take some of the weight off you.”
Even though he held on and tried to shift his weight, I took the brunt of it—willingly. He didn’t need to hurt himself further. While he stood there, I ran out to my car and got the shower seat I’d packed and returned before even a minute had passed. Once he was settled and comfortable, I reached for the faucet.
“It’s going to be cold at first.” I would have turned the water on first, but I was worried about him slipping.
“That’s fine.”
Good on him. I hated stepping into the shower when the water was still warming up.
Thankfully, it heated quickly.
“Want some fancy body wash? I bet Rory has some around here somewhere.”
“I’m okay,” Andrew replied, and I swear I heard a hitch in his voice.
“Was that a laugh?”
Shaking his head, he remained quiet.
“I bet the water feels nice. The players I work with like to pretend theylovethe ice bath, but I know they secretly love a good, warm bath even more.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because they all request time in the personal hot tubs on their training days,” I replied, smiling as I lathered up a washcloth and began smoothing it over his shoulder. I expected Andrew to complain but was surprised when his eyes closed.
“Do you like working with baseball players?” he asked.
I shrugged, even though he couldn’t see at the moment. “I like making people feel their best. Sports physical therapy is just the field that interested me the most. My dad was a big baseball fan.”
“Was?”
“He died in a car accident when I was in college,” I said solemnly.
