Chapter Three #2
She didn’t know why, but it felt like a victory.
It made her all giddy on the inside, like she was back in high school and he’d finally noticed her, finally saw beyond the nerdy girl with the too-big brain, and the mouth full of metal.
She mentally gave herself a shake and headed to her office, grateful for the reprieve.
Man, she was all over the place today. And it was so out of character for her, she didn’t know what to do with herself. Or why she was suddenly feeling everything, right at the surface.
She glanced over her shoulder. He’d followed her and now stood in her office, watching her, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. A thousand butterflies took flight in her belly, making her breath hitch. She tore her gaze away, made a show of hanging up his coat.
This was ridiculous. Sure, she’d spent a good number of her teenage years crushing on him, but that was the past, back when life had been simple and she hadn’t made so many mistakes.
When she believed in love and soulmates and forever.
Before reality had broken her heart into so many pieces, she’d never be able to find them all, even if she wanted to put it back together.
Which she didn’t.
She brushed shaky fingers over the wet cashmere, as if that would somehow fix it. But it was ruined. The coat—which probably cost more than her car—was beyond repair, much like those teenage fantasies.
An ache bloomed at the base of her throat, but she swallowed it down. She knew from experience that leading with your heart meant you had to put your faith in someone else. With the exception of Em, there was no one she trusted enough to ever make herself that vulnerable again.
Nick hadn’t sweated this much in… shit, he couldn’t actually remember.
Alex was a task master when it came to training, working him hard, while making sure his knee was well protected.
Since his surgery, his main source of cardio had been swimming, which was a great workout, but there was nothing quite like the feel of sweat dripping off your skin to make you feel alive.
Maybe that was just him.
They’d been working together for a couple of days now, so he was feeling more at ease in the space and with her coaching style.
Not that it had taken long for him to get comfortable.
From the moment he’d stepped inside the building, he’d felt almost at home here at the clinic. He didn’t really understand why.
She wore another pair of yoga pants today, these ones with a slightly flared leg at the bottom, and the same light blue zippered hoodie.
As usual, she had on running shoes. Her golden hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
If he had to guess, he’d say it would probably hit just below her shoulders when down.
Not for the first time, he wondered what it would feel like against his fingers. Or look like strewn across his pillow.
Which was so inappropriate, he refused to even go there.
Today, she’d decided he was ready to move to the next level, so she’d started him off with some mobility moves. They were the kind that included range of motion and balance exercises mixed with low intensity cardio.
She’d gone through each move as an example, and then watched as he tried.
She’d wandered around, checking his form from all angles, critiquing and adjusting where necessary.
When she was satisfied, she combo’d the moves into a fluid routine that involved ten reps of each.
She’d then made him do three sets. By the end, he was limber and warm, sweat prickling his skin.
He appreciated her all business attitude. Just because his libido was trying to make a fool out of him, didn’t mean he had to give in. Besides, he couldn’t afford the distraction. However interesting and fun it might be.
After the warmup, she’d moved on to a routine of strength coupled with power exercises, which she turned into a circuit.
It was pretty intense, and a couple of his muscle groups screamed in protest. It had been a long time since he’d trained this hard.
If he kept this up, he’d be back in the lineup in no time.
“Great work today,” she said, handing him a bottle of water. She lifted her hand, like she was going to clap him on the upper arm and then at the last moment, changed her mind, leaving her hand hovering in mid-air.
He decided to ignore the awkwardness and instead unscrewed the lid on the bottle and took a big sip. The cool water felt great sliding down his parched throat. “Thanks.” He wiped the sweat off his forehead and chin with the back of his hand. “I’m not gonna lie, that was pretty intense.”
She moved her hovering hand to her hip and cocked her head. Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Too intense?”
He shook his head and then realized she’d never be happy with that as an answer. “No, not at all. Just intense enough.”
“But you’d tell me if anything’s too much, right? I mean, I don’t want to aggravate your knee and set back your progress.”
Yeah, no, that was not happening. There was no moving backward or even stalling at his current progress. Only forward momentum. “Yeah, for sure. But, I swear, it was good.”
She nodded and then walked over and started putting equipment away. Her space was well organized.
“Did you ever play or compete at an elite level?” He picked up his towel and wiped the sweat off his arms and the back of his neck. Engaging with her and not heading directly for the shower was a huge mistake.
She laughed, that lovely, musical sound that did weird things to him. “No, nothing other than track in high school. Stuff like athletics took a back seat once Em came along.”
He watched her work, enjoying the way her muscles moved as she put the equipment away. She had a great body. Lithe and strong. Tall. Not really curvy, though. Her breasts were on the small side and her hips only slightly flared. But her ass was tight and toned.
Honestly, he was having a hard time reconciling this woman with the girl he’d known.
Although, now that he knew she was Alexandra, he could see it. Her face was similar, although there was more definition to her cheekbones and jaw. She was still the same shade of blonde and honestly, he was disappointed he hadn’t recognized her. Or at least her eyes.
Alexandra had had the most beautiful grey eyes he’d ever seen.
The color of storm clouds. And very expressive.
He remembered the color used to shift with her moods.
If she was happy, they lightened and got a blue tinge to them.
When she was stressed, they darkened, turning almost the color of slate.
What color would they’d turn when she was turned on? He bet they’d darken. Turn a deep, dark charcoal.
Nope, not going there. Stuff like that was too much of a distraction. He needed to stay focused. He was so close to winning it all, showing everyone he wasn’t a huge fuck up.
His dad’s voice echoed in his head. Winning isn’t the most important thing, Nicky.
It’s the only thing. It’s what we’re training so hard for.
Making all your dreams come true. Getting to play hockey for a living is a privilege only granted to those that want it the most. And you want it, don’t you, Nicky?
Winning is the only thing that matters. You’re nothing if you don’t win.
“Are you okay?”
Her question knocked him back to the present. “Yeah.” The death grip he had on the towel told a different story. He relaxed his fingers. “Just sort of spaced out there for a minute.”
“Just making sure I didn’t work you too hard.” She stopped in front of him and balanced her hands on her hips. His fingers itched to cover her hands, maybe pull her in toward him…
She cocked her head. “You sure you’re okay?” She twisted her mouth to the side and slid her gaze from his face, down to his feet and then back up again. Weird goosebumps broke out across his skin.
He nodded, although he was starting to doubt himself. He needed to get his fucking head in the game. The one on top of his neck, not the one in his pants.
She stared at him, hard, like she’d done on that first day. He still felt like he was being dissected, inch by inch, layer by layer. His stomach gave his lungs a little jostle, like it was fighting for position in front of the net. Then she gave him the subtlest of nods.
His curiosity got the better of him. “What?”
“I was just thinking about that night we spent in the park. The night of the meteor shower.”
The memory raced to the surface. That was… unexpected. Like a cross-check after the whistle. “You remember that?” His voice had a hoarseness he hadn’t planned. His cheeks tingled, growing hot, but he didn’t know why.
“Of course.” A smile teased the corners of her mouth. She had great lips. A little pouty, the bottom one a little fuller than the top one. What would she do if he leaned over and kissed her?
Probably cold-cock him. Which he’d totally deserve.
“It was April and we were studying for your final. I’d just gotten to your house, and everything felt a little tense. I don’t what was up with that.” There was a wistful note in her voice, and it instantly took him back to that night.