Page 105 of Rookie Attraction

Sel mumbles something under his breath, but I don’t catch it. I try to lighten the moment and give him a teasing grin. Looking around, no one in sight, I take a chance and lean in, my mouth brushing Sel’s ear.

“How about you volunteer to be my personal guide?”

“Finn.”

“You know I want to spend more time with you. For fuck’s sake, you’re the reason I’m stiff,” I whisper. “And it has nothing to do with practice.”

He inhales sharply. It takes every ounce of willpower to stay still when what I really want to do is kiss some sense into him. Instead, I take a few steps back and Sel’s face visibly relaxes.

“I—” Sel starts but pauses when another voice echoes down the hallway.

“Thanks to that vitun idiootti, I’m fucking sore.”

It’s Makela, and when I hear the hum of additional voices, I know he’s not alone. They’re getting closer, just around the corner.

Sel and I are skating a razor-thin line out here and we both know it. He turns and walks away first. I watch him go and head for the recovery room.

Man, I desperately need that massage now.

What was all that about Cody? Is Sel really jealous? Because it sure as fuck sounded that way. I was never concerned when my ex got attention, and she didn’t feel that way about me either. Plus, there was no hiding or sneaking around. It was all so easy, uncomplicated.

Me and Sel? It’s anything but.

“All set?” Cody asks when I step into the office.

No.

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”

Cody leads to me a private room with the table set up, soft music in the background, and the lights down low. There’s the usual pre-massage rundown of my health history, and once I’m done giving him updates, Cody leaves the room to let me change.

I lie down on the massage table, under a warm sheet, and while it feels awesome, my mind keeps churning. I know it’s risky, but I want to continue seeing Sel. He might think differently given everything he’s been through, not to mention he doesn’t look at sex the same way I do.

Sel could be the best thing to come into my life or he’s leading me to the worst heartbreak ever. Yeah, my heart’s involved, and I think it’s too late to backtrack.

Fuck, what do I…

Knock, knock.

“Is it alright to come in?” Cody asks from the other side of the door.

“Yes,” I reply, then lower my head back into the cushion.

The door opens and footsteps draw near.

“You mentioned in your form that you have tightness in your shoulders, back, and hips,” Cody announces. “How about I start there, and then we can move on to your legs?”

“Works for me.”

I stay quiet after that, willing myself to clear my mind, focusing on the soothing sounds of the music. Cody’s great at his job; he doesn’t make a lot of conversation but checks in to make sure he’s not pushing too hard and asking if I feel any pain. My body feels so much better already, but I tense when he gets to my hips. Did Sel leave marks on me last night? I swear I can still feel his hands gripping me tightly. He didn’t hold back and I was wild for it.

“You’ve got an odd bruising pattern on your lower back, both side of your hips, does it hurt?”

My cheeks are burning… The ones on my face. Thank fuck I’m lying face down.

Hockey players get bruises and marks all the time. Totally normal.

“Nope,” I mumble. “Fell during training.”