Page 69 of Body Check

Shaking his head, he huffs out a laugh. “Only you, babe.”

My eyes widen, and I look frantically around the pool. But we’re the only two here.

“Derek said to do my cardio in the water. Doesn’t want me tweaking the knee more.”

I frown. “It’s bad?”

“Well, it’s not good.” His massive shoulders lift in a shrug. “I’ll get through it.”

“I could⁠—”

Jason shakes his head. “Let’s not worry about it right now. Tell me about your day yesterday.”

Laughing, I roll my eyes. “I worked. You saw me.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t see you. How were your sessions? Anyone out of line?”

“The team is great. Everything went well.”

He studies me, his brown eyes intent on my face. “You have plans for tonight?”

“Robby, Joaquin, Patrice, and I are going to the movies. There’s a new James Bond flick out.”

Sven and Vanessa are having a date night. They’re so cute together, but I can’t deny how jealous I am every time they eat breakfast together in the meal room, or sit beside each other on the plane.

I want that with Jason. I want that for us.

“Hm, I’ve heard of it. Maybe the guys and I will go.”

“I can’t stop you. But it’s our thing. You don’t need to crash it.”

“I know. I just want to spend time with you.” His face softens. “I hate that we can’t.”

“Me, too.”

Every day that goes by, it’s harder to remember my reasons for keeping our relationship quiet. But then, my paycheck lands in my bank account, and I remember. I’m incredibly fortunate that Brandon and Tyler gave me a place to land when I was let go from Colorado, but if it happens again with the Grizzlies… I’d probably have to leave Boston. I’ve already applied to all the major sports organizations. Sure, there are a bunch of universities I could try, and I suppose I could always go the clinical route…

But that’s not what I love. I want to work with hockey players, as boneheaded as they may be. It’s what I want to spend my life doing.

Besides, Jason’s contract is up at the end of the season. He could sign with another team—or worse, be traded. Who knows where he’ll be? He says he wants to stay in Boston, but it’s not necessarily up to him. If the team needs to move him, he could be heavily encouraged to waive his no-trade clause.

On top of that, it’s incredibly early in our relationship to make long-term plans. We’ve only been together for a month, and nobody knows about us. He just ended a marriage. It’s too soon to think about a future, too soon to change my life plans.

Jason reaches across the hot tub, and since nobody else is around, I let him pull me across the small pool and into his arms. I straddle him on the stone bench, my arms winding around his neck.

“Hi,” he whispers, his eyes darting between my lips and my breasts.

My swimsuit is a terribly unsexy one-piece that smashes my boobs into pancakes. It’s designed more for athletics than aesthetics. There’s a cutout where the straps crisscross on my back, and that’s where his fingers go, sliding along the strip of exposed skin.

“Hi,” I whisper back, feeling self-conscious and silly.

He arches up, his lips meeting mine in a heady kiss. I thought the fire would die down as we got used to each other, but if anything, it’s only growing hotter as we learn each other.

His strong body feels so good beneath me, and as he grows hard against my ass, I can’t resist rocking against him. Even with the water and the fabric of our swimsuits between us, he feels amazing between my legs.

“Hey, now,” he murmurs. “None of that.”

“Why not?”