Love of the Game by Lori Wilde Read Free Book Online Page A

shirt.”
    â€œStraight to the point.”
    â€œWhich is why I’m here.” Her face was a blank canvas.
    He had no idea what she was thinking. He wished he had paints so he could draw a smile on those full wide lips of hers. “Why are you so uptight?”
    â€œI’m not uptight. I have a job to do, and I’d appreciate it if you’d just let me get to it.”
    â€œMessage received.” He raised both palms. “No idle chitchat.”
    â€œI’m glad we understand each other. Now if you please . . .” She gestured toward the table. “Take off your shirt.”
    He obliged.
    Her gaze flicked to his bare chest. Her controlled expression gave away nothing, but in her eyes he saw a quick flash of interest before she managed to snuff it out.
    Curiosity about the tattoo? Or was she admiring his muscles? The former made him uncomfortable, the latter made him smile.
    She cleared her throat, stared at the table pointedly.
    He took his time climbing up on it. She might be in charge, but she wasn’t in control. He’d asked for her to be on his case. She was working for him, and it didn’t hurt to remind her.
    â€œOn your stomach,” she said. “We’ll start with moist heat to loosen up your shoulder.”
    He rolled over, got settled, closed his eyes, listened to her moving around, and caught the faintest hint of her scent. She smelled of raindrops and moonlight, of lavender and sage. The fragrance wasn’t strong enough for cologne, most likely body lotion or shampoo.
    She rested a moist heat pack on his right shoulder,and his body started to relax. He hated to admit it, but she was right about the Mozart. Between the heat and the music and the lulling fragrance, he actually drifted off to sleep for a couple of minutes, jerking awake when her hand touched his bare flesh.
    Gently, she massaged his shoulder, her strong fingers pressing into his skin, and instantly Axel got hard. At least he was facedown, but that didn’t stop the ache.
Quit thinking about her
.
    Pretty damn hard to do when Kasha’s outer thigh was touching his hip.
    Axel squeezed his eyes closed. Gulped.
    â€œDoes that hurt?” She lightly caressed the ball of his right shoulder joint.
    â€œUm, no, why?”
    â€œYou tensed up.”
    Well, yeah lady. You’re the sexiest thing since black silk stockings with the seam running up the back.
    â€œIt’s . . . uh . . .” he stammered. “. . . hot in here.”
    â€œI’ll turn down the thermostat.” She stepped away, momentarily giving him breathing room.
    But it didn’t last long or help much. The second her hands touched him again, he was as hard as marble.
    â€œAre you always this tense?” She clicked her tongue. “No wonder you’re not healing.”
    No, no, not always this tense, only when he was around gorgeous physical therapists with enigmatic dark eyes and magic fingers.
    â€œWe’re not going to get anywhere until you relax. What do you normally do to chill out?”
    â€œExercise.”
    â€œI’m not talking about exercise. How do you unplug from work? Read? Watch TV? Play video games? Listen to music?”
    â€œI don’t have time to unplug. I’m thirty, and injured. If I’m ever going to make it to the top I have to give one hundred and ten percent.”
    An amused laugh rolled out of her, soft as fairy dust.
    â€œWhat’s so funny?”
    â€œExcuse me? You are the big time.”
    â€œThe Gunslingers are an expansion team,” he said.
    â€œSo what?”
    â€œIt’s not the same.”
    â€œHow much more ‘top’ does it get, Axel?”
    â€œPitching for the Yankees, the finest team in baseball.”
    â€œThat’s a matter of perception,” Kasha said. “I thought the best team in baseball is the one who won the last pennant.”
    â€œBest is transitory, you’re right,” he said.