“Hey, Dell,” a deep voice called from across the room.
“What?” I kept my focus on Lennox, who was climbing back onto my table.
“I’ve got something I need you to rub later.”
“Mmm-hmm.” I glanced over my shoulder and saw Danny Burlington rubbing his crotch. He winked at me. Gross.
“Well, what is it?” I asked.
He added his other hand and rubbed theatrically. “I need you to rub it really hard.”
“I still don’t see anything,” I said, turning back to Lennox, who snickered.
“Fuck off, Dell,” Burlington said. “My cock’s so big you’d gag on it, anyway.”
“I’d gag before it was even in my mouth.” I stepped on to my wide stool to massage Lennox’s leg. “Now get the hell out of here, I’m busy.”
I turned to watch him walk out the doorway and saw Luke Hudson standing there watching.
“Hey,” I said. “Want me to work on you before practice?”
“If you’ve got time … to help me stretch when you’re done.” He ran a hand through his dark blond hair. He was nervous. Was this his first time back on the ice since his injury?
“Sure, I’ve got time.” I rolled my cylindrical tool down Lennox’s thigh and he groaned loudly through gritted teeth.
“You fucker,” he muttered. “Sorry, Dell, I didn’t mean that.”
“Call me whatever makes you feel better,” I said. He clutched the sides of the table and squeezed his eyes shut. “Breathe, Lennox.”
“Motherfucking whore,” he said, looking remorseful immediately. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean you.”
“Just find me when you’re ready,” Luke said to me.
“I’m almost done.”
One more good hard roll over Lennox’s stiff muscles and I stepped down from my stool. He slid down from the table and grinned.
“Feels pretty good.”
“Cold bath after practice,” I said. He nodded and left the room.
Luke approached, wearing a light, form-fitted long sleeve black shirt and dark shorts. He was taller and broader than the rest of the team, other than Niko. His cocksure grin from yesterday had disappeared.
“Want to stretch all over?” I asked. He nodded silently.
“Okay, lay down on the floor on your back.” He complied, and I took one of his feet to stretch his legs.
“I haven’t even known you 24 hours, and you’ve already got me on my back,” he said. “Am I a whore?”
He was a hockey player, wasn’t he? “Probably, but not because of this.”
He groaned playfully. “What, just because I play hockey, I’m a player?”
“Statistically, yes. Unless you were married, in which case it would be 50/50.”
He leaned his head up from the floor to meet my gaze. “You checked to see if I had a ring on?”
My cheeks heated with embarrassment. “No, I already knew that. Your superstar reputation precedes you.”
“Ah.” He lowered his head back to the ground. “And what’s my reputation?”
“It’s no different than the rest of the guys in the league. Most of them, anyway.” I pressed his leg into a deep stretch, instinct telling me exactly where to stop. “Are you nervous about getting back on the ice?”
“Nervous? I don’t know, more like anxious.”
“What’s the difference?”
He laughed lightly. “You’re right. I’m nervous. Eager. Excited. But also … you know.”
“Worried?”
“Yeah.”
“Try some deep breathing. Visualize the outcome you want to achieve,” I said. “Okay, stand up.”
He got to his feet and his pale blue eyes studied me, looking amused. “Do you wear a baseball hat every day?”
“Pretty much. No one here cares what I look like.”
“Is Dell your real name?”
“What’s with all the questions?” I said, my tone more defensive than I’d intended.
He shrugged and kept his gaze on me. I took a calming breath before answering. This guy would have women after him in every city we traveled to. He was movie-star hot, with a great smile and a playful twinkle in his eye. Just the type that annoyed me most. I bonded best with the guys who were quiet and slightly awkward.
“My name’s Adella,” I said, anxious to move the subject away from myself. “Okay, let’s do some lunges.”
“You must get hit on every day. Does that get old?”
If only he knew. “I never get hit on. Tanner means what he says about fraternizing. And … well, I’m more like a sister to the guys, anyway.”