Team Player 2: A Sports Anthology

by Paige, Rochelle

  “Reiki? What the hell is that?”

  Jason coughed suspiciously. “Sports medicine. For your elbow. We want you in top shape for the Open, yes?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Sports medicine.”

  “Don’t knock it until you try it. Many athletes swear by it,” he added when I continued to stare at him. “The NFL uses it for their players all the time. Look it up.”

  “Don’t mind if I do,” I said and pulled my phone out of my back pocket. I Googled Reiki and then barked a laugh. “Really, Jase? You’re trying to strengthen my life force energy?”

  “Well, I—”

  “You think you can wave a few crystals over my head and I’ll behave on the court. Is that it?”

  “Yes,” my agent spat back. “At this point, I’m ready to hire a priest to do an exorcism to get your head out of your ass. I’m at the end of my rope with you, Kai. You’re sitting on a pile of treasure and instead of appreciating what you have, you’re shitting all over it.”

  “I play how I want, when I want,” I said, picking up a ball and whacking it at my practice partner who barely got his racket up in time to deflect. “Everyone takes this stupid game too seriously.”

  “This ‘stupid game’ pays for your mom’s house. For this house. For your Range Rover and your expensive clothes. When it’s not paying off your fines, that is. You’re going to lose what few endorsements you have left—”

  “No chance,” I said. “I sellout matches. Fact.”

  “Fact: one more tantrum and you’re going to get kicked out of tennis altogether. You heard the ATP ruling. And it’s so stupid, Kai. If you applied yourself—”

  “I’d be a Grand Slam champ. Tell me something I don’t know.”

  Jason took a steadying breath, hands on his hips. “Look. The specialist will be here in a few hours to set up shop in the guest house.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Just what I need. A distraction. Some old witch lady wandering around here, burning sage and chanting…”

  Jason looked like he was holding back a smile. “I wouldn’t call her old. Can’t promise there won’t be chanting, though.” His expression turned serious. “Do me this one favor. One favor and I’ll leave you alone to mess up your career however you want.”

  “Way to sell it, Jase.”

  “Give her a shot. Whatever she says or wants to do for you…just let her. Okay?”

  “What is she going to want to do to me? Cast a spell to make me stop swearing?”

  “One could only hope,” Jason muttered. “One favor, Kai…”

  “Fine,” I said. “I’ll do the Reiki. For my elbow only. No one’s messing with my head. You got me, mate?”

  “Of course, of course.” He checked his watch. “I have a plane to catch. Other clients who actually care about their careers are waiting for me.”

  I grinned. “Now you’re hurting my feelings.”

  “Doubtful. I’ll see you soon.” He reached up as if he were going to pat my cheek, then thought the better of it and walked away. At the gate at the end of the court he stopped and said, “And be nice. You remember what nice is, don’t you? It’s the opposite of how you usually are.”

  He left, and I bounced a ball on my racket for a minute.

  Energy healing? Crikey.

  My practice partner for our stay in Hawaii was a guy Jason hired from the country club down in Wailea. A tall, gangly bloke who’s name might’ve been Owen. Owen was scrolling his phone, racket dangling from his hand.

  “Oi! Mate!” I called. “You ready, or what?”

  Owen jammed his phone in his pocket. “Right. Yes. Ready.”

  I went to the baseline to practice my serves. For thirty minutes, I served while Owen tried—and mostly failed—to get the ball back over the net. The experts liked to call my serve untouchable. Magnificent. Deadly.

  I’d been serving to my dad in one of our for-fun games when he clutched his chest, falling to his knees on the other side of the net.

  The vision flashed across my mind, and I blinked the sudden, stinging sweat out of my eyes. The sun was hot today, that’s all. And I wasn’t about to let some “naturopath” try to pry up more of those memories to let the bad mojo out…or whatever the hell she did.

  Dad was gone. I missed him like hell. What else was there to know about it?

  I readied another serve, tossed the ball in the air just as something caught my eye. Something white and gray and moving through the dense foliage on the other side of the fence that separated the tennis court from the pool and guesthouse.

  There’s a fucking wolf in my backyard…

  The ball dropped and hit my shoulder. My practice racket hit the hardtop too, and I headed for the gate that led between the yard and the courts.

  “So…” Owen called after uncertainly. “We’re done?”

  From the gate, I watched Lana, the housekeeper, lead a young woman around the backyard. The woman dragged a rolling suitcase behind her as they wound around the patterned cement patio that surrounded the pool, past the huge Buddha fountain that poured water from a pitcher into the shallow end, and toward the one-bedroom guesthouse that had its own kitchen. The wolf was actually a huge Siberian Husky with piercing blue eyes. He trailed behind watchfully, unblinking.

  My own eyes watched her. The young woman. And I didn’t want to blink either.

  Red hibiscus and lush green plants formed a backdrop behind her as she walked with Lana. The young woman’s hair was a mess of long, ashen blonde curls that fell past her shoulders and framed the most stunning face I’d ever seen. Heart-shaped with large eyes, full lips, and maybe a nose ring—I caught glint of gold as the sunlight fell over her. She was slender; a flowing sundress in brightly colored patterns draped like a waterfall over her tanned skin, down to her sandaled feet. More metal glinted from her toes, multiple silver and gold rings on her fingers, and copper bracelets that jangled on her wrists.

  Her hair, her skin, her jewelry…Bronze and silver and gold. Precious metals. She was blinding.

  Lord, mate, get a grip.

  A low wolf whistle sounded over my shoulder. Owen stood behind me, watching the two women chat in front of the birds of paradise just outside the guesthouse.

  “She’s a stunner,” Owen remarked. “Who is she?”

  But before I could tell him to mind his own business, the dog—whose ears had perked up at Owen’s whistle—began barking at the two idiots lurking in the greenery. In my hurry to not look like a stalking psycho, I tripped on a wisteria root and stumbled out of hiding.

  The dog barked louder, and the beautiful woman put her hand on its head. “Shh, Keanu, it’s okay.” She looked over at me and smiled. “Kai Solomon, I presume?”

  I stood up straight and crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re the naturopath Jason hired?”

  “Uh, right. I’m Daisy. I’d shake your hand but…” She gestured across the pool.

  “Is it safe to cross?” I asked. “Your wolf looks pretty pissed.”

  She laughed. “It’s safe, I promise. Keanu is just protective. Come and meet him. Let him sniff you out.”

  I walked around the pool to her side, trying not to look like the gigantic dog intimidated me.

  “I’m ready to let Keanu sniff me out,” I said. “There’s something you don’t hear every day.”

  Daisy laughed again. She held on to the dog’s collar while he sniffed my hand and then I sank my fingers into the soft fur behind his ears. The Husky whined and sat on my foot, nuzzling.

  “See? He’s a big softy if he likes you,” Daisy said. “If he thinks you’re going to hurt me…?” She held up her hands.

  I’d never hurt you.

  The thought flew in and out of my head like a sparrow.

  What the fuck?

  I coughed. “Anyway, I’m Kai.”

  “Nice to officially meet you,” Daisy said. Up close, she was even more beautiful; I didn’t know which part of her to drink in first.

  Her eyes. Bloody hell,
those eyes.

  Daisy’s eyes were unlike any color I’d ever seen. Pale…brown? No, that wasn’t right. Depending on how the light hit them, they shifted between the color of whisky to pale jade with darker rings around the iris.

  “Officially, green,” Daisy said, causing me to blink stupidly.

  “What?”

  “My eyes? Weird color, right? They’re officially green though sometimes they’re…not.”

  They were stunning. This girl was stunning, and I wondered if that was Jason’s plan too.

  Daisy peered over my shoulder, a bemused smile on her face. “You’re going to leave your friend in the bushes?”

  I glanced over at Owen who raised a hand in an awkward wave.

  I spun back around. “He’s not my friend. That’s no one.”

  “He’s not no one,” Daisy said, giving me a look.

  “In theory, he’s my practice partner. His actual job, apparently, is to fail at returning a single one of my shots.”

  Daisy’s brows rose, and she pressed her lips together. “Okaaaay.”

  Those incredible eyes of hers watched me, studied me, and not with admiration but a kind of gentle curiosity.

  So what? What do I care how she looks at me or what she thinks of me?

  I didn’t care. I wouldn’t. If this Daisy wanted a good time in the sack, she could knock on my door, but I wasn’t going to let her inside my head. No fucking way. Only my promise to Jason kept me from calling the whole thing off before she could even open her suitcase.

  You sure you want to call it off? She could be good for you. There’s something about her…

  We stood in an awkward silence under the Hawaiian afternoon sun while my thoughts went back and forth like a ball in a tennis match. Lana, the housekeeper, cleared her throat, rescuing me.

  “I was about to show Miss Watson the guesthouse and get her settled.”

  “Sure, whatever,” I said, turning to go, irritated with myself for falling under whatever fucking spell she was casting. “But hey,” I added turning back around.

  “Yeah?” Daisy’s smile was brilliant.

  “I don’t know what Jason said you’d be doing here, but it’s going to be a total waste of your time.”

  Her expression faltered. “Sorry?”

  “You can wave a wand over my elbow or whatever it is Reiki specialists do, because I promised Jason I’d let you. But it’s not going to work.”

  Lana’s eyes flared and she shook her head at me like a disappointed grandmother.

  Daisy cocked her head and seemed about to spit back a retort. Because she had fire in her too. She wasn’t intimidated by me, and that was almost worse than how damn beautiful she was.

  But her gaze melted into something warm and compassionate. “We’ll see. Tomorrow? Eight a.m.?”

  A challenge—gentle as it was—but still a challenge. I could handle that. Make her a challenge, like an opponent on the court.

  I shot her a cocky grin. “Game on.”

  Chapter Five

  Daisy

  “Is he always that charming?” I asked Lana as she led me into the guesthouse.

  She sighed. “It’s an act, my dear. Sometimes, when he thinks no one is paying attention, he’s a sweet boy. And he’s good to his mother, as he should be.”

  I nodded mutely as my thoughts were pulled outward by the opulence of my surroundings. My head lolled on my neck to take in the high-beamed ceilings of teak, the white walls, the large windows that let in the beauty of the garden and pool.

  My home for the next two weeks.

  “It’s all yours, dear,” Lana said, “but please feel free to join Kai or myself for meals in the main house. Or if there’s something you’d like me to whip up for you, don’t hesitate to ask. Mr. Lemieux wishes for you to be as comfortable as possible.”

  I doubted Kai wanted me in this guesthouse, let alone the main house, intruding on his meals. Getting him to willingly participate in Reiki or meditation or yoga was going to be hard enough. I thanked her for her offer and she left me to get settled in.

  “What do you think, Keanu?” I asked, scrubbing my dog’s ears. “Not too shabby, eh?”

  Keanu whined a yawn and lay down to stretch his belly on the cool tile floor while I rolled my suitcase into the bedroom. It was bigger than my living room with a king-size bed, dresser, walk-in closet, and en suite bathroom.

  I flopped onto the bed and immediately felt the quality of the mattress under my bones. I had a vague hope I might be able to sleep without needing at least one light on, but my eyes had already identified the small lamp on the end table that I knew I’d use to keep the darkness at bay.

  Still, I could try.

  And be exhausted in the morning? With the adrenaline of a fresh nightmare still coursing through your veins? No, thanks.

  My client was going to be a tough customer as it was.

  My client.

  God, Kai Solomon was even more gorgeous in person than in the videos. At least six-four and entirely comprised of lean muscle under smooth, brown skin. His brown eyes were almost black and piercing as they’d bored into me, sizing me up and then dismissing me easily. He exuded a casually detached quality; a reserved arrogance that hinted he would never consider being committed to a woman for more than a night or two in his bed.

  Why are you thinking about who shares his bed?

  Heat flushed my cheeks and I took a deep breath. A personal preference, but I was not interested in aggressive, hyper-sexual jocks. I liked physical heat and emotional connection. I had my own baggage to haul around and the only man I could ever be attracted to these days was one who was willing to share the load. Or at least not make it heavier. Because I’d do the same for him.

  But even if Kai was kind of an ass, he was my job. Looking past the anger in a person to see the pain beneath was part of my training. I’d only completed a few Reiki sessions, but Melanie was right. It came easy to me. I loved watching my clients find relief—even the doubtful ones—as physical or emotional pain left them. It made me feel like I was doing some good in the world.

  I glanced at the lamp at my bedside that I knew would have to stay on all night.

  Too bad I can’t give a little of that help to myself.

  * * *

  I got up before dawn and set up my Reiki table on the guesthouse’s little shaded lanai that overlooked the pool. Melanie had been supportive—as I knew she would be—when I told her about my temporary job offer and had loaned me one of her old tables.

  At eight a.m., I lit a stick of sandalwood incense, put on some soft music, and waited for Kai, wondering if he’d show up at all.

  He appeared at the back door to the big house more or less on time, sipping an energy drink from a can. He shot me a resigned look from across the pool before finally meandering over in his workout gear, a V of sweat darkening the front of his sleeveless white shirt.

  There must be a gym in the main house, I thought, which would account for that body of his.

  Heat infused my cheeks and I reminded myself—for what felt like the hundredth time—that Kai was my client.

  “Good morning,” I said brightly as he approached. I steadfastly kept my eyes on his face; my gaze kept wanting to wander to his shoulder muscles, his perfect forearms—the right slightly larger than the left—and the way his shirt clung to his body.

  He grunted a reply and eyed my set up.

  “I don’t have to get naked, do I?” he asked.

  “No, uh, no,” I said, clearing my throat. “You stay fully clothed.”

  “Bummer for you,” he said with a smirk.

  I let out my nervousness on an irritated sigh. “I’ll survive. Somehow.”

  “Is this like a massage?”

  “There’s no touching—”

  “Bummer for me.” His grin was wide, showing a mouthful of perfect white teeth.

  I crossed my arms. “I was going to say, there’s no touching unless you feel comfortable with it. Though I’d pre
fer if maybe you didn’t get sweat all over this table. It’s borrowed.”

  “If I go back inside to shower, I’m not coming out again. I don’t want to do this in the first place.”

  “Yes, you made that clear yesterday,” I said, adding his sexy-as-hell Australian accent to the growing list of things that I had to steel myself against.

  Focus. You’re here to help…

  Kai chucked his empty can in the gardener’s trashcan at the side of the guesthouse. “So what’s the plan? You wave that stick of incense over me and chant in Sanskrit?”

  “Not quite,” I said. “You lie here, and I help guide healing energy to whatever area needs relief.”

  “My elbow,” he said. “This voodoo is for my elbow.”

  “It’s not really up to you or me to decide. The energy will go wherever there is pain.”

  “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

  “If I didn’t believe in it, I wouldn’t be here.”

  “Fine.” He lay down on the table. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Chapter Six

  Kai

  I must be crazy to do this, I thought as I stretched out on Daisy’s dentist chair. Or she is. Crazy beautiful.

  “What do I do?” I asked loudly to drown out my unhelpful thoughts. “Close my eyes?”

  “If you want,” she said. “Some clients find it relaxing and fall asleep. Some like to comment about what they’re experiencing. It’s up to you.”

  Daisy was too damn stunning to be this close to me. The view of her breasts when she leaned over me made it difficult to keep my body in check, and the scent of her flowery perfume made me want to grab a fistful of her soft curls and bring her in closer, and…

  Whoa, slow down, mate.

  Having to explain a hard-on would thoroughly ruin the don’t-give-a-fuck attitude I was going for. Yep. Closing my eyes seemed like the best option.

  “Great,” I said, settling my sweaty shoulder blades onto the table. “I could use the nap.”