Logan_Denver Royalty [Book 1]

by Sheridan Anne

  This should be interesting.

  Chapter 3

  Logan

  I don’t want to be here.

  I let out a sigh as I pull up at the Thunder’s training arena. I reach into the back and reluctantly grab the crutches Cassie stole from her work. I insisted I didn’t need them but apparently, she doesn’t take no as an answer. She also reminded me that if I stay off it and let the muscle rest, I will heal faster, which also means, I’ll be back on the ice faster. She then proceeded to give me a list of exercises I should be doing which is when I promptly tuned her out.

  I love my sister but sometimes, like with any other female, you just need to smile and nod.

  With a groan, I make my way into the arena and head straight for the physio. I look down at my watch. It’s three o’clock on the dot. I wonder if Dave will cut the appointment short if I just happen to be late. Though, probably not. I’m the star player, he’s bound to want to spend extra time on me and from the type of injury, I bet the bastard is going to enjoy himself.

  The next few months are going to be hell on earth having to deal with him massaging my inner thigh. I can only imagine how many times the fucker is going to ‘slip’, but I’ll suck it up if it means he can fix me and I’ll get back on the ice.

  I have no idea why management haven’t sacked him yet. At least half the team have made complaints about him but I guess there isn’t anything they can do about it as he hasn’t actually touched any of the guys, he’s just creepy as fuck. But I will bet my position on the team that if he tried anything on any of the guys, his life wouldn’t be worth living.

  I hobble on up to Dave’s office. “Yo, Dave,” I call as I attempt to open the door while balancing the crutches in one hand and trying not to put any weight on my leg after I did just that this morning and fell fall on my face.

  “Oh, sorry. Not Dave,” a feminine voice replies from within the room.

  My head instantly snaps up at the voice and my world is instantly flipped upside down. Holy shit. The woman standing before me is nothing short of stunning. She’s petite, with blonde hair that perfectly frames her face and makes those big blue eyes ‘pop’.

  My heart starts racing.

  I’m pretty sure I’m staring at her as a flush takes over her face which instantly drives me insane. She quickly looks away and I pull my shit together before I make a fool of myself. “Sorry,” I smile making sure to turn on the charm and give her my panty-dropping smile that’s never failed me. “I was expecting Dave.”

  “That’s fine,” she says trying to avoid eye contact but she can’t, not without appearing rude. “I’m Elle. Dave had to rush out, so I’ll be taking your appointment today. Is that ok?”

  The words are music to my ears. “Baby, that’s more than ok,” I say as my smile turns into a gin and I hope I’m not appearing as a creep but I’m so damn relieved that I’ll be dealing with this blonde goddess rather than Dave, especially when it involves a groin and upper thigh injury. “I’m Logan.”

  She nods her head slightly and gives the smallest smile. “I know,” she says as she holds up some papers which must have my details on it. My eyes meet hers and she instantly flicks her gaze away. I realise she must be shy which means, if I was anyone else, the next hour would be very awkward for her but luckily, I plan on having a little fun.

  “So, before we start,” she says as she fumbles around in her papers and pulls out a form. “I need you to sign a consent form for me to work on you.”

  I lean my crutches up against the wall and take the form from Elle. I look it over before glancing up at her, only to find her studying me. Her eyes flick away before that flush reappears on her cheeks. If she wasn’t so shy, I’d already be in her space finding out exactly what it is she likes, but I think I need to take it slow with this one. There’s something different here, something special. I want to take my time with her.

  “Haven’t I already signed all this shit?” I ask as I reach for a pen.

  “Yes,” she murmurs. “However, that covered Dave and the last junior he had working with him. This one covers me,” she explains.

  “Right,” I say before signing the form. “So, you’re here for good then?” I ask.

  “Looks like it,” she says as she takes the form from me and slips it into a manila folder while also giving me a great view of her perfect ass, making me want to sink my teeth into it.

  She hesitantly turns back around with her bottom lip pulled between her teeth, unknowingly making it clear she’s nervous. “So, um,” she starts with a visible swallow, “Your injury…?”

  “Yeah…”

  She glances down at her paper’s once again, probably wondering how to be professional about this. “This says you tore your right upper thigh and groin?” she questions.

  “Sure did,” I confirm.

  “And how did you do that?” she asks with a smile that completely takes me off guard. I mean, this woman is beautiful and I won’t be leaving this room without a date for dinner tonight.

  I grin at the fond memory. “I challenged my sister’s boyfriend to a hockey match, best out of ten,” I explain.

  Her smile widens as the smallest chuckle escapes her lips. “That’s a little unfair, don’t you think?”

  “How so?” I question.

  She looks at me as though I’ve grown another head. “Aren’t you the Captain of the best NHL team in the country? Surely the poor guy had no chance.”

  “Jax can hold his own, hence the injury.”

  “Right,” she says in understanding. “He nearly had you, didn’t he?” she laughs with the sound wrapping around me. What the hell? I need to pull it together. Why is this woman affecting me so much?

  “Yep,” I admit.

  She grins as she steps over to the massage table and rests her hand on a towel, trying to bring things back to the reason we’re here. “So, you’ll need to lose the pants and lay on your back. You can cover the goods with the towel,” she says before giving me a professional nod and stepping away. “I’ll give you some privacy to get ready.”

  “No need,” I say as I flick the button on my jeans and allow them to clatter to the ground. A grin rips across my face as I take in her shock.

  “Where the fuck is your underwear?” she shrieks as unprofessionally as possible.

  With a chuckle and a smirk, I casually walk towards the table and get into position as she gapes after me with her mouth open in shock. “Figured I wouldn’t need them.”

  She visibly shakes her head, trying to comes to terms with what just happened. “Right, um… Ok,” she mumbles to herself. “We’ll get started, then.”

  Don’t get hard. Don’t get hard.

  Keeping my eyes locked on her, I make a show of reaching for the towel and position it over my junk. I can’t wait to have her hands all over me, though I’ll have to think about anything and everything so I appear to have some sort of control.

  Her face flames and she hastily turns away to grab the massage oils, which takes a little longer than it should while she composes herself. When she turns back around, it’s back to the professional Elle that she’s trying so hard to maintain.

  “Where exactly are you experiencing pain?” she asks.

  I decide it’s probably best to be serious now, after all, this is my career at stake. I explain exactly how the injury happened and where it’s been hurting. She hits me with question after question, being incredibly specific and I’m surprised to see that with how young she is, she really knows what she is talking about.

  She makes a move to get started. “This will probably be quite uncomfortable,” she warns me, referring to how painful this massage is going to be, though, she could also be referring to how close she will be to my junk.

  “Yeah, I know the drill,” I tell her, hoping my ease somehow can help put her at ease.

  She places her small, cool hands on my skin an it’s like an electric current shoots right through me and I can’t tear my eyes off her. Who is
this girl? I have no idea if she feels it too but I have to find out. Something’s happening here.

  She starts to move her hand over my thigh and it’s like pure magic. Her hands roam higher and higher and I’m almost begging for her to keep going which is when I realise, for a physio appointment, this isn’t right. She’s hesitating. This should be hurting not feeling like cloud fucking nine.

  “It’s ok,” I tell her quietly.

  Her bottom lip once again finds itself pulled between her teeth. Her eyes remain focused heavily on my thigh while mine remain on hers. She lets out a nervous breath and it’s as if I can see her making the decision to get over her nerves.

  She presses down into my muscle and I want to scream like a bitch. I turn my face away from her as I try to not to cringe. I was worried about losing control of my junk earlier but I can honestly say, it’s certainly not something I’m concerned about now.

  “Sorry,” she murmurs as she continues to torture my thigh.

  “No pain, no gain, right?” I try to say calmly but the pain comes through my voice, loud and clear.

  “Right,” she chuckles.

  “Tell me about yourself,” I practically demand.

  “There’s not much to say,” she says as her hands slip a little higher into a tighter part of the muscle.

  Fuck me.

  “Make it up if you have to,” I beg, desperately needing my mind to be taken off the pain. “Otherwise, you’re going to see a grown man cry and I’m going to be really pissed at myself if that happens.”

  “Ok,” she says with a smile in her voice that somehow manages to calm me. “What do you want to know?”

  “Why physiotherapy?” I question.

  “Oh, geez,” she cringes. “Start with something easier.”

  “Is that a touchy topic?” I question.

  “Kind of,” she admits, hesitantly. “I love how physio has the ability to help someone with simple techniques. I mean, to me it’s a sort of magic. I’ve seen it transform lives and I guess I want to be able to give that gift to others.” The pressure on my leg starts to lessen as she talks about her work and I realise that while it feels much better, it’s not very productive and I’ll have to change topic.

  “Yeah, I understand that,” I say. “What do you do for fun?”

  “Fun?” she scoffs. “I don’t have time for fun.”

  At that, the pressure on my thigh returns and I cringe at the pain. Holy shit. I’m going to die on this table. “What do you have time for?” I ask between my teeth.

  “Um…” she says before pausing. “Well, I’m not really sure anymore. Until I got this position, I was working two jobs to get myself through college and pay the rent but now, I guess that can change.”

  “Good,” I say with a seductive grin up at her. “Then you have time to come to dinner with me.”

  She instantly flushes and looks away. “Never going to happen, Logan,” she smirks as she presses just a little harder.

  “Is that a challenge?” I question.

  “No,” she laughs.

  “Why not? I think you could use a night out.”

  Her hands pause on my leg as those blue eyes flash to me. “I don’t think you have a clue what I need, and besides, I know guys like you, Logan Waters, and I’m not interested in being someone’s play toy.”

  “What makes you think I’m like that?”

  “Are you telling me you’re not?” she counters.

  “Not at all,” I grin.

  She grins back at me with a challenge in her eyes. “And if I googled you? What would I find?”

  Shit.

  “Yeah… you better not google me,” I laugh.

  “Exactly,” she says with triumph before grabbing a warm towel and wiping off any excess oils. “We’re done here, so you can put your pants back on.”

  I swivel around on the table and sit up to face her. “I’m going to change your mind, you know,” I tell her in all seriousness.

  She looks back at me and once again, her beauty blows me away. “Honestly, you can try all you like but, in the end, this is my dream job and I’m not about to do anything to risk that, which, unfortunately for you, means not going out with the star player,” she tells me, letting me know how it is. Though, the smile and interest in her eyes screams there’s still hope. She’s intrigued and the attraction is obvious. She wants me just like I want her and that knowledge spurs me on.

  I hop up off the table and pull on my jeans as she fills in some paperwork. I hobble over to her and step up behind her. I gently lay my hands on her waist and watch as her back stiffens. “Challenge accepted,” I murmur.

  She ever so slowly turns to face me and I drop my hands to give her a little space. She looks up at me with those blue eyes and I know she sees that I mean what I say. She presses her lips together for a short moment as she thinks it over.

  Resignation shines back at me through her eyes as she comes to terms with the fact that I’m not backing down. She lets out a sigh. “You need to come back twice a week if you want to be back on the ice before the start of the season.”

  “It’s a date,” I grin.

  “Call it what you want, but it will be with Dave,” she tells me.

  “What?” I question with a slight panic. I don’t want to come back to see Dave, not when I know Elle is here.

  “Dave is the Senior therapist. You’re the captain. I can guarantee that you’ll be seeing him next time. I was only doing this because he had to run out,” she reminds me. “Besides, I doubt management are going to pin all their hopes for their captain on the new chick straight out of college.”

  Damn it. She’s right. As good as she is, Management would want me working with the senior therapist, someone who’s already proven themselves. Though, if I put in a good word, they might let me continue using her.

  “Don’t you worry about that,” I say as I reach across to grab the stupid crutches. I make my way to the door before sending a wink her way. “I’ll see you around, Elle,” I say, enjoying the way her cheek flush once again.

  She stutters out a goodbye and I can’t help but grin at her.

  Yeah, this is going to be fun.

  Chapter 4

  Elle

  At the end of the day, I escape out of work as fast as possible. Holy cow. What a freaking day. I got thrown completely in the deep end and I absolutely loved it. Well, I certainly loved one particular part of my day but shit, that was intense.

  Logan Waters is a force to be reckoned with. At every chance he got, he hit on me and I continued to cut him down yet somehow, it only made him try harder.

  But damn. He is one sexy guy and one hell of a smooth talker. The second I saw him, something inside of me just clicked. It’s a feeling I’ve never had before and to be honest, it scares the hell out of me.

  So as much as I enjoyed working on him today, feeling his warm skin under my fingers and massaging his strong muscle, I’m glad Dave will be back to take the rest of his sessions.

  I just don’t know what to do with these feelings but it’s nothing I can’t sort out with a large glass of wine… actually, I might need the whole bottle.

  Logan terrifies me.

  His good looks and wicked charm is enough to get into a girl’s heart and rip it out, which I’m sure is exactly what he’s done to countless women. I absolutely love my new job and I was honest when I told him I didn’t want to risk that, if only he would listen but something in my gut tells me he’s going to be a reoccurring performance for a while.

  I’m going to have to be strong and hold my ground. Logan Waters is not going to break me down. He will not tear down my walls and I will not risk my position just to have a fling with what must be the most attractive man I have ever met.

  I can’t afford to lose this job and what’s more, I don’t want to lose it. Being a physio for one of the worlds biggest sporting teams is an absolute dream. People work their way up to positions like this, they work their whole lives just to be presente
d with the opportunity. They would kill for it and here I am, as lucky as ever to have the position drop into my lap. I will not mess this up.

  Besides, this job will go a long way in paying off the massive debt that hovers over my head.

  I get half way home before realising I really do need that bottle of wine. I pull over and duck into the shops. I come out moments later with two bottles, just to be safe.

  I get home and start walking down the hallway to my apartment. I stop a few doors up and knock on a door. Jaz, who is also my best-friend who I met in this very hallway, four years ago, opens the door in her pyjamas.

  I don’t say a word, I simply hold up the bottle.

  “I’ll be there in two minutes,” she grins before closing the door.

  Satisfied, I make my way down to my apartment.

  I unlock the door and throw my bag down on the floor. “Sup, Louie,” I say as I pass the little guy.

  “Sup, Louie,” he repeats in his little bird voice before he starts whistling.

  I place the wine down on the kitchen bench before heading down the hallway to get dressed into my comfy clothes and wash off my makeup. I pour two glasses of wine and put the bottle in the fridge as Jaz waltzes through my door with her ear glued to her phone, ordering us pizza.

  She collects her glass off the table, grabs a blanket out of my cupboard and makes herself comfy on the lounge. “You have a shit day, too?” she questions as she searches through her playlist before putting on a little background music.

  “Just the opposite,” I tell her.

  “Oh?” she asks with interest as her fingers pause on her iPod. Her eyes flick up to me and watch me with a raised questioning eyebrow as I grab my own glass off the table and make myself comfortable under the blanket on the lounge.

  “Yeah, I had my first day working for the Denver Thunder,” I reminder her.

  “Oh, that’s right,” she says with her whole face lighting up. “Please, God, tell me you met the players?”

  “Yeah,” I laugh. “I met a few of them.”

  “And…?” she prompts. “Don’t hold out on me. I bet they were all sexy pieces of muscled man meat.”