by J. H. Croix
I curled my hands around the steaming hot mug of coffee, sighing at the warmth. “Aside from the fact I’m freezing, nothing new.”
Daisy took a sip of her own coffee, her perceptive brown gaze coasting over me. “Let me guess, you didn’t bother to check the weather and wore just your scrubs. Thank God, I don’t have to wear those everyday for research.”
I laughed softly. Daisy knew me well. I worked long hours and rarely bothered to manage the logistics of my life. “There’s never anything new with me,” I countered with a roll of my eyes. The moment the words left my mouth, I thought of Liam’s kiss yesterday and heat raced up my cheeks.
Daisy cocked her head to the side. “What are you blushing about?”
I took a gulp of my coffee and glared at her. “Nothing.”
She shrugged. I breathed an internal sigh of relief, thinking she was going to drop it. I should’ve known better. Daisy had an unerring ability to know what might be getting under my skin.
“What’s this I hear about Liam Reed? Sports news says you’re in charge of fixing his blown knee,” Daisy said with a sly smile.
I leaned back in my chair and fought to keep my face from turning even redder. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Is that actually news?”
“Of course it’s news. He’s a hot soccer star from Britain. He’s not just famous here hon, but everywhere.” She must’ve taken a tiny bit of pity on me at the look on my face and shook her head slowly. “I heard about it on the sports radio on the way into work this morning. The radio guys spent like twenty minutes discussing his injury. I’ll never understand why some guy who plays ball gets more time on the news than things like poverty, but hey, that’s our world. Anyway, they said he’d been assigned to Dr. Bowen at your clinic. Pretty sure that’s you.”
I took another gulp of coffee followed with a deep breath. Usually I didn’t even think about the pressure of operating on athletes, but the way Liam rattled me was shaking my composure at all levels. “Obviously it’s me. It’s not like I can talk about it,” I mumbled, knowing perfectly well the clinic had already obtained a full disclosure for Liam and the team. That’s how it worked there. If famous sports stars wanted their potentially career-ending injuries turned around under the scalpel of any surgeon at the clinic, they had to be willing to sign releases for updates on their recovery. I rarely discussed anything, except in cases when I was asked to make public statements about recovery times and whatnot.
Daisy was quite aware of this as well and merely rolled her eyes. “I don’t give a damn about his knee. I’m just wondering how come you can’t stop blushing.”
If anyone could keep me from losing my mind over Liam, it would be Daisy. She was my dearest friend, the only friend I had who’d been there before my parents died. When I was ten years old, my parents died together in a car accident on their way to a holiday party. To this day, I hated the holidays. My mom’s twin sister Lorraine had raised me after that. She was loving and kind, but she’d been as lost as I had been after my parents died. She and my mother had been quite close as twins. Lorraine lived in the small town Daisy and I grew up in a short drive outside of Seattle. Aside from Daisy and a few other friends, she was really the only other person in my life whom I stayed close with. I was what most people called an introvert. I didn’t know if I’d been that way before my parents died. Daisy insisted I’d been a bit less standoffish. Either way, getting close to people wasn’t the easiest thing for me.
I looked over at Daisy and blushed even deeper at the twinkle in her eyes. “I’m blushing because Liam Reed seems to think he can make a move on me. I don’t know what the hell to do about it,” I blurted out.
Daisy’s eyes widened, and I experienced a flash of satisfaction at actually startling her. She quickly recovered and grinned. “Well, it’s about damn time. You are flat out gorgeous. I’d bet plenty of your patients want to get in your pants. Nice to know the hottest ticket in town has the sense to notice how amazing you are.”
I put my hands on my cheeks, as if I could somehow cool the heat. “Are you insane?!”
Daisy shrugged. “Definitely not. He’ll do great things for your career. Make his knee good as new and then screw his brains out. Maybe you’ll have fun for once in your life.”
I stared at her, torn between the warring factions inside of me. There was the usual side of me that wanted to tell her she was seriously out of her mind. Then, there was this new, foreign side that thought screwing Liam’s brains out might be the best thing I ever did. Just the thought of it sent heat scoring through my center and a throb in my channel. Sex is boring. Remember? It’s not like you haven’t tried it before. Maybe so, but not with Liam. One kiss from him was all kinds of amazing. If I could have slapped the voice inside my head, I would’ve. This was madness, plain and simple. I latched onto the part of me I knew better.
“I don’t need to have fun. Most certainly not with a high-profile patient,” I said defensively.
Daisy rolled her eyes. “You need to loosen up is what you need. I’ve seen his photos. Liam Reed is all kinds of sexy. Most women would get off just seeing him naked. As for him being your patient…after the surgery, hon,” she said with a sly wink.
I balled up a napkin and threw it at her where it bounced off her shoulder and landed on the table between us. “Would you stop it?! It’s crazy and you know it. Plus, you know how I feel about sex. I’d bet sex with an arrogant sports star is about as boring as it gets.”
I was rewarded with another eye roll from Daisy. “It’s not like you gave it much of a shot. You dated what, maybe three guys in college? You should try again.”
Daisy was the opposite of me when it came to dating. She was on the hunt for the perfect guy and wasn’t the least bit shy about it. I knew behind her bravado there was a soft side and a warm heart, so sometimes I worried about her boldness. Mostly, it puzzled me because I sincerely had found sex to be boring, boring enough I hadn’t thought it worth the effort to cast around. Maybe it was a stroke of bad, boring luck for me. They weren’t bad guys, just nothing revved my engine. I held Daisy’s gaze and shrugged. “Don’t really have time and you know it.”
Daisy shook her head. At that moment, the bell jingled above the door to the café. Reflexively, I glanced over and my pulse took off. Liam walked through the door with the man who’d been in the waiting room with him yesterday. I barely noticed the guy with my eyes nearly devouring Liam. Liam’s dark hair was damp from the rain. He hadn’t bothered with a raincoat, and his slightly damp, long-sleeved t-shirt clung to his muscled shoulders. I didn’t know how it was possible, but even with a subtle limp, the man was so damn sexy he took my breath away. He turned, his eyes catching mine from across the room and sending flutters in a spin through my belly.
Daisy’s giggle had me tearing my eyes off of him. I turned back to her. If I thought I’d blushed before, now it was worse, way worse. I felt like I was on fire inside and out.
Chapter Five
Liam
The moment I stepped into the coffee shop, I knew Olivia was there. A prickle raced up my spine. I ran a hand over my damp hair and turned slowly, finding her in the corner at a table with another woman. Olivia’s eyes locked to mine for a flash. Even from across the busy room, I could feel her presence. It was as if a flame licked its way through the air across the room. She tore her eyes free the moment I started to smile. Bloody hell, that woman set a storm brewing inside me.
Alex nudged my shoulder. “Move it, mate. You’re staring.”
I glanced his way and met his knowing gaze. With a shrug, I made my way to the counter behind him. Alex had dragged me here this morning after practice was cut short due to the rain. The team often practiced inside as it was, yet Coach sent everyone home to study tapes. Coach Bernie had ordered me to observe practice today and given me hell for skipping the day prior. I’d protested that I was scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning, but he’d merely locked his sharp blue gaze on me and arched a brow. He didn’t ex
pect me to actually practice, but he fully expected me to watch from the sidelines and participate in planning with the team.
Despite my disgruntled state about being shipped clear across the pond to the US and all the way to its West Coast, I liked Coach Bernie. In fact, in the short time I’d been playing under him, he’d become my favorite coach. He was sharp as a tack and tough, but not a bloody arse. The man was rock solid confident without a drop of arrogance. I respected the hell out of him. Bernard Hoffman had been a hella footballer back in his heyday roughly fifteen years ago. He’d retired after sustaining far too many injuries in a car accident, an accident that killed his wife. He’d yet to speak a word to me about my mum, but I sensed he knew the loss was affecting me and understood it better than most. Unlike some coaches, I knew he wouldn’t push me to play too soon after my injury, but he’d bloody well expect me to be active on the sidelines and be studying tapes like a madman until I was back in action.
After Coach set us free a bit ago, Alex insisted he needed coffee before we trudged through the rain to spend an afternoon watching tapes. London was famous for its dreary weather, yet I was fairly certain Seattle had it beat. If it wasn’t raining a slow drizzle most days, the sky was usually overcast. I looked around while we waited for our coffees and ignored the two women trying to flirt with us. Alex was the master at ignoring flirts. He simply leaned a shoulder against the wall, slipped his hands in his pockets and stayed quiet. I wasn’t accustomed to wanting to ignore a little fun banter. I’d freely admit I considered it a bonus perk of being a famous footballer—woman all over the world knew who I was and lavished attention on me. Yet right now, it made me restless and annoyed. I resorted to pulling my phone out of my pocket and staring aimlessly at it. All the while, I beat back the urge to walk over and say hello to Olivia.
When our names were called, Alex snagged our coffees and returned to my side. His eyes flicked from me past my shoulder where Olivia was sitting. “Alright mate, you’d best say hi to your doctor. Won’t do to ignore her,” he said with a wink.
I slipped my phone in my pocket and took the cup of coffee he held out, refusing to be baited by his wink. A gulp and then I nodded. “Right then.”
A few steps later, I stopped beside Olivia. Those bright green eyes of hers landed on mine, and awareness sliced through me. Rather than the usual subtle thrill I got from being drawn to a woman, the two times I’d gotten near Olivia, the pull was so strong it startled me. It wasn’t a simple thrill, it was pure, raw need. She adjusted her glasses with a tight smile. “Hello, Liam.”
Over the pounding of my heart, I managed a nod and scrambled to grab hold of my usual smooth banter. “Nice to see you, luv…once before I go under your knife.” There. My teasing habits helped. Her cheeks flushed rosy red, and all I wanted was to kiss her.
The woman with Olivia smiled brightly, her eyes bouncing from Alex to me. “Well, it’s the Brit boys playing for Seattle. So nice to meet you two.”
I managed to tear my eyes away from Olivia. The woman across from her would normally have caught my attention, what with her blonde hair tied back in a sleek knot, her wide brown eyes and a curvy little body sheathed in a fitted blouse and skirt. Yet, I might as well have been staring at a blank wall for all my body noticed her. Alex, who hated the attention that came with being a world-class footballer, flushed just the slightest bit. If I hadn’t known him my whole life, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. He shifted his shoulders and took a swallow of coffee. When the woman with Olivia arched a brow, I realized neither one of us had bothered to reply. “Right you are. Liam Reed,” I said with a practiced flourish and a nod. “This here is Alex Gordon. He rarely speaks, but he plays like a dream.” That was my usual intro to Alex, which tended to annoy him enough he stopped being silent.
He nodded. “Alex,” he said gruffly. His eyes flicked to Olivia. “Dr. Bowen, you’ll take good care of my best mate’s knee tomorrow, right?”
Olivia looked to Alex. “Of course!” She looked startled by his comment.
“Of course she will! Olivia’s the best orthopedic surgeon you’ll find,” her friend said firmly.
Olivia flushed again and rolled her eyes. “I do my best,” she said softly. She glanced between Alex and I and gestured to the woman across from her. “This is Daisy Knight. She’s a good friend of mine.”
“We’re besties,” Daisy said with a grin.
I managed to participate in the next few minutes of conversation like a semi-normal person, while inside I was thrown off. Olivia’s presence seemed to have a disconcerting power over me. That combined with Alex’s comment about my pending surgery had knocked me sideways. I’d been doing my damnedest to keep my mind off my knee. It would be fine. Olivia said so. I shoved those thoughts away and tried to focus on her. Ever since she’d said sex was boring, I’d been contemplating just how amazing it would be with her. Because I would have her. One way or another. No matter how much it threw me to be near her, I couldn’t turn down a challenge, not one that I suspected would lead to the best sex of my life.
I hadn’t realized I’d zoned out when Daisy said something that caught my attention. “You mean to tell me you boys haven’t gone to the Space Needle yet? That’s it, after Olivia works her magic on your knee, we’re going.”
Alex shifted his weight on his feet, and I knew quite well he was thinking he’d rather not. I didn’t give a damn. Any chance to socialize with Olivia was a firm yes for me. “Bloody perfect. We’d love to go,” I said.
I glanced to Alex to see him shift his shoulders uncomfortably. He didn’t do things like this often. “We need to see more of Seattle. All we’ve seen so far is downtown and our stadium.” I looked to Olivia to see her fiddling with a napkin. Her dark hair seemed a bit curlier than it had the other day, likely due to the damp rain. A few curls were poking out of the knot atop her head like wild children. One wound around the temple of her glasses, and I itched to reach over and free it.
Her eyes canted up and collided with mine. I felt as if I’d been punched in the chest, that’s how hard the force of her gaze hit me. Daisy was saying something and I didn’t hear a damn thing. Alex nudged my shoulder, and I managed to look back at Daisy. Her wide brown eyes held a gleam. I sensed she knew perfectly well I was gobsmacked over her friend, but she was kind enough not to tease. “Best of luck with your surgery tomorrow,” she said. “If you’re worried, you don’t need to be. Olivia truly is one of the best. You’ll be back on the field before you know it.”
I fervently hoped she was right. I had faith in Olivia, but the vagaries of recovering from an injury in sports were well known. That anxiety I’d been trying to beat back started to rear its head again, so I forced myself to talk, anything other than thinking. “I’d say I’ll do my best, but I’ll not be doing much more than lying there. Here’s hoping,” I returned with a lift of my paper coffee cup. Obviously, I’d missed a few steps in the conversation. Alex nodded to Daisy and Olivia. “We’d best be going.” His eyes locked onto Olivia’s. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Oh, you’ll be with Liam?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said gruffly. “Someone’s got to make sure he’s on time,” he added with a sly grin, masking his concern. Alex was my best mate in every sense. He was the one who wouldn’t even think of going about his day without making sure he was there for the start and finish of my surgery. My chest tightened a little. I’d been a bit of an emotional pansy since my mum had died and moments like this brought it out.
My familiar defense of teasing helped me get through next few. I winked at Daisy and locked eyes with Olivia. “Alright, luv. I expect you to live up to your reputation tomorrow.”
Her cheeks flushed, and my cock got hard. That’s it. All she had to do was flush, and it was like a bolt of lightning inside me. “I’ll see you in the morning,” she said with another slight smile.
The only reason I managed to leave was Alex nudging my shoulder and walking alongside me on the way out. I
ignored the rain as we walked home, my mind bouncing between the disconcerting anxiety about my knee and what could happen to my career if I didn’t recover fully, and thoughts of Olivia. Her bright green eyes, her lush lips and her dark curls. I wanted to see her hair loose with a ferocity that bordered on madness.
Chapter Six
Olivia
I stood in the break room, the surgery clinic’s equivalent of a locker room, and stared into the mirror in my locker. My hair was an unruly mess. Curls had escaped from their knot and were pointing every which way. I quickly untied it and grabbed a brush. A few minutes later, I had the wild locks tamed and tied up in their usual knot. My hair didn’t suit my career. Nothing but a tight knot kept it halfway controlled. In a ponytail, my curls behaved like Medusa. Loose, they were pure madness. When I was operating, I needed nothing in my way, certainly not errant curls getting in my eyes. I occasionally considered cutting it short, but for reasons I didn’t quite understand, I couldn’t bring myself to do so. My mind skipped back a few days to when Liam wrapped one of my curls around his finger. Heat spun in my center. I turned from the mirror and quickly changed out of my surgical uniform.
Liam’s surgery had gone as smoothly as I’d expected. After a clean repair, I expected him to be back on track to play within three months. I had tried not to think much about the surgery this morning. I was usually calm and unruffled by high pressure surgeries. Yet, Liam made me nervous. Well, maybe not Liam, more my own reaction to him. I wasn’t supposed to worry about the weight of expectations and rarely did. In Liam’s case, what kept spinning through my mind was the flicker of fear deep in his eyes when I’d spoken about his surgery the day I met him. His career was central to his life, as it was to most professional athletes. With him, it felt as if I’d be personally letting him down if I didn’t live up to the trust he’d placed in me to make his knee right again.
