Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 50801 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50801 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
“Yeah,” I say, shifting so my face is in the cradled pillow, my arms resting at my sides. It would be super comfortable, if I wasn’t trying hard as hell to think about anything but my best friend’s hands being on me any second.
Monroe immediately slides her hands, slick with lotion, over my bare back, and I swear just the touch brings me to life.
Nope. Ice baths. Lawson’s gym bag and how bad it smells.
“Whoa,” she says softly, adding more pressure to my right shoulder. “You’re so tense,” she says. “Relax. I promise I won’t hurt you.”
I laugh, doing my best to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I’m a grown ass man. I can handle my best friend’s professional touch. I can do this.
I focus a bit harder, allowing myself to pretend this is any other massage therapist working on me to help me with recovery.
It’s fine.
I can ignore how wonderful her touch feels. I have to.
After a few more minutes, I’ve got a firm grip on my professional boundaries, and relax under her touch. She really is the best at what she does—talented doesn’t even begin to cover it.
“I get what all the fuss is about,” I say after a while.
Monroe laughs, working on my hands now. “Oh, you do now?”
“Yep,” I say, much more relaxed now. “I always hear the guys talking about how great you are, but experiencing the full thing is totally different.”
“You doubted me?” she teases, moving to my other hand.
Fuck, it feels so damn good when she does that thing with her thumbs—
Nope. Ice baths. This is just muscle work. There will be no emotions right now.
“Never,” I say, clearing my throat. “I’m just saying, you’re amazing.”
“Thank you,” she says. “It’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me. Maybe if I give you enough work, I’ll feel like I’ve earned this vacation we’re going on.”
“You don’t need to pay me back—”
“I want to,” she cuts me off. “Any problem areas you want me to check out?”
My heart.
My heart is giving me a big fucking problem right now.
“No,” I say. “I feel better already and I felt fine before. Who knew?”
Monroe laughs, finishing up by having me flip to my back. She works on my neck for so long I nearly fall asleep with how great it feels, and before I can even think about slipping up and reaching for her, she’s telling me to take my time getting dressed and that she’ll have a water for me downstairs.
She quietly heads out of the room, and I do take my time laying on that table, my head spinning from the work she’d done and from the feelings I managed to mostly quash the entire time she worked on me. The last thing I’d ever do is cross professional lines with her while she did her literal job, but damn, pushing those feelings down was a feat.
After I get dressed, I can’t help but smile.
She loved the room I set up for her and she wants to go to the Maldives with me. I feel like I’ve just won the lottery, and I can’t help but wonder how in the hell I got so lucky for her to be in my life.
CHAPTER 6
MONROE
“How are things going with Nash in the off-season?” I ask Reese, who sits across the table from me, Blakely on her right, at our usual brunch haunt.
She grins while she chews her bite of pancakes, nodding. “Really well,” she says after she swallows. “We’re enjoying the time off.”
“I bet you are,” I tease, slicing off a piece of my Belgian waffle and taking a bite, sighing contently. “And Lawson?” I ask Blakely. “How is that?”
“Fantastic,” Blakely says. “We’ve started talking about moving in together.”
My eyebrows raise, but the smile on my best friend’s face is everything. “That’s amazing!”
“Definitely,” Reese agrees. “Have you set a date?”
“No, not yet,” Blakely says. “We’re still in the discussion phase, but honestly, it makes sense. I’m over at his place more than my apartment.”
“Speaking of living with a Badger…” Reese says, eyes on me. “How are you adjusting?”
I nod, taking another bite to give myself a moment. I knew this conversation would be coming, seeing as how we spent the first half of brunch catching up on all things work related. Now on to the personal stuff. We have a running group text, so they know daily deets I give them, but…yeah.
“Paxton really saved my ass,” I say, blowing out a breath. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“And I’m assuming you two get along just fine as roommates?” Blakely asks, picking up a piece of bacon and taking a bite. “You mentioned a little at Clay’s party, but didn’t fully divulge.”
“Of course,” I say. “We’ve been friends forever, so there’s a trust between us that makes living together a breeze. It helps that I never get tired of him, and he’s been so damn sweet. He even turned one of his extra bedrooms into a massage space so I don’t have to travel to clients if I don’t want to.”