Play Me (Brit Boys Sports Romance Book 4)

by J. H. Croix

  He smiled, almost boyishly. He let his hands fall and stepped away. I instantly missed the heat of him, the pure strength of his nearness. “Tomorrow night then?” he asked, his eyes locked to mine.

  “Okay. Um, where?”

  I felt silly and unmoored. With pleasure echoing in my body, I couldn’t think too clearly. I’d so removed myself from the world of dating that I wasn’t familiar with the basics.

  Liam saved me and gave a firm nod. “I’ll text you, but you’d better respond. If you don’t, I’ll come find you. You know what happens when I do that,” he said with a sly grin.

  I blushed so hotly, I was surprised I didn’t burst into flames. He straightened his jeans and stepped to my desk again, helping me off. I wondered if I was having something like the opposite of an out of body experience, an in-body experience if there was such as thing. I was hyperaware of every move he made, my body attuned to him. The air around us felt weighted. I glanced up to find his eyes on me. He dipped his head and dropped a rather chaste kiss on my cheek.

  “Until tomorrow then.”

  At that, he turned and left my office. I watched as he walked away, my medical eye tracking his stride and pleased to see he had only the slightest hitch in his gait. When the door closed behind him, I turned and walked to the windows, staring out over the skyline. Puget Sound was visible in the distance, boats dotting the water. After a few moments, my pulse was close to normal. I ran my hands through my hair and wound it back into a knot, snagging the elastic that had fallen to the floor earlier when Liam set my curls loose. I put my glasses on and calmly sat down at my desk. I managed to check my voice mail, beyond relieved it was nothing more than a message from one of the other doctors at the clinic about an upcoming meeting.

  Later that evening, I pushed through the door to the Desert Isle Café and glanced around for Daisy. I’d been back and forth all afternoon about whether to talk to Daisy about Liam, but when I saw our friend Harper with her, that made my mind up. It wasn’t that I wouldn’t look to Harper for advice, but more I wasn’t ready to bare my soul to more than one person at a time. For the first time in my life, I felt completely out of my element. I’d been so confident I’d never go gaga over a guy. And here I was gaga over Liam, so far gone I’d made out with him—big time—twice at work.

  I considered myself intelligent, and I knew I was when it came to academics and medicine. My record of straight A’s ran all the way back to kindergarten. Socially, well, that’s where I floundered. I hadn’t ever had to worry about my anxiety about dating and men because it hadn’t interested me. Looking back, I could see I simply hadn’t stumbled across anyone who I had genuine chemistry with. I almost laughed aloud. I was so out of my element here. Considering what lay between Liam and I, describing it as chemistry was almost silly—more like a wild, burning conflagration. Being a surgeon had given me too much faith in the clinical lens of considering the human body. With Liam, I’d quickly discovered I’d been foolishly confident in my ability to stay detached. The physical drive to connect with him was a powerful enough force, I was utterly failing at holding back the tide. There was that and the underlying pull I felt—a pull that went beyond pure desire and didn’t fit into the tidy classifications my medical mind found comfort in.

  I waved when I saw Daisy glance to the door. After grabbing a coffee at the counter, I threaded my way to the table where they were and sat down with a sigh. “Hey there,” I said as I slipped my arms out of my damp raincoat and hung it over the back of my chair.

  Harper Jacobs grinned at me. “Hey you! Hope you don’t mind I crashed your weekly coffee date with Daisy.”

  “Of course not,” I said before taking a long sip of my coffee. “You’re always invited.”

  Harper nodded and leaned back in her chair. “I know, but I’m hardly ever on this side of town.” With her glossy straight brown hair, warm blue eyes and athletic build, Harper evoked a sense of down-to-earth outdoorsy-ness. She’d moved to the small town outside of Seattle where Daisy and I grew up during middle school and quickly become a friend. While Daisy and I were both academically oriented, Harper was the friend who dragged us out of the house. She’d been a track star in college, but her potential for more had skidded sideways after she’d been raped by an acquaintance. He’d been on the track team for a nearby university. Daisy and I had been there when her world blew apart. It had only been the last year or so that she’d finally seemed back to herself. She swore she’d never date again. She’d gotten her degree in physical therapy and consulted on cases for several clinics in Seattle. She and I made referrals to each other occasionally.

  I leaned over and gave her shoulders a squeeze. “It’s nice you’re here today. How’ve you been?”

  Harper shrugged. “You know, busy with work. I’m guessing the same for you?’

  I nodded, but the moment I did, I thought of Liam’s fingers buried inside me when I came just a few hours ago. I swatted the thought away.

  “Of course Olivia’s busy,” Daisy added. “She’s a workaholic.”

  I glared at her. “No different than you.”

  Daisy grinned. “Maybe not. How’s your latest sports star doing?”

  I felt my cheeks heating and ignored it. I felt tossed and turned by Liam. I was putting way too much on the line, and I had no idea how to stop the madness. Before I had a chance to reply, Harper spoke.

  “You mean Liam Reed?” she asked. “The clinic across town is all bitchy the Seattle Stars didn’t contract with them to see their players. It’s all so silly. I told the office manager there to remember the insurance pays the same. I decided not to point out you’re a better surgeon than anyone they have on staff,” Harper said with a sly grin.

  Daisy winked. “I bet you never thought you’d get all the hot guys just because you’re the best surgeon around.”

  “Oh my God,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

  Daisy looked to Harper. “When we were here the other week, Liam stopped by with Alex Gordon, the hot goalie for the Stars. They were quite nice with those sexy British accents, and Liam wants to make a move on Olivia,” Daisy said with a wink as she leaned back in her chair.

  I gave up fighting my blush and looked to Harper. “She’s being ridiculous.”

  “No I’m not! You said he wanted to make a move on you, and trust me, he does. That man all but ate you up with his eyes.” Daisy looked to Harper. “Olivia’s being all proper and says he’s her patient. The surgery’s over, so I think she should go for it.”

  It was nearly killing me to hold it in that I’d already had the two most explosive orgasms of my life with Liam, but I couldn’t say anything. Not here. Harper rolled her eyes at Daisy before turning to me. “Nice to hear the guy half the world is drooling over noticed you. You’re amazing and you never give anyone a chance.” She glanced back to Daisy, her eyes narrowing. “He might not technically be her patient now, but if Olivia wants to set some boundaries, don’t give her grief about it.”

  I took a gulp of coffee, nearly bursting out in laughter at what had happened to my boundaries. After another gulp of coffee, I managed to look at Harper. “Thank you for a dose of reason. How about we talk about something else?”

  Daisy giggled, but Harper gamely shifted gears, asking me for feedback on a knee surgery that had gone awry for one of her clients. It had only been in the last year that we’d even joked about dating and men around Harper. Aside from the fact I didn’t want to dwell on Liam right now, I was so relieved to see her relaxed and easy-going about the topic I didn’t want to unintentionally carry things too far.

  Hours later that night, I lay in bed with thoughts of Liam running laps in my brain. This was so not me. I usually got stuck on medical topics and often found myself up late at night looking at data from recovery rates and reviewing surgery videos. I didn’t lie in bed longing for anyone. I was restless and needy. I’d liked to have thought yet another orgasm under his magic touch would have slaked my need, but it only seemed to make i
t worse. The thing was, it wasn’t plain physical release I needed. I needed Liam.

  Chapter 11

  Liam

  I leaned back on my hands on the bench and watched my team practice. As boring as it was, relatively speaking, I had learned a thing or two. I was bloody impatient to be back in play, but I was starting to recognize I could get through this time without losing my mind. They were practicing inside today, as it was drizzling yet again. It was cool enough now the coaching staff deemed it not good for our muscles to practice outside when the weather was like this. After a final play, I watched my teammates file slowly toward the locker room.

  Coach strolled to the bench and sat down beside me, resting his elbows on his knees and looking ahead. “How’s the knee feeling?” he asked.

  I stretched my leg out and flexed it again, sensing only a slight hitch and very little soreness. “”Good. I think. Tim says I’m moving right along.”

  Coach looked to the side, catching my eyes. “So I hear. Dr. Monroe spoke with him this morning. If all stays on track, it sounds like you’ll be back in action in under two months from now.” He paused as if considering his words. “You know, I wasn’t so sure you’d show up like I asked. I hope you understand why I did.”

  I nodded. “Right. Can’t say I was happy about it at first. The team is what matters. I’m new enough here that if I dropped out of sight, it wouldn’t be good for the rest of the team. Plus, I’ve actually learned a few things,” I said with a grin. “On the pitch, I have a sense of who’s where, but you only know what’s within a certain range. This many hours of watching practice and tapes gives me a better sense of how everyone functions once the play’s in motion.”

  Coach smiled, just barely. He stood and held his hand out, giving me a tug as I stood and walked alongside him. A few minutes later, I met Alex just outside the locker room, and we headed out together. Tugging my hood up, I tucked my hands in my pockets as we walked through the drizzle to Desert Isle Café nearby, the very place we’d encountered Olivia a few weeks ago. The second she flashed through my thoughts, a jolt of heat hit me. I’d hardly stopped thinking about her if I was honest.

  Alex, being the best mate he was, held the door and gestured me through in front of him. I joked about it, but despite the fact he looked like a beast, he was the most gentlemanly of us all. He was tall and solid as a rock. I didn’t think I was being biased when I said he was the best goalkeeper in the world because most everyone who knew anything about football agreed with me.

  Stepping out of the chilly rain was a relief. I tossed my hood back and walked to the counter, my eyes scanning the crowded café, hoping to see Olivia. Alex nudged my shoulder. I turned and realized the line had moved ahead while I was standing there like fool looking for a woman. Of course, only I knew that, but still.

  “Your Dr. Bowen isn’t here, mate,” Alex said.

  I glanced to him and rolled my eyes. “Wasn’t…” I started to deny I’d been looking for her and then decided I didn’t give a damn. “Fine, maybe I was looking for her. She’s nice.” And so damn hot you got off thinking about her in the shower this morning. I kept that little detail to myself and continued. “Plus, you’re the one who thought she was so great because she was focused on me and not the team.”

  Alex chuckled softly and looked away to order a coffee when the person in front of us stepped away from the counter. After we both ordered, we stood aside to wait. Alex leaned against the counter just as two women approached us. Per usual, Alex barely acknowledged them, nodding his head slightly. Under usual circumstances, I’d be the one to engage in easy banter, yet I wasn’t the slightest bit interested and, in fact, felt impatient with the whole thing.

  Somehow I managed to say hello. I stood there awkwardly while one of the women, quite beautiful with long, silky blonde hair, a willowy figure and blue eyes, stood a bit too close for my comfort.

  “Is it just me, or do you happen to look exactly like Liam Reed?” she said with a slow smile.

  I felt Alex’s shoulders shake slightly, although unless you knew him like I did you wouldn’t notice he was amused.

  “Not just you. Liam and I are one and the same,” I deadpanned. “If you don’t mind, I’m rather busy right now.”

  The woman looked back and forth between Alex and I, a smile teasing at the corners of her mouth. “Well then, if you find you’re not so busy later…” Her words trailed off as she scribbled a number on a scrap of paper she dragged out of her purse. She brazenly slipped it into my pocket and sauntered off. I had to give it to her for clearly being a master. She had enough sense to back off at my cool response, but made it quite clear she was available. Even a few weeks ago, I’d have been thinking about when I’d be calling her. Instead, I was indifferent beyond objectively appreciating her boldness.

  Alex angled to face me and shook his head slowly. “You’ve got it bad,” he said.

  “For her?” I asked, sidestepping because I knew he was referring to Olivia. He knew me too well.

  He rolled his eyes. “No. Dr. Bowen,” he said flatly with a knowing smile.

  “I don’t see Dr. Bowen anywhere here,” I countered, enjoying calling Olivia ‘doctor.’

  “Exactly. I usually rely on you to flirt enough to keep me out of the fray. Ever since you laid eyes on Dr. Bowen, you haven’t noticed anyone else.”

  I wanted to tell Alex he was way off base, but he wasn’t and he’d hadn’t known me as long as he had for nothing. I shrugged. “So what? Even you have to admit she’s gorgeous.”

  “I’d have to be blind not to notice that, mate. Do me a favor, don’t toy with her. She’s nice. I don’t think she’s much for casual.”

  This wasn’t the first time Alex had warned me away from a woman. He wasn’t one to judge, but he had a protective streak that extended to the whole wide world. I shifted my shoulders, slightly uncomfortable. The depth of need I felt for Olivia went so far beyond my usual interest in women, I had an inkling there was much more than a little fun at play. Yet, it wasn’t something I wanted to ponder. I was relieved to have our names called at that moment. Alex stepped past me quickly and snagged both of our coffees.

  We walked the remaining block back to our flat on a side street. I hoped Alex didn’t plan to mention Olivia again. Not when all I could think about was seeing her tonight. I didn’t want to worry about what any of it meant.

  “If you’re looking for more than casual, Dr. Bowen just might be the woman for you,” Alex said off hand as he toed his shoes off by the door and hung his jacket on the hooks by the door.

  His comment sent my heart to drumming. Only Alex would pick up on the depth of my attraction to Olivia. I wanted to ask him why he said that and what he thought. Along with all kinds of questions I’d never even considering contemplating about any woman. I looked to him and couldn’t bring myself to push back with sarcasm, my usual refuge. I stared blankly at him, while the feeling in my chest tightened and I inexplicably thought about my mum and the look on my dad’s face a few days after her funeral.

  With a mental shake, I turned away and hung up my coat, escaping to the bathroom for a shower that I didn’t really need. After my shower, I texted Olivia. I wouldn’t tell her that I’d spent hours wondering where she might want to go to dinner because I’d felt bloody ridiculous about it. I’d discovered Seattle was awash in allegedly amazing restaurants. I wasn’t much for fancy, so I’d finally settled on a place recommended by one of the stadium staff.

  Hello luv. Picking you up at 6. Tell me where to find you.

  I set my phone down and strolled to the window in my bedroom. The rain was still falling and blurred the skyline, drops rolling down the glass. I gripped the ends of the towel tossed over my shoulders and took a slow breath, testing the flexion of my knee. The anxiety that rumbled under the surface whenever I thought about my knee was gradually starting to abate now that my recovery seemed to be going smoothly. My restlessness over not playing likely wasn’t go
ing anywhere until I was cleared to play again, but it felt more manageable.

  My phone buzzed on the dresser and I turned to snag it. I’d never impatiently waited for a woman’s text in my life, but when it came to Olivia, all bets were off. Her reply made me smile.

  Not necessary for you to pick me up. I can meet you there.

  I could see the furrow between her brows and feel the thread of proper in her tone. She still wasn’t so sure what to do about me. Little did she know I wasn’t so sure what to do about her. Yet, I’d be damned if I’d let that hold me back.

  Yes, luv. I’m picking you up. No arguing allowed.

  I didn’t put the phone down this time, watching while the dotted line appeared in my screen, letting me know she was replying.

  Are you really going to be bossy?

  Oh. This was perfect. I hadn’t realized I might be pushing her to push back, but I loved that she did. Lust lashed lightly inside, and my cock hardened. I couldn’t help but run my hand over the towel. I tapped out my reply with one hand while I stroked my cock with the other. I didn’t dare give in any more though because it would be sadly unsatisfying.

  Bossy works for me. You can boss me too. I’d quite like that.

  Holy hell, I was so bloody hard for her, I needed to stop this madness. All we were doing was texting.

  Fine then. My address is 124 Castle Street.

  Leave it to her to be direct and matter-of-fact. Her quick reply almost disappointed me. Sparring with her turned me on like crazy. I pushed back again, needling her because I couldn’t help myself.

  Fine then. Wear your hair down.

  I set the phone down and nearly groaned at the need clawing me. Olivia was going to kill me. How was it possible to want someone so much that all it took was a small banter of texting and I was on the verge of taking matters into my own hands just to ease the lust whipping inside?

  My phone buzzed on the dresser.

  No.

  I picked up my phone again.