“Gross,” Cass whines with a disgusted cringe. “This conversation is over.”
I can’t help but laugh at her disgust but she’s right, this conversation has definitely taken a turn for the worse. “I still have a few hours to log in the gym for the week, you in?” I ask Jax.
Jax looks to Cass with longing before realising that she’s going to be stuck in the kitchen for ages. “Yeah, alright.” He gets up from the table and hands me my crutches before heading for the door.
I follow behind as we make our way down to the gym Jax had put in the basement. I take a good look around as each time I’m down here, there seems to be extra additions made to the place. This week he has put some more cardio equipment, though, I’m not sure why, Jax generally prefers to do cardio outdoors like the rest of us.
I get straight down to business, working on the exercises Elle had given me yesterday, after all, I want nothing more than to get this shit fixed but then again, if I play it smart I could stretch out the appointments, though, I’m most likely going to be having those appointments with Dave, so maybe I’m best to recover as quickly as possible.
I get through the exercises, making sure I doing each one exactly the way I was shown before starting over again. Once I’ve gotten through that, I head over to the free weights as I really don’t have many options right now.
An hour later, my arms, chest and abs have thoroughly been worked out. I look over to Jax to find him laying on the cool concrete trying to catch his breath.
A laugh rips itself from my throat. “You’re going to have to work on your cardio if you want to keep up this year,” I tease.
“Shut up,” he huffs. “My cardio kicks your cardio’s ass.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” I murmur as I offer him my hand and hoist him to his feet.
“You really want to know what helps me sleep at night?” he questions.
“Fuck off,” I say, knowing he is referring to my sister.
We make our way back upstairs and find the girls in the lounge room putting a movie on. I hand Cassie my credit card and she instantly knows to reach for her phone. “Dinner’s on me,” I tell them. “How do you feel about Chinese?”
“Hell, yeah,” Bri says as she grabs her own phone. “I’ll call Carter.”
“I’ll call Sean,” I say.
Chapter 6
Elle
It’s Friday morning and I’ve been dreading this next appointment all week. My only saving grace is that Dave is here and will be taking lead during the appointment but I still have to sit in and pay attention to every last bit of wisdom Dave has for me.
As gross and weird as the guy is, professionally, he has a lot to offer someone like me. I’d be a fool not to soak it all up. He didn’t make his way to being Senior Physiotherapist for the Denver Thunder for nothing.
My eyes flick to the clock for what must be the millionth time today. “Is there somewhere else you need to be?” Dave questions without looking up from his paperwork but it’s damn clear he’s annoyed by my distraction.
“No, not at all,” I tell him.
“Then you should be reviewing your notes from Logan’s last appointment,” he says.
If only he knew I practically have his whole file memorised… well, only the relevant stuff. I wouldn’t dream of snooping through his more personal files, that just seems so… wrong. Interesting, but wrong.
“Of course,” I say instantly before diving back into Logan’s notes.
A few moments later, the door opens and the worlds sexiest man waltzes on it looking like an absolute God. His signature cocky grin instantly takes over and I can’t control the need that floods deeps inside me.
Shit. I want to jump him so bad.
Those dark eyes flash to me with a hidden secret before he turns towards Dave. “Dave,” he says with one of those nod things that guys do. Without waiting for Dave’s response, he turns back to me. “Elle,” he murmurs with a husky voice as his eyes become hooded.
Fuck, I love the way my name sounds on his lips.
“Ah, well if it isn’t our star player,” Dave says getting up from his chair and clapping his hands together in delight. “How are you feeling?”
“Better than ever,” Logan says with a cocky attitude that I’m sure is usual for him even though I know with one hundred percent certainty that his response is complete and utter bullshit. I’ve felt how bad his injury is and there is no doubt in my mind that he’s in a shitload of pain.
A scoff escapes from my throat and I quickly try to cover it up but it’s too late. Both Dave’s and Logan’s eye flick to me. “Do you have something to say?” Dave questions with annoyance in his tone.
Oh shit. I may as well go for it. “Yeah, sorry,” I start as I turn to Logan. “It’s just that you’re clearly not ’better than ever’. You have a really serious injury which I’m sure is causing you a lot of pain, so you’re not doing yourself any favours by pretending it’s not as bad as it is.”
Logan looks to me with curiosity and it’s obvious he’s deep in thought but he doesn’t respond. “She’s right,” Dave says. “Are you keeping off it?”
“Yes,” he groans as if he has had this exact conversation with Dave a million times before.
“And you’re doing the exercises Elle gave you?” he queries.
Logan gives him a look that suggests he’s a moron for even asking. “Come on, Dave. You know me better than that” he says.
“You’re right. Let’s get on with it,” Dave replies before patting the table. “Drop your pants and climb on board,” he says with an excitement deep in his eyes.
My eyes widen in shock. Holy cow. Did Dave really just say that to the captain of the team? I mean, could he be any more unprofessional? No wonder he has such a bad reputation with the players.
A few of the guys have mentioned in passing to watch out for Dave but I figured they were exaggerating, after all, he’s never said anything to me that would make me think differently. He gives me the ‘creepy pervert’ vibe but still, I had nothing to back it up with but the way he looks excited about getting his hands on Logan is just weird and to do it with other witnesses in the room tells me he has gotten away with this shit for far too long.
Disgust crosses Logan’s face and I can practically see him wanting to back out of the room but we both know he has no other choice but to complete his physiotherapy for him to be cleared to skate come the start of the season.
A strange feeling flutters through me, wanting to save him from Dave’s creepy hands but I have no idea how I’m going to swing that. Dave is already oiling up his hands, preparing for the appointment while Logan reluctantly takes off his pants. I look away to give him some privacy even though we both know he really doesn’t need it.
I take a sneak peek as he makes his way to the table and take in those strong thighs, only I notice this time he actually has his underwear on and I don’t know whether to be happy or sad about that, though, for Logan’s sake, I guess I should be happy.
He gets comfortable on the table and relaxes with his defined arm behind his head. My eyes instantly roam over it and that feeling hits me once again, that need and desire to climb up on that table and give him everything I’ve got.
My eyes continue roaming, up the thighs, over the narrow waist, and past the strong jaw to find his eyes resting on mine with a knowing and cocky smirk on his face. Shit. He raises his eyebrow at me as if to say ‘see something you like?’ and I want nothing more in this moment than to die.
Sprung checking out the guy I insisted I wasn’t interested in. Perfect, I just threw fuel on the fire and now there’s no way in hell he’s going to back off… though, maybe I don’t want him to. Maybe I should take Jaz’s advice and just play around with him until we get bored of each other but then, there’s no way a woman could get bored of that. It’s physically impossible and no doubt he will get a taste of how inexperienced I am and walk away without a backwards glance.
NO. I have to stop thinki
ng like this. I have too much on the line to risk it for a wild, steamy fling.
Dave finally turns back around and steps up beside Logan. “Elle,” he says. “Come join me, I want to show you some different techniques.”
Thank god. It seems Dave has regained some type of professionalism. I do as I’m told and feel the heat of Logan’s eyes as he watches me cross the room. I get in position on the opposite side of the table so I can watch exactly what Dave is doing.
He gets straight into it and true to his word, shows me a few techniques that I’ve never seen before and I can’t wait to try them out on my next client. “How’s the pain, Logan?” Dave asks.
“Fine,” he grunts but it’s clear it’s not fine.
“Excellent,” Dave replies before continuing on his work.
I watch on in interest as Logan’s hand subtly falls down beside the table and comes to a stop at the back of my thigh. He squeezes my leg and I have to work really hard on controlling myself from the shock of the electricity that flies through my skin at his touch.
My eyes flick towards his to see a smile playing on his lips. “Save me,” he mouths with an almost desperation.
I think about it for a moment but the look in his eyes makes it impossible to turn him down. “Do you mind if I give your techniques a go?” I ask Dave, trying my hardest not to look so excited about touching Logan again.
“Indeed,” he says, reaching for a towel and wiping the oil from his hands as he steps back from the table.
I make my way around and squirt oil into the palm of my hand before warming it up. I watch as Logan’s eyes catch the movement of my hands as they rub together and see desire light up his face and once again, I have to look away from him.
“Alright,” Dave says as he comes to stand by my side. He talks me through his techniques before taking a step back. “You’re a natural, Elle. You’re going to go far in this industry.”
“Thank you,” I say, more than happy to accept the compliment of my skills.
Deciding I know what I’m doing, Dave takes a seat at his desk and gets stuck into filling out Logan’s progress reports while I try my best to think of anything else other than the fact my hands are rubbing extremely close to Logan’s goodies. “If you’re good here, Elle, I might head out for lunch,” Dave says, pulling my attention back to him.
“Oh, sure,” I say as anxiety starts to take over. Crap. He’s going to leave me alone with Logan.
“Make sure to go over his exercises and book in the next appointment,” he reminds me but there’s simply no need, it’s standard procedure. I know the routine by now.
“Got it,” I murmur.
With that, Dave takes off out the door and I watch in amusement as Logan’s body instantly relaxes. “Thanks for that,” Logan says, referring to my complete take-over of the appointment.
“No problem,” I smile. “You looked a little uncomfortable.”
“That’s the understatement of the year,” he scoffs. “He’s a great physio but there’s just something off about him.”
“Yeah, I’ve picked up on that.”
“What?” he says as his body becomes rigid. He sits straight up and looks at me with an almost protective quality. “Did he do something? Touch you?”
“No,” I gasp in horror. “Nothing like that. I just get a weird vibe from him and not to mention, the way he asked you to lose your pants and get on the table. It was super pervy.”
“Good,” he says, relaxing once again before laying back down on the table and allowing me to continue my work. I get lost in thought as I recall his reaction. I can’t understand why he seems protective but for some reason, I really like it.
“Shit, this sucks,” he moans as I press into a tight part of his muscle.
“Yeah, but it won’t take long to heal if you keep up with the exercises and stay off it,” I remind him.
“I know,” he sighs. “I just want to get back on the ice already. It’s only been a few days and I don’t know what to do with myself”
His comments are asking for a smart-ass response and I don’t have it in me to hold back. “I’m sure you can think of something to drain all your energy.”
He looks at me with that knowing look once again and I have to resist biting down on my lip. “You offering?” he questions.
“You wish,” I smirk but let’s be honest, we all know I wish, too.
“You sure?” he asks as his eyes become hooded. “I have days worth of energy to burn, I’ll make sure you enjoy yourself, over and over again.”
Fuck me. Breathe.
I purposefully press a little harder into his thigh and he lets out a groan. “Ok, ok,” he laughs. “I’ll behave but only if you tell me something else about yourself.”
“No way,” I gin. “It’s your turn to do the talking.”
“Fine, I guess that’s fair,” he groans. “What do you want to know?”
“Um, I don’t know. Surprise me.”
“Ok,” he smiles as if he truly has something that could surprise me. “I’m an identical triplet.”
“What?” I grunt as my hands pause on his thigh. I couldn’t have heard that right. “You’re telling me there are three of you?”
“Yeah,” he laughs. “Me, Sean and Carter. Sean the sensible one while Carter’s worse than me.”
“Holy hell.” Three Logan’s. His poor mother. I can only imagine the number of women who would have been showing up on her doorstep, desperate for her sons attention. “Is it just you three?”
“Nah, we have a younger sister, Cassie. Actually, I think you might know her. She just graduated from Denver as well.”
I think it over. I didn’t really know many of the girls in my class as I tend to keep to myself but the name sounds familiar. I just can’t put a face to the name. “Maybe…,” I say, thoughtful. “I kind of kept to myself a lot during college.”
“Why’s that?” he questions.
“Just had a lot on my plate is all,” I find myself saying. “Wait… is she the YouTube singer?”
“Yeah, that’s her,” he smiles. “Care to elaborate on the whole have a lot on your plate thing?” he asks casually but something about it screams that he’s desperate to know, which puts me on edge. I don’t open up about my life to anyone. It’s too hard and all it does is cause me pain. Apart from my brother, Jaz is the only one who I’ve managed to open up to and that was hard enough.
I shake my head ever so slightly and I’m relieved when he doesn’t push it.
We finish off the appointment with mindless chatter and I exit the room to give Logan a chance to pull his pants back on. I come back in to find Logan leaning up against the desk and I take him through a few more exercises before booking his next appointment.
He walks out the door and gives me a cheeky as fuck grin before it closes behind him. Holy shit. This man is something else. Just the physical attraction is enough to draw me in but now that I’ve spent two hours over the past week talking with him, I’ve learned that he’s one of the funniest and interesting guys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and that honestly freaks me out as it draws me in a shitload more.
I’m just thankful he didn’t try to ask me out again as I know I don’t have the willpower to turn him down, though that doesn’t mean he wasn’t hitting on me the whole time. Every chance he got, he had something cheeky to say and no matter what I did, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
There’s just something refreshing about him, something that helps me forget about the pain and hurt of the world I live in and I find myself excited about his next appointment.
I sit down at the desk and fill in the few things Dave left for me when I notice my phone beeping on the table beside me. I unlock the screen and find a message from Jaz.
Jaz – Stuff the girls night in tomorrow. I want to go out and party. New club on Main?
A grin instantly takes over. I could really use a night out to let loose and get my mind off Logan.
Elle
– Hell yes. Count me in.
Chapter 7
Logan
After seeing that text message come through on Elle’s phone yesterday at the end of my physio appointment, I have been struggling big time.
To be a creepy as fuck stalker or not. The struggle is real.
In the end, my stalker tendencies flow free and I throw my ‘how to not be a creepy fucker’ textbook into the fire.
I pull my phone out and dial my best friend’s number.
Jace answers almost immediately. “Yo, what’s up.”
“Any plans tonight?” I question as I head out my back door to sit by my lake that I can no longer skate on, well, for the next few months that is but let’s hope that Elle’s magic hands can turn that into weeks.
“Yeah, I’m taking Lacey out,” he says. “Why?”
“Ugh,” I grunt. “Scratch that. We’re going out.”
“Nah, man. I can’t bail on Lacey again, she’ll kill me then have my balls for dinner.”
Geez, it’s always the same thing with Jace, ever since he met this chick. “Hold onto those fucking balls man, bring her with us,” I tell him.
He lets out breath. “Fine,” he groans. “What’s the plan?”
Fucking A. “We’re hitting that new club on Main.”
“Fine… wait. Aren’t you injured or something?” he asks. “Carter said something about you fucking up your dick?”
Fucking Carter. “There ain’t nothing wrong with my dick,” I groan. “It works perfectly fine,” I say with a grin, recalling last night in the shower after I couldn’t get Elle out of my head.
“You sure, man? You can’t fuck yourself up so close to the start of the season.”
“I know, man. It’s fine.”
“Alright,” he says. “We’ll meet you at your place in a few hours.”
“Sure,” I say before hanging up. A light drizzle starts, so I head back up to the house and kick back on the lounge with ESPN.
I feel like an absolute twat going out to this club. I mean, it’s not like I saw her reply, I’m just assuming she’s going to be there but if she is, I hope it doesn’t freak her out. I just need to see her outside of that room and having a few drinks at a club while letting loose is the perfect way to do that.
Logan_Denver Royalty [Book 1] Page 5