Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

TATE

L ily is not happy– a very long way from it. Her shoulders are hunched up by her ears and she’s stabbing at the keypad on her phone like she wants to kill it.

‘Hey, it’s not that bad. No one knows what room I’m in.’

‘That’s true. The room was booked under an assumed name. They only need to burn the whole hotel down this time.’

‘You’re such a drama queen,’ I tease, trying to get her to lighten up.

She rocks her head back and glances up at the ceiling. ‘Or they could set off the fire alarm, wait for everyone to evacuate and shoot you.’ She nods. ‘Yeah, that’s what I’d do.’

‘Well, at least I don’t need to worry about a bad guy abseiling down the building and shooting me through a window. I can rest easy.’

She sighs. ‘Habit. I always try and put myself in the other guy’s shoes. Although I have to say, whoever is trying to kill you is seriously incompetent.’

‘And that’s supposed to make me feel better?’

She winces, her brow furrowing and paces over to the window. She’s like a big cat in a cage.

‘Why don’t you sit down and relax?’ I suggest.

‘Good idea,’ she says with a touch of sarcasm. ‘What do you suggest we do? Game of chess? Tiddlywinks?’

‘I need to go to the gym. Unless you’ve forgotten, I’ve got quite a big game on, but you’ve probably put the kibosh on that.’

‘I mean, it’s probably not a great idea,’ she says, and I can see she’s as frustrated by this situation as I am.

‘Come on.’ I’m frustrated. I can’t take my foot off the pedal now. I need to be stronger and faster than ever. ‘Surely, we’ve got a few hours on whoever it is. They’re probably still in New York, don’t you think.’

‘I don’t know.’

‘No one knew we were coming apart from a few people on the team. Even if it’s got out that I’m here, it’s going to take someone half a day to get here. A hot, sweaty bout in the gym would do us both the power of good. If there’s anyone in there, they’ll ignore us.’

She bites her lip.

‘I promise I’ll do what I’m told, and you can bring your gun.’

It’s fascinating watching her weigh up the risks.

‘Okay, but you have to do exactly what I tell you.’

‘I’m liking the sound of this more and more,’ I say with a suggestive grin, because I don’t want her to know about the doubts that are circling like vultures. They’re always there at the back of my mind. What if I don’t train hard enough? What if I let the team down because I didn’t put the hours in? What if I could do better?

She ignores me. ‘Be ready in five minutes in case I change my mind. And don’t forget the doctor said light resistance.’

* * *

Lily goes full-on SWAT team on me, as we go down in the elevator for three floors. Then she insists on us taking the last two flights of stairs, checking the stairwell before I’m allowed to set foot in it. Clad in black Lycra, she seems more ninja-princess warrior than ever and I can’t help giving her cute ass more than a second look as she walks down the stairs ahead of me.

The gym, at three in the afternoon, is as empty as I was banking on. We stroll in and I head straight for the weights.

‘I’m going to go on the running machine,’ she says.

I look over at the set of treadmills, side by side. ‘Think I’ll join you. Run a bit of frustration off.’

‘You and me both,’ she says dryly and marches over to the equipment.

I can tell Lily’s fit from the shape of her body in the Lycra crop top and leggings, which highlight the muscles of her long legs and hug her toned ass. I’d love to grab a handful and slide my fingers to cup that roundness.

I set up the machine next to her and start my own steady run. She sets a fast pace, but I’m running along beside her, matching her stride for stride. She’s gorgeous to watch, fluid in motion and supremely confident, head held high and facing forward with quiet determination. I can see the rise and fall of her steady breath. She’s completely in control of herself. She doesn’t so much as acknowledge me, she is fearless and focused. I wonder what happened to her to make her become this composed, isolated woman. When I knew her, she was warm, vivacious and funny. She’s still as outspoken. One of the things I always liked best about her.

We run in tandem for about twenty minutes. Tension I wasn’t aware of has released my shoulders and the slight knot in my stomach has eased. She changes the pace and slows to a walk and I match the speed.

‘That all you got?’ I ask.

She gives me the sort of look that says, ‘pleeease’.

‘I’ve got plenty more in the tank, buddy,’ she says, her eyebrows lifting in amusement. ‘Want to race?’ She throws me a sassy side-long, shit-eating grin.

‘I’ll beat you,’ I say.

She gives my body a slow appraisal. ‘You think so.’

‘Challenge accepted,’ I say. I’m known for my speed on the field.

‘First to two kilometres?’

‘Okay,’ I say, as if it’s no great distance. I run most days but it’s more of a conditioning thing than fitness training.

It takes us a minute to work out the detail. We agree that we’ll set the distance on the treadmill to a 2.1K start, which gives us time to get to our running speed with the race starting properly, as soon as we pass the first 0.1K.

‘What’s the furthest you’ve ever run?’ she asks settling in with a gentle trot and gradually increasing the pace on the display, ‘apart from forty yards.’

The forty-yard dash required by scouts for the teams was an area I excelled in. I recorded the fastest time the year of my draft.

‘I can run plenty more than that. What’s the furthest you’ve run?’ I ask, genuinely interested because she’s in good shape and, belatedly, I remember that she did some track-and-field at Radley.

With a nonchalant smile she says, ‘Done a couple of marathons. And an ultra 50K. Did a triathlon last year.’

‘Stamina, then. But have you got speed?’

‘You’re about to find out.’

She ups her pace now, and I increase mine to match hers and then we hit our starting point.

I glance over and she’s comfortable, taking long smooth breaths, her arms pumping. She’s gorgeous to watch. Her technique is perfect, her feet seem to bounce lightly on the treadmill, and she has an impressive economy of movement along with laser-focused determination– as if she can see the finishing line. I can’t help thinking she looks like a goddess, all sleek motion and determination. It’s hot. Seriously hot. I continue to match her pace, and for a while we run in tandem. Then she tosses a grin my way and speeds up, for fuck’s sake. I’ve been too busy watching her instead of concentrating on my running, and although I’m faster and stronger than her, I do need to put in some effort.

I up my pace with ease, striding out and feeling the kick in my muscles. My feet thunder on the treadmill and suddenly I’m in the zone, running hard.

Next to me, Lily notches things up and her pace quickens.

The race is on, and I’m surprised that I’m having to work this hard. She’s fast and strong but I’m faster and stronger. I kind of like it that she thinks she could even beat me. Even so, I’m not going to give her an inch and I hit the 2K finish well before her.

Shit, though. I very nearly blew it. Too busy thinking with my dick instead of my head. Which is exactly why I should be exercising caution around Lily Heath. I’ve got a game in a couple of days. That should be my focus. But there’s no rule that says I can’t wind her up a little. I’m in need of a bit of entertainment and she’s the only person around.

Her treadmill starts to slow, moving into the cool-down zone, thirty seconds after mine, I shoot her a cocky grin, wondering how much fun I can have with her.

‘What do I get for winning?’ I ask as she slows to a walk, her forehead covered in a light sheen, tiny blonde curls plastered to her neck and forehead. I look down at her snug leggings before working my way up to her mouth, which is a mistake because I was trying to tease her, but my body did not get the memo and blood is rushing to a place it has no place going to.

‘You can buy me dinner sometime,’ she says with a dismissive curl of her lips and grabs one of the gym towels to wipe her face.

‘Did you just ask me out on a date?’ I ask, my chest still heaving, sweat dripping down my face.

‘No, dinner. A very expensive d…’

Her voice falters as I strip off my T-shirt.

I can’t help the jolt of satisfaction when her eyes rove over my hard-won abs and broad pecs.

For a moment she’s gratifyingly silent, sending an immediate message to my dick which jumps to attention. She raises her arms to tug at her ponytail. The movement draws my attention to her high, firm breasts. Her nipples, which I’ve been trying to avoid staring at, are standing proud through the fabric of her sports top. She catches the line of my gaze and I swear her nipples tighten a little more. We stare at each other.

Everything inside tells me I could reach out and cup her breast, kiss that hot moist mouth and caress her through the Lycra of those skintight leggings. But I know I can’t.

Despite this, the words spill out. ‘Do you know what I want to do right now?’ I ask, my voice low with lust, even though I know I shouldn’t be doing this.

‘No,’ she replies, her voice tight. ‘And I don’t want to know.’ She holds my gaze, her chin lifted a little. Her cool words should make me reign things in, but the competitive side of me wants to see how far I can push her before she cracks and loses her cool with me.

‘I want to put my hand between your legs and find out how wet you are down there.’

‘Do you?’ she asks, before adding with a haughty stare, ‘and you think that’s appropriate behaviour?’

I shake my head, but part of me is resentful. Doesn’t she feel this pent-up lust, too? I want to find out if she’s as wedded to being as professional as she claims. I haven’t forgotten that night in my kitchen.

She bends to tighten one of the laces on her sneakers and I have to push it one more time.

‘But I can’t decide between that or reaching out my hand and teasing those nipples poking out through your shirt, like you always used to love me doing.’

I hear her little gasp and I grin.

‘So… what do you say?’

And then the fucking door bangs behind us and a middle-aged guy enters the gym.

Lily expels a heavy breath. ‘I say you need a shower. A cold one.’

Ponytail bouncing, she strides ahead of me towards the door, giving the other guy a nod.

* * *

Thankfully, our room is a suite and we’ve got an en suite bathroom each. I step into a cool shower and turn the temperature down degree by degree. It might reduce the swelling, but not the desire and the pent-up, itchy, scratchy feeling that makes me want to run another couple of miles. Although I was winding her up downstairs, it showed me how easily Lily Heath could distract me. I might still find her as sexy as hell, but I need to focus. Spending this much time in close proximity with her for the next few days is going to be a challenge. I can’t afford to give less than one hundred per cent to my game training and my mental attitude. At least when practice starts in a couple of days’ time, I can burn off some of this energy.