Page 7 of Body Check

four

. . .

Jason

I don’t like this.

Amelia, my gorgeous new neighbor, is basically on a date with Robby Andrews. Doesn’t he know she has a family at home?

They’re sitting close together at a table in the bar, each sipping a beer. As she talks, Amelia twirls her hair around her finger, a bright smile on her face. Andrews laughs, throwing his head back, and her satisfied smirk makes my stomach twist.

How do they know each other?

Gonzo and Logan sit across from me at a four-top, my seat giving me the perfect line of sight to Amelia’s table.

She works for the team.

She’s even more gorgeous up close. Her eyes are a rich, chocolate brown, her skin bronzed with the vestiges of a warm, summer tan. The impetuous shape of her mouth painted in dark red lipstick sends my heartrate into overdrive. And the way she rattled off each players’ ailments… Fuck, I got hard in the middle of the players’ lounge, watching her dress down each of my teammates.

And now she’s on a date with Andrews. Doesn’t she know the team frowns on fraternization?

There’s a relationship declaration form that has to be filed with HR. When Larsson and Vanessa, our logistics coordinator, first got together last season, it caused a storm in the dressing room. Everyone likes Vanessa. We don’t want her to go anywhere.

But then Larsson announced everything was aboveboard, that they’d already filed the form with HR, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They’re engaged now. I don’t think she’s leaving the team anytime soon.

“What’s your deal?” Gonzo asks as the waiter sets a new beer in front of me.

“What do you mean?”

“You asked us to grab a drink, but you’ve spent the last twenty minutes glaring at the new PT. What’s going on?”

With a sigh, I shake my head and take a pull on my beer. “Just distracted.”

“Dick-stracted?” he taunts.

I roll my eyes. “No. I’ve never met her before today.”

“Oh, so it’s a lust at first sight situation,” Logan says, with a knowing nod.

“Fuck off. It’s not like that.”

“Then what’s it like?” he asks.

“It’s… I don’t know.” Running my hand through my hair, I search for words that won’t come. “I honestly don’t know.”

Gonzo chews on his lip. “Have you gone out?”

“What do you mean?”

“Since everything was finalized with Harper. Have you gone out and gotten your dick wet?”

Wincing at the crude words, I know there’s no way out of this.

“Not yet.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Gonzo demands.

“Hey, if he’s not ready, he’s not ready,” Logan says.