Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Minerva

“Everything okay?” I asked even though it clearly was not.

He rolled his shoulder and winced hard. “Just my dad being himself. Always trying to drag me into his crap. Sponsors who want special favors. Corrupt bullshit. I said no and now my shoulder feels like someone stabbed it.”

He tried to rotate it again and sucked in a sharp breath. Sweat broke out on his forehead. This was bad. Worse than the usual tightness.

I got up and moved closer. “Sit down. Let me look at it. We can do a quick session now before it gets any worse.”

Kendrick hesitated but dropped onto the edge of the bed. “Fine. But make it quick. I do not need you fussing over me all night.”

I grabbed my massage oil from my bag and told him to lose the shirt. He pulled it off and tossed it aside. His back was a mess of old scars and tight muscles. Years of playing hard had done a number on him. I warmed the oil between my hands and started working on his shoulders standing behind him.

“Right there,” he muttered when I hit a knot. “Harder.”

I dug in with my thumbs using the deep tissue moves I had practiced a hundred times. His skin was warm and I could feel the tension locked up under there. “Breathe through it. Do not fight me.”

He groaned low when I pressed deeper. “Damn that hurts but it is good. Keep going.”

We stayed like that for a while. Me working the oil into his back and shoulders. Him making these sounds that were half pain half relief. The room got quieter except for his breathing and the occasional curse when I found a bad spot. I tried to keep it professional but my hands were slick and his muscles felt solid under them. Every time he shifted I noticed how close we were.

After a few minutes he started talking. “My dad never lets up. Always pushing for more. More money. More wins. More everything. He does not care what it costs me.”

I kept my hands moving. “Sounds exhausting. You do not have to deal with him alone though. The team has your back right?”

He laughed but it sounded bitter. “Team does not know half of it. They see the captain who keeps his shit together. Not the guy whose old man calls yelling about league sponsors who want to bend the rules. I told him no again today and now this.” He rolled his shoulder and groaned louder.

“Easy,” I said. “Stop tensing up. Let me work.”

I moved around to his front to get better angle on the front of his shoulder. He was sitting on the bed and I stood between his knees. Oil made everything slippery. My fingers pressed into the muscle near his collarbone. He looked up at me and our eyes met.

“You are good at this,” he said. His voice was rough. “Better than the last PT we had.”

I smiled a little. “Told you I know my stuff. Even if you called me a drama bringer yesterday.”

He smirked. “You were bringing drama. Still are a little. But this helps.”

I worked lower and he leaned back on his hands. Another groan slipped out. It sent a weird shiver through me. I tried to ignore it and focus on the knots. “Talk to me if it hurts too much.”

“It hurts but do not stop.” His eyes closed for a second. “Feels like you are actually fixing something for once.”

We kept going like that. Me pressing and kneading. Him reacting with these deep sounds that filled the quiet suite. The city lights glowed outside but I barely noticed. All I could focus on was his skin under my hands and the way his breathing changed when I hit the right spots.

Then he opened his eyes and looked right at me. “Minerva.”

The way he said my name made me pause. My hands were still on his chest now slick with oil. He sat up straighter and caught my wrists gently but firm. He pinned my palms flat against his chest. I could feel his heart beating fast under them.

“What are you doing?” I whispered but I did not pull away.

He stared down at my lips. His face was inches from mine. Hunger was all over him. “I do not know. But I have been thinking about this since the plane. The way you sounded when you could not breathe. The way you look right now.”

My own heart was racing. “Kendrick we should not. This is my job. Your shoulder.”

He did not let go. His thumbs brushed over my wrists. “I know. But you feel good when you’re not annoying me.”

The air between us got thicker. I could smell the oil and his skin and it made my head spin. He leaned in closer like he was going to close the gap. His lips were right there. I wanted him to. Part of me really wanted it even after all the mess with Liam.

Then he pulled back at the last second. He dropped my hands and stood up fast moving away from me. “Shit. Sorry. That was not supposed to happen.”

I stood there with my hands still tingling from his chest. My face was burning. “Yeah. We should stop. Get some rest. Big day tomorrow.”

What was this right feeling in my chest.