His eyes never left my body. I could feel them following my every move. I should be used to it. Athletes studied what I did. They were curious. They wanted to mimic the techniques I used on their bodies. They usually asked questions and wanted to know how I knew so much about muscle, bones, and tendons. But Pierce wasn’t that kind of athlete. He wasn’t trying to learn trade secrets or find home remedies. There was a deep hunger in his eyes. And I felt as if I were the prey.

He sat forward and the energy around him shifted. He seemed restless just like a lion who was tired of waiting for the gazelle to stop grazing. I hadn’t finished the first round of treatment and he was already impatient.

“I’m not finished,” I spoke to him in a firm voice. I had to find a way to keep the upper hand.

“I hope not.” His eyebrows waggled.

Good Lord, what was he doing?

“I think after another twenty of ice you need to get back to your room. You can take the gel pack with you, ok?” I had to get him out of here. The longer he stayed, the faster I forgot I was a trainer and he was an athlete on an opposing team.

And it wasn’t any opposing team. It was the team we were in the middle of contesting once the storm let up. Add in the drama with Eric and this was a disastrous situation. There was no way anything good could come from spending more time with Pierce.

I’d have to see him on the court. Sergio and Paulo wouldn’t be ok with any of this. Why did I ever open the door? Was it the guilt from talking to my parents? Did I really think it would somehow change things for the people back in Four Corners if I helped the US? Or was I opening the door to this moment the entire time? The moment when Pierce told me he wanted me. The moment when I stopped being a trainer and started being a woman who reacted to a sinfully sexy man, with a wicked body and more lines of temptation than I was able to resist.

“I think I get it.” He settled onto the bed.

“Get what?” I was afraid to look in his eyes.

“You’re afraid.”

I pressed into his knee cap gently. “What am I afraid of?” I shouldn’t have asked.

“What’s going to happen next.” His eyes darkened. I didn’t know blue eyes could change shades so quickly.

“What’s going to happen is I’m going to wrap your knee and you’re getting out of here.” I released the pressure on his leg and stepped back from the bed.

He sat forward, swinging his feet to the floor. “You don’t mean that.”

I didn’t care if the gel pack wasn’t frozen. I yanked it from the freezer and tossed it across the room so it landed in his lap.

“Here. I definitely mean it.”

He rubbed his jaw. “You’re throwing me out?”

I stared at him defiantly. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

It felt good to stand up to him. I felt as if I had regained some sort of control over my body and my senses. I wasn’t going to succumb to his skillfully planned compliments. I wasn’t going to take the bait.

“I think your trainer can take it from here. Larry’s pretty good.”

I handed Pierce the bandage wrap as he stood next to the bed.

“I guess I read you perfectly.”

My eyes shot to his. No, I was proving that he had read me completely wrong. I could stand up for myself. I could tell the playboy I wasn’t playing by his rules. He didn’t know what he was talking about. There was no way he had sized me up in this short amount of time.

“How so?”

He walked to the door, stopping to pause before leaving. “You’re scared as hell to be alone with me.” He smiled a wide wolfish grin. “Because you know what will happen if the two of us are trapped in this room with no other distractions.”

My breath hitched and I felt a quick tightening in my core. I didn’t want to speak. I didn’t want to admit that he had read right through me. I was afraid he could hear the uptick in my heartbeat. Afraid he would know that every part of me reacted to what he had just said. Afraid he knew the truth and I didn’t.

“Goodbye, Pierce.” I kept a firm hand on the door.

“Thanks for the help with the knee.” He still hadn’t moved.

“I hope the swelling goes down for you.” It sounded lame and even that innocent statement could be misinterpreted to mean I was somehow pulling for him on the court. Nothing I said was right.

“See you tomorrow, Sierra.”

“See you.”

I closed the door behind him, wishing I’d never opened it in the first place.