“How do you convince me to jog with you? We could be vegging out and binge-watching that show with the superhero who does that salmon ladder thing. I keep watching the clip online to try and figure out how he does it. You know, so I can try it at the gym and not injure myself,” Claire said as she jogged alongside Sophia Saturday afternoon.
Sophia chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s why you watch it.”
“Right. Like you haven’t watched it on loop. I mean, holy hell, how is it even possible? I bet some of your hockey players could do it. Like maybe, Finn?” Claire said with a grin.
Sophia did not want to think of Finn on a salmon ladder. She had no doubt that he’d accomplish it, and probably with ease. His biceps were the definition of arm porn, especially with the ink she knew was under his shirt. Not that she’d been Googling him again. That gorgeousness was committed to memory.
“Looking a little flushed over there,” Claire teased.
“That’s because it’s August and we’re jogging.”
“Please. There’s a breeze. It’s the only way I agreed to go jogging today. You think he’s here? Don’t think I haven’t noticed how often you decide to jog in the park.”
“And I haven’t run into him, except on that one day, so if I was trying to run into him, I totally suck at it,” she said, focusing on her breathing and each step in front of her, and not on Finn, and his arms, and being tangled up in them.
“Shall we get closer to the dog park?” Sophia heard the grin in Claire’s voice.
“No. I like this path just fine, thank you very much.”
“Sure, sure. We’re still going out tonight, right? To C&B?”
“Why do you do that? You know I’m working at the restaurant tonight.”
“It was worth a shot. You could call out, or I don’t know, tell your family you quit?”
“Let’s not do this now.” Sophia muttered.
“I know, I’m awful for bringing it up, but you deserve to have a life outside of working… and it’s Saturday night. I want to booze it up with my bestie,” Claire said.
“Maybe next weekend? I think I have Saturday off.”
“I’m holding you to it. Oh, look who it is!” Claire said, pointing toward the gate to the dog park that they’d managed to slowly jog toward.
Shit. Sophia hadn’t even noticed they’d gone off the path. She blamed Claire for that. And for thoughts of Finn distracting her.
“Hey Finn,” Claire called out, and Sophia resisted the urge to elbow her friend. Sophia couldn’t help but watch as his head shot up at Claire yelling his name.
“I’m going to kill you,” she grumbled.
“No, you aren’t,” Claire said, heading toward the fence. “And stop resisting him. He’s a nice guy, right?”
“Yes, but he’s still—”
“Your patient. Yes, I get it, but not for much longer.”
“It’s a real reason to resist,” Sophia said, but it even sounded hollow to her, and it didn’t stop her from moving toward him.
“Hey Sophia, Claire,” he said, his smile bright. And adorable. His freaking dimples would be the death of her.
“Hi Finn. Fancy meeting you here,” Claire said, and Sophia didn’t hold back a quick elbow to her friend’s side. “So violent,” Claire muttered.
“Yes, imagine that. You know, there was one time that I could’ve sworn I saw Sophia jogging by. I think it was last month,” he said, and her cheeks heated.
“I like jogging in the park. I guess it’s possible. Where’s Bash?” she asked.
“He was playing with his best pal, Buckley, a minute ago,” Finn said, just as Bash bounded up to the fence and barked.
She crouched down to pet his nose through the fence, laughing as he tried to lick her. “Hi Bash, nice to see you, too,” she said to the puppy. She swore she heard Finn mutter something about being jealous of a dog, and heat filled her cheeks again, but she kept her eyes on Bash.
“Are you behaving today? Not tangling your leash around people or darting off?” she asked. His tongue lolled out and he smiled at her with his cute puppy grin.
“Yes, he hasn’t caused any injury. My ankle is grateful for that,” Finn said. Sophia gave Bash one last pat before standing up.
“How is your ankle? You skated for the first time yesterday. I’m sure it’s sore,” Sophia said. As long as she was here, she might as well go into full PTA mode.
His eyes lit up. Dammit. He was way too attractive for her nerves.
Stop fluttering, she ordered her belly. Not that it listened, of course.
“It went great. So happy to be back on the ice. I swear I missed the smell of sweaty hockey players.”
“That’s kind of gross,” Sophia teased, beyond happy that he was skating again.
“Nah, you get used to it.”
“How’s the ankle? No swelling?”
“It’s a little sore. Our conditioning coach worked me hard, but I’ll get there. I was able to keep up with all the drills he ran me through, and training camp starts in just over a month, so I’ll be ready for that.”
He was adorably animated, and excited like a kid on Christmas morning, which for him, this must be the same. Her heart swelled knowing that she’d helped him get there. That’s what she wanted for all her patients. But she was lying to herself if her churning emotions were only because he was going to fully recover, as her patient. It was more, and it scared her a little. She hadn’t felt a pull to a man in longer than she wanted to admit. Since Tony.
Which had gone so well. She held back her scoff. Finn wasn’t Tony. She knew that. But Finn could hurt her. Not physically, from what she could gather, but it kept her from agreeing to have dinner with him. If only she could break their kissing habit.
She bit the inside of her cheek to keep her snort at bay. Best wishes on that.
“Sophia?” His voice cut through her daydreams of kissing him again.
Shit.
“Yes. That’s so great about your practice yesterday,” she said, brushing off his question at her clear distraction. He grinned like he knew exactly what she’d been thinking about. “Was the soreness worse than how it usually is afterwards?”
“A little worse, but that’s to be expected since it’s been so long. Beady wasn’t going to go totally easy on me, even though it was my first day back. No pain, no gain, right?” he asked with a shrug.
“Well, he should’ve gone a little easy on you. We don’t want to have you reinjure yourself and miss the start of the season.”
He chuckled. “They know what they’re doing, and hockey players are tough. If I wasn’t a little sore, it wouldn’t be worth it.”
“Just make sure you listen to your ankle.”
“It’s not going to talk to him, Soph,” Claire said, with a laugh.
Hell, Sophia had forgotten that her friend was there.
“I know that. Umm, well, we should probably go, but we can talk about it more at your appointment on Monday. I’m so happy you were able to get back on the ice, finally,” she said.
“Me too. Are you finishing up your run? We were just about to head out and grab lunch,” he said.
“Oh, that’s perfect because I have to head back already. Work just messaged me,” Claire said, waving her phone so Sophia couldn’t actually read it.
Sophia narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Work? Now?”
“Yep. It’s this project,” Claire said, swiping through her phone. “Sorry to bail on you, but go have lunch with Finn. We already jogged at least three miles, so we were going to finish up soon anyway.”
“I don’t think it’s been that long, but if you have to work, I’ll just head back with you.”
“No. You should have lunch with Finn. At least have some fun before you go to work tonight.”
Sophia caught Finn’s smirk out of the corner of her eye. Dammit, Claire was as subtle as a brick.
“Have lunch with me and Bash. I know a great place nearby. We can talk about my ice time, if you want,” he said, leaning down to hook Bash’s leash to his collar, but keeping his eyes on Sophia. Those blue, gorgeous eyes that were lighter toward the center.
“Great. I’ll see you back at the apartment,” Claire said. With a quick wave, she was off before Sophia could object again.
“Shall we?” Finn asked. Bash nudged his fluffy head under her hand, and gazed up at her with pleading eyes that matched Finn’s.
Honestly, what choice did she have?
“Lead the way,” she said, unable to hold back a soft smile as Finn’s grin widened.
She could already taste his lips against hers.
She was going to kill him when she realized where they were going, but he couldn’t resist. Hopefully she wouldn’t turn around and bolt on him, but he was willing to take that chance.
“What would you like to eat?” he asked, wanting to switch Bash’s leash to his other hand so he could link his fingers through hers, but he held back. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, the ends sweeping across her upper back as she walked, and he wanted to lean in and taste her sun-kissed skin.
“I’m good with sandwiches, or something easy,” she said, catching him watching her. “What?”
“Nothing. Just resisting the urge to kiss you,” he stated blandly, like he’d just asked her what kind of bread she preferred for her sandwich.
Her cheeks brightened, and she looked down at Bash. “Your owner’s a troublemaker. Did you know that?”
Bash tilted his head and grinned, and Sophia’s delectable shoulders shook with soft laughter. “Two of a kind, clearly.”
“You’re working at the restaurant again tonight?”
“Yep, and tomorrow.”
“When do you relax?”
She shrugged. “Now, I guess.”
“Then we’ll have to make sure this is the most relaxing lunch you’ve ever had.” Which possibly put a damper on his plans, but he’d roll with it. He knew the best way to get her to relax, if only he could convince her of the same.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, when they turned onto his block.
“So, about that.” He hesitated.
“Finn,” she drew out.
“I thought we could have lunch at my place,” he said, stopping in front of the door.
Her eyes widened. “Are you serious right now? We were supposed to go out to lunch. You knew a great place.”
“I do. My place,” he said, hoping his smile was endearing. Bash let out a quick yip at Finn’s feet. “We’ll go up in a minute.” He leaned down, trying to look adorable so she’d cave. “We just have to convince Sophia that she wants to have lunch with us, and we promise to be on our best behavior. Well, I promise. You, I have no control over you.”
“You’re shameless, you know that?” She tried to sound stern, but he saw the smile. The tiny smile at the corner of her lips that he wanted to trace with his tongue. Hopefully that would come later.
“That’s not a no.”
“This better be a damn good sandwich. I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this, but lead the way,” she said.
He opened the front door to his building and led her into the first elevator.
“It’ll be the best damn thing you ever put in your mouth,” he said, and her eyes widened. He barked out a laugh. “Sophia, I didn’t mean it that way.” He tutted. “Now who’s being inappropriate.”
“I’ll turn right around and go home,” she said, just as the elevator arrived on his floor.
He grabbed her hand, tugging her into the hall. “I’m teasing you. And I promise you’ll love your lunch. Your sandwich.”
She swatted his shoulder. “Troublemaker.”
He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and relief coursed through him when she laughed. They’d teased and flirted for weeks now, but that slip in the elevator took it to a new level. A level he was definitely on board with.
“What are we having?” she asked as the front door shut behind them.
He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss the hell out of her, but she’d barely agreed to come upstairs, so he held back. Hopefully there would be time for that later.
“You’ll have to wait and see. Or you could help me make it,” he said, drawing her into the kitchen. He tossed a treat to Bash and opened the fridge door. “Water okay? Or something else?”
“Water’s fine. And how fancy is this sandwich that you need assistance with? Not that you want my help. Remember, I’m a disaster in the kitchen.”
He chuckled, grabbing the ingredients he’d need, and watching her brow raise with each item he put on the counter.
“Super fancy,” she said, picking up the brie and prosciutto. “Wait. Are you just making me a fancy grilled cheese?”
“Maybe,” he said, turning the oven on to preheat.
“I should probably stay on this side of the island,” she said, scooting around the edge and sliding onto the barstool.
“You can’t be that awful. You haven’t set yourself on fire, have you?” he asked, pulling out a skillet and dumping in the sliced onions.
“Nope. That was my sister.”
He stopped to stare at her. “What?”
“She’s fine.” She laughed. “Actually, she’s the one who is amazing in the kitchen, so I guess that incident didn’t faze her at all.”
He shook his head and took a sip from his own water.
“What are you doing? Just cooking them down?” she asked.
“I’m caramelizing them.”
“Doesn’t that take a long time?”
“I have a secret. If you add a pinch of baking soda, and wait to add the salt until the end, they will be perfect in less than fifteen minutes,” he said, stirring in the baking soda.
“You should be on the Cooking Channel. I love that channel. Can you imagine? Star hockey player-slash-gourmet chef. People would love that,” she said, snagging a slice of prosciutto from the package.
He laughed. “First, I’m not a gourmet. Just taught myself with what I had, and now I can afford fancier ingredients. And second, you watch the Cooking Channel? Isn’t that depressing for you?”
She rolled her eyes. “Haha. Very funny. I like watching everything they make and wishing I remembered things like putting water into pans when I steam vegetables. Or remembering that baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable. I tried to make a cake once,” she paused, a small grimace on her face. “What I pulled out of the oven shouldn’t be discussed.”
He chuckled. “Definitely not the same. They are both used for leavening, but you cannot replace one for the other. Baking powder actually has baking soda in it.”
“Yeah, you definitely should be on a cooking show.”
“Why don’t you come over here and help me? We’ll just keep you away from the stove. And don’t give anything to Bash. He’s a shameless beggar and flirt.”
“He gets that from his owner,” she teased.
“You know, I’m trying to resist kissing you, but you’re not helping,” he said, loving the flush in her cheeks.
“Stop. Now, more cooking lessons,” she said, skirting around the island until she was next to him.
He ran his thumb down her bare arm, his heart picking up speed when she trembled.
“Finn,” she warned.
“Sophia,” he teased back.
Her lips parted on a soft sigh that he wanted to taste. She tucked a wavy strand that had slipped from her ponytail back behind her ear. He remembered how soft her hair was, sliding through his fingers, and he tightened his fist on the package of arugula, most likely crushing the greens. He would not yank her into his arms—yet. He would not lean down and kiss her bare shoulders, or that spot at the base of her throat.
And he definitely wouldn’t think about lifting her up and guiding her legs around his waist as he pressed her against the closest wall he could find.
“Finn,” she whispered, her face tilted up, her eyes filled with desire.
And then the oven finished preheating with a loud beep, and Sophia jumped, letting out a soft laugh as her stomach grumbled.
“Maybe we should finish making lunch,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to her nose before stepping back to grab the foil.
“I guess I am hungry,” she said, grabbing a cherry tomato and popping it into her mouth.
He put the tomatoes under the broiler and grabbed the ciabatta bread, slicing it and brushing it with olive oil.
“You still won’t tell me what you’re making?” she asked. “It smells amazing.”
“You’ll see soon enough,” he said.
“Fine. Tell me about practice yesterday. We didn’t really get to talk about it yet,” she said. “Does your ankle hurt today? Wait, you should be sitting down and elevating it. It was your first time in skates, and I know you didn’t go easy. Does it throb at all? I should’ve asked this as soon as we came in,” she said, leaning against the island and trying to stay out of his way.
“Sophia, it’s fine. Practice was perfect, and a little painful.” He shook his head. “I’m going to have to bust my ass to be ready in time for the season, but it’s doable.”
“Of course it is.” Her steely determination to get him back on the ice—on his schedule—did more to the swirling emotions in his chest than anything else. He was a stubborn ass when it came to recovery and playing the game he loved, but he couldn’t be any other way.
And he planned to pursue her with the exact same determination.