Double The Ache

“Thank you,” I say when I finally get words to escape my lips.

“You do speak.” He flashes me a dimple while giving me a teasing smile. “Close your mouth or I’ll do something with it.”

My mouth clamps shut and I’m sure my face is bright red. He gives a little chuckle before winking at me and going back over to sit next to Wes.

“She’s even softer than she looks,” he tells him, and Wes lets out a grunt. I look down at my hands, where his touch still lingers. His words pound in my head.

What would he do with my mouth? My fingers go to my lips and a flood of visions come to mind.

“Fucking shit,” someone mumbles.

I don’t look over. I know it’s Dean who said it, and he seems mad. These two are so confusing. Opening my book back up, I get lost in the pages, trying to push everything else out so my mind can clear and this blush can fade away. I need to get it together.

My eyes fly open when I feel something stroke my cheek. I must have fallen asleep. My eyes lock on Wes, who is rubbing his thumb softly along my cheek. His touch is so different than I thought it would be.

“We’re here, little one.” His face is soft now, but I can’t read his dark eyes. There’s something there, but I don’t know what it is. They almost look sad.

“Thanks.” I sit up. Wes reaches down and unlocks my seatbelt. It’s sweet, but maybe these two think I’m so incompetent I can’t even buckle and unbuckle myself.

“Are you?” Wes asks me in his deep voice.

I don’t understand the question. “Am I what?”

“Jailbait.”

I glance down and shake my head. I know I look young, and my small size doesn’t help with that. Nor does how I’m dressed and done up today. Not wanting to look back up at him, I grab my bag and shove my book inside.

“But you’re pretty close to it, aren’t you?” I glance out the window, willing the plane to stop taxiing the runway so I can exit. “Little one?”

“My name is Amelia.”

Dean is standing next to him now. The plane stops moving and a moment later I hear the door of the plane open. I stand, but Wes and Dean don’t move as they block my path.

“Who are you, Amelia?” Dean asks. I lick my lips, looking up at him. Jesus, they’re even bigger in person. Seeing them on the field through a television does them no justice. “I…ah,” I stammer, but I’m cut off when I hear my dad’s voice.

“Melly!” My dad always calls me by the nickname he gave me as a baby. Both Wes and Dean turn to look at my dad, who just entered the plane, clearly unable to wait for me to exit. I love that he’s just as excited to see me as I am to see him.

“She belongs to you?” Wes’s words sound deadly.

I push past them and launch myself at my dad. I didn’t get to see him all summer. I was busy getting all my certifications in line. We’ve never gone this long without seeing each other. My dad hugs me tight and kisses me on the cheek. Before letting me go, he turns me and I see the whole team standing, trying to exit the plane.

“Yes, she belongs to me.” Both Dean and Wes take a step towards us. The whole team is looking at me. They stop moving when my dad continues. “This is my daughter, Dr. Amelia Green.” Dean’s and Wes’s expressions change, and I don’t understand it. “She’s the team’s new physical therapist.”

Chapter Two

Amelia

“Dad, this place is too much.” I glance around the fully decorated condo, my excitement simmering with the idea of this space being mine to do with as I please.

The place is amazing. More than I could have hoped for, and I’ve only made it to the living room. There is a huge fireplace and a big soft gray sectional sofa that looks fluffy and comfortable. Big pillows line most of it and it looks so cozy. There is light everywhere, shining in from the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over Vegas.

I turn to look at my dad. His hair is a little grayer than the last time I saw him. He’s in a suit like always, but today he’s a little less tense than normal. He looks relaxed. He’s handsome, and I always wondered why he never remarried. Maybe my mother ruined the idea for him. He never brought any women around either.

“This place is perfect.” He puts his hands in his pockets. “Most of the team lives here during the season. The security is top notch.” He nods towards a phone. “You can order food whenever you want and they have a gym and a spa downstairs. Everything you need with only a call.”