Now she was wondering where Nick was, though. She’d told him they would begin at seven. He could at least give her the courtesy of being there on time―even if she wasn’t.
Deciding she’d wait for him in the gym, she moved through the house, looking for the private gym that Sherman Armstrong had assured her Nick had. She found the doors to his private gym wide open. She stood there in the doorway, finding her breath stalling as she glanced in at the shirtless man as he pulled down a lateral bar, his shoulders and arms bulging with the effort, a nice sheen of sweat coating his naturally tan skin.
The only word that came to mind was magnificent. He was truly a beautiful man. If she didn’t know he’d been in a helicopter crash―one that had caused the deaths of three other people―she would have no clue he had sustained any injuries.
Grunting, he pulled the bar a few more times, all without knowing she was watching him. She enjoyed the private moment a little too much. If she gave into these odd feelings of desire she’d been feeling for Nick, she would be compromising not only herself but also her family―especially her brother. This man could be the reason she would never again sit across the table from Pat, never see his smile, never feel reassured by the one man who had never let her down.
Finally, the weight bar snapped down, which also startled her into movement. “I see you’ve gotten started without me,” she told him as she entered the room, trying not to stare at the rigid muscles of his back.
“I’m an early riser,” he said, shifting in his seat to see her.
She moved over to him and knelt down. She was completely professional as she examined the knee brace he wore. It allowed him to move the leg, while taking pressure off the shattered patella. The skin was a healthy color, and the surgeon had done an excellent job to keep the scarring to a minimum.
“We’re going to work on light exercises today so I can see what you can do. I want to stretch the leg out really good first, though,” she told him.
“You can do whatever you want to me, doc,” he said with a smile.
“I’m not your doctor,” she informed him.
“You have a doctorate. That makes you a doctor,” he pointed out.
She smiled at him. “Some people who earn the credentials insist on the title. I’m not one of them,” she said.
Their eyes connected and she felt warmth creeping through her veins. She wiped the smile away and reminded herself he was just another guy who she had vowed to help. She had also promised to take him down. Her ethics were fighting within her.
“Where do you want me?” he asked, turning in his seat while she was still kneeling by him. This put her between his legs, her face entirely too close to the part of his body she didn’t want to be thinking about.
“I’m going to have you lie on the mats over there where I can stretch your muscles. I’m sure you haven’t been doing it,” she said, her voice a bit too breathless.
His smiled widened. He knew the effect he had on women―had on her―and he enjoyed it. She would just have to prove to him she wasn’t a typical female, grateful for a crumb of his attention.
Chloe helped him up, and he limped over to the mats. Though she was sure he could get down on his own, he was all hands as he shifted to the floor and laid on his back. Wearing only basketball shorts, shoes, and the knee brace, entirely too much of his skin was on display.
She noticed a scar across his stomach that she wondered about. If he were just any client, she might ask him. But she had to remember this was Nick Armstrong, and the less she knew about him on a personal level, the better for her sanity.
“Some of this is going to really hurt, but you have to trust me that I’m doing my job correctly. If it becomes pain instead of simple soreness, you have to tell me. I don’t know exactly where you’re at right now.”
“Got it, doc.”
“Lift your injured leg up.”
She didn’t assist him as he did this. She wanted to see what strength he had in the muscle. It had been a while since he’d been able to do much with it. His teeth gritted as he lifted the leg into the air, and the movement was obviously uncomfortable for him. The muscle truly was weak.
“Okay, I’m going to grab your foot. The brace will keep your leg straight, and I’m going to push it toward your head. When I tell you, I want you to push back to me, and then I will have you release the muscle. Let’s see how far of a stretch we can get,” she said.
Nick nodded as she gripped his foot, then he gave her a wink. “I should know a little bit more about you before we get so intimate.”
“I warned you last night to knock off the flirting, Nick,” she said before resting his foot on her shoulder and stepping a bit more into him. The movement caused the muscle to stretch, and he frowned.
“Damn, what are you doing?” he asked with a grunt.
“I’m testing your flexibility,” she told him.
“Or punishing me,” he countered.
She chuckled. “I’ll be sure to tell you when I’m punishing you,” she said.
“Mmm, kinky. I like it.”
She pushed her weight a bit more toward him, stretching the hamstring. That wiped the smile off his smug face.
“Okay, now push against me,” she said as she kept one hand on his foot, the other on the outside of his thigh. Her breasts were being crushed by the weight of his solid calf muscle, but she tried to ignore how intimate stretching could be. She tried not to think about how much their bodies were touching.