Page 23 of Her Puck Daddies

What the fuck was I thinking? Frustration claws at my insides, coiling tight in my chest until I feel like putting a fist through the wall, just to release some of the tension, just to stop feeling so damn useless.

“I’m really sorry,” I repeat. And only now does my erection soften.

She nods.

And this is why I’m single and always will be. I can’t be with a woman on my own because I can’t seem to obey my own self-established limits. Without Sven and Eric here to rein me in, I make a mess of things every fucking time.

I’m staring at my now flaccid cock feeling nothing but shame. I close my eyes because I can’t stand to see how thoroughly I’ve failed. Failed at being a decent human being around Ava. Failed at following my own rules. Hell, I’ve even failed at getting something as basic as a massage so I can heal properly.

I’m really going for broke today.

I’m tempted to hop off this table and exit my way out of here, but maybe I should let Ava do that first. I may have scared her, after all. The least I can do is allow her the courtesy of leaving without intimidating her further.

The only movement I make is to slip my cock back into my fly, but something about that motion tweaks my shoulder again. Pain radiates through that joint and across my shoulder blades, and I take a sharp intake of breath, wincing, as I grab onto that same sore muscle.

What have I done now?

“Lie back,” Ava orders me from out of the blue, and I glare over at her. Not because I’m mad at her, but because I’m mad at myself. Also, it hurts almost as badly as it did when my injury first occurred.

Basically, like a motherfucker.

Awesome.

We lock gazes, and to my surprise, she’s no longer crying. If anything, she looks to be calm and in command of the situation. Unlike me. Reluctantly, I obey her, even as this minor shift makes the pain worse.

“You jarred it again, didn’t you?” she asks, but I don’t bother to reply. If I just set my recovery back, I’ll never forgive myself.

She manipulates the area around my shoulder, slowly working her way toward the damage. I’m huffing and puffing under my breath, seething because I’m the biggest moron in the world. How could I have undone all the healing with such a tiny movement? What the hell is wrong with me?

When she comes to the area of the injury itself, I nearly come off the table.

“Shit,” I growl like some feral animal. “Goddamn fuckingshit.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound good,” she mumbles drolly, and I glower at her. Is she making fun of me? Yet when I take in the expression on her face, it’s fully serious. “Levi, I need to know something. Can you relax for me or not?”

I honestly don’t know. I tried before and failed. And now that I’m in pain, transforming my body into jelly doesn’t feel like an option.

“I don’t think so.”

“Are you willing to let me take whatever measures are necessary to treat you?” This question roars through my mind like it’s a cave. Is she asking me what I think she’s asking me?

“I’m not exactly in the mood.”

“I can tell,” she says, frowning. But her frown seems to be in concentration, not because she’s upset at me. “I need you to hold your arm out at a ninety-degree angle as I try to make it feel better. It won’t be as painful or extensive as a reduction for a dislocation, but there will probably be some discomfort involved. Can you handle that?”

Can I handle that? Is she kidding me? In college I had a hairline fracture in my left foot and kept right on playing.

“Yes,” I grumble out as she has me lay face down and puts my arm in the correct position.

Ava begins adjusting the muscles around and in my shoulder as I hold my arm out like she wants. I don’t even know how much time passes, but by the time she’s done, it feels better. Much better. When I finally get a chance to twist my head enough to glance at the clock on the wall, I see that I’ve gone past my appointment time.

“Is someone else about to show up?” I ask her.

“No. I left a gap after you so I could take an early lunch. Hold still.”

I’m not sure how I feel about her bossing me around. Normally, I don’t tolerate people telling me what to do outside the rink.But since Ava’s services are tied to that, I suck it up. It's not like we're in the bedroom, despite what happened earlier.

But then, the original issue I had resurfaces as she switches gears to finish the rest of my massage. My dick forgets it's not supposed to react to her this way, and suddenly, I'm fully erect again as she works on my back and thighs.