Page 13 of Over the Moon (Rosewood River #3)

nine

. . .

Clark

“Damn, woman. It’s not a race,” I grunted, struggling to keep up with her as we came down the dirt trail near my house. The sun was beating down on us, and she’d been pushing the pace the whole time.

“I’m not the one who’s racing. You keep trying to get one shoulder ahead of me,” Eloise said, her words labored, as she was breathing heavily.

And let me tell you, a panting Eloise is sexy as hell.

“I’m used to running alone,” I said, as we came to a stop in the back of the house.

We both bent over, hands on our knees, as we tried to catch our breath.

She wiped her forehead with the hem of her tank top, letting me see her toned abs before she let it fall back in place.

“So if you’re running with someone, you have to lead?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, it’s my nature,” I chuckled. “I’m a professional athlete. I don’t think it’s a stretch that I like to win.”

It was hot as hell this morning, which was not unusual for early August, but you usually got a reprieve this early in the morning.

“Fair enough.” She glanced out at the river. I’ve gotten to know this woman over the last five weeks, and I knew exactly what she was thinking.

“You want to jump in?”

“We don’t have time to go for a swim before today’s workout. It’s a long one,” she said.

I tore my tee over my head and dropped my shorts, before kicking off my running shoes and socks.

She just stood there, gaping at me.

“You want to take a picture?” I teased. “It’ll last longer.”

She blinked a few times before putting her hands on her hips and tipping her chin up. “I was processing. I thought we were heading inside to the gym.”

“I think we should take a quick dip and cool off before we start our workout. And that didn’t look like processing, Weeze. That looked like fantasizing to me.” I laughed because her cheeks flushed pink, and it was cute as hell.

“In your dreams, Hotshot. I’ve seen a million chiseled abs.” She reached for the hem of her tank and tossed it on the ground before kicking off her running shoes.

“So my abs aren’t anything special, huh?” I asked as she stormed past me, heading for the water.

“Nothing I haven’t seen many times before,” she called out over her shoulder, her long ponytail swooshing back and forth. Her running shorts hugged her perfectly peach-shaped ass, and my mouth watered at the sight.

She dove off the deck, and I followed her as I cannonballed into the water.

“Damn you, Clark Chadwick!” she shouted, as she bounced around from the waves I made. “Can’t you just jump in like a normal person?”

I swam toward her, pushing the hair out of my face. “I’ve never been normal.”

“That’s the first thing you’ve said that I agree with this morning,” she chuckled.

“Such a smartass,” I said, moving closer.

Our knees bumped one another, her chest knocking into mine as she trod water to keep herself in place, whereas my feet easily found the bottom of the river.

“Well, it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve seen your abs. You find reasons every day to strip down.” Her teeth sank into her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

“Maybe I like stripping down in front of you,” I said, my hand brushing against hers beneath the cool water.

“Please. You like stripping down in front of anyone.” She pushed her hair away from her face as the sun shone down, causing pops of golden honey to dance in her dark gaze.

“Not true. I particularly like stripping down in front of you.” My voice was gruff now because being this close to the woman was getting to me.

Day after day.

Hour after hour.

We were always together, and I was struggling with it.

“Is that so?”

“That is so,” I said.

“And why is that?” She sighed as if she were preparing for a bullshit answer.

“Because I like seeing your cheeks flush. I like seeing the way your lips part when you’re watching me.

I like knowing you’re as attracted to me as I am to you.

I felt it that day out on the ice. The way your heart pounded in your chest.” I’ve wanted to say it for a while now, but I knew she’d freak out.

At least out here in the water, she couldn’t run away quite as quickly.

Her tongue swiped out across her bottom lip, and she looked away. “You can’t talk to me like that, Clark.”

“Am I wrong? Are you telling me you aren’t attracted to me?”

She turned to look at me. Her gaze locked with mine. “I’m telling you that it doesn’t matter. It’s a no-go zone.”

“Oh, you’ve named it, huh? I bet you wrote it in your notebook, too.” My pinky finger wrapped around hers beneath the water.

“Clark,” she whispered, her chest moving up and down quickly now.

“Eloise,” I mimicked.

“I named it for a reason.” She searched my gaze. “This is my job. I’ve worked hard to get here. I’m not throwing it away so I can scratch an itch.”

Ouch. Tell me how you really feel.

“Scratch an itch? That’s what you think this is?” I asked, my hand snaking around her waist as I tugged her closer. Her hands found my shoulders as she kept herself upright.

“I think you’re a professional hockey player. I think women fall at your feet. And you’re home for the summer, so it’s a slow time for you, and I happen to be here.”

“That’s fucking offensive, Weeze,” I said, but my body had a mind of its own.

My lips grazed along the line of her jaw, just as her legs wrapped around my waist.

“Your reputation precedes you,” she whispered against my ear.

“Oh, yeah?” I pulled back. “Have you seen me out with a lot of women since I’ve been home? The only one who’s gone on a date since you’ve gotten here is you.”

Her gaze studied mine. “That’s not how it is back in the city, from what I’ve heard.”

“Maybe if you’d been in the city back then, things would have been different.”

Her fingers moved to my hair. “Don’t tease me, Clark. This can’t go anywhere, and we both know it.”

My hands moved to her hips as she rocked against me ever so slightly. “Doesn’t stop me from wanting you, Weeze.”

“I don’t want you,” she whispered, as her lips grazed mine, back and forth.

We stayed like that for what felt like hours but was probably less than a minute before she pulled back.

She shook her head and slid down my body before swimming to the dock and using the ladder to climb out of the water.

My gaze tracked every inch of her. The way her sports bra and shorts clung to her body, water droplets cascading down her golden skin and disappearing into the tiny space between her breasts. Her hair was wet and wavy, falling over her slim shoulders.

She turned around and studied me for a moment before speaking. Eyes guarded but watchful.

“Come on, Hotshot. Time to work out.”

I groaned as I got out of the water, my dick hard as steel.

My trainer was completely unfazed now.

We gathered our clothes and walked toward the patio, where we each grabbed a beach towel and dried off the best we could before I led her into the house.

“I’m going to grab a quick shower,” I said, clearing my throat because I was extremely uncomfortable at the moment.

She shook her head, eyes searching mine. “Really?”

“Really,” I chuckled. “You know where the laundry room is. I’ve got clean clothes in there. You can grab a pair of boxers and a tee and throw your clothes in the dryer if you want. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

“I can’t believe you’re showering before we work out,” she said, lips pursed, as if she were completely baffled by the idea.

“I don’t expect you to understand this, but you just had your legs wrapped around my waist, which means my dick is rock-hard. Have you ever tried to work out with an erection, Eloise?” I asked, and her eyes widened with surprise.

“Not that I can recall,” she smirked.

“Well, it will make working out very difficult and slightly uncomfortable for both of us. So I’m going to take a quick shower and take care of business so we can get to work,” I said, my voice gruff.

She tucked her lips between her teeth as her gaze moved down my body to where my dick was standing straight up, straining against the thin layer of my briefs.

“Sounds like a personal problem,” she said with a chuckle, her cheeks flaming red.

“Sounds like an Eloise Gable problem.” I arched a brow.

“Let me just tell you how this plays out, so you’ll understand why what just happened can never happen again.”

“Nothing happened. Hence my situation,” I grunted, as my eyes moved down to where two hard peaks poked through her sports bra.

“What almost just happened.” She looked down and then crossed her arms over her chest. “Let’s say we acted on this brief little attraction, and then you decided to brag about it in the locker room?—”

I cut her off. “This isn’t fucking high school. Not that I’d have ever talked about anyone that way in a locker room back then either.”

“You know what I mean. It gets mentioned to one person, and then guess what, Clark?”

“What?” I moved closer to her. This pull between us was not something I’ve ever experienced before.

“You’re the star player. The professional athlete.

” She threw her hands in the air. “I’m the physical therapist. I’m the replaceable one.

And I’m also the coach’s daughter, so me getting fired because I acted on something frivolous—well, it would embarrass my father as well as put a big, fat blemish on my career. One that I just started.”

“Clearly, you’ve thought about this.” I arched a brow.

“It’s not a joke to me. I’m the one who would be ruined by this. You would just be the playboy with another notch on your belt,” she said on a huff.

“Notch on my belt?” I made no attempt to hide my irritation. “I don’t know who you think I am, but that’s not really my style. I don’t disrespect women, and if you’ve noticed, I haven’t been out womanizing in the time you’ve known me.”

“You know what I mean,” she said, tucking a piece of hair that escaped her ponytail behind her ear. “We both signed contracts. I take that very seriously. What happened out in the water was a mistake, and I don’t think we should ever speak of it again. Nothing happened. It was nothing.”

I nodded. “Got it.”

“Go take a shower, and I’ll get my clothes in the dryer. I’ll meet you in the gym in twenty minutes.”

“Yep,” I said, before turning toward my room.

She was right. She was Coach Gable’s daughter, and I respected the hell out of the man. I was extremely attracted to her, but I hadn’t stopped to think about the consequences the way she had.

I respected the hell out of her, too. The last thing I’d ever want to do is cause her trouble. I knew how much this job meant to her, and I wouldn’t be the one to get in the way of that.

So I’d figure this shit out.

I stripped out of my briefs and stood under the hot water, my forehead resting against the tiled wall as the water beat down on my back. I wrapped my hand around my throbbing cock and stroked up and down several times.

Thoughts of Eloise and her tight little body pressed against mine out in the water flooded my thoughts.

Her lips parting, inviting me in, as my mouth covered hers.

Our tongues tangling frantically as she grinded up and down my erection. I slipped my briefs down with ease, sliding her shorts to the side as she positioned herself above the tip of my dick.

“I need you inside me now, Clark,” she whispered.

I shifted forward, and she took every inch of me.

She was tight and wet and perfect.

Fuuuuck.

I gripped her hips hard, sliding her up and down as I fucked her relentlessly.

She groaned, tightening around me, her nails digging into my shoulders.

She went right over the edge, crying out my name. I thrust one more time before I exploded with a grunt.

I continued fucking my hand as I came so hard my vision blurred.

It wasn’t my first time getting off to thoughts of Eloise Gable.

Hell, it wasn’t even my first time today, as I’d woken up with a boner, and she was my first thought.

But I needed to pull my shit together and shake this off.

She was right—it couldn’t go anywhere.

And I needed to focus on getting into the best shape of my life.

I was a professional, after all.

I quickly got dressed and stopped in the kitchen, where I grabbed a protein shake and chugged it.

“Feeling better?” Eloise said from behind me, and I whipped around to find her standing there fully clothed.

Not even close.