The Play

3. Liam

Chapter Three

Liam

“b****y hell!” I swore as I tried to reach up and grab a banana off the top of the refrigerator.

I kept forgetting my shoulder was stiff as hell and felt foolish every time I did. With a cup of coffee in my free hand, I turned to set it down, just as Alex walked into the kitchen behind me and snagged the banana, handing it to me without a word. He poured a cup of coffee for himself and plunked down at the kitchen table. Just as we had in London, Alex and I shared a flat here. Correct me, a condo. It was cheaper and easier to rent a place together. I peeled the banana and sat down across from him. He sipped his coffee, while I ate my banana in silence. I was cranky today. It was the day after I’d kissed Olivia, and I was fairly certain I’d lost my mind. Oh, I’d wanted to taste her, just like I said. However, my estimation of what kissing her would feel like was staggeringly off base. I’d thought it would just be a fun kiss.

Fun didn’t quite capture how it felt to kiss the lovely Olivia. Scalding hot and mind-bending was more like it. Something about her hit me in a strange way. The moment she’d said s*x was boring, it was as if she’d poured gas on a fire. I loved a challenge and I’d be damned if I’d let Olivia pass me by. All on her own she was a challenge, but she’d thrown down the gauntlet with that. There was nothing I liked more than a challenge. Then, I’d gone and kissed her. I’d kept it together and managed to tease her afterwards, but I felt as if I’d been knocked back on my heels ever since.

Honestly, I’d felt knocked back on my heels since my mum died. It had been three months now and I didn’t know when I’d feel right again. My family was tight. We always had been. I was the oldest of three boys. Mum called us stair steps with me oldest at thirty, Carter at twenty-eight and Leo at twenty-six. My dad was still alive and kicking, but he’d been hit hard by my mum’s death too. My parents had met in grammar school and he’d teased her mercilessly, so she hated him. Then, they ended up at university together and fell mad in love. Her stroke had been like a bolt of lightning in our family. I was still reverberating from the electrifying shock.

The one thing that gave me solace was playing football, so I’d insisted on playing in the next few games back in England. I’d pulled through until the last game when I was just plain out of it. I missed a few crucial passes and we lost. Next thing I knew, my agent notified me of the best offer on the table from the Seattle Stars. I glanced over at Alex who turned away from the windows and caught my eye.

“How’s the knee?” Alex asked.

His question annoyed me, but only because it reminded me of my current state. Sidelined from playing for a few months at best.

“A bit better than yesterday.”

He nodded slowly. “Dr. Bowen seems nice enough.”

The feel of Olivia’s lips under mine flashed through my brain. Nice was one way to put it. “That she does. Dr. Monroe swears she’s the best surgeon around.”

Alex grinned. “He had his knickers in a bit of a twist over her asking him to leave. I told him to roll with it.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Since we’d only been with the Stars for a little over a month, I was still getting a feel for the team management. Dr. Monroe was wound tight and struck me as the kind of man accustomed to people following his orders. Olivia hadn’t given a damn about his orders, and I liked it. “I could tell. I think he thought she’d cave when he got pushy, but she didn’t.”

Alex’s gaze sobered. “Anything new from her when you talked?”

“Nah. She said the tear’s not too bad and seems confident I’ll be back to myself in a few months. She’s as bossy as him. Gave me a little lecture on doing my physical therapy after my surgery,” I said with a grin.

Alex finished off his coffee and winked. “Not so sure it’s a brilliant plan to flirt with your doctor, mate.”

I’d been born a flirt and Alex damn well knew it. I eyed him and shrugged. “You know me. Can’t help myself sometimes.”

Alex stood and stretched before walking to the sink and setting his empty coffee cup inside. He had practice in a bit, which sent anxiety coiling inside my chest. I hated not being able to play. I wished my surgery were today, so I could be one day ahead in getting back to playing. Football anchored my life and kept me sane. Without it, I was restless and out of sorts.

Alex turned, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter. “Maybe you can’t help yourself, but Dr. Bowen doesn’t strike me as your type. Let her do what she does best and fix your knee. You’ve plenty of women falling over themselves for you. It’s worse here than it was in London,” he said with a roll of his eyes.

“I’ll b****y well decide who I’m going to flirt with. You’re the one who should be enjoying the women here.”

I couldn’t help but feel a tad bit churlish. Alex knew me well, as well as anyone did. He might not specifically know I’d gone a step further than flirting with Olivia. He also might not specifically know I was gobsmacked over her. Yet, he’d know something was amiss with me. Hence, my churlishness. Alex was my best mate, but it didn’t mean I always appreciated how well he knew me. I preferred to feel in control, and everything about my life lately led to the opposite between my mum dying, moving to Seattle, and now having my knee blown. What I’d expected to be a moment when I was in control turned out to be the opposite. That kiss with Olivia had, well, it had blown my mind. All I wanted was more.