Teamwork by Lily Harlem

said, brushing his hand over his closely cropped black hair. “We can dance all night.”
    “I’m going to take Fiona home,” Raven said, narrowing his gaze on Todd. “I’m not in the mood for a club and I don’t think she is either.”
    “She’s my date,” Todd said, puffing up his chest and banging his bottle on the table. “And I want to take her to a club.”
    “She’s my physical therapist,” Raven grunted. “And she doesn’t want to go to a club with you.”
    “Ah, yes of course, and whatever you say goes, plus you’re no doubt due some treatment .”
    Raven made a low, growling sound. His nostrils flared and he leaned over Todd. “You’re out of line. Go drink some coffee.”
    “Yeah, yeah.” Todd looked at me, reached out and took my hand, pressed his lips to my knuckles. “Are you okay going back with Raven? I feel I should take you.”
    “No, don’t be silly. We’re going the same way, for heaven’s sake.”
    His eyes sparkled and his mouth curled into that sexy-as-hell, cute-as-a-button smile. “Yeah, I guess, but I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
     
    We took a cab back to Raven’s place, and when I stepped into the silence of the hallway, I let it wrap around me like a silken sheet.
    Raven didn’t speak. He went into the kitchen and, after abandoning his sling, set about making coffee.
    I leaned against the table and watched the graceful way he moved. For such a big guy, he held himself lightly and I was pleased to see his spine and shoulders were relaxed. It was a sign the new exercises, hydrotherapy and acupuncture were working. But I had one more trick up my sleeve.
    “I’m going to blend some healing oils and give you a sports massage,” I said. “Let them do their work on your muscles and tendons overnight.”
    He turned to me, a dark expression on his face. “That sounds like a promise,” he said in a low rumble.
    My belly fluttered in anticipation of carrying out my plan. “It is. You go do those stretches I showed you this morning and then come up to my room. But don’t be too long.”
    One side of his mouth curled and his eyes flashed. He turned back to the task of making coffee.
    With supersonic speed, I raced through the shower, slathered yummy new coconut body cream over myself and let my hair down so it fell in a riot of wild, red kinks over my shoulders. Brushed my teeth and applied a slick of lip balm. I put on a lacy black bra and panty set and wrapped a robe around my body. I hoped Raven liked black lace.
    My next job was to dim the lamps and light a dozen scented candles around the bedroom. I wanted the ambience just right to give Raven the best damn massage of his life. He deserved to be cared for. From what Carly had said, he’d been battling alone and in pain for too many months. Not just physical but also emotional. That shouldn’t happen to anyone, least of all someone who couldn’t sleep at night unless they knew the people he cared for were happy and content.
    Shadows on the desktop flickered as I concocted the perfect oil to rub into his aching muscles. A mixture of lavender, chamomile and fennel.
    No sooner had I shaken the bottle and set it by the bed than the door swung open.
    His wide shoulders almost touched the doorframe as he stood there, silhouetted. My heart thudded, my pussy clenched and my breath caught in my throat. He was wearing just his pants and they sat low on his hips. The shimmering light in the room caressed his chest. His abs were taut and etched a wall beneath his flesh.
    In that moment my heart swelled. He was tough and big. He’d been mean and infuriating. But he was also a man struggling to get his career and future back on track, and suddenly, all I wanted to do was make him feel good. And make him see that he had something other than hockey in his life.
    I wanted him to make me feel good too. And I did, when he touched me, looked at me. When he was with me, I felt like everything was right. It had switched from wanting