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I gripped my hair but nodded.
“Good. Your first appointment is with Rowan. Try to loosen up with her. You looked super tense during your first session. She wanted to switch to Dr. Cohen, but I convinced her to stay.”
“Can’t say I blame her,” I said rubbing my forehead.
“Bullshit. You and I both know you’re the best PT in this practice. Now, get your head out of your butt and show her.”
She sounded so much like my old football coach, I half expected her to order me to stand, so she could slap my ass on her way out of my office.
By the time Cammie messaged me that Rowan had arrived, my heart rate had slowed to near normal. It’d spiked a little when I read the chart notes her doctor sent. Rowan lied to me. Or misled me, which was a big problem since PT required clear communication with the patient. She’d let me assume she’d been inside a car when the accident happened. Her definition of the word “vehicle” wasn’t standard. Still, given the doctor’s report, she was lucky not to have fractured anything. She had to be in considerable pain, which meant I needed get my head out of my ass to help her. And to do that, I needed her to be comfortable with me.
“Rowan,” I said, opening my office door.
She was in the middle of an animated conversation with Cammie, but when she looked at me, her smile fell. Damn it. Our little chat yesterday hadn’t cleared the air as much as I’d hoped.
“Let’s start today with the heat mat. Lie face down on the first table, and I’ll grab it.”
She did as I asked, and I did my best to ignore how fantastic her peach-shaped ass looked in today’s leggings. She had her head turned toward me when I approached the table with the mat. Usually, I left patients to enjoy the heat and charted or started another session if the schedule was full, but today, I laid the mat over Rowan’s back and took a seat on the stool beside her.
She closed her eyes and moaned, which was normal. The heat mat felt incredible, even for someone without an injury. I was used to all kinds of groans and sighs of relief, but Rowan’s went straight to my dick, which had definitely missed the memo that she was off limits.
“This feels amazing. Can I bring it home?” she asked.
I shifted on the stool. It was like she’d asked to take me home, which she hadn’t. She didn’t like me, which was entirely my fault and something I had to fix.
“I’ll build it into your treatment plan. You might try a heat pad or electric blanket at home. The mat has wet heat, which is ideal for muscle relaxation, so taking a hot shower should help too.”
And now I was picturing her naked.
She opened her gorgeous green eyes. Her entire face had softened, and something tugged at my chest. “Can I just stay here the whole hour?” she asked.
I almost said yes. Which was ridiculous. My job was to push patients through their pain, not give in the moment they found a bit of comfort. I cleared my throat and looked at my tablet. “I’m afraid I’m going to work you hard after I loosen you up.”
She let out a little gasp, and I realized how inappropriate that sounded. “How’s Chris’s training?” I asked, hoping to change the subject. I still felt guilty for refusing to help him, but I figured he might be the best way to get Rowan talking.
“I’ve never seen him eat so much salad,” she said.
I chuckled and looked up from the tablet. She had a smile on her face, and I wanted to keep it there. “Chris is a great kid.”
Her smile grew.
“He should bulk up on protein too. Lean meats like chicken or fish.”
She scrunched her delicate nose.
“You don’t like fish?”
“No. And if I tell him what you said the whole house will smell like a Red Lobster.”
“Sashimi works too.”
“I’m not telling my brother to eat raw fish. Just the thought of it. Bleh.”
I found myself laughing. I tried to put my clients at ease with humor, but I rarely laughed along with them. I caught Adam staring at us across the room and dropped my eyes back to my tablet.
“So, I’ve reviewed your doctor’s notes. I’m hoping you might clear up some inconsistencies in your chart.”
Her shoulders tensed but I pressed on. “Could you give me more details about the accident?”
