Necessary Roughness (HotShots Book 1) by Courtney Cole Page A

fuck anything that holds still long enough, and you know it,” he shoots back. “I’m not out of line in saying so, either. Just be good. Color inside the lines. And you can go out exactly on your terms.”
    “Fine.”
    We hang up and I do find myself grateful for my manager. He’s stuck with me in the highs and lows, and he’s one of the few people in this industry that I can really trust. That’s rare in this sport, and rare in life.
    I limp into the Theater room to settle in and watch my last game. It’s something I do when I’m annoyed or depressed about my current lot in life. I don’t know why, but watching the moment of impact, over and over and over, reminds me that I could’ve have seen it coming. I couldn’t have changed it. This isn’t my fault.
    For some reason, it’s important that I remember that.
    I couldn’t have changed this.
    So I watch that moment again today, again, again and again.
    I freeze it, rewind it, play it, pause it, study it, watch my knee hyper-extending behind me, and then re-play.
    I’m so involved in it, that I almost don’t hear the quiet voice in the doorway.
    “Um. Mr. Chase?”
    Startled, because who the fuck is in my house?, I scramble to my feet. Or I try to scramble to my feet. My bum knee makes it difficult and I lose my balance, falling back into the chair like an awkward baby horse falling with all four legs splayed out.
    “Fuck,” I groan, rubbing at it, looking at the girl rushing to my aid.
    She’s got long shiny dark hair, a tight apple ass, and big clear caramel colored eyes. And tits the size of melons—straining at her shirt to get out.
    “It’s ok,” she assures me, bending to help me arrange my leg. She smells like sunshine and fruit. “I’m Sophie, your new physical therapist. You didn’t answer your door, so I let myself in. It was unlocked. I hope that was ok.”
    Her tits are pressed against my arm, and her ass is bent in front of me, and Shorty’s words come back to me.
    For God’s sake, don’t fuck her.
    I swallow hard.
    That might be harder to resist than I thought.

4
    Chapter Two
    S ophie

    I ’m draped over Nicky Chase.
    I’m draped over Nicky Chase.
    I’m very aware of my body pressed into his, as I help arrange his leg, and then stand up. I feel his hazel eyes sweep my entire body and every part of me lights on fire. His gaze is magnetic, just like everyone says.
    They all say that when Nicky Chase is in a room, he owns it. And good lord, he does. It’s like he emits an energy, a very concentrated energy, and it fills all of your hidden places, and makes you very aware of exactly where he is in relation to your own body.
    At least, that’s what he does for me.
    He lights my skin on fire.
    I straighten, then sit in the chair next to him, letting my laptop bag slide to the floor.
    “Mr. Chase, I’ll be with you for the next six weeks, to perform PT and to assess your condition. I’m very good at what I do, so please don’t worry.”
    “I’ve heard you’re the best in New Orleans,” he tells me, and good lord, his voice sounds like honey. “And also, Mr. Chase is my father.”
    It takes me a minute to realize what he means.
    “Oh. Should I call you Nicholas, then?” Nicky just seems too presumptuous. But he’s already shaking his head.
    “Nope. Only my mother calls me that, usually when I’m in trouble. Which is a lot of the time, it seems. So just all me Nicky, like everyone else.”
    I don’t know why, but being the same as ‘everyone else’ to him gives me an uncomfortable jolt and that’s stupid, because I am like everyone else. I’m an employee, he’s my client. I’m like everyone else in his life. Someone he pays for a service.
    Although, in this particular case, my recommendation will determine his future in football. I know that, and I’m sure he does, too.
    “All right, then, Nicky,” I say with a smile. “I hope you’re prepared to begin today.”
    He lifts an eyebrow, and dear lord, are his