Pippa's Fantasy by Donna Gallagher Page B

over that coup.
    All in all, life was rolling on productively for both Pippa and Cassie, but Pippa still felt hollow inside. Every time she saw Rook her body went into overdrive—her heart would race, her mouth would go dry, and the gnawing ache in her chest would start.
    Nothing had changed.
    Since the time she’d been fifteen, seeing Rook had always affected Pippa the same way, but now it was worse. Now she knew exactly what she was missing.
     
    * * * *
     
    Finally, it was the first game of the season. The pre-match preparations were in full swing when Pippa arrived at the ground. Caterers were setting up the food stalls, cleaning staff and ground staff were racing around, and everyone was seemingly panicked. Pippa made her way to the medical and treatment rooms to begin her own preparations. She laid out massage liniment, cut strapping and black Kinesio tape, filled ice bags, made sure all was in readiness. She was nervous, and tried to put it down to first-game nerves…but she knew it was more than that.
    It wasn’t long before Pippa didn’t have time for nerves, as the treatment room was filled with masculine bodies. The smell of liniment was strong in the air as the players were rubbed and strapped in readiness for the battle ahead. Pippa had a team of student physios to assist her as well as the usual strappers, and was busy giving advice and supervising proceedings, not really paying attention to the half-naked bodies that lay on the massage tables around the room, just the individual muscles and tendons that needed attention.
    Pippa noticed one of her trainees was a little overawed and was not massaging professionally enough. She quickly moved the girl aside, and got to work warming and loosening up the player’s tight muscles—time was limited and all the players needed to be seen. The minute her hands made contact with skin, she realised her mistake. The electric charge that sped up her arm left no doubt as to who was face down on the table and her body’s reaction to him was instantaneous.
    Rook.
    Pippa hesitated slightly and looked up, only to be scorched to her core by Rook’s silver eyes, as he lifted his head from the table and turned towards her.
    Pippa hurried to finish Rook’s massage. Her body was on fire. She tried to ignore the feel of his muscles beneath her fingers as she massaged up his well-toned calf over his hamstrings, then his lower back, fighting the ever-present urge to grab hold of his gorgeous behind.
    “Sit up, Rook, and I’ll strap your ankles,” a flustered Pippa managed to croak out.
    Rook slowly rolled over onto his back. It was impossible to not notice the bulge in his Speedos, as his erection strained hard against the tight material of the swimwear he wore under his playing shorts.
    Pippa’s mouth went dry at the sight of his arousal. She casually dropped the towel that she had been drying her hands on over his lap, hoping to prevent any further embarrassment for Rook, and set to work strapping tape around his ankles. Strapping would give extra support and stability to the joints throughout the punishing game. When she had finished, the tape securely fastened, she finally looked up. Rook was staring at her, the hunger showing in his eyes so apparent it made her heart skip a beat.
    The room was full of people, the noise levels high, and yet for Pippa, there was no one else but Rook.
    Just Rook…and desire.
    It was as if they had been sucked into a different dimension. The room’s sounds and smells were muted, distant. They must have held eye contact for an eternity. Just as Pippa was about to confess to Rook her reason for deceiving him—that he was her fantasy man and always would be, but that she had worried that he would again refuse her advances if he had known her true identity—Brodie summoned the team to come together for warm-up.
    Pippa watched Rook drag his gaze from her. She put her hand on his arm, trying to stop him from leaving before she could make her