Page 63 of Pressure Point

“You best do something about it before someone else does,” Dash chided, turning to head to the shower. “Because if she’s still fair game on Saturday, then I make no promises, Padre.”

Liam bit the inside of his cheek, forcing himself to keep quiet. Dash wouldn’t dare. Would he?

That feeling was back, rising in him even faster now, and this time he knew for sure it was jealousy. Just not the same kind as he had felt toward Jarrett earlier. This was deep-seated jealousy. Something Liam had always thought he’d never feel. After all, eight years with Orla and he never once felt anything that even compared to this. But it turned out, there was a green-eyed monster in him.

He needed to find a way to make Avery his. Something that would show her that he knew the real her, wanted the real her.

Slipping out of his practice gear until he was in just his boxer briefs, he tossed the smelly, sweat-soaked clothes all in his locker and made his way to the whirlpool. That would help him relax. Get his head on straight. The jets were already going, but there didn’t seem to be anyone else around at the moment. Thankfully.

He let out a long groan as the hot water enveloped him, closing his eyes and letting his muscles loosen. Damn, did that feel good. The only thing that Liam could think of that would make this better was if Avery were in here with him. Her lithe body straddling him, arms looped around his neck as the jets tickled their skin. He bet that if it were later and just the two of them, he could convince her to strip down to her bra and panties and climb in here. Now that was a visual. His sweet little redhead in nothing but her underwear, strolling around the locker room. Talk about combining the confidence she found in her job with the sexy she was after.

“That’s it,” he muttered out loud, sitting straight up.

“Talking to yourself is not a good sign, Daley,” Mahoney said from the cool pool next to him. “But hey, I’ll bite. What’s it?”

“Nothing,” he snarled. He’d be damned if he was going to let anyone in on this plan. It needed to be a surprise—and a secret—if he was really going to pull it off. Although, he would need help with one part.

He needed to talk to Felicity.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“What are we doing here?” Avery whisper shouted, looking around her to see if anyone else was nearby.

Liam laughed, shaking his head, watching the guilty look on her face as she met him at the front door of the training center. The sun had all but set, with just the slightest sliver of light still visible over the horizon, highlighting her beautiful red hair. Despite the warmth of the afternoon, there was now a slight chill to the spring air, and she shivered once as she stepped into his welcome embrace.

“I have a surprise for you,” he told her.

“At the training center? At seven o’clock on a Thursday? How are we even getting in?”

Liam held up the key that Felicity had given him, making him swear on his life that he wouldn’t lose it and that it would be back in Gunnar’s hands first thing the next morning. She’d surprisingly had very few hesitations about helping him with this plan, opting instead to grill him on every detail and then trying to take over once she deemed it “not enough.” Two hours later, Gunnar had finally stepped in, telling her to just let Liam handle it the way he wanted. Which was exactly what he was doing.

“They just gave you the keys?” she asked incredulously, following him inside.

“Well, when your coach and mentor is the boyfriend of the owner, you know who to ask.”

He winked at her, taking her hand and leading her into the locker room. Her nerves were palpable, as she continued to look around as if something was going to pop out and go “boo!” They were only a couple of steps into the locker room, and Liam watched as her eyes went wide, registering what she was seeing.

Set up inside his locker were multiple sets of lingerie. Matching bras and panties, along with some nighties, all in colors Felicity insisted were well suited for Avery’s coloring. Just adjacent to his locker was a director's chair surrounded by bright lights, a short blonde woman standing next to it, makeup brush in hand.

“I…I don’t understand,” Avery stumbled, looking back and forth between the locker and the chair. She started to say something else but stopped when she saw the photographer appear from the door to the med suite.

“You keep saying you want to find your sexy,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “But the thing about it, Avery, is you’ve always had it. You’ve always been sexy—just in your own way. You just haven’t had the confidence in yourself and who you are to embrace it.”

Avery’s breath shuddered, and he knew he’d hit the mark.

“You don’t need some manufactured idea of sexy, you just need to be yourself. One of the hottest things I’ve ever seen was watching you take charge this past weekend when Tiago got injured.” She opened her mouth to respond, but he held up a finger to stop her. “And before you go arguing with me, I’m not the only one who thinks so. Watching you do your thing, be the amazing woman you are, well, it earned you some looks.”

“What does that have to do with…” she trailed off, nodding back at the locker full of underthings.

“We’re here tonight so you can embrace that. So you can own the sexy that comes with you being a badass physical therapist.” Spinning her around in his arms so she could take it all in, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Welcome to your personal boudoir shoot.”

“Seriously? Here?” she gasped, breaking free from his grasp and turning to face him again.

“Here,” he said calmly. “This is where you shine, Avery, kicking ass and taking names making sure we all stay healthy and fit."

Avery looked back at Liam, licking her lips in a way that made him wish he were that bottom lip. Any apprehension that she may have been feeling a moment ago was gone. In its place was…was that, anticipation? Hope sparked back to life within Liam. This was something she wanted to do. His sweet, quirky Avery was excited about this.

“I’ve always wanted to do one of these. Always thought the idea of them was so much fun. But no one has ever wanted to see…this…” she trailed off, gesturing wildly at her body.