Love in Lockdown

Just the Beginning

It was dark outside the hotel and the foyer was finally empty. All the guests were in their rooms and Paige was handing over to the night staff on reception before meeting Alicia in the dining hall. The rest of the day been uneventful but busy and she had never craved her bed more.

Paige loved these brief moments of stillness in the hotel. It felt as though they were reserved for the staff only to enjoy. Beside her, Bree answered a call and looked to Paige, signaling for her to stay.

'Paige, I know you were about to leave but room 458 requested some teething drops. Her daughter is teething and they left theirs at home. Any ideas?'

Paige slipped her slides back on under the desk having changed out of her heels hours ago. 'There are no late-night chemists nearby and I'm not sure if it's worth contacting the doctor on call for.'

Bree spun back to face the screen and started typing. 'There are more than 20 families in here, someone must have some teething drops, gel, or tablets in their room. I'll make you a list of room numbers and you can start knocking.'

Dinner and bed would have to wait. Paige took the printout from Bree and headed for the stairwell.

Nate's knee was killing him. When his leg started to ache like this, movement was the only thing that helped. Spending most of the day on a cramped airplane and then the bus had only worked to inflame the injury he was hiding from the rest of his team.

With almost everyone in their own rooms and the staff off for the night, Nate indulged in walking the hotel, one floor at a time, increasing his pace as he made his way down each hallway, past door after door, and up and down the stairwell. Sweating, he stripped his shirt off, tucking it into the waistband of his shorts.

The movement had helped, his leg felt almost back to normal as he started down the stairwell for the last time. He was at the top of his game and an injury was not on the cards. A torn shoulder had ended his father's career and he did not want to end the same way.

Already the air in the hotel felt stale, and as Nate made his way down floor after floor, his mind jumped from his leg to the pandemic, from the home he left behind, and to the season ahead.

He didn't notice anyone else enter the stairwell until he collided with the brunette from earlier. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs, and he instinctively reached forward to catch her arms as she stumbled back. Righting himself, Nate pulled her flush against his bare chest before looking down to meet her honey brown eyes flickering with a mix of shock and irritation.

It was almost the same expression she gave the rookies earlier at check-in, with a touch less heat, and he couldn't hold back a small smile. His heart was hammering from running the stairs and with each deep inhale he breathed her in. She smelled of coconut and rose oil. 

She was gorgeous. Olive skin, honey eyes, and a soft face framed with masses of dark wavy hair. His eyes lingered on her lips and he had to fight back a groan as her mouth opened with a sharp intake of breath. 

He knew he should let her go, but he couldn't quite bring himself to uncurl his fingers and step away. Her body was tense against his chest but her expression didn't give any sign of fear. 

He didn't know what was passing between them, but it had been more than a minute and neither of them had tried to move. He gentled his hands, his fingers gently brushing her skin. Still, she didn't move away, and Nate let his face drop a little closer to hers. 

Curious to see if she would meet his challenge, he let her go, slowly releasing her arms, his lips centimeters from hers. 

She stepped back, her eyes dropping down to his bare chest. Nate ran his hand through his hand to stop himself from reaching out for her again.

'Sorry about that,' he wasn't sure if he was apologising for bumping into her, or for holding her longer than he should have. He was really only sorry for one.

Her expression softened and her shoulders visibly dropped. 'No, I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone to be in here.' Her cheeks showed the faintest flush and Nate's ego swelled. He was used to women checking him out, there were often groups in the stadium just to watch the team train. But knowing the woman before him was affected was like a bolt of electricity to his c**k. 

He'd noticed her when they arrived at the hotel, watching as she strode across the foyer, her longs legs leading up to an athletic body with just the right amount of curves. She had appeared polished and indifferent to the ocean of chaos, and even when one of the rookies had grabbed her ass she'd been unflustered. 

She looked thoroughly ruffled now.

Her long brown hair was messily twisted over one shoulder and she had changed her heels for flat sandals. Her honey eyes were shifting between unreadable emotions as she made eye contact with him again, and she looked perched as though ready to run.

'Sorry about earlier. Some of the younger boys can cross the line. I don't think they'll hassle you again but let me know if they do.'

'I'm sorry I didn't thank you earlier. It caught me off guard. They'd only been here five minutes.'

Nate couldn't help but laugh. The hotel had no idea what they were in for.

Paige cleared her throat and looked over his shoulder. 'I need to get upstairs. On the hunt for teething drops as the night chemist is already closed and someone needs them tonight.' She smiled tightly and started to move around him towards the stairs. 

Nate pulled his shirt back on and fell into step behind her. 'That I can help you with. My friends have a one-year-old and Cassy will have packed some for sure.'

Paige turned, relief lightening her features. She smiled even teeth, and Nate fought to keep his hands by his side as he looked up at her, two steps in front of him, all curves and soft skin.

Seemingly unaware of his thoughts, she stepped to the side so he could pass by. 'That would be amazing. Lead the way.'

Nate slid past her, getting close enough to inhale the coconut scent of her hair. He led the way to Blake and Cassy's room on the fourth floor, hoping they were still awake.

Nate had spent the afternoon in the suite playing with their son Owen. Cassy was Nate's favourite of all the wives. She was a country girl at heart with a wicked sense of humour, and an amazing mother.

As they stood in silence waiting for someone to answer, Nate realised he didn't know the name of the woman beside him.

'I'm Nate.'

'Paige.' She looked up, meeting his gaze, and smiled. 'Thanks so much for this. Fingers crossed they have some. I'm exhausted.' 

Nate wanted to kiss away the little frown line between her eyebrows. He wasn't used to being so stirred by a woman, but he didn't question it. 

Cassy opened the door, her eyes moving between them before settling on Nate. He knew her expression. It was an amused warning that he would be subjected to a grilling about how he came to be outside her door with the brunette that had half the team worked up.

'Cassy do you have any teething drops? Paige needs it for one of the other families and can't find any this late at night.'

'Teething drops, gel, or tablets. Anything would be amazing. I can replace it first thing in the morning,' Paige added, stepping slightly in front of Nate. His eyes dropped to the curve of her hip just centimeters from his hand, which was itching to curl around her waist.

Although he could tell she was affected by him, attracted to him, she hadn't given him any sign she was actually interested. He walked back to lean on the opposite wall of the hallway and occupied himself with studying her head to toe. She pushed her hair off her shoulders, her back arching as she lifted her arms. It was too much.

Nate adjusted himself and started for the elevator. Nothing about Paige was making him feel like a gentleman, and he didn't want her looking at him like he was just another dodgy football player. 

Cassy reappeared in the doorway beaming and with a small bottle in hand. She looked over Paige's shoulder and raised her eyebrow at Nate, her smile getting even wider.

'Happy to help. Don't stress about replacing it first thing - there's plenty of time,' she said to Paige, her gaze still locked on Nate.

Nate shrugged as Paige thanked Cassy another three or four times. She turned, 'Nate, you're a lifesaver. Thank you. You saved me hours of door knocking.'

'Not a problem. Anything to help you into bed sooner.' He hadn't meant for his words to sound so suggestive, but they had. 

He was relieved when Paige responded with another one her smiles with the nose crinkle, before turning and heading down the far end of the hallway.

Cassy cleared her throat, still standing in her doorway watching the scene unfold. 'Lifesaver huh?'

Nate laughed and called over his shoulder as he headed for the elevator. 'Just doing my civic duty.' He heard Cassy chuckle as she closed her door.

Blake was Nate's closest friend, and although they once had a pact to be bachelors for life, when Blake met Cassy, Nate had been happy. She was perfect for him, settling his rougher edges and giving him a focus. The change in Blake had only been stronger when their son Owen was born, making Nate a surrogate uncle. Despite Blake's obvious happiness, Nate had been comfortable keeping to their pact of bachelorhood. 

Waiting for the elevator, he turned to look back at Paige as she waited outside one of the other rooms. Sensing his gaze, she turned and he was taken aback by how fiercely he wanted her, to clear the length of the hallway and claim her lips with his.

The door opened and Paige looked away, breaking the moment. Not trusting himself to wait any longer, Nate opened the stairwell door and headed for his floor.