Claire beat him to the couch by five seconds and pulled the costume from him. "Here, let me help."
"I can do it." But he gratefully sank onto the cushion and set the crutches aside.
She shushed him and opened the costume's zippered back. "Is your pant leg wide enough to go over your cast?"
He reached for the garment and her fingers skated over his. The zing from the brief touch radiated up his arm. Swallowing, he closed his hand over the gray material and leaned back. "The designer added a zipper to the calf so as long as I keep that open and roll up the leg, I'll be fine. The cloth cast will hide any exposed skin and the real cast, and will hopefully be a reminder to people that I'm injured and they shouldn't get too close."
Tugging the material over his cast and then his shorts, he kept his focus on getting into Fin's skin and not how Claire was getting under his. The other leg glided on easily and he snapped the pant stirrup over his sneaker.
In the corner of his vision, Claire slid her costume up her legs and over her arms in one easy move. She even managed the zipper without any problem. Then she turned to him.
"What do you think?"
The fins extended down her arms and attached to her gloved hands via a loop over the middle fingers. From the neck down, she was a shark with arms and legs, complete with the fin on her back. From the neck up, she was still the stunning woman who'd been on his mind for the past few days.
He grabbed his crutches and pushed to standing. "I think that when Fin sees Fiona, he isn't going to know what hit him."
She grinned and checked out her reflection in the mirror hanging on the door. "I like the blue scrubs."
"Good call there." He glanced at the costume hanging off his waist. "I probably should lay back down and try to shimmy into the rest. Balancing on one leg is hard if I have to let go of one of the crutches to pull on the costume."
She shook her head and crossed to him. "I'll help."
Liam stiffened his muscles when she held the one crutch and helped him tug the costume over his arm. Having her so close messed with his senses. She switched sides and when pulling up the other sleeve, her fingers brushed along the bare skin of his forearm and bicep before running over his T-shirt covered shoulder. He sucked in a breath as his body reacted to her touch.
Not the time. Not the place. Not now. Not her.
Repeating the commands helped him get a handle on his control. Until she stepped behind him. Her hand brushed his neck where she held the material in place as she zippered the costume closed. God, if she helped him like this before every game, he didn't know if he'd make it through the first week without bursting out of his skin. "Thanks."
She stepped in front of him, cheeks flushed, and helped him loop the fins over his gloves. "Do we put the heads on now?"
"Yeah. The team doesn't ever want Fin or Fiona running around unmasked." He shifted his weight and reached behind him for the mask that hung like a hood. He couldn't have her helping again and touching his face. He'd do something to reveal his desire for sure.
Claire pulled her mask into place. The costume designer had done a great job. Exaggerated blue eyes framed by thick lashes and a friendly expression made Fiona the perfect counterpart to Fin. Claire's expression was hidden behind the dark screen but he thought she was smiling.
"I've watched Fin for years, but I'd never really thought about the person inside the costume. I guess that's true for most people when it comes to the mascots."
"I actually like it that way. When I go out, no one recognizes me. Slade, Dom, and Adam get recognized all the time. It's hard for them to live a normal life. I get a taste of it when we go places together and I really like being the anonymous friend."
"When I think of players and mascots, I don't think of them hanging out together. It's nice you can do that and they aren't some macho athletes who look down on the mascot as some kind of clown."
"I don't know how it is in every ball club or how even half of the guys in the Riptide's clubhouse feel, but those three are my best friends. Dom and I became friends a few seasons ago because one of the terminally ill kids in the charity wanted to meet us both. We spent a lot of time with him that season before losing him to cancer right before the season ended. That experience bonded Dom and me, and through him, I got to know Adam and Slade. Adam's our voice of reason, always looking out for us. And Slade, well, he and I clicked instantly. He's the brother I never had. They're all the brothers I never had."
Claire backed up to give him room as he made his way to the door. "You're an only child?"
He nodded and reached for his keys. "You? No, wait, you have a sister."
"I have five sisters. I'm the eldest. And sometimes I wish I were an only." She pulled the door closed at her back. "Are we taking the golf cart to the training room? Can I drive?"
“Sure. Thanks.” He could still manage to drive but didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot with her, so he tossed her the keys, climbed into the passenger side, and then set the crutches behind him. “You know, the costumes didn’t always have gloves. For years, they
