‘Okay, erm …’ He glanced around. ‘Here, quick!’ He dragged a bench over, so that she could sit on it and extend her injured limb to full length. He dropped to his knees but didn’t get any closer than was permissible. ‘Unusual for a hamstring to go when you’ve been working out all night. Normally happens when you’ve not warmed up properly.’

The girl felt warily down the back of her left thigh, as she panted for breath. ‘I don’t think it’s actually gone. It just … well, it suddenly really tightened.’

Nathan watched her carefully. She cringed again, in genuine pain, and he understood why. He’d torn a hamstring, himself, once, and he knew how horrible it could be. In his case, he’d literally felt and even heard it snap. Not that the naked, sensually muscled leg in front of him seemed in any way imperfect. He offered a spread hand.

‘I can … erm … have a feel for you, if you don’t mind? Or I can get one of the girls?’

‘No, it’s okay … you go for it,’ she said quickly. ‘See what you think, please.’

Very tenderly, determined to enjoy it as much as possible, he ran his hand up the back of her thigh. The muscle was smooth and firm, the soft skin still damp. Good Christ, it was just as he’d always imagined. More importantly from the girl’s POV, though, there was no obvious damage there – no bump or ridge.

‘Does that hurt?’ he asked. ‘I’m not pressing hard, but …’

‘It’s a bit uncomfortable,’ she said. ‘But not too bad, I suppose.’

‘I can’t feel any swelling or tear. It might just be a strain.’ He moved his hand away and knelt back. ‘Probably best not to continue, though. Not tonight.’

She nodded in full agreement. ‘I may have overdone it.’ She glanced at the clock on the wall. ‘It’s nearly knocking-off time, anyway. Do you think a sauna would help? Or a swim?’

‘Well … a swim’s always good for recovery. But we close in about five minutes.’

‘Yeah, it’s just that …’ She extended an arm towards him, and he realised that she wanted him to help her stand up. He hurriedly obliged. Upright, she tried to balance again, pressing down gingerly with her left foot, and grimacing. ‘It’s just that … Hell, I don’t think I’m going to be able to drive home.’

Nathan shrugged. ‘If you want to call a taxi, your car’ll be okay here overnight.’