Chapter Twenty-Five
Ryder
Dinner with my dad last night drained me, and I was looking forward to letting loose and forgetting about hockey for a while. As much as I loved it, sometimes it was nice to think about something else—anything else. Or maybe that was just an effect of spending three hours over dinner discussing strategies and the many, many ways I could improve. There were enough that I began to wonder why a college coach would even start me in the first place.
Dad also informed me that he’d put in a few calls to scouts, and if I played my cards right, and played better than last night—obviously—maybe I’d have a chance to be drafted into the NHL now and just forget about the rest of college.
I didn’t bother mentioning that I wanted to finish out my time at BC and earn my math degree, and the NHL could wait. That was probably a stupid thought. Millions of dollars and a guaranteed spot versus finishing a degree I might never use?
Getting drafted might finally get Dad off my back. It’d get me that much closer, anyway. That was if I was even drafted, and that was a big if. Not sure why my brain wouldn’t stop spinning on it.
Maybe because I was also thinking of how hard it’d be to leave my teammates behind. They’d come to feel like a family, one who had each other’s backs, win or lose, but a lot of them would be graduating soon anyway.
Lindsay will help calm all my messy thoughts. I knocked on her door, and she opened it and stuck a hand on her hip.
Shit. Did I already screw up?
“I don’t know what to wear,” she said. “Come to think of it, I don’t know how to play, either. I’m pretty sure this is going to be a disaster. Maybe I should just watch?”
“First of all, good morning.” I drew her to me and kissed her. The tension leaked out of her posture, and she wrapped her arms around me and melted into my embrace, giving me that calming sensation I desperately needed.
“Morning. Guess I should’ve started with that.” She ran her hand down the side of my face and dragged her fingertips along my jaw. “How was dinner with your dad?”
“Torture. I’d much rather talk about you and what you’re wearing.” The tight jeans and purple V-neck that gave me a peek down her shirt showed off her curves nicely. Of course, with curves like hers, everything clung to her in a way that made me want to do the same.
Her hands moved down to my chest, right over my rapidly beating heart. “I missed you this week.” The second she said it, she grimaced, looking like she wanted to take it back. “I mean, I know I saw you for a minute yesterday, and there was watching film together on Thursday, and I totally get that you’re busy, but—”
“I missed you, too.” I kissed her again, parting her lips with my tongue and taking another taste, and when she immediately responded by pressing her body tighter to mine, I almost said Screw the paintball game. I know another fun way to relieve stress.
But I wasn’t sure if she was there yet. Besides, blowing off some aggression would be good for both of us. Maybe after we made a little war, we could see where the afternoon took us—hopefully more toward the love side. “You look amazing. And if you want, I’ll make sure you’re on my team, and I’ll cover you at all costs.”
“Like you’ll take a bullet for me?” She fanned her face with her hand. “Swoon.”
“Don’t girls love it when the guy picks up the heroine in those novels you read, too?” I scooped her up and tossed her over my shoulder. “Me man, you woman. We go make paintball now.”
She giggled, and I made sure I didn’t knock her head on the frame as I carried her out the door. “Are you seriously going to carry me?”
“I seriously am.”
“You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“Please. You’ve seen how much I lift. This isn’t even a workout for me.” I braced a hand on her ass as I started down the stairs of her apartment complex, and a girl passed by, looking at us like we were crazy.
“Lindsay? Is that really you?”
I spun around and the girl widened her eyes at me.
Lindsay straightened and I let her slide down me—then I had to try to cover my reaction to having her body drag down me like that. “This is my roommate, Natalie. Natalie, Ryder.”
“Is this why you’ve been gone so much lately? I thought you only went to school and worked these days, and had given up on having fun and…other stuff.”
Wow. Talk about insulting.
Lindsay reached up and twisted a strand of hair around her finger, something I noticed she did when she was nervous. “Ryder and I are just—”
“I’m the lucky bastard who gets to call myself her boyfriend. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have somewhere to be.” I picked Lindsay back up and carried her down the last few steps and over to my car.
When I set her on her feet, she gripped my biceps, and shot me a grin. “I’d like to say I’m above enjoying that whole caveman-like display, but I sort of loved it.”
While I’d often rolled my eyes at the cheesy chick flicks I’d been forced to sit through, I was silently thanking them now. Lindsay looked at me, her thoughts clear enough in her features to let me know the attraction vibes were working in my favor. “Then I’ll make sure to carry you everywhere we go from now on.”