Page 23 of Desperate Pucker (Denver Bashers #6)

Ryker

An ugly feeling drags through me, settling in the pit of my stomach.

I feel like the biggest jerk on the planet for writing Maddy off as a spoiled rich girl. Yeah, she grew up with a lot of money from her billionaire dad, but it sounds like he treated her like some dirty little secret, second to his older kids. That is so fucked up.

Just like it’s fucked up what her ex did to her. And how fucked up it was that her coach made her starve herself for the Winter Olympics.

So many people in her life treated her like crap. I did too.

I think of how I dismissed her when we first met—how I gave her shit and refused to work with her.

Urgency swoops through me, desperate and lasting.

“You’re incredible, Maddy. You’re one of the best figure skaters who’s ever walked the face of this earth.”

“I just wish I could have held it together a little longer. I was able to skate a clean short program, but the stress finally caught up to me during the free skate. I made too many mistakes. I couldn’t manage a clean landing on two of my jumps because of my injured ankle.

And I had to switch one of my jump combinations at the last minute to one that had a lower degree of difficulty, which cost me points.

” She’s quiet for a second. “I lost out on gold…to the woman my ex cheated on me with. Who he’s engaged to now. ”

Sadness shines in her eyes.

“Jesus, are you serious?”

She nods. Rage simmers inside of me like lava. She’s endured so many awful and hurtful things.

“That’s why I broke down when I got my scores,” she says.

“Yeah, I know how bad it looked. I looked like a brat who was throwing a temper tantrum because I didn’t win.

But it was more than that. It was the culmination of everything.

I felt like the biggest failure on the planet.

It felt like I couldn’t do anything right.

I wasn’t a good enough girlfriend. I wasn’t a good enough skater.

I wasn’t a good enough daughter. Everything hit me in that moment, and I just lost it. ”

I remember seeing sports news replay her breakdown and how people ridiculed her. I remember seeing tons of mean comments online about her, comparing her to a toddler having a meltdown.

When I saw clips of her meltdown, I rolled my eyes. I dismissed her as some spoiled-rotten figure skater who flipped out when she didn’t get her way, like my ex.

But I had no idea what she was going through in that moment. I had no idea how wrong I was.

The need to comfort her surges through my body. Cupping her face in my hands, I hold her gaze.

“I’m so, so sorry you went through all that, Maddy.

You didn’t deserve it. But I need you to know something.

I need you to know that you are good enough.

More than good enough. You’re an incredible figure skater.

One of the best on the planet. Even on your worst day, you still beat out billions of other people. That’s what a badass you are.”

Her eyes are bright as she looks at me.

“Guess how many Olympic medals ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the people on this planet have? None. You beat out the entire world. That’s how good you are.”

She starts to smile.

“And your ex is a piece of shit for treating you the way he did. If I ever see him, I’m going to punch him in the face.”

She chuckles. “You will not.”

“Fine. I’ll challenge him to an arm wrestling match and call him a loser when I beat him.”

She bursts out laughing.

“And I’m sorry I called you spoiled before I got to know you. I’m sorry that I made fun of you for being the daughter of a billionaire. If I had known your history with your dad, I wouldn’t have said those things. I was a jerk.”

She wraps her hands around my wrists. “I wasn’t very nice to you either when we met.”

“Yeah, but only because I was a dickhead to you first by refusing to train with you.”

I pull her face closer to mine and press a soft kiss to her lips. The buzzer in the laundry room goes off.

“I’ll be right back,” I say.

Gently, I move her off my lap and onto the couch, then head down to grab her bedsheets. I make her bed, then walk back over to her.

I hold out my hand to her. “Let’s get you to bed.”

I help her up, and she looks up at me, those gray-blue eyes soft and shy.

“Will you lie down with me?” she asks.

“Of course I will.”

I lead her by the hand to her bedroom. I take off my joggers and hoodie, then crawl under the covers with her. I pull her against me, savoring the way she nuzzles her face into my chest.

I tuck her head under my chin, holding her tight.

“Ryker?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Thank you for letting me.”

She leans up to look at me. In the darkness, I see the emotion flashing in her beautiful eyes.

I kiss her softly, slowly. And then, a few minutes later, she falls asleep.

I wake up to the sound of my phone alarm.

I reach down to grab my pants from the floor, fish my phone out of my pocket, and silence it.

Beside me, Maddy stirs.

“What time is it?” she asks, her voice thick with sleep.

“Six.”

“So early,” she groans.

“Yeah, but I’ve got a plane to catch in a few hours.”

She opens her eyes. “Oh, right. You guys are playing Salt Lake City tonight.”

I sit up and stretch out my shoulder, groaning softly. I glance over at her bedroom window. The soft light of dawn peeks through the edge of the blinds.

She wraps her arm around my waist and peers up at me. Her eyes are puffy with sleep, her hair is messy, and she looks so damn adorable, I can barely take it.

“You probably didn’t get enough sleep last night because you were taking care of me,” she says in a soft voice.

I trace my fingertips along the edge of her jaw, savoring the softness of her skin.

“I’ll be fine,” I say.

“I feel bad. You need as much rest as possible before you play.”

I lean down and kiss her. “Don’t feel bad. I’ll take any reason to spend time with you.”

Her eyes sparkle as she looks up at me and beams.

“I should get going,” I say after I kiss her again.

“I’ll walk you out.”

I shake my head. “No. Stay in bed and rest some more.”

She yawns. “Okay.”

I slide out of bed and tuck the sheets over her. I get dressed, kiss her forehead, then walk out of the bedroom, closing the door behind me.

I walk into the kitchen, open the refrigerator, and grab a can of Coke. I set it on the counter, then leave a note.

A treat for you.

Bruce brushes up against my ankles and softly meows at me. I toss him a few treats and make sure he has enough food and water in his bowl.

I lean down and pet him. “Be good for Maddy, okay?”

And then I quietly walk out of the apartment and head to my place to pack for Salt Lake City.