Page 31 of Desperate Pucker (Denver Bashers #6)

Maddy

Iwatch from the edge of the ice as the guys on the team run through their final drill at practice.

Coach Porter skates up to me. “How are they looking to you?”

“Great. Especially Ryker and Camden. Their edges are really clean. The cleanest on the team.”

He nods as he watches them both. “You can tell they’ve been working with you the longest.” He turns to me. “Think you can help the other guys on the team improve their skating?”

“If they’re willing to put in the work, absolutely.”

In addition to Camden and Ryker, I’ve been training about half of the other guys on the team now. It’s only been a handful of weeks, but already Coach Porter and his assistant coaches are seeing an improvement. The team has been performing incredibly. They’ve won all three of their last games.

Tomorrow we head to Montreal for a string of away games, and I’m already so excited. It feels like the work I’m doing is making a difference. I’m starting to feel like part of the team staff—not just like they keep me around because I’m the team owner’s daughter.

Coach Porter blows the whistle, signaling the end of practice. I watch as the guys circle around him. I can’t hear the pep talk he gives them, but they all look pretty engrossed in whatever he’s saying. Clearly, they respect him and are inspired to play well for him.

Ryker glances up and sees me. He winks at me; I fight a smile.

“Hey, Madeline.”

I turn around and see Abby walking up to me, holding the hand of her daughter, Emma. I recognize her from the framed family photos in Coach Porter’s office.

I smile. “Hey, Abby.” I look at her daughter. “And you must be Emma.”

The adorable blonde little girl who looks to be around seven years old beams at me.

“I’m Madeline. I’m a friend of your mom’s. I work with Gavin too.”

“Gavin and Mom say you train Ryker,” Emma says.

“That’s right. I help him with his skating.”

“He’s my favorite player.” She turns around and shows me the jersey she’s wearing. It’s Ryker’s. I smile when I see the number seven covered in pink and red rhinestones.

“That is a very cool jersey.”

Abby chuckles. “Gavin helped her bedazzle it. A few of the jewels have fallen off because of how much she wears it.”

Coach Porter dismisses the guys, and they all head off the ice. We stand off to the side so we’re not in the way. They say hi to Abby and me, and give high-fives to Emma. Ryker is the last one off the ice. When he sees Emma, he smiles and holds out his giant gloved hand to fist bump her.

I smile at how cute it is.

“There’s my favorite fan in the whole wide world,” Ryker says. “When are you gonna come watch me play?”

Emma beams. “Pretty soon.”

“Your mom says you’ve been busy with ballet classes.”

She nods. “They’re so fun.”

“More fun than watching hockey?”

She giggles and nods. Ryker makes a mock sad face and stumbles back, like he’s hurt. Emma laughs harder.

“Break my heart, why don’t you?” he jokes.

A warm feeling wraps around my heart. Ryker is so cute when he’s goofing around with Emma.

“I can like hockey and ballet,” she says.

“You sure can,” he says.

“Can you come to my school for show and tell again?”

Abby smooths Emma’s blonde hair out of her face. “Honey, Ryker already came for show and tell. You’re supposed to bring something new every time, remember?”

“Yeah, but my friends in my class said it was the most fun show and tell ever because he gave us all piggyback rides.”

When I think of Ryker, all huge and gruff-looking, playing with a group of elementary schoolers, my heart melts.

“I’m happy to come again, but only if it’s okay with your teacher,” Ryker says.

Abby smiles at him, then Emma. “We’ll ask your teacher first, okay?”

Emma nods. Coach Porter walks up to Abby and Emma. “You ladies ready for me to take you out to lunch?”

“Ready!” Emma says.

The three of them walk off, leaving Ryker and me alone.

“Well, that was ridiculously sweet.”

“She’s a great kid,” Ryker says.

His gaze focuses on me and sharpens, just like it did the other night when he was over at my apartment, cooking me dinner.

I think about all the filthy things we got up to…how he went down on me and gave me more orgasms in a row than I’d ever had in my life. My cheeks catch fire.

How did I manage to land such a hot and sweet guy to hook up with?

I follow a half-step behind him on my way to my office.

“Ready for Montreal tomorrow, princess?” His voice is soft and low so that only I can hear him speak.

That smile I’ve been fighting finally breaks free. “So ready.”