Page 39 of Desperate Pucker (Denver Bashers #6)

Ryker

Coach Porter blows the whistle, ending practice.

“Bring it in, gentlemen.”

We all circle around him.

“Well done. That’s the kind of energy I like to see,” he says. “Especially after a string of away games and a blizzard that set us back a day. I love the hustle I saw from you all today.”

He crosses his arms over his chest, his gaze focusing. “We’re heading into this month with a great record. I feel confident about where we are right now. If you keep this up, we’ll enter the playoffs very strong.”

Excitement fires up inside of me. I haven’t been to the playoffs in years. I’m confident we’ll make it there—we’re one of the best teams in the league.

And once we’re there, I’m going to play my ass off to help us make it to the finals.

“One more thing,” Coach Porter says before dismissing us. “Casino Night is in two weeks. This is a huge fundraising event for the team, and your attendance is mandatory.”

Casino Night is an event that multiple professional hockey teams host every year.

Fans of the team pay to attend so they can meet the players, coaches, and other team staff.

Players are dealers for some of the casino games so they can interact with fans in a fun setting.

All the money raised goes toward the Cancer Research Foundation, which the Bashers partner with every year.

“Dress code is black tie,” Coach Porter says. “That means tuxes, gentlemen. And absolutely no sneakers. Significant others are welcome to attend. Everyone must be eighteen and older. No kids.”

He dismisses us, and we head to the locker room to get cleaned up.

“I’m gonna win big at Casino Night,” Camden says while shedding his gear.

Del frowns at him. “We don’t gamble with real money.”

Camden just smirks. “I know. I meant with the ladies.”

Del rolls his eyes.

“You’re not bringing a date?” Sam asks Camden.

“Nah, I like to keep my options open,” he says.

I shake my head at him.

“I bet you could bag a few numbers too, Georgie,” he says.

“Not interested. And quit calling me Georgie or I’ll murder you.”

“Is it because you’re getting along with Madeline now?”

I glare at the smug look on his face, then toss my sweaty glove at him.

“Gross,” he says through a laugh, then throws it back. “I’m just saying. I’ve noticed you two haven’t been arguing much lately. You actually seem like you’re getting along now.”

“We’re friends,” I say, not elaborating. I’m not one to talk about my personal life. Even though I get along with my teammates and count most of them as friends, I don’t feel comfortable telling them about what’s going on with Maddy, especially since we agreed to keep things between us private.

I wonder if the other guys have noticed how things between her and me have changed.

“Well, you should definitely invite your friend to Casino Night,” Camden says.

I huff out an annoyed sigh at the way he emphasizes the word “friend.”

I glare up at him again, right as Sam smacks his shoulder. “Knock it off.” Sam turns to me. “It’s good that you and Madeline are getting along now.”

There’s no hint of smartass-ness in Sam’s tone, which isn’t surprising. He’s not a smartass like Camden.

I nod at Sam, then grab my towel so I can go shower. As much as I’m trying to play like I don’t care, seeing Maddy at Casino Night is something I’m looking forward to. Just thinking about her wearing some slinky dress, looking hot as hell, has my dick twitching.

I finish showering, then get dressed. On my way out, I stop at her office and knock on her door.

“Come in.”

When I open it, she’s sitting at her desk, focused on her laptop. When she looks up, she beams at me.

She stands up. “Hey, you.”

“Hey.” I close the door behind me. “You’re going to Casino Night, right?”

She nods. “Yeah, I think all the team staff are.”

I walk up to her, rest my hands on her waist, and pull her toward me. “What are you planning on wearing?”

Her cheeks blush when she grins. “Not sure. I don’t have anything in my closet that meets the black tie dress code. I’ll have to go shopping.”

“You don’t sound excited about that.”

She sighs. “Sometimes it’s hard figuring out what color looks good on me with how bright my hair is. A lot of redheads have issues with that.”

“Maddy, you’d look stunning wearing a trash bag.”

She chuckles and playfully shoves me.

“I mean it.” An idea hits. “Let me take you shopping.”

Her smile turns amused. “You want to take me dress shopping?”

Excitement flickers in my chest at the thought of watching Maddy try on a bunch of sexy dresses.

“Yeah. It’ll be fun.”

She bites her lip, her smile growing. “Okay.”

We walk up to a storefront in the upscale Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver.

“I think this place is closed,” Maddy says, squinting at the darkened entrance.

I can’t help but smile when I knock on the glass door. “The owner’s opening the store just for us.”

Maddy’s mouth parts open right as a petite woman with short dark hair and a bright smile opens the door.

“Hello, Ryker?”

“Hi, Ms. Salonga. Thank you for opening your boutique for us today.”

I don’t miss the way Maddy’s eyes widen when she recognizes her name.

“Call me Kara. ‘Ms. Salonga’ makes me feel so old.” She chuckles. “Come on in.”

We follow her inside.

“You’re Kara Salonga,” Maddy says, her eyes bright. She’s starstruck.

Kara chuckles. “I am. And you’re Madeline Macer. I’m a huge fan.”

Maddy’s jaw drops, and she stammers. “You know who I am?”

Kara chuckles and gently pats Maddy’s arm. “Of course I know who you are. I’m a big figure skating fan. You are incredibly talented. And I’m so honored to have you shopping at my new store.”

She gestures around at the minimally decorated space. The walls are light pink, and the floor is made of smooth blonde-hued hardwood. There are built-in clothing racks along the walls, but they’re only half full.

“This is the space for my new evening wear collection,” Kara says. “I’m so honored to have you as the first official customer.”

Maddy turns to me, a shocked smile on her face.

“Aww she’s so surprised, I love it.” Kara laughs. She pats my arm. “Well done.”

She motions for us to follow her to the other side of the space. “Ryker tells me you have a black tie event coming up.”

“It’s Casino Night for the Denver Bashers hockey team. I work for them as a skating coach.”

“Oh, I love black tie events!” Kara stops at a rack full of evening gowns. “I selected these from my upcoming collection. No one has seen them yet, so I’m excited for you to try them on.”

Maddy’s eyes are glittery as she stares at the dozen gowns hanging along the wall.

“The dressing room is just behind that curtain. Try on as many of them as you’d like.” Kara smiles at Maddy. “Have fun.”

We both tell her thank you when she walks off.

Maddy turns to me, beaming. “Are you kidding me right now?”

I just smile and shrug.

“You requested a private shopping appointment for me at Kara Salonga’s new boutique—her new boutique that hasn’t even opened!” she squeals in a soft voice.

“I did.”

“How did you manage this?”

“Sam’s agent is Kara’s cousin. He mentioned how he organized a private shopping session for Dakota for her birthday a while back, and I thought that was a cool idea.

And I overheard you and Dakota talking a while ago about how you both like Kara’s designs when we were all hanging out at Spanky’s. I thought you might like it too.”

Her smile turns warm as she looks at me. “You did this for me.” She sounds almost bewildered

I nod.

Emotion flashes in her big, gray-blue eyes. She shakes her head. “No one’s ever done something this thoughtful for me,” she says.

Determination surges through me. She deserves this. She deserves to feel special. And I like being the guy who makes her feel that way. I like surprising her. I like seeing her happy. I want to make her happy all the time.

My chest flickers with an emotion I don’t recognize.

“This is amazing, Ryker. Thank you.”

I step forward and press a soft kiss to her forehead. “It’s my pleasure. You ready to try on some dresses?”