Page 45 of Desperate Pucker (Denver Bashers #6)

Ryker

“Could I get a Manhattan, please?”

I look at the sixty-something man standing at the bar who just ordered.

“I don’t actually know how to make that,” I say. “How about a whiskey and Coke instead?”

Maddy giggles while seated at the bar, just a couple of feet away from me. The guy frowns at me.

“Or you can order from that guy. He’s a real bartender.” I nod at the other end of the bar.

“I’ll do that instead,” the guy mumbles.

I turn to Maddy, who’s laughing even harder now. “How am I doing?”

She flashes that stunning smile and raises her half-empty glass of water. “You’re knocking it out of the park.”

A couple more people walk up to me and order wine and beer, which is easy enough.

I’m talking with Maddy when I hear a familiar voice.

“Ryker, my man. You wouldn’t happen to know how to make a decent gin martini, would you?”

I glare at Bobby Baker’s smirking face. I shouldn’t be too surprised to see him here. Even though Casino Night is for fans of the team, sometimes sports reporters will make a donation so they can attend too.

“All I can give you is a glass of gin, straight.”

Bobby chuckles. “Guess that’ll have to do.”

I pour some gin into a glass and slide it over to him.

“Gotta say, I’m surprised that a man your age doesn’t know how to make a gin martini. You’re old enough that you should know,” he says. I can tell by the look in his eyes that he’s trying to get a rise out of me.

I grit my teeth to keep from telling him to go fuck himself. This is supposed to be a fun night where we connect with fans and raise money for charity. I can’t let myself lose my cool and start a fight with a rude sports reporter.

Bobby raises his glass at me. “Cheers, old man. Thanks a bunch.”

“Do you think you’re funny?”

I look over at Maddy, who’s looking at Bobby like she’s disgusted.

He chuckles. “Sorry, what was that?”

“Do you think you’re funny?” she repeats.

He laughs again. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“When you make jokes about Ryker’s age, do you think you’re funny? Because you’re not. You’re actually pathetic.”

Bobby’s smile fades. “Excuse me?”

“You’re, what, in your late forties?”

He frowns like he’s offended. “Forty-four, actually.”

“So you, a forty-four-year-old man, are making fun of a thirty-five-year-old professional hockey player for doing something you could never, ever do. Don’t you think that’s kind of pathetic?”

My eyes go wide at the pointed, scolding tone in Maddy’s voice.

Bobby rolls his shoulders, sitting up straighter. His cheeks redden like he’s embarrassed. “I’m just doing my job.”

“Your job is to taunt professional athletes about their age?”

He narrows his gaze at her. “My job is to give my opinion on how athletes like Ryker perform.”

She makes a scoff-laugh noise and shakes her head. “You’re a glorified cyber bully. So very pathetic.”

His brow lifts in surprise

“Get a new job, Bobby. You’re terrible at your current one.” She looks down at his glass of gin. “Also, leave a tip. This is a charity event.”

His face is red as he digs a five-dollar bill out of his wallet and tosses it into the tip jar on the bar before walking off.

I stand there and stare at Maddy, stunned at the way she defended me.

I round the corner of the bar, grab her hand, and pull her through a side door to a darkened, empty corner.

Her eyes are big as she gazes up at me. “Is everything okay?”

Instead of answering her, I kiss her. She moans into my mouth and tugs her fingers through my hair.

When I let her go, she stumbles back, her eyes wide.

“What was that for?” she asks.

“For the way you stood up for me against that jackass. It was hot.”

A shy smile pulls at her lush, ruby lips. “I wasn’t going to stand there and let him be a jerk to you.”

She glances up at my hair, then reaches up to smooth it down. “Shoot, it’s all messy now.”

“I don’t care.”

She smears her thumb along the side of my mouth. “My lipstick’s on you.”

“I don’t care,” I say again.

She bites back a smile. “We can’t go back out there with your hair messy and my lipstick all over your mouth. People will think we were messing around.”

“Let them think that.”

Her smile turns teasing as she gazes up at me. Once she cleans me up, we head back into the ballroom, and I continue making drinks at the bar. A few more fans come over to chat and take photos. Maddy leaves to hang out with Ingrid and Sophie.

When I look up, I see Greg Macer, Maddy’s dad and the team owner, walk up to me.

I tense up. “Mr. Macer. Hello.” I manage to keep my tone polite.

“Hi, Ryker. How’s the bartending going?”

“Pretty good so far, as long as you don’t ask me to make you an actual cocktail.”

He cracks a smile.

“What can I get you?”

He holds up a hand. “No alcohol for me tonight, thank you. Just wanted to see how you fellas were enjoying the evening.”

“It’s been nice connecting with fans,” I say.

I’m polite when I speak to him, but I can’t help the dislike I feel for this guy.

He’s a cheater and a liar. He denied responsibility for Maddy until after she was born.

He wasn’t a good dad to her. He favored his older kids over her.

Yeah, he owns the team I play for, but that doesn’t take away from what a piece of shit he is.

A man and woman who look a few years older than me walk up to Greg.

“Preston. Clara. How are you two enjoying the event?”

“It’s been interesting for sure. Thanks for inviting us,” Preston says.

Greg turns to me. “This is Ryker. He’s one of the wingers on the team. Ryker, this is my son and daughter, Preston and Claire.”

These are Maddy’s older half-siblings. They both give me polite smiles. I nod at them.

While the three of them talk, a couple of people come up to me and order beers. I turn away to pour them drinks. I overhear them talk about what sounds like work stuff. They must work for their dad’s companies.

“Madeline. Good to see you,” Preston says, his voice strained.

When I turn around, I see Claire frowning at Maddy’s dress.

“That’s a very interesting color. Quite flashy, don’t you think?” she says.

Anger turns the muscles in my shoulders tense. Are these two for real? Can they at least try not to sound like total assholes?

Maddy starts to turn away as she rolls her eyes. She grabs a maraschino cherry from the glass container on the bartop and a cocktail napkin.

“It’s not a crime to wear a bright color, Claire,” Maddy says.

Claire purses her lips and skims her hand along the black dress she’s wearing.

Greg clears his throat, frowning as he looks between his kids. “We were just chatting about work,” he says to Maddy before turning to Preston and Claire. “Madeline started working for the Bashers a few months ago.”

Preston frowns like he’s annoyed. “Doing what?”

“I’m a skating coach for the players,” she says.

Claire raises an eyebrow. “Interesting.”

Maddy pops the cherry in her mouth, exhaling sharply as she chews.

“Do you think you’ve earned that job?” Preston asks. He sounds like he’s on the verge of laughing. Like the idea of Maddy working as a skating coach is some kind of joke.

Maddy frowns like she’s confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, that you don’t have any work experience as a coach, right?”

She pins her half-brother with a hard stare. “You’re right. I don’t. I’ve only just figure skated my entire life and competed at the Winter Olympics twice. And won a bronze medal.”

Preston’s face turns red. I start to chuckle. He looks at me before he turns back to her.

“I just don’t know if you’ve earned the opportunity to have a job like that,” Preston says. “Working for a professional hockey team is a big deal. They only want the best and brightest working for them, you know.”

I ball my hand into a fist, aching to tell that guy to fuck right off. I look at Greg, wondering if he’s going to tell his son to shut the hell up and defend his daughter, but he just stands there, quietly looking off to the side.

Anger slices through me. I feel on edge, like a caged animal. I’m done standing here, waiting for Maddy’s dad to stand up for her while her older siblings talk down to her. Clearly he’s not ever going to do that.

I walk from behind the bar over to them.

“Don’t talk to her like that,” I bite.

Preston’s brow lifts as he looks at me. “Pardon me?”

“Don’t talk to her like that,” I say again.

He blinks at me, like he’s still processing the fact that I dared to speak to him.

“Did you earn your current job through merit? Because from what I heard, your dad gave it to you.” I turn to Claire. “And your job too.”

They both gawk at me.

“Who the hell are you to speak to me like that?” Preston says.

“I’m one of the players that Maddy coaches.

She helped me train after an ankle injury and a knee injury.

Because of her—because of how good she is at her job—I’m playing better than I have in years.

She’s done that for multiple players on this team.

We’re one of the top teams in the league, and she’s the reason for it. ”

Preston blinks, narrowing his gaze at me. He probably thinks I’m a piece of trash that’s beneath him. I don’t fucking care. I’m not going to let him get away with insulting Maddy.

“Yeah, maybe she got this job because of her dad, but you’re not any better,” I say. “In fact, she’s better than you. She actually earned this position because she’s one of the best figure skaters in the world. What are you even good at?”

He stammers, pulling at the collar of his tux.

“Don’t you dare insult her like that ever again.” I turn to Claire. “And I don’t know what your problem is, but Maddy looks incredible in that dress.”

I turn to Greg. “I don’t know what your problem is either.

How can you stand there and let them insult Maddy like that?

She’s your daughter. She’s fucking incredible.

Beyond incredible. Most parents would lose their minds if they had a kid like her.

And you barely act like her dad. What is wrong with you? ”

It’s not till I finish speaking that I realize how fast my heart is pounding in my chest.

I shouldn’t have gone off on the team owner and his kids. He’s probably pissed. I’ll probably get in trouble for this. Maybe even suspended from the team if he’s really pissed at me.

I don’t care though. It would be worth it. Anything’s worth it as long as it’s for Maddy.

Just then, Maddy grabs my hand and pulls me away.

We end up in that same darkened hallway where we kissed an hour ago, but we walk farther down this time. She pushes open a random door and flips on a light. It looks like a storage closet.

She presses her palm on my chest, pushing me against the wall. Her eyes are big as she looks at me. She looks totally stunned. For a tense moment, she doesn’t say anything.

“Ryker, you just went off on my siblings. And my dad. The owner of the team you play for.”

“Yeah.”

“You could get in trouble. He could suspend you.”

“I don’t fucking care.”

Her eyes go even bigger. “You don’t?”

I shake my head. I cup my hand over her cheek. “No one treats you like that, Maddy. I don’t care who it is.”

She blinks, the look in her stormy eyes warm. And then she kisses me.