Page 47 of Desperate Pucker (Denver Bashers #6)

Ryker

When I finish running through the figure-eight drill, I slow down and take a breath.

I turn around and see Maddy studying me with a thoughtful expression.

“Nice work,” she says. “You can tell how strong your ankles have gotten with how smoothly you were able to transition between your inside edge and outside edge. And you had excellent knee bend during that whole exercise. Really impressive.”

I wink at her as I chug water from my bottle. “I owe it all to you, coach.”

I don’t miss that teasing glint in her eyes.

It’s been a week since I fucked Maddy against that storage room wall during Casino Night, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

Except “fuck” is too harsh a word for what we did. Yeah, it was filthy and sexy and fun. I was bossy and said some pretty dirty things to her. But it felt like so much more than just fucking, at least for me.

I think about the way my heart raced in my chest when we were together. How it was hard for me to breathe when I looked at her. How desperate I felt to have her close to me, to taste her skin and lips, to make sure I was giving her all the pleasure I possibly could.

How, in that moment, she felt like mine.

How, when I went off on her dad and older siblings, she felt like mine.

This thing between us is supposed to be just fucking. But it’s not for me. For me, it’s so much more now.

I care about Maddy more than just a hookup buddy. More than just a friend.

I look at her as she gathers her long, fiery red hair in a ponytail. My heartbeat kicks up.

I want to tell her how I feel, but I can’t. She said she’s not ready for anything serious, and if I tell her I want to be more than friends with her, she’ll probably freak out.

I tuck away my feelings and refocus on finishing up our skating session.

We haven’t been able to see each other outside of our skating sessions this past week.

I’ve been busy with training, physical therapy, and resting as much as possible, and Maddy’s been having one-on-one sessions with the guys on the team.

As much as I wish I could spend time with her, it’s probably a good thing we haven’t had much alone time lately.

I’d probably end up spilling my feelings for her and making things weird.

Once we’re done, we head off the ice and sit on a bench to take off our skates.

“How are you feeling?” Maddy asks.

“Good. I got ten hours of sleep last night.”

She chuckles. “Wow. That’s great. Still staying away from alcohol?”

I nod.

“Impressive,” she says. “I didn’t see you sneak even a sip of alcohol at Casino Night.”

“Gotta stay on top of it with playoffs around the corner.”

We’ve made it to the playoffs this season with one of the best records in the league.

I wanna play my best for every game that I’m in, and that means I need to prioritize my sleep and diet.

I can’t have any slip-ups. Even one beer would make me feel sluggish and screw up my sleep, which would mess with my recovery.

“You’re going to kick ass in the playoffs, Ryker.”

Warmth gathers in my chest at the conviction in Maddy’s tone. I can tell she believes in me. And that means everything.

We walk through the tunnel toward the training room.

“Hey. Remember how I told you about that event for the athletic department at Hollis University?”

I stop walking and look at her. “Yeah.”

She stares down at her shoes. “It’s next weekend.” She looks at me, shyness in her eyes. “I’ve been thinking about it. I’d like to go.”

I grin. “Yeah?”

Her mouth curves up in a hesitant smile. “I think so. I’ve been thinking about Carly and how sweet and supportive she was. I’d like to meet more fans like her. And I’ve been thinking about what you said too. How you said you’d come with me. Would you still be okay with that?”

“Absolutely,” I say.

She grins. “Really?”

“Of course.”

“You don’t have to act like a bodyguard or anything like that.”

I shake my head. “I promised to be a buffer for you. That’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”

Her gray-blue eyes are warm. She takes a step closer, and for a second, I think she’s going to kiss me. But she plants her feet on the ground and blinks.

I remind myself how we both agreed not to be affectionate with each other when we’re working.

She clears her throat. “Thank you, Ryker.”

She starts to turn to head upstairs, where her office is, but I stop her.

“Hey, Maddy.”

She turns around. “Yeah?”

“Your fans are going to love meeting you. I’ll make sure everything is perfect for you.”

Her eyes are bright when she smiles. Then she blows me a kiss before running up the stairs.

And I stand there, feeling like my heart just exploded.

“This line is nuts,” Maddy says as she gazes around the Appleton Athletic Center at Hollis University.

I’m standing next to her behind a table at the far end of the space. Behind her is a huge banner with her name and a still photo of her mid-spin, holding her leg behind her head, while she wears a sparkly red figure skating costume.

About ten feet away, close to a hundred people are lined up behind a red rope to take photos with her and get her autograph.

There are a dozen other tables set up throughout the space where other athletes are set up, ready to sign autographs and take photos with the hundreds of fans that are here today.

I take in the bewildered expression on Maddy’s face. Her eyes are big, like she can’t quite believe there’s a long line of people waiting to meet her. I can tell by the way the top of her chest flushes. She does that when she’s nervous or overwhelmed.

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” Maddy says softly. Worry flashes in her big eyes.

“Hey.” I say softly, gently grabbing her hand in mine.

She blinks at me, her eyebrows furrowed.

I nod at the crowd lined up in front of us. “See those two girls standing there?”

Maddy looks over at the girls, who look like they’re about thirteen years old, staring down at their phones.

“Look at the shirts they’re wearing,” I say.

When Maddy sees their homemade I

“That’s really sweet,” she says softly.

“And did you see that little girl off to the side?”

Maddy’s face lights up when she notices the elementary school-aged girl dressed in a costume that looks exactly like the one she’s wearing in the banner behind her. When the little girl sees her, she gasps and her eyes go wide. She waves excitedly at Maddy, who smiles and waves back.

“They’re all excited to see you, Maddy. They’re happy you’re here. I am too.”

She gives my hand a squeeze, and the worry fades from her face. She looks a little less nervous now.

“Thank you,” she says softly.

I turn and grab a small bag of chocolate chip cookies out of my jacket pocket that’s hanging over the chair next to me. “Here. Eat this.”

“You baked my favorite cookies?”

I nod. “I thought you might like something sweet before you get started today.”

She smiles before helping herself to another cookie, then sips the ice Americano with cinnamon I brought her this morning.

She takes a breath. “Okay. I’m ready.”

She sits down, and I take the chair next to her. A university employee gestures for the line to move up closer to Maddy.

A trio of teenage girls comes up to her, beaming.

“Oh my god, we love you so much!”

“Yeah! You’re my idol!”

“I bought my prom dress because it looked like the costume you wore at the Olympics.”

Maddy’s smile widens as she signs the posters they lay out on the table for her. “You are so sweet. Thank you so much for showing up to see me.”

“We’ve been lined up since six a.m. this morning!” one of them says.

“Yeah, we were so freaking excited to meet you.”

“We wanted to be the first ones in line.”

I don’t miss the wonder that flashes in her eyes. I can tell she’s so touched by how these girls went out of their way just to see her.

She blinks quickly and lets out a flustered chuckle. “You guys are going to make me cry.”

They ask for a photo, and I offer to take the picture.

“Are you a figure skater too?” one of them asks me.

“Nah, I’m her assistant. And bodyguard.”

All three of them go “oohhh” with identical surprised expressions. Maddy chuckles, then poses for a photo with them.

I hand them back their phone, and they say goodbye after hugging her.

“I was going to introduce you before you took the pic,” Maddy says.

I shake my head, smiling. “They’re here for you, not me.”

Maddy beams. Two college students come up to her table with a poster and T-shirt for her to sign.

“Our friend Carly met you,” one of them says excitedly. “She said you were so nice!”

“And so pretty too!” the other young woman says. “She said you have the best hair.”

Maddy blushes. “She’s the best. It was really fun meeting her.”

She chats while signing autographs. Carly runs up to join them, and Maddy hugs her. They ask for a photo together, and I take a bunch for them. When Maddy asks if they want to exchange Instagram handles, they look like they’re ready to pass out from joy.

The little girl in the skating costume walks up with her mom next.

“Amelia wanted to ask you something,” the little girl’s mom says while smiling down at her.

Maddy leans down and smiles at the little girl. “What’s that?”

Amelia’s blue eyes are big as she looks at Maddy. “Um, can I have a hug?”

Maddy chuckles, hops up from her chair, and walks around the table over to Amelia. She crouches down and hugs her. Amelia wraps her little arms around Maddy’s neck. Her mom snaps a bunch of pictures on her phone. I offer to take one of all three of them, and she happily accepts.

She sets a poster of Maddy skating on the table for her to sign.

“I was a figure skater for almost twenty years,” she says.

“That’s incredible.”

“I even skated for most of my pregnancy with Amelia.”

“Oh my gosh, you’re amazing,” Maddy says.

She chuckles. “Funnily enough, ice skating was the only thing that helped the pregnancy nausea go away.” She glances down at her daughter. “Amelia just started skating lessons.”

“That must be so special to share your passion with your daughter.”

Amelia’s mom’s expression turns tender. “It really is. If you have kids someday, do you want them to figure skate too?” She looks at me. “Your kids are going to have some incredible genes. You’re a hockey player, right?”

I cough, caught off guard. “Oh, um…yeah. I’m surprised you could tell.”

“My husband’s a big Bashers fan. He’s rooting for you in the playoffs.”

“Tell him thanks. I’m gonna need it.”

She chuckles and turns back to Maddy. “I guess it’ll be a battle of hockey versus figure skating for your future babies,” she jokes.

Maddy lets out a flustered chuckle. “Oh, we’re not…I mean…” She shakes her head, still smiling. “Actually, yeah. I’d love to have kids someday, and I’d love for them to get into figure skating like me.” She turns to me and flashes a knowing smile. “Hockey’s cool too though.”

My heart bounces around my chest. I know she’s just saying that to be polite, but my brain for some reason pulls up an image of Maddy and me skating together on a frozen pond, a tiny kid between us, holding both of our hands.

For some reason, I picture a little girl.

She has fiery red hair, just like Maddy, and brown eyes, like me.

I swallow hard and push aside the image. What the hell was that?

Amelia and her mom walk off after thanking Maddy. As she meets more of her fans, I can’t help but think about the future I picture with Maddy. And the strangest thing? It didn’t freak me out at all.