“I don’t.”
“Do you feel like I judge you?”
“Never,” he says simply.
Then he visibly gulps, and I know precisely how he feels.
This is fucking terrifying.
Ryder rolls us over so that he’s on his back and I’m draped over his bare chest. He runs his fingers along my naked skin, from my shoulder to my tailbone, before resting his palm on my hip. I shiver from his touch.
“Gisele,” he says.
“Mmmm?”
“Are we dating now?”
A smile tickles my lips. I rise slightly on my elbow and gaze down at him. He’s biting his lip and it’s adorable.
“Yeah. I think we are.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
GIGI
The world is scary sometimes
I SNEAK OUT OF RYDER’S HOTEL ROOM AT AN UNGODLY HOUR because I’m terrified the Briar men’s bus will show up early and somehow Case will see us.
I’m going to have to tell him eventually, I know that. I just hate the idea of hurting him. We were together almost two years. There’s history there.
I assumed Ryder and I would hook up a few times and then it would end. Case would be none the wiser. Never even need to know. But Ryder and I can’t keep hiding anymore. It’s been months now. Which floors me, because it feels like I’ve known him forever. I can’t remember a time when one of his drugging kisses didn’t fog up my brain.
We win our afternoon game, remaining undefeated thus far this season. Then we have an hour to grab an early dinner before going to watch the men play. I haven’t seen any of their games since Ryder and Case went camping in the middle of the road. They’ve racked up four consecutive wins since then, and from what I’ve heard, they’ve been an unstoppable force, but this is my first time experiencing it in person.
Right off the bat, I see the difference. Especially with those two. They’re gelling like I’ve never seen before, a deadly attack squad with Will serving as the third forward. Beckett and Demaine are the d-men, the pair of them also on fire.
“Oh God,” Cami groans. “He has such soft hands.”
She’s talking about Beckett. It’s true—he doesn’t have the speed of Case or Ryder, but man, the ease with which he wields that stick…
“He’s magnificent,” she sighs.
“Have you still not hooked up with him?” Whitney says in amusement.
“No!” Cami whines. “Can you believe this? It’s unacceptable.”
The score is tied 1–1 for most of the game, until midway through the third period, the craziest play I’ve ever seen goes down.
Case takes a hit from his opponent, and as he goes falling to the ice, he manages to tip the puck. And Ryder, who just got checked himself and is in the process of spinning around from the impact, somehow manages to scoop the puck, do nearly a complete 360, and stuff the puck in between the goalie’s leg pad and blocker.
Goal.
The entire rink loses it, even the home crowd. Because that was truly the coolest thing on the entire planet. There’s an explosion of cheers and hollers as my teammates and I jump to our feet screaming our lungs out. An amazed and ecstatic Ryder thrusts both arms over his head just as Case throws his own arms around him. Flashbulbs go off, and I suspect that iconic victory pose is going to be blasted all over the sports blogs tomorrow.
“God, when he smiles…” Whitney says, shivering.
I realize she’s admiring Ryder, who skates past the plexiglass and tips his head in our direction. I told him where we were sitting, and although I don’t know if he sees me, the devastatingly handsome grin he flashes the stands sure feels like it’s for me.
Five minutes later, the final buzzer goes off and Briar wins 2–1.
“Come on. Let’s go wait for the boys,” Cami says, hopping to her feet. “We gotta drag them out to celebrate.”
We follow the people in our row toward the end of the aisle, but it’s slow going. And once we get there, we join another line inching its way to the bottom of the bleachers. I take a step, then stop abruptly when Cami stops, which causes the person behind to bump into me. I glance over to apologize.
“Sorry,” I tell the beefy blond guy.
“All good.” His eyes then widen in appreciation. “Hi there.”
“Hey,” I say politely, then face forward again.
I jerk when I feel a tiny tap on my shoulder. I glance over again.
“You ladies have any plans for the rest of the night?”
“Just going to meet our teammates.” I keep my gaze straight ahead and will the line to move faster. I can already tell this is not going to go in the direction he wants.
“Teammates? You mean the Briar dudes? You play too?”
“Yep.”
A slimy grin spreads across his face as he moves a bit closer. “That’s hot. I love female athletes.”
I try to shuffle faster to get away from him. He’s invading my personal space now and I don’t like it.
Cami twists to look at me, lifting a brow as if to ask if I need help. I give a slight shake of my head.
“I really mean that,” he tells me, as if I care whether or not he does.
“Cool.” Relief hits me as we reach the bottom row. “Well, see you around,” I say, and anyone capable of picking up on social cues would know I don’t mean it.
This guy is not capable. “I’m looking forward to it,” he drawls, winking at me.
Case texts as we reach the lobby of the rink.
CASE:
We’re all hitting up a club downtown later. Some place called Smooth Moves. You ladies down?
I check with the girls, and they all nod.
Back at the hotel, Cami and I dress for a night out. My only option is the little black dress I wore last night. When Cami’s in the bathroom, though, I hastily examine the fabric to make sure I didn’t leak all the way through it when Ryder was fingering me at the opera.
A shiver runs through me. I honestly don’t think I will ever, ever get enough of him. Not the sex, which only keeps getting better. But the company’s growing on me too. Every prickly, grumpy part of him.
My teammates are all ready to go when my phone rings. I check the screen and wave Cami through the door.
“It’s my brother,” I tell her. “I’ll meet you guys in the lobby.”
“Undefeated,” Wyatt crows when I answer the call. “I just heard.”
“Yeah, the season’s going really well.”
“You think you’ll make it to the championship?”
“I mean, it’s still super early. There’s like twenty more games to go. But I hope so.” I bite my lip to stop the excitement, because I told myself not to get my hopes up, but I can’t help sharing the potential news with him. “One of the assistant coaches from Team USA is here this weekend. He stopped me in the hotel yesterday and told me I don’t have anything to worry about. Basically implied I’d make the final roster.”
“Fuck yeah. I told you.” Wyatt laughs. “Emma might be a total whack job, but her dad’s clearly got a good head on his shoulders.”
“One would hope. Anyway, I gotta bounce. We’re going out tonight with the men’s team to celebrate both wins.”