The Rebound: A Rochester Riot Sports Romance Read online

  “Hard to forget. You were the guest of honor, after all.”

  “Yeah, I guess. Well, I came to apologize.”

  She gave a small shrug. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Accidents happen in restaurants all the time. I’ve gotten worse things than expensive champagne spilled on me before.”

  “It’s not okay. I’m normally much less clumsy and much less drunk. I gave you a rough time, and I want to make it up to you.”

  Her eyes narrowed, and he thought he saw a flash of pain sweep across her beautiful features. His heart sank again knowing he’d put it there.

  “That dress was my bridesmaid’s dress from my sister’s wedding. You can’t make up for something like that. It’s silk. Not even dry-cleaning can save it.”

  Ryder straightened his back and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. This wasn’t going so well. He took a step closer. “Okay. I really am sorry about that. Look, can we start over? I’m Ryder. What’s your name?”

  She seemed to think about it for a minute, as though deciding if he was worth trusting with even that small bit of information. “Hannah,” she finally said, still not releasing her rigid posture. Her stiff stance told him more than words. He wasn’t welcome.

  “Hello, Hannah. Pleased to meet you. Will you accept my apology and allow me to save at least some face by taking you out to dinner? I won’t be able to sleep at night until I make some kind of reparation to you.”

  She glanced left and right. “Uh, I work in a restaurant, in case you haven’t noticed.”

  “Right, how about a hockey game? It’s my first game with the Riot this week, and I’m kinda nervous. Would be nice to have a friend in the stands.”

  “A friend? You seemed to have lots of friends last night,” she said, sarcasm lacing her voice. “And I don’t really follow hockey. I’ve never been to a game. In spite of working here, it’s not my favorite sport.”

  Ouch. Two shots. Both of them blocked. Yeah, he’d gotten a little carried away last night and was rather embarrassed at all the attention he’d received from all the bare-chested groupies. But man, he hadn’t had to work so hard in a conversation since his date with Eloise. How could this girl live in Rochester, work in a joint owned by a pro hockey player, located only a few blocks from the arena, and not be interested in hockey? In Minnesota. The fucking state of hockey. He lifted his hands from his pockets and spread them wide.

  “Well, there’s a first time for everything. Give it a try? You just might like it.”

  A trace of a smile began to bloom on her delicate face. At last, the storm clouds were breaking, allowing a little light to peek through. To Ryder, it was more than a smile – it was the sunrise of a new day. One where he hadn’t made any mistakes yet. He hoped to keep it that way. He held his breath on a prayer as he awaited his fate.

  “Alright,” she said. “Spud keeps telling me I should get out more. I’m new to the city, and I haven’t seen much of it since I’ve been so busy working.”

  Ryder smiled back. “Well, you came at the right time. Rochester is at its best in winter. You’ll love it once you get to know it.”

  She looked at him curiously. “How do you get to know a place when it’s so cold out?”

  “By embracing it,” he said. “When are you off work? I could show you around, give you some winter survival tips.”

  “I-I’m on the late shift today,” she said, her smile fading.

  No, no, no. Don’t let that sun go down.

  “Tomorrow then. You must be off on a Sunday, right? Around two o’clock? I’ll pick you up. Where do you live?”

  Chapter Ten

  Déjà vu passed over him like a rippling curtain as he pulled up in front of the address Hannah had given him. Wasn’t this the same building where he’d dropped off Eloise after their date more than a year ago? Ryder brushed off the memory like a piece of lint. He didn’t know where Mr. and Mrs. Fiorino made their home now. Some fancy suburb, most likely. Didn’t matter. All his senses now focused on the girl walking down the steps from the entrance. He jumped out from behind the wheel of his Lexus to open the passenger door.

  With the temperature inching toward zero, she looked dressed for the weather, wearing fleece leggings and tall boots. Her hip-length belted jacket had fur trim on the sleeves and collar, and her hair fell in silky ribbons from beneath a cute knitted Sherpa cap with pompoms dangling from the ears. She looked as fresh and bright as the crisp December day around them. Lust hit him square in the gut.

  “Hi,” he said, brushing it away. He’d vowed to be on his best behavior. “You look great, Hannah. Ready for the great white north?”

  She smiled, an authentic one this time, that dimpled her cheeks and illuminated her large blue eyes. Cornflowers, that was it. The color of cornflower blossoms. He’d never look at that bloom the same way again.

  “Thank you,” she replied, holding her arms out to the sides. “Well, you said to embrace it… so I thought I should be insulated.”

  How about I embrace you, gorgeous… keep you warmer than that coat ever could. Ryder inhaled the chilly air to cool off his baser thoughts as he helped her into the warm luxury of his car. He wanted to impress her, not club her over the head like a caveman. As tempting as that is.

  “So where are we going?” she asked brightly, her petal-pink lips stretching across the curve of her brilliant white smile. She reminded him of a piece of glossy ribbon candy – the kind you know you shouldn’t eat but are eventually going to give in to. A lollipop. And he wanted to lick it. He put a hand on the gear shift and slipped it into drive.

  “I’ve got some ideas,” he said with a smug grin.

  She laughed out loud, the sound even sweeter than a ringer off the post and in. “That’s Buddy the Elf talking. I’ve seen that movie. Let me guess, first stop is a crappy cup of coffee?”

  “Followed by a spin in the revolving door at Macy’s,” he said, picking up on the joke. “Actually I thought I’d save the coffee for last, to warm us up for afters.”

  “Okay,” she said, nodding. “Sounds practical.”

  Practical was the last adjective he wanted applied to a date with him, but he had a sense that ‘ahead slow’ would be the road sign for today’s journey. Something he wasn’t used to, but definitely fell into the ‘low risk, high reward’ category he favored. Dipping into Hannah’s sweet rewards would be worth the leisurely stroll. Glancing at those full lips he coveted, he wondered if he’d get an opportunity to steal a kiss from them before the date ended.

  He hoped so. He couldn’t remember being attracted to a woman so much.

  Ryder decided on a circle tour of central Rochester. Frost-encrusted trees lined the boulevards, and light drifts of snow gathered against curbs and fences along the way. They started near the Mayo Civic Center, driving south by the Apache Mall and Soldier’s Field, then northwest past Cascade Lake Park. Finally, they cut eastward to connect with North Broadway, crossed the river, and pulled into the parking lot at the Rochester Recreation Centre. The packed snow crunched beneath the car’s wheels as Ryder came to a stop.

  “All right, now you’ve seen the highlights from the safety of the bus, time for the group activity portion of the tour,” he announced.

  Hannah looked at him from beneath the brim of her pompom covered hat. “Like?”

  He wiggled his eyebrows up and down, villain-style. “What size boots do you wear?”

  “For what?” she asked warily.

  “Something I’m actually fairly coordinated at, unlike navigating crowded rooms. Skating.”

  Her impossibly blue eyes went wide. “I don’t know how to skate.”

  “Well, you’re in luck because you’ve got a coach right here,” he said, gesturing to himself. “C’mon. They have rentals inside.”

  ***

  Lacing up ice skates suddenly seemed kind of sexy as Ryder crouched on his knees before her. He cupped the calf of Hannah’s leg in one hand while he pushed the skate boot on her foot with the ot
her. She imagined that hand sliding higher, past the bend in her knee and along the underside of her thigh. The thought made her tingle. Seeing him on his knees conjured fantasies of marriage proposals, like on a deliciously sappy Hallmark holiday movie. The twinkling Christmas lights strung around the rink certainly lent itself to the mood. With his head bent down over her feet, she could admire his thick locks of sandy colored hair. She wanted to reach out and run her fingers through it, but she had mittens on.

  With a final expert tug, he tied the laces closed and looked up. “There. Tell me if it’s too tight.”

  She wiggled her toes inside the boots. “It’s fine. Since I hail from Ohio, is it really so terrible that I’ve never ice skated before? We have winter there too.”

  “No, it’s not bad. It gives me an excuse to experience your first time.” He stood up with one lunge of his powerful legs, his feet already encased in his own skates. “We can always adjust these later if you find they’re too tight or too loose.” He held out his hand. “Ready?”

  Hannah drew a big breath in, hoping the air would somehow dispel her nervousness. She didn’t mind falling on her butt, she’d just rather not do it in front of him. Even if she stayed upright, she would still look ridiculously inept next to his practiced stride. Scratch that. Professional stride. She needed to remember just who and what this man was before she got all mushy inside.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  She slipped her mittened hand into his leather gloved one. His fingers closed around it, firm and confident, and pulled her upward from the low wooden bench she sat on. It might have been her imagination, but Hannah swore she could feel a burst of heat between their palms, even through the padding of their winter gear. It traveled up her arm and spread through her chest before crawling directly to her cheeks in a stinging blush. Would he chalk up her rosy bloom to the cold?

  If he noticed, he didn’t comment. He took her other hand and led her toward the ice surface, their blades clomping on the semi-soft floor leading to the gate.

  “One foot at a time,” he said, demonstrating his step over the sill.

  She followed his lead, clutching his hands tightly, and lifting each foot carefully onto the ice. So far so good – at least she was still standing.

  “Oh, no!” she hissed, wobbling dangerously to the side.

  “There we are,” he said, smiling and steadying her with his firm grip. She smiled up at him as though she’d completed an important task.

  He moved backward, pulling her farther into the rink. Other skaters whizzed past them at random intervals. Her legs locked into a stiff, awkward stance with her knees apart but slowly glided toward him. Then the treacherous blades began to slip away, her feet jolting forward before she could stop them. As she tipped backward, Ryder’s arm went around her and pulled her tight against him. Their upper bodies collided with a solid whump.

  “Whoa now. Let’s not have an accident before we even leave the bench.” His voice was like milk chocolate to her ears – all velvety smooth and tempting. “Lean on me, I won’t let you fall.” His face hovered only inches above hers, and she could feel his warm breath on her cheek as he spoke, his words escaping to the chilly air in a puff of vapor. The man smelled like nirvana and felt like… well, she couldn’t even articulate the pleasure of his weight as it pressed down on her. “Trust me.”

  All Hannah could think about was the way her heart thudded, rebounding off his solid torso as her breasts pressed up against it. Her legs had split and were now on either side of his in a clumsy straddle. Their pose must look hilarious to anyone watching them, but gazing into the amused twinkle in his eyes she didn’t care about that one bit. Trust him? She had no choice at the moment.

  “Okay.”

  He gripped her by both arms and steadied her. “Don’t be so stiff. Let your knees bend and take steps just like you were walking.” He circled to the left to stand beside her, placing his right arm around her waist and clasping their left hands together. “Left,” he said, striding with his left leg. “Right.” A stride to the right. Repeat. “Left… right.”

  Hannah moved her feet in sync with his, albeit not nearly as gracefully. Her legs shuddered, and her blades scraped the ice in such an ungraceful pattern they sounded like rocks breaking. She clutched his hand like a lifeline, leaning into him for support. Gradually, she found her balance, and before she knew it, they’d completed a whole lap around the rink.

  “You did it.” His grin was as bright as the sun. “See? Easy.”

  “Says the guy who plays professional hockey,” she said, a little out of breath but exhilarated by her accomplishment. “It is kinda fun.”

  “Kinda?” he snorted, as though skating was the most fun a person could have outside of a bedroom. “Let’s try it again without looking at your feet the whole time. That way, I can see your eyes.”

  They started off on lap number two, and to her surprise, Hannah found that keeping her head up allowed her feet to do all the worrying and just do what came naturally. By the time they returned to the starting point, she was skating more or less on her own, only needing to hold his hand for balance. She looked up to see Ryder grinning from ear to ear.

  “Pretty good for a beginner, huh?” she asked. “What’s next?”

  “Let’s try some turns,” he said and steered her toward the center of the rink where a group of artificial Christmas trees had been set up. Hannah’s nervousness returned as she watched skaters weaving figure eights in and out of the sparkling fake forest and moved in close to Ryder. He didn’t miss his cue, his arm slipping protectively around her again.

  She felt secure as he maneuvered them between the obstacle course of plastic evergreens. He took it slow, explaining how a person could execute a turn by leaning on one edge of the blade or the other. She could feel the effect as she swayed side to side alongside him, but their path around the trees was anything but smooth. Her toe picks kept getting caught on the rough ice, as the Zamboni didn’t flood this area, and stumbled clumsily along despite Ryder’s hold on her.

  He seemed to have the patience of Job, and his gleeful laugh as he praised her valiant efforts made her laugh too. Finally, he told her to just relax her legs and let him take the lead. She figured he must be dying to speed skate after nursing her around the rink for the last hour, and happily acquiesced, showing mercy to her wobbling knees.

  With expert strides, he carved his way around the trees like they were practice pylons, clutching her hand and pulling her behind like a careening caboose as he accelerated. Mindful of the other skaters, he held back on the speed, but still enough to send Hannah swinging left and right in a game of crack-the-whip. Sounds left her lips that were somewhere between joyful hoots and terrified shrieks.

  After two full passes through the course, Ryder slowed and circled back to the middle. He swung a final arc around the largest center tree, then scraped to a sudden stop. Hannah swooped around him, her arm stretched out in full extension. Her mouth hung open in a silent scream as she swept past, afraid her grip would break and send her hurtling into open ice. Instead, he reeled her in like a tuna, twirling her around underneath his arm and spinning her into his embrace. Her hair and her pompoms flew outward and swung in front of her eyes, blindfolding her as she landed squarely against him. He felt as solid as a statue, a rock amid the whirling maelstrom on ice.

  Both his arms clamped around her, anchoring her to him. When she brushed the hair from her face, she was nearly nose to nose with her brawny, handsome instructor. He breathed heavily in and out, though he didn’t seem winded in the least. As her dizziness cleared, intense pools of amber-brown came into focus and stared down at her, framed by feathery, dark lashes. She could see the sexy stubble on his rugged jaw standing out in detail as she nestled close – dangerously, thrillingly close. Notes of his masculine and musky cologne mixed with fresh air tickled her nostrils. A familiar sensation closed in on her consciousness, the same one she’d felt at Casa Fiorino. She became a trapped a
nimal, paralyzed in willing captivity by his gaze.

  His kiss descended on her with the inevitable certainty of an oncoming snowstorm. The touch of his lips swept her away like a winter wind, but his mouth enveloped her in a blanketing softness, the kiss warm and wet and exhilarating.

  It seemed both brief and eternal, like having lived a lifetime in the depths of that kiss, yet felt all too short when it broke, leaving her yearning for more. Hannah blinked as though waking from a dream state, searching Ryder’s eyes for proof it had really happened.

  A wink and a sexy grin told her that it had. A hot blush crawled up her neck for all the right reasons this time. “That was some lesson, coach.”

  “Hmm. And you did great. Wonder what else I can teach you?”

  ***

  As promised, Ryder ended the day with a stop at the Forager Brewery, one of his favorite spots, for a designer coffee before taking Hannah home. He pulled up in front of the condo, again recalling his last visit here before today, and his none-too-subtle ploy to invite himself in. Major backfire. Not going there again.

  “Thank you for a great day, Ryder. You’ve convinced me that Rochester is definitely at its best in the winter,” Hannah said, her mittened hands folded politely in her lap. God, he wanted to lay her down and melt away that frozen and innocent exterior. He knew with every breath in his body that a molten hot core loomed underneath it.

  Ryder nodded. “Told you so. Glad you enjoyed it.”

  She flashed her angelic smile that he’d been witnessing all day. A smile that made his knees vibrate, and his cock swell against his fly. Unique in its dichotomous allure, saintly innocent yet sinfully beguiling. He had to get her out of this car before he did something way too ahead of schedule. “Well, I’ve got a big day tomorrow. Let me walk you up. I need to make sure you get inside safely.”

  He jumped out and hustled to the passenger side to open her door, determined not to be robbed of his chance to be a perfect gentleman. He could be one when he chose. And for her… he felt like he could do anything. She waited. He pulled the latch and held out his hand. While no red carpet led to the building entrance, he could at least pretend.