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He chuckled to himself. There he’d been, seated at a table with a bunch of hockey legends, including Tyler Kidd—the Tyler Kidd. Most guys would’ve been fawning all over the dream team, but all he could do was stare at that gorgeous woman, wondering what her pouty, soft-looking lips would taste like.
Back then, he hadn’t even known her name, but he knew he had to have her. She carried herself with confidence and talked to the Renegades players as if they were old friends.
For the rest of that evening he had watched her like a creeper, as she strolled around the restaurant. He’d been especially captivated by the rear view—the way her skirt curved around her ass and showed off her gorgeous, slim legs. He’d done his best to catch her eye, but to no avail. In fact, it was as though he were completely invisible to her. Which of course had only made her even more intriguing.
Since that night, he’d learned that there was a lot more to Jordan than her sexy-as-hell legs—despite the fact that she still never gave him the time of day. He might’ve been attracted by her beauty first, but he’d discovered that she was intelligent and fantastic at her job, too. Those were attributes he’d never really taken much notice of in a woman before. But now it seemed to him that she was exactly the type of person he wanted running his bar.
He hurried into the building, slid into a waiting elevator and pressed the button for the twentieth floor. When the elevator came to a stop, the doors opened directly to The Sin Bin dining room, and he strutted into the restaurant. Today, he was supposed to meet Harrison Dash there at noon. But instead of looking for Harrison, he found himself scanning the dining room for Jordan.
The hostess caught his attention, smiled, and directed him to a table in the corner where Harrison was waiting.
“On time for once, Rodgers?” Harrison teased.
“Ha ha. You’re hilarious,” Noah said sarcastically, and sat across from his friend.
The waitress blushed, as she brought him a glass of water and took his order. Even after settling into town last season, he still tended to have that effect on females.
“Your usual, Noah?” the waitress asked with a shy smile.
But out of the corner of his eye, he spied Jordan, as she hurried from the kitchen area and made a beeline for the hostess station. When she was around, he didn’t notice any other girls.
“Rodgers,” Harrison said with a sigh.
“Huh?”
“Are you going to order or stare at her all day?” Harrison asked.
Snapping out of the trance that woman always seemed to put him in, he turned to the waitress, who was patiently waiting for his answer. “Sorry, um…?”
“Your usual?” she repeated, smiling. Surprisingly, she still seemed thrilled that for the moment she had his attention, and he felt a twinge of conscience. “Sounds good. Thanks,” he said, returning a smile.
“Your usual? You haven’t been here in three months,” Harrison teased, as the waitress made her retreat.
“Didn’t you know? I am quite memorable.” Noah half-grinned, proud of his comeback.
Last season, after every morning skate they’d had at the arena, he had eaten lunch here. It was efficient, being that the restaurant was right across the street from the arena. He was able to have a nice hot lunch, versus grabbing a fast-food burger on the way back to his hotel room. It was a bonus that he got to see Jordan each time he came here.
“Must be that ugly mug of yours. It’s pretty hard to unsee that.”
Noah shook his head, not being able to hold in his laughter. “Ugly mug? That was hurtful, bro.”
“No regrets here.” Harrison shrugged innocently.
Clearing his throat, Noah commented, “Time to get down to business.”
The waitress placed a cup of ice water and a plate consisting of a turkey club and a little bowl of tomato soup in front of Noah. He grinned and thanked her.
“I know I’m married and have a kid, but how come the ladies act like I don’t exist when I’m with you?” Harrison rolled his eyes. “Anyway, are you happy to be back in Pittsburgh?”
“For sure. I really like it here.” He had one year left in his current contract, and was determined to get a new one from the Renegades. He was twenty-five years old and was tired of jumping around from city to city. When he was younger, it was fun and exciting, and there were so many women to enjoy. He must be getting older and wiser, because now the last thing on his mind was how many women he could meet.
“Yeah, the Renegades are a family. And I think you fit in perfectly.”
“I agree,” Noah said quietly. Taking another bite of sandwich, he contemplated how nice it would be to make a home somewhere and no longer live out of his suitcase. “Which is why I bought the sports bar. I’m ready to put down roots.”
Harrison stared at him for a second before speaking. “I’ve never seen you so content. Pittsburgh looks good on you.”
Noah shrugged. “I agree. I think seeing the life you’ve made for yourself has had an effect on me.”
