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“I spoke to him last week about a couple of players I’m representing, and then we talked at length about Ryder.”
I pause before taking a bite of my sandwich as Dad continues. “I’d assumed that playing another year in college would help solidify his confidence, but it’s had the opposite effect. I think Kasminski leaving and Philips coming in has messed with his mojo. He needs to get his head on straight if he wants Chicago to sign him.
Surprised by the comment, I blurt, “Do you really think there’s a chance they’d drop Ryder?”
Dad’s serious gaze settles on mine. “I don’t know. The season has just gotten underway and there’s still a lot of time, but knocking that guy against the boards after the play was over wasn’t a smart move. No one wants to pick up a loose cannon. I know Cal and Sadie are concerned. He’s talented. I’d really hate to see Ryder not play professionally.”
I’ve never heard my father express concern for Ryder’s future. A thick lump settles in the middle of my throat as my appetite pulls a disappearing act.
When I remain silent, Dad refocuses his attention on my brother. “You haven’t noticed anything going on with him, have you?”
Mav’s gaze flickers to mine for a heartbeat before locking on our father. “Nope. Nothing at all.”
“I’ll reach out tonight and talk to him. Maybe see what’s going on.”
I stare at my half-eaten sandwich as talk turns to Maverick’s classes and how they’re going. Like Dad, Mav was diagnosed with dyslexia in elementary school. As soon as he showed signs of struggling when learning to read, they had him tested and hired private tutors. It was never something that was looked upon as a disability. He just learns differently. Sometimes that means accommodations or modifications. For as long as I can remember, getting my brother to sit down and study or complete homework has been a challenge.
It still is to this day.
He’d much rather be on the ice than stuck in a classroom.
Ever since Maverick was old enough to skate, Dad would flood part of the backyard during the winter months to make a small rink where he could go and practice after finishing up his homework. It was the perfect incentive.
Sometimes our parents would lace up their own skates and we’d all fool around before heading indoors to sit by the fireplace and sip mugs of hot cocoa. Those memories of our childhood are some of the most cherished ones I have.
Mav would have pickup hockey games with kids from the neighborhood. Maybe Ryder and I weren’t friends back then, but he was always there, part of my life.
Mom reaches out and lays a hand over mine. “You’ve been awfully quiet. Is there something on your mind?”
I force a smile, unwilling to admit the truth about my relationship with Ryder. “I was just thinking about how we would have pickup games in the backyard.”
Her expression turns wistful as she squeezes my fingers. “Oh, I miss that.”
“Me, too.”
Dad and Mav continue talking about the season and the Wildcats’ upcoming schedule as my mind once again turns to the blond hockey player.
And what I need to do.
CHAPTER33
RYDER
Ispot her dark head from twenty yards away as she moves through the flow of student traffic and pick up my pace. I’d know Juliette anywhere. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been attuned to her presence. Almost like she was already a piece of me. Fighting my desire for her has always been a losing battle.
I have no idea how I lasted this long without laying hands on her.
Thank fuck I don’t have to keep my distance anymore.
Her dark hair has been pulled up into a messy bun at the top of her head, leaving the nape of her neck bare. My fingers itch to pull the elastic from her hair so that it falls around her shoulders and down her back in a thick curtain. I love wrapping the silky length around my fist until it becomes necessary to arch her spine when I’m fucking her from behind. The thought of being inside her tight heat is enough to have me popping wood.
Even when I’m buried deep inside her body, all I can think about is the next time I’ll be able to do it. When we’re joined together, the world around me falls away and it’s just the two of us. I don’t have to think about school or hockey. I can just focus on Juliette. She eclipses everything else in my life.
I almost stumble as that thought circles in my head, because it’s one hundred percent true. Nothing matters more than she does.
Not even hockey.
And that’s a frightening prospect. Nothing and no one has ever mattered more than my chosen sport.
