Page 30 of No Rhyme or Roughing
“She agreed just to make us go away, didn’t she?” I asked.
“Absolutely.” Shai tucked her mascot head under herarm as we headed toward my seat. “What was that about?”
“Don’t worry about it.” I sped up.
“Sydney,” she called after me.
I turned, walking backward. “Just make sure to be out there at the first stoppage.”
Then, I started running. All the way to my section, down the steps to the fourth row, where I had the perfect line of sight for my camera. Another woman already sat there, and damn, she was stunning—slim curves, dark hair spilling over her shoulders, looking like a wild fae who’d wandered in from the forest.
Something hot spread through me, but it vanished as the boards jolted. Ryder slammed an opposing player into them, but when he caught sight of me and the woman near me, something in his reaction changed. Momentarily dazed, he got shoved backward and landed on his butt before jumping up and skating off after the puck.
“Well,” the other woman said, “that was something.”
I laughed, her low voice putting me at ease. There were a few seats between us. “You a Guardians fan?”
“By default,” she said with a shrug. I wasn’t sure what that meant. “You?”
“New fan.”
“They need as many as they can get.” There was no judgment in her tone, only worry. Why would she worry about attendance if she wasn’t really a fan?
“They’ll be fine.”
She hummed, lips pursed. “Sorry, I’m being rude. I’ve lived in the Bay Area for a while now, and this is the first game I’ve been allowed to attend.”
“Allowed?”
She offered a sheepish look. “I begged. In truth, I’ve always been close to the game, even played in college.”
“Then, why’d you have to beg to come?”
“My fiancé is one of the coaches.” She pointed behind us. “He’s the goalie coach, so he watches from the press box.”
Goalie coach.
Fiancé.
Oh, shit. “You’re Sam,” I blurted, realizing too late I’d have to explain myself.
Her brow furrowed. “You with one of the guys on the team?”
“No,” I said quickly, coughing. “No, absolutely not.”
One eyebrow arched.
“Brother,” I clarified, pointing to where Teddy now had the puck. I wanted to cheer, but the sound caught in my throat.
“Ah, one of Teddy Valentine’s infamous sisters.” She laughed. “I’ve known him a long time.”
I wanted to escape, to make her stop talking. This was the woman who broke the Cassidy twins apart. Both in love with the same girl, and she chose the wrong one.
But as I studied her, trying to find what Ryder had loved, I saw only beauty and kind eyes. Damn it, I couldn’t hate her.
Instead, I scooted over until we sat side by side. “Well, I’m glad you chose this game to see.” A sly smile curved my lips. Ryder was going to have every girl in here eating out of the palm of his hand tonight.
Especially the one who scorned him.
