Page 79 of No Rhyme or Roughing
A shorter man—for a hockey player—skated over to me, stopping close. “Bonjour, ma chérie.”
His charming grin and French accent nearly made my knees give out.
A large hand landed on his shoulder, yanking him back. I expected Teddy, but it was Ryder, nearly putting his teammate on his ass.
Words failed me. Talking to people had never been my strength, and facing a horde of incredibly good-looking hockey players was torture. Amusing slightly, but still torture.
This was a job, I reminded myself. They weren’t paying me, but I had a purpose. I’d trained rock stars and athletes before. I could do this.
“You okay?” Ryder asked, his voice low.
Lifting my chin, I said firmly, “Please join the rest of your team.”
He looked surprised but obeyed.
Walking to the front, I surveyed the group. “I’ve got to say,” I began, “I’m surprised this many of you agreed to this.”
“There should’ve been more,” Ryder muttered, frowning.
“No, this is perfect. Ten is a good number. It won’t crowd the ice. You’ll all have room.” I stopped in front of the bearded giant. “You’re quite large, aren’t you?”
The others chuckled, but I was regaining my confidence, openly and honestly evaluating my dancers as part of the process.
Vasiliev narrowed his eyes. I should’ve felt intimidated, but I wanted to hug him. He was a giant bear. Even as he tried to scowl, I could see the softness in him.
“It’s okay.” I patted his arm. “I can teach anyone to dance.”
Red crept up his neck. “I know little,” he mumbled.
At first, I thought he meant he didn’t know much. Then, I realized he’d left out a word. “You know how to dance?”
He ducked his head, mumbling something I couldn’t make out.
“What?” I leaned closer.
“Was figure skater.”
“You were a figure skater?” My voice carried, and I winced as the others erupted in laughter. “Sorry.”
He shrugged. “As children.”
“That’s amazing.” I smiled. “You’ll be the lead. There’s always someone the group can look to if they get tripped up or fall out of rhythm, especially beginners. And it definitely won’t be Ryder.”
“I feel like I should be offended,” Ryder said, though he looked amused.
“She speaks true, Captain,” Vasiliev said. “You not good.”
Laughter burst from Teddy, so I turned to him. “Don’t worry, brother. You’re worse.”
“Je suis amoureux de toi,” Antoine murmured.
Both Teddy and Ryder smacked him on the back of the head.
Ignoring them, I clapped my hands. “Vasiliev, stand in front. The rest of you, spread out. Let’s begin.”
“I’m heading out,”Teddy said, skating toward us as the rest of the team filtered off the ice after our dance lesson. “You good to catch a ride with Syd?” He directed the question to Ryder as Jules ruffled my hair on his way past.
Ryder shrugged. “Yeah. Guardian probably needs to be let out of his crate. You go.”
