Page 87 of No Rhyme or Roughing
Everything lately had beenso much.My parents. Ryder. Too many emotions. It felt good to be around the emotional black hole that was Jameson Rhys. Sometimes, I didn’t think he even knew how to feel.
“Come in,” I said, pushing my bedroom door open. Then, I hesitated. “But we aren’t going to…”
He laughed, passing me with a kiss on the top of my head. “Your brother mentioned a party here tonight, so I doubt we’d have time anyway.”
I laughed at that. For a guy who got around, he’d been surprisingly selfish in bed—a fact I hadn’t realized at the time. I thought it was normal to just want it over, not to finish. Now, I knew better.
We sat side by side on the bed and watched the video together. Then, we just talked. About what was next forhim, for me. He spoke about the tour. I told him about San Jose. He nodded, like he’d expected it, as if there was never any doubt I could change something as deeply ingrained as hockey.
By the time we heard noise downstairs, the sunlight had disappeared. Crashing sounds, voices, music—the party had started. I moved to get up, but someone knocked and opened my door first.
Ryder froze in the doorway. His hair looked uncombed from his post-shower routine, but it worked for him. My body heated at the sight of his blue eyes.
They flicked from me to Jameson and back.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, his voice stiff. He turned on his heel, and panic raced through me.
“Ryder, wait!”
I ran after him, my socks slipping on the wood floor as I skidded to a halt at the top of the stairs. He disappeared into the throng of people drinking and laughing. It looked like the entire team and their entourages were here.
“Who was that guy?” Jameson asked from behind me.
I pressed a hand to my forehead, trying to cool down. “Just my brother’s best friend.”
But he wasn’tjustthat. Not anymore.
“Well,” Jameson said, smirking, “that friend of Teddy’s sure looked like he just found out Santa Claus isn’t real.”
Before I could respond, Teddy’s voice boomed from downstairs. “There he is!” He was pointing at Jameson.
It was my chance to escape and search for Ryder.
But I couldn’t find him anywhere.
I went from room to room, ignoring the cheers some of the guys threw my way. In the kitchen, I stopped when I saw Sam sitting on the counter, Sullivan leaning casually beside her. They looked so cozy together.
Seeing them like that brought an ache to my chest. Sullivan and Ryder looked so alike, at least physically. Seeing Sullivan with Sam—the girl Ryder once loved—felt like a painful reminder.
Sam cleared her throat and nudged Sullivan, alerting him to my presence.
His grin spread quickly, as always. “Little Sydy!” He jumped toward me, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around while Sam laughed.
“You might just pull this off,” he said.
When he set me down, I stumbled, trying to catch my balance. “It wasn’t just me,” I said softly.
He didn’t hear me. “Did you see how full the building was tonight? I’ve never heard it that loud, not even when I was a kid!” He let out a howl of excitement.
Sam’s smile dimmed, and she nudged him with her foot, shaking her head.
He got it, then—that I wasn’t in the mood.
Clearing my throat, I asked, “Have you guys seen Ryder?”
They studied me, matching looks of curiosity.
Sullivan answered first. “My brother’s a moody fucker. Came stomping through here a few minutes ago. Asshole should be celebrating. I’ll go knock some sense into him.”
