Page 129 of Desperate Pucker
Bobby’s smile fades. “Excuse me?”
“You’re, what, in your late forties?”
He frowns like he’s offended. “Forty-four, actually.”
“So you, a forty-four-year-old man, are making fun of a thirty-five-year-old professional hockey player for doing something you could never, ever do. Don’t you think that’s kind of pathetic?”
My eyes go wide at the pointed, scolding tone in Maddy’s voice.
Bobby rolls his shoulders, sitting up straighter. His cheeks redden like he’s embarrassed. “I’m just doing my job.”
“Your job is to taunt professional athletes about their age?”
He narrows his gaze at her. “My job is to give my opinion on how athletes like Ryker perform.”
She makes a scoff-laugh noise and shakes her head. “You’re a glorified cyber bully. So very pathetic.”
His brow lifts in surprise
“Get a new job, Bobby. You’re terrible at your current one.” She looks down at his glass of gin. “Also, leave a tip. This is a charity event.”
His face is red as he digs a five-dollar bill out of his wallet and tosses it into the tip jar on the bar before walking off.
I stand there and stare at Maddy, stunned at the way she defended me.
I round the corner of the bar, grab her hand, and pull her through a side door to a darkened, empty corner.
Her eyes are big as she gazes up at me. “Is everything okay?”
Instead of answering her, I kiss her. She moans into my mouth and tugs her fingers through my hair.
When I let her go, she stumbles back, her eyes wide.
“What was that for?” she asks.
“For the way you stood up for me against that jackass. It was hot.”
A shy smile pulls at her lush, ruby lips. “I wasn’t going to stand there and let him be a jerk to you.”
She glances up at my hair, then reaches up to smooth it down. “Shoot, it’s all messy now.”
“I don’t care.”
She smears her thumb along the side of my mouth. “My lipstick’s on you.”
“I don’t care,” I say again.
She bites back a smile. “We can’t go back out there with your hair messy and my lipstick all over your mouth. People will think we were messing around.”
“Let them think that.”
Her smile turns teasing as she gazes up at me. Once she cleans me up, we head back into the ballroom, and I continue making drinks at the bar. A few more fans come over to chat and take photos. Maddy leaves to hang out with Ingrid and Sophie.
When I look up, I see Greg Macer, Maddy’s dad and the team owner, walk up to me.
I tense up. “Mr. Macer. Hello.” I manage to keep my tone polite.
“Hi, Ryker. How’s the bartending going?”
