Page 89 of Desperate Pucker
He looks at his brother, then me, the expression on his face unreadable.
Nick elbows his brother. “It’s been a while since you’ve brought a girlfriend over. Mom’s gonna flip,” he says.
There’s a weird dip in my stomach. Things between Ryker and me are definitely in the more-than-friends zone…but we’re not dating. I’m not interested in that. After getting my heart broken by my ex, I don’t know if I will ever be ready to get serious with anyone again.
“We’re not…I mean…Your brother and I aren’t…” I stammer, feeling the heat of Ryker’s gaze on me.
The cheeky smile drops from Nick’s face. “Oh, shit. Sorry. I just figured you two were a thing.”
“It’s fine,” Ryker says gruffly.
I smile at Nick, despite how awkward this is. He hops into his car and waves as he drives off.
And then Ryker and I climb back in my car, and I drive back to my place, the awkwardness of what we aren’t to each other filling the air between us.
Chapter 30
Ryker
“I’m sorry about my brother,” I mutter as I look ahead at the road. “He can be nosy. It’s annoying as hell.”
“It’s okay,” Maddy says, her voice soft. She’s quiet as she eases to a stop at a stop sign.
There’s been a knot in my stomach ever since my little brother made that comment about Maddy being my girlfriend.
Relationships take so much energy and work. And after the disastrous way things ended with Alina, I haven’t been interested in getting serious with anyone again.
All of my focus and energy have been on my career. That’s the way it has to be. I don’t know how many years I have left in the league. I can’t let something like a relationship distract me.
I think about all the arguments Alina and I had over her wanting me to quit playing so I could join her family business. Even though I never considered it, it was still a strain on me, which screwed up how I played sometimes.
I know Maddy would never ask me to stop playing…but just being in a relationship would take time and energy away from my focus on hockey. After breaking up with Alina, I promised myself I’d never, ever let anything come in the way of my career again.
I glance over at Maddy, who’s staring straight ahead. My chest aches at how much I like her and care about her. I can’t get serious with her though.
She clears her throat, then turns to me. “I can’t do a relationship, Ryker. Or anything serious.”
I blink at her, surprised and relieved all at once. “I can’t either.”
She lets out a breath and starts to smile. “Really?”
I nod. “My focus is hockey. I don’t have the energy or time for anything else right now.”
She nods like she understands. “I’m focused on my career too. This is my first job outside of competing as a figure skater. I want to throw myself into it one hundred percent. I can’t do thatanddate someone.”
“So we’re on the same page?”
She nods. “Yeah. We’re not dating.”
“But we’re definitely not just friends.”
She bites back a smile. “We’re fuck buddies.”
I shake my head. “I’ve never liked the sound of that.”
“Why not? It’s pretty straightforward.” She lightly shoves my shoulder. “You don’t wanna be my fuck buddy, Ryker?” she teases.
I grab the back of her neck and pull her mouth to mine. I kiss her hard. She moans into my mouth as I tease her tongue with mine.
