Zambonis and Mistletoe - A Holiday Romance (The Renegades Series Book 4)

by Melody Heck Gatto

  “You doing okay over there Rylee?” Nick asked softly, but his eyes never left the road.

  “Yeah, I guess.” She was annoyed at herself for being bothered by that fan girl. “Ankle is a little sore right now, that’s all.”

  On the ride to the hospital she couldn’t help glancing over at him, taking in his ruggedly handsome features, like his chiseled jaw line, features that made areas of her body tingle that really shouldn’t be. But now the ache in her ankle was distracting her from all that. She didn’t know why she was drawn to him, but it needed to stop. Nick was GM of the Renegades, and she was still convinced that he was only here to persuade her not to sue them.

  Corporate types did not go for part-time nurses like her. Sitting here in her sweats she sure didn’t feel like anybody special. “You can just drop me off at the sidewalk,” she said matter of factly as she dug in her purse for her keys. They were already on her street. Her house was a mess with all her stuff in the living room; he didn’t need to be exposed to that again. It was bad enough he had shown up unannounced earlier today.

  Nick pulled to the curb in front of her house. “Actually,” he said, turning off the engine. “At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I was hoping I would get invited in.” His dark eyes fixed on her. “After our exciting trip to the hospital, I thought you might enjoy some company for dinner? I hate to see a pretty lady eat alone.”

  She snapped her head around to look at him, unable to hide her delight at his suggestion.

  “Plus, I could help you out for a while; you really need to rest your ankle after all that activity. Especially if it is sore again. So, what do you say?” He flashed her a smile, and looked like he was waiting for one in return.

  “Um…” Rylee really wasn’t sure what to say or do. Those parts were tingling again, and she forgot all about her ankle. “Sure.” Sure? Why did I say that? Her heart raced. “But, you know my house really is a mess…” She tried to give him a chance to back out.

  “C’mon. I’m not scared,” he said as he slid out of the driver’s seat and went to her door to help her out. He grabbed her crutches from the backseat and also carried her purse for her. They walked toward the back porch door. “This is such a nice neighborhood. Tyler lives close by?”

  “Yes, about ten minutes away.” She turned the key and opened the door. “I’ve actually lived here all my life; this was my Gram’s house. She recently moved into a retirement home. I was apparently spending too much of my time keeping an eye on her and she felt she was stifling my social life or something.” She rolled her eyes as they walked into the kitchen. Tossing her keys onto the kitchen table, she continued. “I guess I may have spent my time taking care of her, but that’s how I am.” She shrugged. “Must be the nurse in me.” She looked up at him and found him smiling at her. Without giving it too much thought she smiled back.

  “Well, the house looks great.” He shut the door for her and looked around. Her Christmas decorations were already up, the kitchen had nick knacks on the table and counter, and there were snowmen hanging off every cupboard. “Now, about dinner?”

  “I have the soup you brought,” she said as she hung her purse on a kitchen chair.

  Nick nodded. “Sure, but I wondered how hungry you were?”

  As if right on cue, her stomach let out a loud growl that surprised both of them. Rylee couldn’t help but chuckle, while Nick tried to hold back a smirk.

  “Well, I think that answers that question!” He laughed. “I was thinking, how about I order us a pizza? The soup might get you through the next day or two so you don’t have to be up cooking, and you need to rest that ankle, so you should keep that for yourself.”

  Rylee wasn’t sure why he was being so nice to her, but she sure didn’t hate the attention. He was watching her and waiting patiently for an answer, while he pulled out a kitchen chair and made himself at home. Staring at the handsome man sitting at her kitchen table, she couldn’t help but wonder what harm sharing a pizza would do? She was really hungry, since she had skipped lunch. Plus, it would be nice to have some company.

  “Sure.” She shrugged. It had been a long time since a guy had bought her dinner, even if it was just a pizza. Then that nagging feeling came back to her chest, the one she felt seeing the brunette with her hands on Nick. She didn’t know what the feeling was, but she didn’t like it. “Are you sure you don’t have plans tonight? I mean, you don’t need to babysit me if you have someone at home waiting for you.” Why did she say it like that? Someone ‘at home’ waiting? She just opened her mouth and words were falling out.

  Apparently Nick found her utter lack of a filter amusing, because he chuckled. Again. That dark, almost brooding look is making me goofy and when that smile hits his lips, well damn, I can’t seem to think straight. Stop smiling!

  “Plans? Not unless you want to count me going home and sitting down to watch the football game.” He cleared his throat before adding, “Alone.”

  “Oh.” She wasn’t sure why she’d even asked that, and had no idea how to respond.

  “Great. So since that’s settled, what kind of pizza do you like? Pepperoni? Plain cheese? Mushroom? Any or all of the above? Or something off-the-wall, like pineapple?”

  “Mushroom and pepperoni.” She pulled out a chair, ready to sit down until Nick stopped her.

  “Whoa hang on.” His strong hand lay on top of hers. “Let’s go into the living room, then you can put your foot up on the couch.” He stood up and pushed in his chair, then walked over to her. He gently took her arm, and she froze for a second. Those parts were tingling again. She took a breath and slowly turned to allow him to help her to hop into the living room.

  “Let me get the pizza ordered. Where’s a good pizza place around here?” he asked, as he led her to the couch and she got settled in.

  She grabbed a blanket when a chill ran through the house. She hadn’t had the heat on yet, but it looked like she was going to have to; it was too chilly to keep it off.

  “Um, I prefer Pizza Den. The number should be on the refrigerator.” It was hard to get over the fact that this handsome man was in her house, helping her around and preparing to order her dinner.

  Nick was already on his phone. “That’s alright, got it right here.” Thankfully he was sitting in the armchair beside the couch, far enough away from her that her stomach wasn’t flopping nervously anymore.

  He ordered their pizza and once he ended the call, he smiled at her and looked around the room. “I see you’re all decorated for Christmas?” He motioned to all her little knick-knacks surrounding them.

  “Yeah,”—she looked around—“Gram and I always decorated every year, and it is my favorite time of the year.” She paused. “Paige says it’s silly for me to decorate since I live all by myself, and it isn’t like I have a big family gathering for the holidays either.”

  “But you like it. Right?”

  She nodded. She loved this holiday, loved everything about it. There was something magical about Christmas time.

  “Nothing wrong with that. If it makes you happy then it’s worth decorating.” He looked around a little more. “I noticed you have everything but a tree?”

  “Yeah, my Pap used to get us a real one every year.” The memory of her Pap made her sigh out loud. This was the worst part of the holidays, not having him here anymore. “Plus it’s a little too early for one. I tried to get Gram to let me get one last year, but she didn’t want any part of it. I bought her a little lighted one from the drugstore; she wasn’t even going to let me put that up but eventually agreed. I miss the real trees we used to have.”

  Nick looked confused. “So no tree at all this year?”

  “Well, I’d love one, a real one. But the thought of going out to the tree lot to find one,”—she shrugged—“brings back memories of my Pap. Guess I need to find some new tradition, something different to look forward to. Or maybe I will put up the little tree again. I really haven’t decided yet…” Her eyes drifted to her hand
s, and her voice trailed off. It wasn’t the same without Pap. She thought this would get easier as the years passed, but so far it hadn’t. The house being empty now didn’t really help.

  Nick watched her intently, obviously realizing this was a difficult subject for her, and quickly switched up the conversation. “So, it’s Thursday night. What do you normally do Thursday nights, Rylee Davis?” He casually leaned back in the chair and crossed one leg over the other.

  His smile was handsome, with a touch of devilish in it. She never knew what he was thinking and that intrigued her. He wasn’t like the guys that usually hit on her; he had a sense of maturity about him.

  “Well, I’m normally working, but I do like to watch Christmas specials. I have a bunch on DVD that I’ve been watching. It helps me get ready for the season.”

  The smile never left his face, and for some reason she was nervous about what he was going to say next. “Well, the pizza will be here in about forty five minutes.”

  Since he was staying for pizza, and it would be a while, she decided to put the invitation out there; it would be awfully nice to have some company for once. Since Paige had been with Tyler she hardly ever came over anymore just to hang out. She didn’t blame her.

  She was nervous even asking. After all, she just met him yesterday, but… “I could put on a movie? Would you be interested?”

  Nick just smiled, and confidently rubbed his hands together as if he had a habit of doing that. “Sounds great.” He stood up and asked, “Should I have maybe ordered a two liter of pop with our pizza? I can call them back if you want.”

  “Oh, how rude of me, where are my manners? I have drinks—what would you like?” She tried to stand up, but he put his hand out, stopping her.

  “Sit down, I can get it.”

  “There are bottles of water and pop in the fridge. There might even be some iced tea, and I know there’s beer.” She couldn’t believe she hadn’t offered him anything to drink. She shook her head. Either she was just that bad of a host, or he was making her lose all train of thought, or both.

  “Not a problem. What can I get you to drink?” he asked as he walked to the kitchen.

  She realized she’d already drunk the water Paige had left in the living room for her. “Iced tea if there is any, or a bottle of water. Thanks,” she said as he disappeared from sight.

  Talking about her non-existent Christmas tree brought back memories of her Pap, and that was still too fresh for her even though it had been two years. On the table beside her there was a picture of Pap, taken with them when they were little.

  She missed him every day. He and Gram had raised her, and they were the only family she’d ever known. She’d never been lonely in this house; it had always been filled with love and laughter. Paige had lived here since they were teens, and Gram and Pap had made it a wonderful home for them.

  She missed the real tree at Christmas. She missed Christmas dinner. She missed her Pap. She just missed having someone in the house with her. When she heard Nick making noise in the kitchen, she smiled. It was nice having someone here. She sighed, knowing it was only for tonight. Once she recovered he would stop checking on her. She would be back to work, and Paige would be off with the team. Paige traveled with them since she worked for the Renegades PR department. It was truly her calling. Her first love was hockey. This way she even got to travel with Tyler, and be the media person for the team.

  Nick returned within minutes to the living room, interrupting her thoughts. She looked up at the two bottles of water in his hand. “Water it is.” His lips curved into a small grin.

  There was something about that smile. It was friendly, but there seemed to be more behind it. He was well spoken and seemed to take charge, and for some reason he had an interest in her…

  CHAPTER 6

  Nick handed her the bottle of water and settled back into the armchair, “So, what are we watching?” he asked, as she turned on the television.

  “Well, how about this one? It’s about a young woman who runs away from her wedding and ends up in the North Pole.” She picked up the DVD off the end table.

  She let out a little giggle as she watched his unchanging expression. “Do you not watch a lot of television, Nick?” He looked like he was still waiting for the punch line of a joke. Wait, was she flirting again? This needed to stop before she embarrassed herself. She cleared her throat to mask the giggle that had escaped her lips.

  Nick looked down at the floor for a moment and smiled; apparently he’d caught her little giggle, and her lame attempt of trying to cover it up. Looking back up at her after a moment, his dark eyes met hers.

  She found herself staring back at him, then quickly looked away, trying to snap out of whatever this was. This was getting dangerous. Why was she so drawn to him? “It’s just a cute story. The runaway bride befriends a handsome businessman, who looks mighty fine in a suit and tie.” She then realized as the GM, Nick probably wore suits a lot, like last night when she met him. Talk about looking damn fine.

  “Sounds interesting.” He shrugged. She’d made it sound so lame. It was a cute movie but there was no way her description sounded interesting. He was simply entertaining her.

  “Nice try,” she said.

  “What?”

  “That was the worst description of a movie in the history of movie descriptions. There was no way it sounded interesting.” She laughed.

  “It’s a Christmas movie; you’ve obviously seen it and liked it. So, I’m interested to watch it with you.”

  She couldn’t really argue with that. Rylee aimed the remote at the television and hit play. She felt as if he was watching her instead of the screen, and it made her nervous, but as soon as the movie started, she forgot all about being nervous. “Now see, she’s in the North Pole.”

  “Yeah, I can see that,” Nick mumbled, smiling at her.

  “Don’t be fooled. I don’t watch a lot of television normally. I have a couple of shows I record, but other than that I spend most of my time working. But now, well, hopefully I won’t be laid up for long. I’ll go stir crazy.”

  “How quickly should I expect that to happen?” He joked.

  “Hmm, expect a jail break in about two days. I won’t be able to sit here any longer than that.” She snickered, but wasn’t joking.

  “Yeah, I don’t know about that…” He raised his eyebrow at her. “Didn’t the doctor say you’d be off of work for at least a week?”

  The doorbell rang, and Rylee was happy for the interruption. She didn’t want to talk about being laid up here all alone for a week. She’d have to make sure the kitchen was stocked so she could do some baking.

  She paused the movie while Nick answered the door and paid for the food.

  He brought the pizza box over; the aroma of pepperoni and cheese made her mouth water. “Can I put this here on the coffee table? Or should I take it out to the kitchen?”

  “Coffee table is fine with me, actually.” She tried to stand up, and again, Nick stopped her. “But I have paper plates in the kitchen…”

  “Okay, I’ll get them. Where are they?” he asked as he walked back to the kitchen.

  “In the cupboard above the toaster.” She hated being waited on, but it wasn’t so awful watching him while he did it.

  He quickly returned with plates and napkins. “Pizza-time!”

  He sat down and cut two pieces for each of them. “Two okay? Or do you just prefer one?”

  “Oh no, two is fine!” She loved pizza, and could eat more pieces than a girl should.

  When the pizza was gone and the movie was over, Rylee yawned and Nick looked at his watch. “Well, I guess I should let you get some rest.” He stood up and started to the door.

  “Wait,” Rylee said, wanting to at least properly show him to the door. She struggled to get her foot to the floor, and looked around for her crutches. Why is this so difficult?

  “They’re still in the kitchen.” Nick read her mind. “Stay put and I’ll get them for yo
u.” He smiled and went to retrieve her crutches.

  Waiting on the couch for him to bring them back, she watched him move through her house. It was a nice evening and she liked having him here, but figured she probably wouldn’t see him again, unless maybe just in passing at the arena. She looked up to see him smiling as he walked towards her with the crutches.

  He stood in front of her and gently grabbed her arm, helping her to a standing position. They were so close their bodies were almost touching. She could feel his hot breath on her. Those parts not only tingled this time, but she swore her stomach fluttered like a bowl full of butterflies.

  CHAPTER 7

  Looking over Rylee, he wanted to run his hand down her snug yoga pants. Her curves screamed for his touch, and his jeans grew tight. He reached up and moved a piece of auburn hair away that had fallen in her face, tucking it behind her ear. He wanted to taste her plump lips. He wanted to see more of what was under that sweatshirt jacket.

  But he was a gentleman, and that would be moving too fast, not to mention she was injured. She might be the nurse, but he wanted to be the one to take care of her.

  Slowly, he backed a step away from her, even though he didn’t want to, and tightened his hold on her arm. He smiled, still desiring those lips. “Well…” He cleared his throat, hoping he could still walk to the door in his aroused condition. He looked from her to the door, not wanting to leave.

  “Well,” she answered back. “Thanks for a nice evening, Nick. It was fun having company. I’m really glad you stayed.” Her eyes hovered with his. They were deep blue and he wanted to get lost in them.

  Taking a deep breath he tried hard to get himself under control. He had the feeling that her inviting him to stay to eat and watch a movie with her was not something she afforded to just everyone, and he wasn’t about to push his luck. Nodding, he helped her hop to the door. He enjoyed the evening more than she knew. Then he handed her the crutches so she could make a safe return to the couch once he left. “I’m glad I stayed too.”