Chasing the Prize (Men of the Ice Book 5)

by Michele Shriver

“I am at Char’s house, having a glass of wine,” Jessica said. “My crazy schedule makes me kind of a night owl.”

  “I’m sure. At least yours is consistent, and you’re not in different time zones a few days out of the week.”

  “True. I’m sure that’s not easy for you guys.”

  “No, especially going to the west coast.” Ryder walked over to the mini-fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. “But just because I worry about my sleep schedule doesn’t give me an excuse to be an asshole.” There. He’d admitted it.

  “You’re a very dedicated player,” Jessica said. “I knew that before I met you.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t want to be so dedicated that I can never relax or have fun.” The rest of the guys did it. Ryder could, too. “Can I see you?” he asked. “Can we talk? Or is it too late for that?”

  Jessica didn’t immediately answer, causing a hollow feeling to form in the pit of Ryder’s stomach. “Not too late,” she said. “If it were, I wouldn’t be calling. What do you have in mind?”

  “Maybe lunch,” Ryder suggested. “You don’t go into work until about two, right?”

  “Around then, yes. I have some flexibility.”

  “I’ve got practice in the morning, then some downtime before the game. Can I meet you somewhere? Maybe JP’s?” he suggested.

  “Didn’t you just have that for dinner?” Jessica teased. “I’m going to make a crazy suggestion, but hear me out.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “There’s a food truck that’s always parked at 4th and Alamo, and they sell amazing tacos and gorditas. Meet me there. We can grab some food walk and talk, or find a picnic table,” Jessica said. “No crowds.”

  “I like the no crowds part, for sure,” Ryder said. “But what the heck is a gordita?”

  “You’ve never had a gordita?” Jessica sounded shocked.

  “I’m from Canada, remember?” Ryder reminded her. “C’mon, what is it?”

  “Meet me there at 11:30 tomorrow, and you’ll find out.”

  “Oh, the suspense.” Ryder chuckled. “Fine. I’ll see you then. Thanks for calling, Jess.”

  “You, too, Ryder. All five times.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  For a guy who was normally all hockey, all the time, it was rare for Ryder to count the minutes until practice was over. Especially on game day, following an ugly loss. Under normal circumstances, he’d be one of the last guys to leave the rink, wanting to put in a little extra work. Today, though, he was one of the first ones off the ice and back to the locker room.

  “Changing your routine up a little bit today?” Noah asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  Noah shrugged. “Usually, you’d still be out there, shooting pucks at an empty net, or running skating drills.”

  “A lot of good that did me in Arizona,” Ryder muttered. His shot had been so far off, it hadn’t even come close to hitting the net. He had hit a few posts, though. “I guess I am trying something different. I’ve been wound too tight lately, and I need to loosen up.” Fixing things with Jess would go a long way toward doing that.

  “Good idea,” Noah said. “I’m going to go play some mini golf this afternoon, if you care to join me.”

  It was Noah’s usual pre-game routine. Some of the guys went home for a nap. Others played video games or jammed out to music. Noah played mini golf. Ryder used to think it was silly, but it worked for Noah. “I might do that sometime,” he said. “Today, though, I have other plans.”

  “Oh yeah?” Noah raised an eyebrow. “Do they involve a certain news anchor with long blond hair?”

  “They do, indeed,” Ryder said. “I’m hoping to fix what I screwed up.”

  “In that case, good luck,” Noah said.

  Ryder thanked him and headed to the shower. Half an hour later, he found himself navigating downtown traffic in search of a parking spot. He finally found one, and then found Jessica waiting at the corner she’d told him. Sure enough, there was the food truck, and already a line had formed.

  “Popular place, huh?” he asked as they got in line.

  “With good reason,” Jessica said. “The food’s amazing.”

  “If you say so. I’ll let you do the ordering, but you should know that I’m starving. And we have a game tonight. I eat a lot on game days.”

  “Then we came to the right place,” Jessica said. “Are you playing tonight?”

  Ryder nodded. “Yeah. I wouldn’t blame coach for sitting me after that mess in Arizona, but the regular season starts in less than a week, and we need to get in synch, and get our line combos sorted out,” Ryder said. “Am I boring you with hockey talk?”

  Jessica shook her head. “No. I know it’s your life.”

  Was that a reference to the previous weekend? He wouldn’t blame her. “It’s important, for sure. It’s my career, and I love the game,” Ryder said. “But it’s not the only thing in my life, or even always the most important thing.”

  “Hmm.” She didn’t sound convinced, and Ryder knew he had work to do, but now it was their turn to order. Jessica ordered both tacos and gorditas, whatever the heck they were, then turned to Ryder. “What do you want to drink?”

  “Just water, thanks.” He pulled out his wallet to pay, and she waved him off.

  “My treat. You might decide you hate it.”

  “I doubt it.” Even if the food wasn’t to his liking, the company certainly was.

  They got their order, and Jessica pointed to a bench by a tree. “Want to sit over there?”

  “Sure.” She wasn’t the high maintenance sort, that’s for sure, and he appreciated that she liked to keep things casual. He still wanted to take her on a real date, though, a fancy one. Assuming he got the chance.

  They sat down, and Jessica handed him a gordita, which he learned was beef and cheese and green chilies stuffed inside a baked dough made of cornmeal, called masa. It struck Ryder as a strange conconction, but then again, what did he know about food? Some people probably found poutine and butter tarts to be strange, too. It only took one bite to understand the appeal. “Yum. I could get used to this.”

  “It’s my favorite guilty pleasure,” Jessica said. “Even above wine and dark chocolate.”

  “Really?” Ryder chuckled. “That’s high praise.”

  “No kidding. I try to be careful, though. Gordita means ‘chubby’ in Spanish, and if I ate like this every day, I definitely would be.”

  “Oh, I doubt that,” Ryder said. No, from where he was sitting, she was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen.

  ***

  Ryder wasn’t shy about checking her out, and Jessica didn’t mind. He was interested, for sure, proving that what happened a few days ago was not the result of losing interest once the chase was over and the sex was out of the way. That was good to know, since she’d beat herself up about it plenty of times, wondering if she should have played hard to get, or at least exercised a little restraint, and not been so quick to jump into bed with him. Not that they ever made it to the bed, and that was the problem.

  “You said you wanted to talk.”

  He nodded. “I do, yeah. I don’t like the way we left things the other day.”

  “Really, you didn’t?” Jessica managed a dry laugh. “Join the club. I can’t say I particularly enjoyed being handed a pair of sweat pants for my drive of shame.”

  “Is that what you call it? Drive of shame?”

  “Yeah. It’s like the walk of shame the next morning, but worse. I mean, hell, I didn’t even rank high enough to make it to morning.” The words came out harsher than she intended. Yep. She was still bitter. No doubt about.

  “Ouch, you don’t mince words.”

  “Would you rather I lie and pretend you didn’t hurt me?” Jessica countered.

  “No, of course not. Jeez, I seem to keep messing things up.” Ryder let out a sigh. “I hope you don’t think it’s because I didn’t want you to spend the night.”

  Was he
serious? “Oh, that thought definitely crossed my mind. Nothing like being shown the door, right after being stark naked and spread eagle for you on the edge of the pool.”

  “I wanted you so badly, Jess.”

  “Yeah, I could tell. I still have the scrapes on my legs to prove it.”

  “Did I hurt you?” He closed his eyes. “If I hurt you, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  She believed him, but he needed to know the truth. “Yeah, you hurt me, all right. Not then, not on the side of the pool. I wanted that like I’ve never wanted anything. I needed it. The scrapes will heal. That’s not the problem. I’m just not sure I’ll get over what happened after. That’s what hurt, Ryder. I felt like you tossed me out the damn curb.”

  “Christ, don’t sugar coat it.” He raked a hand through his hair. “That’s not what I did. Or at least not what I intended to do. I just...” Ryder’s voice trailed off as she shook his head. “You must think I’m a giant asshole. Maybe I am.”

  “I don’t think you’re an asshole, Ryder,” Jessica said softly. “If I did, I never would have called you last night, and I wouldn’t be here today. I think you’re a good guy, and you mean well, but you’re way too focused on your career to have a relationship right now.” She stared ahead at the line of people waiting to get food. “I understand, because I’ve been that way for seven years. And now... now I’m figuring out something’s missing. I want more. I want a relationship. I want a family. I don’t want to only be the news anchor for channel twelve. I want it all, or at least more than what I have now.” Maybe it wasn’t possible to have it all, but there was certainly more to life than emceeing charity auctions reporting on crimes and traffic accidents and the other things that led off the nightly newscast. “And I just don’t think you can give it to me right now.”

  “So you’re not even going to let me try?”

  He sounded a little like a petulant child, but Jessica was inclined to forgive that. At least he appeared willing to fight for her this time. “I didn’t say that. I want to try. I do. But when?” she challenged. “When is your schedule ever going to mesh with mine?”

  “We’ll figure it out. We’ll find a way.” Ryder’s voice was determined. “Okay, I have a game tonight, and I know you’re working. But we could meet after.”

  “We could,” Jessica admitted. “It’ll be late, though, and what does that actually solve? We still have an issue.”

  “You drive a hard bargain,” Ryder said. “I’m not giving up, though. We play Saturday, too. Last preseason game, and I probably won’t even play in it, but you can come.”

  “I don’t just want to go to hockey games, Ryder.” Maybe she sounded bitchy for saying it, but it was time to put it out there.

  “I know that. That’s not what I’m suggesting. It’s just a start.” His words came out fast, his voice animated, like he was trying to figure things out on the fly. If nothing else, Jessica gave him credit for trying. “Sunday. No game, and you’re off, right?”

  “Yes,” she admitted. “But aren’t you leaving on Monday?” She’d looked up the schedule, and that’s why she knew this wouldn’t work. No, it would be another replay of last weekend. No thanks.

  “Yes, for Minnesota. The season opener is Tuesday,” Ryder said. “I can still take you out, show you a good time... make you see that we can make this work.”

  “I want to believe that.” Jessica wanted it more than she wanted to admit to herself.

  “Then give me a chance. One chance. If I screw it up, if I can’t convince you, then you can walk away. But at least give me a chance.”

  He looked so earnest, so sincere, that it was impossible to say no. “Okay, Ryder. Sunday it is. Show me what you got,” she said. “And make it good.”

  His face broke out in a sexy grin. “I’m always up for a challenge. Thanks, Jess. You won’t be disappointed.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The week passed slowly, with Jessica looking forward to Sunday. She did attend Saturday’s game, but Ryder didn’t play, so she had little to cheer for, even with a Generals victory. She understood enough about the NHL worked to know that most of the guys who played in final exhibition game would start the season in El Paso. Meanwhile, Colton, Ryder, Trevor, Nik, Casey and the rest of the regulars were given the night off. Their true test would come soon enough, with the start of the regular season in Minnesota.

  Jessica was plenty cynical about having any sort of future with Ryder, but was nonetheless determined to enjoy herself on their date. Besides, after her the regrettable date with Neil, pretty much anything would be an improvement. Well, assuming Ryder didn’t take her to Happy China for the $6.99 buffet.

  When he arrived to pick her up wearing a suit, with an open collar shirt, she figured she was safe, and was glad she’d dressed up as well. “Where are we going?” she asked as they drove.

  “Cama Gaucha,” Ryder said. “Do you know it?”

  Jessica knew it was a popular Brazilian-style steakhouse. “I’ve never been, but heard it’s excellent.” It definitely beat Happy China.

  “It is. I went once with the guys for a team dinner, and liked it a lot, but decided it would be better on a date with a beautiful woman.”

  Jessica chuckled as she cocked her head to the side. “What? You mean Casey and Trev aren’t your idea of a dream date?”

  Ryder laughed. “Believe it or not, no.” He looked her right in the eyes. “You are, Jessica. You’re who I want to be with.”

  She wanted to believe it, and so far, so good. He opened doors for her when they arrived at the restaurant, and then pulled her chair out for her to be seated first. Then again, Ryder was a gentleman on their first date, too. Things only fell apart once they had sex. So was that the answer tonight, end things after dinner with a chaste kiss? Maybe, but it wouldn’t tell Jessica anything about whether they could have a relationship, and enjoy everything that came along with relationships. No, if they were going to have a chance, Jessica needed to know if they could make all aspects of a relationship work. Not just the sex, which they’d already proven to compatible at, but what happened afterward.

  First things first, though. Jessica’s immediate priority was figuring out the protocol at a Brazilian steakhouse, where gauchos carried cuts of meat to the table on skewers. They’d been given cards let their server know when they wanted more. “Green side, we want more meat,” Ryder explained. “Red side, we’re done.”

  “Sounds simple enough.” They ordered wine and side dishes, and suddenly the first cut of meat arrived at their table.

  “Picanha,” the gaucho said. “Our specialty. Prime cut of sirloin.”

  It was good, very good, and so was every cut of meat that followed, from the Filet Mignon to the Cordeiro, which Jessica learned was a rack of lamb. “I think you’re going to roll me out of here,” she joked. She noticed Ryder had placed the red card at the edge of the table, which meant he must be full, too.

  “I was about to say the same. I think I ate enough for three people. I guess that probably means we don’t need dessert, then, huh?”

  “No, definitely not,” Jessica said with a shake of her head. “We can go whenever you’re ready.” And you can take me home, which will truly decide whether this relationship has any chance at all of lasting beyond tonight. Right away, she regretted her cynicism. Jeez, Jess, she told her herself. At least give him a chance.

  She owed him that much, and in spite of her own doubts, Jessica wanted it to work. So much so that they arrived back at her house and Ryder walked her to the door, she didn’t hesitate to invite him inside.

  “I’d love to,” he said. “I don’t want this to end yet, and I’d like to see your house.”

  “It’s nothing compared to yours,” Jessica said of her modest split-level. “But I like it.” She showed him around, reminded that she never got as far as the tour at Ryder’s house, and they ended up in the doorway of her bedroom.

  “Is this by design?” Ryder asked, his eyes twinkling as a
smile tugged at his lips.

  Jessica couldn’t deny it. “You’re welcome here tonight, if you want to stay.”

  “I would like to stay, and I look forward to showing you exactly how much,” Ryder said, as his lips met hers.

  Any doubt whether she’d made the right decision was erased once he kissed her, and Jessica responded with a hungry need. Yes, she’d allow him to satisfy her in bed, and hopefully he wouldn’t disappoint her after the fact.

  ***

  Ryder slipped out of Jessica’s bed early, not to leave, but to see what she had in her kitchen. It turned out to be not very much, leading him to believe she wasn’t big on cooking, or she hadn’t had time to make it to the grocery store yet. He could live with either. He just wanted her in his life, and looked forward to discovering more about her

  He managed to find a few eggs and some bread, so he made scrambled eggs and toast, and carried it on plates back to her bed, where she still slept. “Wake up, sleepy,” he said.

  She did, rubbing her eyes as she raised her head. “Ryder?”

  “Yes. Were you expecting someone else?” He looked around. “Whoever it is, I bet I can take him.”

  “I’m sure you could.” Jessica laughed. “I’m not expecting anyone else. I wasn’t expecting anyone at all,” she said. “I thought you’d be gone. Don’t you guys leave for Minnesota today?”

  Ryder nodded. “Yes, but not ‘til later. I don’t have to leave yet. I want to spend a little more time with you.” He held out one of the plates. “I made breakfast.”

  “Seriously? You’re bringing me breakfast in bed?” She accepted a plate from him.

  “Well, it’s nothing fancy, but I tried.” He settled into bed beside her.

  “Yeah, I need to go to the grocery store later,” Jessica said. “You did okay, though.” She took a bite of egg and nodded her approval. I think you make better eggs than I do. Granted, I’m not much of a cook, as I’m sure you’ll find out.”

  She said it as if they had a future, which made Ryder smile. “I look forward to finding out, and to many more breakfasts in your bed, or mine.” They ate in silence for a few minutes before the alarm on Ryder’s phone sounded.