Hot Shot

by Pratt, Lulu

  Lucas came over and fussed over me, kissing my hand as a greeting. I blushed and tried to focus on the moment as we walked around and looked at the art, the bars, and the tables with food ready for the guests. It was perfect, and I felt tears in my eyes as I looked down at the floor.

  Arms slid around me, and I heard Diana whisper beside me. “You’ve got this, Elyse. You are so talented, and these paintings take my breath away, just like you. Your mom would be so proud.” We talked over dinner about my fears of my past being revealed, but she backed up the investigation in saying it was more than likely a messed-up robbery. It was a tragedy, but the person didn’t even know I was there. Once he did, Dad had already moved us out of the house.

  “Thank you. I wish she were here.” I knew Mom had a love for art as well and felt her with me as I worked.

  “She is. She never left her baby girl in spirit,” Diana assured me before Tori appeared beside us in a classic black dress. She hugged me as soon as she got the chance and told me that people were arriving.

  My stomach twisted in knots as I looked at the door to see people trickling inside, hoping for the best tonight.

  Chapter 13

  RYDER

  MY GAME WENT into overtime and then a shootout, which we won. I had been thinking of Elyse all night, and my cock was hard for most of it after she sent me a picture from the restaurant. She was stunning, and the caveman in me wanted to get there as soon as possible to stake my claim. I’d done everything to assure Elyse that I wanted her but wondered if there was ever someone else. She was beautiful, and after tonight, she’d be on everyone’s radar.

  I skipped the post-game interviews and showered, dressing in black slacks and a crisp white shirt. I added some product to my hair and messed it up the way Elyse liked it before washing my hands.

  “Headed to the gallery?” Justin asked as he appeared by my side, dressed in similar clothing.

  “Yeah, though a bit later than planned. That end took a fucking minute.” I slipped a tie around my neck that brought out my eyes and knotted it as he did the same with a black one. “You?”

  “I’ve heard a lot about these paintings and figured I ought to check them out. I haven’t seen Tori for a while, and we’re going for drinks after it’s over.”

  I saw the gleam in his eyes and held in my smile. “Let’s go together then. We can probably all have drinks together. My car?” I asked, and Justin nodded in agreement. We left before anyone else, telling them to have a good night before I left the rink and headed into the city. I looked at the clock to see that the showing would be wrapping up in just over an hour, hating the guilt that fluttered in my stomach. I pressed down on the gas pedal and found a spot in the closest parking garage and Justin whistled as I parked.

  “You are a man on a mission.” He got out, and I slipped the ticket in the front of the windshield before locking the car with the push of a button.

  “It’s already so late,” I murmured as we headed to the street to turn left towards the art gallery.

  “She knows you were thinking about her.”

  I smiled at Justin, and we made our way to the modern building with a wall of glass windows facing the street. The lights were dim and intimate with candlelight flickering in the room. I thought it might be too dark but once we were inside, I saw the paintings lit up. “Holy shit,” Justin gasped. “This is great work. Have you seen any of it before?”

  “Yeah.” The setting made them look great, and I paused to look around. A few had some tags on them, and I wondered if they sold. I wanted to buy one for my place and hoped there would be a decent selection. “They look incredible tonight like this.”

  We got a few looks as we gazed around, and Justin nudged my arm. “I see Tori. Want a drink while we mingle?”

  “Perfect.” I needed it after the excitement of the game. I headed with him to the nearest mini bar, and we got beers before he walked over to greet Tori with a kiss on the cheek. I searched the room for Elyse but didn’t see her. I could see there were different rooms of the gallery, all of which held her paintings. I walked through the tight crowd and replied to one or two fans who recognized me, trying to appreciate their support as I looked for my girl. I made a point to always be kind to those who kept my career going, but the fact that I couldn’t find Elyse worried me.

  I made my way to the end of the building, not seeing her, and turned around. Justin was with Tori, and they were close together. He had an arm around her waist as she laughed at something he said. They looked happy, and I paused to take it in, feeling anxious that I couldn’t touch Elyse.

  I walked back to the entrance and looked around again, finally seeing a glimpse of a woman down a hallway. It was Elyse. My cock hardened even more. I grinned and stepped forward to get her, pausing when I saw a man standing too close to her as they spoke intimately and alone. I frowned as I stepped closer to see the man was with her at a desk where it looked like they were supposed to be doing paperwork. It was clear he was thinking of more, and I heard her laugh as she leaned over, ultimately moving closer to him.

  What the fuck?

  I felt anger rising and tried to keep it at bay as possession took me over. I never felt this way about any other woman, and it was making my head hurt as I sipped my drink to calm down. I watched them, and the man flirted harder as jealousy flooded me. They seemed to finish up finally and turned to return to the crowd. She looked more beautiful in person, and I stared at her as she blushed at something he told her in her ear.

  Elyse turned and saw me. Her mouth dropped open and then closed again, and I felt relieved that her lipstick was still on. At least she wasn’t kissing him, but they were too close for comfort right now. She pulled free and said something to him as she drifted towards me.

  “Ryder, you made it.” She sounded nervous. The man followed her.

  “I recognize you from somewhere,” the man said, and I glared at him. He was looking at the closeness between Elyse and me with distaste, and it occurred to me that she didn’t tell him about me. Hadn’t I said to her that I was serious about her?

  “Ryder Bellamy. Hockey.” I kept my words short and offered him my free hand, holding tight when he shook it.

  “It’s good to meet you.” He looked again at Elyse. “I assume you know one another?”

  Elyse shot me a helpless look as if she was warning me to stay quiet.

  “We’re dating,” I curtly said as he raised an eyebrow.

  “I had no idea. Elyse didn’t tell me that.” There was a smirk on his face, and I desperately wanted to punch it off his face.

  “I haven’t spoken much about anything other than the showing,” Elyse said as she looked up at me. “Lucas, I’ve been seeing Ryder for a little while. However, I thought you weren’t going to make it.”

  “The game ran late. I’d never miss this,” I said, taking in her dewy, full lips with longing. My world dimmed, so I only saw her, and Elyse blinked. When I looked around, we were alone, and I stared down at her. “Don’t you want to be with me?”

  “Of course, I do, Ryder. He’s the gallery manager and did everything for this show. We only talked about that and art. I didn’t want to upset anything.” Her eyes were wide, and it looked like she was going to cry.

  “What’s happening here?” An older woman who looked a lot like Elyse appeared beside us, followed by Tori. There was a tone to her voice that reminded me of the officer in front of Elyse’s house that night.

  “No, I was setting things straight.” I stared her down as I responded. Elyse started rubbing her upper arms.

  “Let’s all calm down,” Tori suggested with a strained expression. She reached out a hand to touch my arm, and I bristled as Justin stepped behind me.

  “Come on, buddy. I got you another beer.” He managed to pull me away from Elyse, and the older woman hugged her as Justin cleared his throat.

  “Calm the fuck down, Ryder. This is her night.”

  “Who is that guy?” I hissed as someone ap
proached our group to talk to Elyse. She bounced back and smiled as Justin led me away.

  “He is the manager. He helped Tori with this entire night. I agree that he’s a little handsy with Elyse, but Tori said nothing has happened between them. He’s just set his sights on her.”

  I stared at him, and Justin met my gaze evenly.

  “She’s overwhelmed, Bells. This is a big night, and Tori said she’s not the type of girl to speak up.”

  “I saw him down the hall with her. They were attached at the fucking hip,” I growled, and he held up his free hand.

  “I get it. I’d feel the same way if I saw that with Tori, but they are two different women. It’s all good,” Justin said in a low voice. “Seriously, Bells, how much trouble do you think someone could get into at an art show?”

  “Fuck. I haven’t felt that way before. It seemed like she was hiding us.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes, telling my heart to stop racing.

  “Elyse is overwhelmed. Let her finish this thing, and we can get drinks. You can talk this out.”

  “Who’s the woman?” I muttered.

  “Tori said that’s Elyse’s aunt. Apparently, she’s pretty much all that Elyse has in the way of family now. They are close, and I guess she got defensive. It happens in things like this.” That made a lot of sense since they looked so much alike. I suddenly felt like I knew so little about Elyse, and something knotted in my stomach as I remembered the woman’s expression when I was caging Elyse in. It was well beyond protective, and I felt like she’d been through something substantial at that moment. “We can all talk later. It’s all going to be okay.”

  “Yeah,” I said, but I didn’t know who I was trying to convince. I sipped the beer and calmed down slowly, stealing glances at Elyse as she dazzled the crowd. She still appeared shaken, but was able to focus on the reason that we were all here. I even walked around to verify that the tags indicated what was sold and picked a painting meant to be an image that looked like Elyse. It was in shades of blue and green, and she seemed to be looking over a calm ocean with an expression of remembrance.

  Ironically, I had to deal with the asshole to make the purchase. He was polite at best, and I handed my credit card to Lucas, paying six hundred for the painting as asked. I kept my gaze locked on him until we finished, and he finally shrugged.

  “Look,” he said in a low voice. “She didn’t tell me about you. I swear to that. She didn’t tell me much, to be honest. Elyse is beautiful but hard to get to know.”

  I nodded, knowing he was right.

  “I’m not going to interfere with the two of you, as much as I’d like to. Just take it slow with her.”

  I had the maturity to keep from him just how slow we were going so far. That was a shit move. We shook hands, and he thanked me for the purchase before walking to a back office. I left and made my way back to the front area of the gallery, seeing that the bar staff was cleaning up. It must be ending soon. I scrubbed my hand through my hair and looked around to see Elyse talking closely with Tori. I hoped that Tori was reasoning with her to stay with me, as pathetic as that sounded.

  The crowd trickled out, and Tori and Elyse spoke briefly to the manager before Elyse looked at me. I approached them, not touching her as Justin joined us. “Drinks?” he asked as he looked around the group.

  “That sounds great. We have some celebrating to do.” Tori beamed at her best friend.

  Elyse looked at me, and I ruefully smiled before we left as a group. She didn’t say otherwise, and I wasn’t going to leave her — not tonight.

  We found a bar on the next block that was on the quiet side, just serving drinks and playing music. Tori found us a large table, and I nearly groaned as I watched Elyse sit between her and Diana, choosing to get drinks from the bar. We brought them back and Justin moved beside Tori while I darted to the other side, holding my thoughts in.

  “I spoke with Lucas just before we left.” That must be the asshole’s name. Wonderful. “Every painting was sold tonight. Every single one!” Diana said, and Elyse blushed and leaned her head on her aunt’s shoulder. “There will also be a lot of interest from other buyers in the future. Get ready to rock, Elyse.”

  We all held up our glasses to clink them together.

  “I am so proud of you, baby girl. So proud,” Diana said, slipping an arm around Elyse. They were close, and that was apparent, but there was more. I knew that Elyse didn’t have much contact with her family, if at all. Why was she this way with her aunt? Diana treated her as younger than Elyse was, as well. I had a feeling that there was something much more complicated there that I might or might not want to know.

  We talked all about the show as Tori filled us in on the details. Well, they spoke, and I listened. The paintings had sold quickly. Tori mentioned how much money the gallery made, and it was generous for a new artist, making me imagine what she’d make down the line. It didn’t seem like Elyse was in this for money as much as the fact that it was her heart and soul. Tori also talked about the possible outcomes in the future, and I just wondered if I was going to see her alone at all tonight.

  We stayed for an hour or so before it looked like Elyse was going to fall asleep at the table. Everyone stood, and I made my way to her side. “We need to talk,” I softly spoke so it would be between us as Tori and Diana looked on.

  “I have my aunt staying with me for a couple of nights, so it will have to wait.” Elyse wouldn’t look at me, and I slipped my hand over hers, squeezing gently.

  “I think I deserve to have you hear me out.”

  She glanced at me with what appeared to be fear in her eyes. “I’ll call you.”

  “What’s wrong?” I hissed. Elyse flushed and looked at Tori. I looked at her as well, and she was looking between the two of us with an awkward expression on her face. Justin slipped an arm around her waist, and she smiled grimly at Elyse as Diana stepped forward. “Elyse, wait.”

  She moved with her aunt towards the door, and I stepped in front of Justin and Tori. “What the fuck is going on here?”

  “I don’t think your little display back there scored you any points,” Tori said. “Elyse isn’t into confrontation, Ryder. You could have handled it differently.” Her words were firm, and Justin glanced at her.

  “He was being too familiar with her. Being that she doesn’t like confrontation, would she stand up for herself?” I asked as Tori paled. “I didn’t hit him. That was self-control for me.”

  “Calm down, Bells. Give it a night or two and see how this plays out,” Justin urged me with a long, curious look.

  “Fine.” I turned and walked out to the street and slipped into my car. He could find his way home, and would likely be with Tori tonight. Fuck. I wanted to be with my girl. I headed home and grabbed my bottle of Jack, taking it to my room as I plopped on my bed. I had the following day off and was going to drown my sorrows tonight. I could figure this shit out in the morning.

  Chapter 14

  ELYSE

  I SAT IN MY bed after Diana was asleep, both exhausted and wound up. The night played through my head, and the success of the showing was some of the best news I could ever get. I knew that I had a future in art, and I should have been on top of the world.

  Ryder wouldn’t leave my head, though. I was looking forward to him being there and when he finally was, it had to be a moment that Lucas had me in the corner. I knew how it looked. Lucas was a little aggressive with me, but he was running the show that did so well. I didn’t plan on anything happening between us.

  It had to be then that Ryder found me. The look in his eyes was furious and cold, and it chilled me to the bone. I saw the Ryder from the ice at that moment and felt like I was shutting down. The men got into some bravado contest, and I was waiting for Ryder to hit him and end everything I thought my life was supposed to be.

  Everyone else came in and controlled the situation, and I was relieved. I didn’t know how to stop a physical fight between anybody. I sensed the discomf
ort, and it took everything for me to not run out of the gallery in tears. I managed to pull it together and mingle with everyone and make some sales and contacts, but it took everything out of me.

  When Tori suggested drinks, I almost wept. She was so happy about everything, and I did it for her, watching uncomfortably as Ryder and Justin joined us. I felt him looking at me all evening, and it took everything not to suggest calling it a night. Diana was by my side and guarding me as she’d been doing since we lost my mom. She tried to ask me about Ryder, but I told her that we were dating for a short while and nothing more.

  I didn’t know what to say. I knew that Ryder was a caring man, but his intensity at the moment was too much. Everything crashed around me, and I closed my eyes and rested in the fetal position as I tried to catch my breath.

  There were times like tonight when I felt terrified. I remembered the feeling of police in my house and my father telling me that my mom was gone. I’d never see her again because of violence. I went to therapy and talked it out, but my reaction to anything like tonight was quick and harsh. I couldn’t help it. I thought back to the hockey game and my reactions there, and tonight felt like so much more. I just had a distraction that made me get through the night and now I’d recover. I would figure this out and walk into my future, but did that include Ryder?

  I had no clue. I pulled the covers over me and told myself that I was tired. I needed sleep badly right now after working so hard. I needed a clear head to get through any of this.

  I slept late the following day and ordered take out and just watched movies with Diana. She knew that I was off and asked several times if I wanted to talk about anything. I pretended everything was fine, and the tension was thick between us when she was ready to leave the following day.

  “I hate leaving you this way, Elyse.” She looked at me as I shuffled my feet. “You’re not okay, and you’re here all alone.”