Page 44 of Pucking the Team

I let out a heavy sigh and rub a hand over my face. They’re right about that. I’ve known Ryan since we were snot-nosed kids learning to skate in Detroit. I’ve seen first-hand the intensity with which he loves.

When Ryan falls, he falls hard and fast, with a single-minded focus that can be both endearing and overwhelming.

“I’ll talk to him,” I agree reluctantly. “But I can’t make any promises, guys. If Ryan has real feelings for Emma, he’s not gonna just step aside.”

The words taste bitter on my tongue. Because even as I say them, I know they’re true for me too. If I let myself fall for Emma Collins, I’ll be just as hooked as the rest of them. And then where will we be?

Royally fucked, that’s where.

Later that day, I meet Ryan at our favorite spot on the Riverwalk. The sun is setting over the city, casting a warm glow on the towering skyscrapers. The breeze is crisp and cool, the first hints of autumn making themselves known.

Ryan is already there when I arrive, his broad shoulders hunched as he leans against the railing, staring out at the rippling water. He looks up as I approach, smiling.

“Hey, man. What’s up?” His deep voice is calm, unsuspecting.

I take a fortifying breath and brace myself for the conversation to come. “We need to talk. About Emma.”

Ryan’s smile fades, his brown eyes narrowing. “What about her?”

Here goes nothing. “Lukas and Alex told me that you’ve been seeing her. That you have feelings for her.”

Ryan’s jaw clenches. A muscle ticks in his cheek. “And? What business is it of theirs? Or yours?”

I hold up my hands in a placating gesture. “Look, I’m not trying to get in the middle of anything. But the guys, they have feelings for her too.”

A flicker of surprise, then anger, flashes across Ryan’s chiseled features. “What are you saying, Slade? That they want to share her? Like some kind of fucked up timeshare?”

His tone is scathing, but beneath the anger, I hear the betrayal. The hurt. I know he’s thinking about Lukas…and what happened with Madison.

I quickly hold up my hands in a pacifying gesture. “I don’t know exactly what they want and I’m not telling you what to do, Ryan. I’m just saying that this situation is complicated as hell.” My voice is calm and even, trying to diffuse his fury. “And I don’t want to see any of you get hurt, including Emma.”

He scoffs. “Seems like you’re thinking about her feelings more than Lukas and Alex are right now. They don’t get to decide if Emma keeps seeing me, she does.”

“Right, of course,” I quickly say, realizing how idiotic this entire meeting is. Why did I ever agree to get involved? Why am I always trying to fix everything?

He gives me an assessing, hard look. “And what about you, Slade? What do you want?”

The question catches me off guard. What do I want? A flash of blue eyes and a wicked smile fills my mind. The phantom brush of soft skin against my fingertips.

I swallow hard. “I want to make sure my team is good. That we’re all on the same page.”

It’s not the whole truth, but it’s as much as I can give him. As much as I can admit to myself.

Ryan turns away, gripping the metal railing tightly as he stares out over the river. I can practically see the gears turning in his head as he wrestles with his emotions. The dude is intense on a good day, but throw romance into the mix, and he’s a powder keg ready to explode.

I step up beside him, our shoulders almost brushing. The scent of his musky cologne mixes with the briny smell of the river. What a clusterfuck this is turning into. If I’d known one hot brunette could cause this much drama, I would’ve recommended Emma for a job with our rivals just to keep the peace.

But I get it. There’s something special about her that draws you in, makes you want to unravel all her secrets. Those blue eyes could bring a grown man to his knees—even a playboy like Lukas or a stoic warrior like Ryan.

Ryan is silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. When he finally speaks, his voice is low and rough with emotion. “I can’t just walk away, Slade. Not from her.”

I frown, surprised by the intensity of his words. “What do you mean?”

He takes a deep breath, his broad shoulders rising and falling beneath his leather jacket. “After Madison, I didn’t think I’d ever feel this way again. I thought I was broken, that I’d never be able to trust someone with my heart.”

I nod, remembering the devastation that had followed Ryan’s brutal breakup with his high school girlfriend. She’d ripped his heart out and stomped on it, leaving him a shell of his former self. Even though I had nothing to do with it, I’ve always felt a little guilty about the whole thing. Lukas may have been the one to screw her, but it happened on my watch.

“But with Emma…it’s different,” Ryan continues, his voice softening. “She makes me feel alive again, like maybe there’s still hope for me. I can’t just give that up, Slade. Not without a fight.”

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