Page 43 of The Grinder

And then the little shit actually got down on his knees and laid himself out.

“Dickardson, get your ass off the floor.” Lad Marchenko put his foot on Tyler’s ass and shoved him just hard enough for Tyler to feel it. And then roll over onto his back and act like he’d been shot.

Riley shook his head and gave Tyler the finger he’d been going to give Jake.

As the conversation thankfully moved on to something else as they got ready for warm-ups before the game, Riley shrugged off comments.

For fuck’s sake, Tyler’s reputation was almost as bad as his own, although he was five years younger. Then again, Riley hadn’t gained his reputation overnight. He’d built it up over the past ten years. And it’d be a hard thing to live down in just a few short weeks.

He hoped like hell Aly never got wind of it.

“Just ignore him. He’s being a dick.” Shane sat on the bench across from Riley, strapping on his leg pads. “Bliss likes her. Said Aly’s really smart. Like brainy smart. And maybe a little shy.”

That made Riley’s eyebrows rise. “Shy? Really?”

That certainly hadn’t been Riley’s impression.

“Yeah. She also said she was really nice.” Now Shane looked up at him with raised eyebrows. “So you seeing her again tonight?”

Since it was Shane asking, and not one of the kids, he answered. “Yeah.”

He didn’t say anything else and Shane’s eyebrows rose higher. “That’s kind of unusual for you, isn’t it?”

The words “fuck” and “you” were on the tip of his tongue, but Shane didn’t have a shit-eating grin on his face and he wasn’t looking to bust Riley’s ass. He actually sounded curious.

“Actually, no, it’s not.” Riley tugged his sweater over his head and grabbed his helmet. “At least, not lately.”

“Turning over a new leaf?”

“Don’t you have a pre-game routine to go through?”

Like almost every goalie Riley had ever met, Shane had a specific ritual he performed before each game.

Shane grinned now. “Yes, I do. Talk to you later, Rye.”

“Not if we’re gonna talk about our feelings.”

Now Shane laughed, drawing the interest of the rest of the team for the simple reason that the goalie was always so intensely focused before a game. This season, though, he’d been loosening up a little. And playing better than he’d ever played. Yes, they were only a couple months into the season, but everyone had noticed his playing had elevated to another level.

He wouldn’t be in this league long.

Riley was thrilled for the guy. Shane worked hard and was talented as all hell.

And Riley should take that to heart and concentrate on the game tonight and not a certain woman who’d be waiting for him after the game.

* * * * *

“…older than most of the guys…fuckable…gorgeous…a real manwhore…love to get in those pants…shouldn’t have much trouble…Riley…never last…”

The two women holding the conversation behind Aly hadn’t registered until she heard Riley’s name. The noise level in the arena this afternoon was higher than it’d been last night. Bigger crowd, too.

Every seat around her was taken, a few by other girlfriends introduced to her by Bliss and Lori.

Most were friendly. But there’d been a couple who’d taken one look at her and immediately dismissed her, going back to their whispered conversation. Aly shrugged it off and dropped back into conversation with Bliss and Lori.

But now they were talking about Riley. Her Riley. She hadn’t heard everything they’d said but she’d heard enough. Riley had a reputation, at least according to the girls behind her. He slept around. A lot.

Somewhere beyond the buzzing in her ears, she heard the horn announcing the end of the first period.

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