Page 22 of Buried Treasure
Andy took a deep breath and leaned against the elevator rail. He liked Ryan's mom, he really did. She was kind and had been very thankful to him for helping Ryan. She was making sure Ryan was following all the instructions now that he was home. She gave him tea and told him when to take his painkillers. And for a petite woman, she had some muscle on her. Andy had no concern about whether she could help her son get off the sofa or walk around the apartment.
But holy crap was she a nag when it came to his love life. His own mother was worse, of course, but Amelia wasn't doing him any favors at dinner tonight. Yes, he was alone, and yes, he wished he had someone. But blatantly trying to push him on Sydney was a little much.
Not that he would mind ever being on Sydney with her brown hair flared out on the pillow underneath her as his lips found that small spot above her collarbone while his eyes drifted to… a man who was standing in the elevator lobby staring at him.
"Are you going to get out or what, dude?"
Andy blinked, realizing he was so lost in the idea of Sydney's body that he hadn't realized he had reached the parking lot. He nodded in embarrassment and stepped out, making his way as quickly to his car as he could with the zipper of his pants a little tighter than usual.
As he drove out on the streets of Detroit to the freeway home, he had to remind himself that even if he did find Sydney attractive, even if he did want to date her, there was just no way he could actually try being in a relationship with her. He had seen the way she interacted with Ryan, and they were probably nothing more than friends. But he had been down that road before. He knew how women reacted to hockey players in this city.
Sydney may not be interested in Ryan, but it would only take one night out with his friends before she would find herself on the arm of a Detroit Pirate. Every woman did. It didn't matter if they said they weren't interested in hockey players. It didn't matter if they said they didn't care about the money. It didn't matter if they were already dating someone else, even if that someone else was a member of the team's staff. Andy had learned that the hard way. Twice. The team's trainer was just a stepping stone to a date with a man who actually laced up the skates for the team.
There was something about Sydney that was different. He was sure about that. Most of them wouldn't be as strong as was right now under the circumstances. Her smile tonight still had a bit of sadness lingering on it, but it was a smile. It lit up the entire room as far as Andy was concerned. If only he could see it when she was genuinely happy.
Of course, if he ever saw her smile like that, it would be the most dangerous smile he had ever seen from a woman. Better to just get the next few weeks of Ryan's recovery over with and try to move on. Easier said than done, but if he didn't, a woman like Sydney could break his heart. He really didn't want to go through that again.
