a move on her. You like this girl.”
Fally studied him. “You look like shit. Are you sleeping at all?”
Ryder scrubbed a hand down his face. “I’m not sleeping much.”
“You haven’t taken anything, have you?” Fally asked, sounding alarmed.
Ryder waved him off. “If I took something, do you think I’d have played like such shit tonight? I won’t take anything, either. Relax, Mom.”
“Ryder, get with Zoe. That’s all you need, man.”
“She’s not interested.”
Fally’s eyebrows shot up. “Why not? I thought you guys already slept together.”
“Yeah. We did, but it’s complicated.”
“Jesus Christ, O’Bryan. You sound like a goddamn woman. How complicated can it be?”
Ryder tipped his bottle back and took another swig. “Pretty complicated. She was a virgin.”
Fally choked on a fry. “What? She’s in her mid-twenties, at least.”
“I know.”
“And, she’s cute. How in the hell did that happen?”
Ryder shook his head. “I’ve asked myself the same thing a thousand times, man. She said no one interested her enough to sleep with. I think she got overlooked a lot, you know? She doesn’t put it out there for the world to see.”
“Still, what’s the problem? You couldn’t have been that bad.”
Ryder glared at him. “Now you’re pissing me off.”
“Well, what is it then?”
“She didn’t want to be a regular.”
Fally snickered. “Oh, this is golden. You asked this girl, this recently pure-as-the-driven-snow virgin, to become a member of your goddamn harem? You’re unbelievable. I hope she kicked you in the balls. Twice.”
Ryder glanced up at the big screen, where the sports channel was playing tonight’s NHL hockey highlights and discussing this season’s possible Stanley Cup contenders. “I wasn’t about to lead her on, Fally.”
Fally put his beer down on the bar. “How was the sex with her?”
Ryder frowned. “Come on, man.”
“How was the sex?”
“The best sex I’ve had in years,” he admitted. “I don’t know how, her being a virgin and all, but we just connected.”
Fally grabbed his beer bottle and pointed it at Ryder. “That, my friend, is why you can’t get it up for any other women. You want your redhead.”
Ryder leaned back against the bar chair. “She’s not my redhead. It was just regular sex with her, Fally. Nothing out of the ordinary. No boundaries pushed.”
“You didn’t feel the need?”
“No. Don’t get me wrong, if given the chance I’d love to try some things with her, but it wasn’t necessary.”
“Do yourself a favor, Irish. Get with this girl. Give up the other women for a while.”
Ryder shook his head. “I’m not going to change who I am.”
“If you don’t do something soon, you’ll be jerking off alone and riding the bench as a healthy scratch. Coach isn’t going to put up with your shit much longer. What do you have to lose?”
Ryder didn’t reply. He knew what he had to lose.
Everything.
He wouldn’t let himself get close to a woman again.
He lived his life his way for a reason and it was no one’s business but his own.
He’d find a way to get his shit together, and it wasn’t going to be by becoming exclusive with anyone. That wasn’t his thing.
Not anymore.
CHAPTER 14
“Okay girl, time to get out of your funk.”
Zoe shaded her eyes with her hand and peered at Leah, who bounced from foot to foot.
“What time is it?” Zoe asked.
“Nine. Come on. Get showered and dressed.”
“Why?” She’d been up late reworking her résumé. The last thing she wanted to do was go out.
Leah stood in front of Zoe’s vanity, brushing her short blonde hair. “I’ve got a surprise for you. You need to break this funk. We’ll have fun I promise.”
Zoe flopped back down. “I’m not in the mood.”
Leah sat on the edge of Zoe’s bed. “I’m worried about you, Zoe. You haven’t been yourself lately. I know you’ve been down about not finding work, but you will find something soon, I know it. I want us to have fun today.”
“Fine,” Zoe grumbled. “But only if we stop for coffee first.”
“Of course.
“What do I wear?”
Leah shrugged. “Whatever you want.”
Zoe showered and put on a white lacy top, skinny jeans and her denim jacket. The temperatures usually warmed up to around 60 degrees in the afternoon, but she was always cold.
After they stopped at the coffee shop, Leah turned up the radio and sang along. Zoe slunk further down in her seat, still tired.
“Today is going to be so much fun. I have a few things planned.”
“Thrilling.”
“Oh come on, Zoe.”
“Sorry. I didn’t sleep much last night,” she muttered, then took a sip of coffee.
They drove for 10 minutes before Leah