by dlady
“Steph,” he said gently, “it’s all good. We’re friends. Okay?” He suppressed a sigh. She’d signed an agreement. Well then, they really were just friends. He didn’t want her to lose her job. Besides, this took the pressure off both of them.
“Okay.” She pushed the shredded napkin under her plate, and he pretended not to notice.
Jared paid the bill, grateful Steph wasn’t a drinker. With his depleted bank account, every little bit helped.
Just friends?
If being friends was what it took to spend time with her, he was on board with that.
And he did want to see her again.
* * * *
Steph stood and reached for the coat behind her chair, still trying to process what had happened tonight. Jared’s date hadn’t shown, and she’d just had the best time she’d ever had on her own with a man. He was so easy to talk to, nonjudgmental and kind. Not to mention being drop-dead gorgeous. She couldn’t date him, so he was safe, also. They could be friends. She’d like that. She could use a male friend who wasn’t her friend because he was married to one of her girlfriends.
Jared took the coat from her hand and held it out for her. She stared blankly at it before realizing he was doing the gentlemanly thing and helping her into her coat. She put it on and turned, lifting her face to his. His tentative, crooked smile squeezed her heart. Steph braced for the impact of that smile on her lady parts, but no amount of sandbagging could block the flood of emotions surging through her, and all from one little smile.
“I’m ready.”
He offered her his arm, and she accepted it, slipping her hand around his elbow and resting her fingers on his leather-clad arm. Wow. She’d never been with a man who was such a gentleman. She liked it. Maybe too much.
They walked outside to his waiting car. It was an older-model white Toyota sedan badly in need of a bath. He opened the passenger door for her and scrambled to clean the stuff stacked on the seat, tossing all of it into a cluttered back seat. The man was not exactly neat and tidy.
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I should’ve cleaned the car out, but I was running behind.”
“So you said. Not exactly a neat freak, are you?” She ducked her head to hide the smile. The private Jared was a bit of slob, and she found it amusing, as long as she didn’t have to share a house with him. She was a neat freak, and this kind of personal chaos would send her into a tailspin.
“You don’t want to see my house.”
“I probably don’t.” She got into the car and put her purse in her lap. He jumped in on his side, snapped on his seatbelt, and started the engine.
“It’s not much of a car.” He put the car in drive and drove down the driveway and onto the street.
“It’s fine.” Though she wondered why he couldn’t afford something nicer and newer, considering he made millions a year. Maybe stuff like that wasn’t important to him.
“Candy got the Mercedes in the divorce, and I hate car shopping. I haven’t bothered to buy a new one.”
She shot him a sideways glance. He wasn’t looking at her but at the road. “It doesn’t matter to me.” She was telling the truth, but he could clean the thing.
He glanced at her and back to the wet pavement ahead. At least he was a good driver. She’d give him that. Even if he was a hot mess in the neatness department. She shuddered to think what his house looked like. She had no idea where he lived, but he most likely owned an expensive penthouse overlooking Puget Sound or a new house in a gated community, like Matt owned.
While he concentrated on the road, she drank in his profile by the light of the dashboard. He was beautiful in a very masculine way. His dark hair was a little unruly and needed a good cut, but she liked the devil-may-care look. Guys who paid an inordinate amount of attention to their appearance were too fussy for her taste. His square jaw was covered in a dusting of dark hair, almost a beard but not quite. At least he kept that trimmed. She couldn’t abide messy beards.
There was a good reason he was featured on a Hockey Hunks website, among other places. She shouldn’t have, but she’d Googled him a few days ago and found multiple photos of a shirtless Jared, which was a sight to behold.
Her gaze dropped to his fingers on the steering wheel. His hands were large and his fingers long. She swallowed as she imagined the things those fingers could do to a woman and had done countless times. She’d heard he hadn’t been much of a playboy before Candy, though he had hung out with Brick, Drew, and Rush, the Sockeyes’ notorious party boys. Brick didn’t party anymore now that he had Amelia and his daughter, Macy. Or so Vi had told Steph, and she didn’t think Jared partied much, either. He seemed too grounded to be wasting his time and money on drinking and chasing women. After all, men didn’t come to Forever Matched unless they were looking for their soul mates.
He was so different from Gino. Good thing she’d signed that form. She might be attracted to him, but it couldn’t happen, which took the pressure off.
The closer she got to home, the more nervous she became. Would he think she was crazy if she asked him to check the apartment for intruders? Surely, he’d not read any more into her request; she’d told him about the no-dating rule, and obviously that would extend to no hanky-panky, either.
Jared glanced at her, catching her staring at him. His brow furrowed. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t sound fine. What’s wrong?” He pulled up the Blacks’ driveway and stopped the car in front of the garage.
“I have a stupid request of you.”
“I’m sure it’s not stupid.” His concern warmed her heart. He really was a sweetheart, and she envied the lucky woman who ended up with him.
“Would you mind going inside and checking to make sure no one’s in there? I’m a bit of a coward.”
“Sure, no problem.” He didn’t laugh at her or make fun of her. His attitude was matter-of-fact, as if doing this for a woman was normal procedure. She doubted it was.
He followed her up the stairs, took the key from her, fit it in the lock, turned it, and walked inside. She was right on his heels.
Steph flicked on the lights and stood by the door as Jared checked the bathroom, under the bed, in the closet, and on the deck. There weren’t too many places to hide in her cozy studio.
“All clear.” He grinned at her. “Nice place you have. Very comfortable and tidy.”
“Not like yours, I suspect.”
“I’d take yours over mine any day.”
He stood near her, not making any move to leave just yet, as if he were waiting for something. She didn’t have any idea what.
“Well, thank you for dinner, the ride home, everything.”
He gazed down at her and took a step closer. Her breath caught in her throat. He was less than a few feet away. She swallowed and clenched her hands at her sides. She wanted him to kiss her, to hold her, but she also wanted him to leave.
He must have caught the confusion in her eyes. “I had a good time. I’ll see about getting you some tickets.”
“That’d be wonderful.”
Once more he hesitated, but then turned toward the door. “Good night,” he said over his shoulder.
“Good night.”
And he was gone. Her little studio seemed empty without his big body occupying the space. She heard his car start and drive away. Steph turned the deadbolt then flopped down on her couch and stared unseeing at a painting on the wall.
Her feelings were all jumbled inside, leaving her confused. One thing she wasn’t confused about—she had it bad for Jared “Hot Rod” Roderick.
Chapter 5—Tripping
The next morning, Jared attended the optional skate. Tonight they’d play a home game against Winnipeg. He skated around the practice rink, warming up his muscles with long, slow strokes of his blades. His skates glided smoothly over the ice, and his heart pumped, giving him more power to increase his speed. He felt better than he had in a long time, as if some invisible
burden had been lifted and his skates had grown wings. He skimmed along the ice, oddly lightheaded, for the first time in a very long while. He couldn’t put his finger on it, though.
Or maybe he could. Even though he’d been stood up last night, he’d enjoyed the hell out of the evening. Steph could only be a friend, but her genuinely kind and sweet personality gave him hope there were other women out there just like her, and the sisters would find just the right woman for him. He believed in them. He’d been a considerable charmer before Candy, and he had confidence in his abilities to win over the right woman when she came along.
In the meantime, he’d made a new friend, someone he could talk to who’d listen without judgment. Yeah, his personal life was finally looking up.
Steph was skittish and wary, and Jared vowed to help her in whatever way possible. They could hang out, and she wouldn’t expect him to spend lavish amounts of money entertaining her. Candy had bled him dry, run up countless bills, and walked away with an impressive portion of his earnings for the next few years. He shouldn’t be thinking about any kind of relationship until he was more financially stable.
Yet he was. The way he saw it, the timing was perfect. A true gold digger wouldn’t be interested in waiting around the two-plus years it’d take for him to get his finances straightened out. A woman interested in him as a person wouldn’t care that he lived in an average apartment and drove a nondescript car.
Coop, the fastest skater on the team, skated ahead of him. Jared rushed to catch up, wanting to ask him about his renter. Jared matched him stride for stride, but it took all he had.
“I guess we have a mutual acquaintance,” Jared said, panting and breathless.
Coop cast him a sideways glance and dialed it back a bit. “We have a shit-ton of mutual acquaintances.”
Okay, so that was a stupid way to start the conversation. “I mean Steph. I gave her a ride home last night.”
Coop was silent for a long while, one of his favorite methods to make the other guy uncomfortable, and it worked like a charm. Jared was squirming like a kid caught with his hand in the candy jar. Jared couldn’t outskate him, so he finally slowed, hoping Coop would skate on past. He didn’t. He slowed too.
“Is something wrong?” Jared said.
“Steph is a friend of ours, and she works for Izzy, party crashing.”
Jared hadn’t expected that one. He couldn’t picture shy Steph doing the party-crashing thing. “I see.”
“What were you doing out with her?”
Jared rushed to explain what had happened last night, and Coop visibly relaxed. “She’s not like other girls.”
“I could see that.” Jared interpreted Coop’s statement to mean she wasn’t like Candy or the puck bunnies who hung around the players hoping for another notch on their belts.
“She’s naïve and sweet. Not used to how hockey players are.”
“And how are we, exactly, Coop?” Jared was annoyed. He was a good guy. Coop knew that.
The captain cut in front of him and put on the brakes, forcing Jared to slam into the boards to prevent a collision. He glared at Jared, who was gripping the boards and trying to catch his breath.
“We’re animals, most of us, until we find the right woman and grow up. Steph is not one-night-stand material. She’s forever material.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jared said through gritted teeth. “Did it ever occur to you that I’ve had enough of Candy’s type? Maybe I’m looking for a sweet girl who’ll be loyal and faithful. If you recall, I was faithful to Candy, no matter the temptation.”
Coop’s expression softened. “You were,” he conceded. He nodded thoughtfully. “All right then. Just don’t hurt her, or you’ll answer to me. Even worse, you’ll have to answer to Izzy.”
“I won’t hurt her. We’re just friends. That’s all. She signed an agreement with the sisters. She can’t date clients, so don’t worry. Besides, they’re setting me up with my—” He stopped, not wanting to sound sappy, which would earn him no ends of grief from his teammates.
“Forever match?” Coop grinned at him. “Hey, who am I to judge? I’m one of the lucky ones. I know exactly what you’re looking for because I wake up with my forever match every morning.”
Jared kept his expression neutral, but probably wasn’t successful. Coop never talked like this. Jared steered the convo back to Steph, still curious. “So, Steph, what’s up with her? She’s awful skittish.”
Coop’s smile faded. “Her ex did a number on her. She just got out of a very abusive situation. I really can’t say more than that. It’s up to her to disclose the details.”
Jared frowned. Abused? Steph? So many things made sense now, like how jumpy she was, and how she looked down a lot, as if expecting to be punished. His hands curled into fists as anger raged through him. He’d like to hunt down the motherfucker and give him exactly what he deserved—and more.
Coop was watching him. A grim smile settled on his face. “I feel the same way. You can understand why her friends are overprotective of her.”
“Friends?”
“Me, Izzy, Vi, and Matt. And, it appears, now you.” With a nod, Coop skated off.
“What’s that look for?” Jasper “Caveman” Flint skated up to Jared. “Did you pull one over on Coop? Not a good idea. The cap gets even times ten.”
“Nah, nothing like that,” Jared replied. “He’s warning me to stay away from a friend of Izzy’s.”
“That hot little blonde you were sitting with last night?”
“You saw us?”
“Yeah, a couple of us were playing pool in the back. We didn’t say anything cuz you didn’t look like you’d appreciate being interrupted. Can’t blame you. She’s got a great rack and a nice ass.”
“We’re just friends. We were hanging out. And I don’t appreciate you making sexist remarks about her.” Jared bristled and tried to tamp down his anger. Caveman didn’t mean anything. The guy had the manners of an untrained bulldog and was lacking in social skills.
“Sorry.” Caveman ducked his head. “You’re just friends?”
“Yeah, friends. And trust me, Coop is protective of her. I’d keep my distance.”
“I don’t need to get in any deeper shit with our almighty captain.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Still.” Cave rubbed his chin. “She looked familiar. Have we seen her around somewhere?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
Cave shrugged and sped off, already bored with the subject.
Jared shook off thoughts of Steph and forever matches and concentrated on his usual drills, teaming up with Ice for some two-on-two drills. They didn’t go for broke, though. He didn’t need to wear himself out before the game tonight. Game-day skates were optional and gave the guys a chance to limber up stiff muscles and test out minor injuries, shit like that. Jared never missed a chance to skate. Skating was his life, his reason for being. Without skating, he’d have no purpose.
Even he realized how pathetic he was to be so wrapped up in a sport he’d only play for the first part of his life. The second half of his life was supposed to be dedicated to the one he loved and his children. He was still working on that piece, and someday he’d get there, with or without the sisters’ help.
* * * *
Iona and Agnes were waiting for Steph when she walked in the door on Monday. She looked from one to the other. They appeared annoyed, which was Iona’s usual expression but not Agnes’s.
She immediately wondered if they’d heard about her and Jared together at The Place on Friday night.
Jared?
Oh dear, she had a stupid crush on the man. She’d been a little smitten with him from afar for a while, considering him the best-looking guy on the Sockeyes team. Superficial, but he’d been an imaginary port in the storm, a fantasy she could escape to when things got especially bad with Gino. Now that she’d met Jared, she found him even nicer than she’d imagined, not to mention sexier, if that was possi
ble.
Jared was everything Gino hadn’t been. At least, he was in her little cozy bubble. She’d been a needy, scared girl with teenage hormones when she’d met Gino. Her parents had sheltered and controlled her. She’d fallen for a smooth-talking bad boy. Nothing unusual with that. She’d given Gino her heart and her virginity. He’d given her his fists and his controlling personality.
She’d been naïve enough to believe every lie he told her. Every time he’d hurt her, he’d been so sorry. It’d all started out so normal. At least, normal to her. Her father controlled his wife and children. The man was the master of his home, the head of the household, and she never saw anything amiss when Gino started making demands on her. He’d been subtle at first, but he’d gotten worse and worse in ways she didn’t see until she looked back at them now. It’d been her fault he’d hit her that first time and every time after. She’d pushed him to his limits.
Everything she’d thought about Gino had been a lie. She’d been a possession to him, just like his car, only this possession earned money, so he could drink and gamble while she danced naked in front of dozens of drooling, leering strangers.
She wanted to forget the last four years of hell. Pretend they never existed. She’d put them in a compartment in her head and pushed them as far away as possible. She had a new life now, with friends and two jobs she loved. Speaking of jobs, the sisters were watching her as if they could read her very thoughts.
“How did it go?” Agnes motioned her into the library, and they took a seat on the couch.
“How did what go?” Steph played dumb because she wasn’t sure what they were getting at.
“Friday night?” Iona said impatiently.
“Jared’s date never showed.”
The two sisters exchanged one of those looks but didn’t seem especially upset.
“That’s unfortunate,” Agnes said. “Did you speak to him?”