“Everything look okay?” she called.
He re-appeared in the kitchen smiling. “Well, Rylee, thank you for accompanying me to the game this evening.”
He was always so polite. How exactly does one end an evening between new friends? Handshake? Hug? Kiss on the cheek?
Rylee smiled shyly. “Thanks for inviting me, Nick. I really had a nice time.”
She knew if he didn’t leave now, she couldn’t be held responsible for what happened next. She was lonely and she had been drinking.
“Rylee, I better go,” he said. Taking her hand in his, he bowed his head and pulled it to his lips.
Jingle bells. She heard those damn bells jingling again as his lips brushed against her skin.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He turned to walk back out the door.
“Nick,” she said, and he turned to look at her. She really didn’t want him to leave. “My ankle is starting to feel better. And thanks for the little jail break,” she added with a shy grin.
“Rylee, will you have dinner with me?” Nick looked at the ground as soon as the words escaped his lips. He possibly looked as unsure asking it as she felt hearing it. His eyes searched the ground but soon returned to hers.
“Um…” Rylee was unable to form words. Her brain frantically searched to form a sentence, but it wasn’t working fast enough. Um was all she could manage at the moment. She grabbed at her heart necklace, tracing the heart with her fingertips. This was one of those moments, the decision she didn’t want to have to make.
A smile crept across his lips. “Um? Where I’m from that’s not really an answer. It’s not even acceptable English.”
Oh goodness, now I look like an uneducated fool. This isn’t going well at all. Maybe it’s a sign? “I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be sorry, please.” Nick shook his head and raised his hands in objection. “I didn’t mean that as a criticism. Sometimes my upbringing gets in the way. Agree to dinner with me tomorrow and give me a chance to explain my lack of social etiquette.” His brown eyes pleaded.
She’d scared the poor guy; how could she say no now? “I don’t think you have poor social etiquette, but yes, I will go to dinner with you. When? Just let me know where I can meet you and—”
He abruptly stopped her. “Well that’s unacceptable.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re not meeting me anywhere. I asked you out to dinner, on a date. That means I pick you up at your house.”
He wasn’t asking her permission now, and as much as she wanted to turn him down because she wasn’t into the whole dating scene, his persistence and chivalry persuaded her to agree. “Okay. What time?”
Nick’s eyes popped wide open and his jaw dropped open, as if he wasn’t expecting her to agree.
“From what you’ve been saying, I’m sure your upbringing wouldn’t approve of your staring at me with your mouth gaping open.” She said, adding her best dose of sarcasm.
He closed his mouth and a sexy grin spread across his face. “Cute. But you aren’t wrong.” He paused for a moment, his eyes never leaving hers. “So, I’ll see you at seven?”
***
Rylee paced her living room. Her gut was questioning her decision to go on a real date with Nick. There was no way she was ready for this. She stopped in front of her framed photographs, and the one of her and Scott stared back at her. Maybe there was still time to cancel… She reached for her phone but it was too late. The engine of the Range Rover pulling up in front of her house rumbled.
Maybe she could send him away? She could say that she wasn’t feeling well. That wasn’t entirely a lie; her stomach flopped something fierce and she could feel her pulse in her temples. Briefly she sat on the steps as a wave of dizziness came over her. She wasn’t sick. Her chest heaved as her heart hurt. She missed Scott. She wasn’t ready for this. That’s it, I’m not going.
This was the best decision for both of them. Nick didn’t know what he was getting into with her. She had so much baggage. As the doorbell rang, she opened to Nick’s deep brown eyes and lazily handsome smile. Her mouth went dry and the pain in her chest turned into fluttering.
“Hello?” Nick said, “Earth to Rylee.”
Oh, she must’ve been staring longer than she thought. “Hi, come in.” His brown eyes seemed to take over her thoughts and anything she was planning on saying to him escaped her.
“Are you ready to go?” He asked as he walked through her doorway.
No. “Yep. I just need to grab my—”
“Coat. Here.” Nick pulled it off of the hook and slid it over her shoulders. He held out his arm to her and smiled. “Shall we?”
Her ankle still hurt, but she hadn’t been using her crutches, and she hoped she would be fine to go out. All her worries faded as his strong arm aided her to his car. It was windy and the bitter cold bit through her clothes. She was just glad she’d decided on pants instead of a skirt.
CHAPTER 10
“Why are we at the arena?” Rylee looked over at him with her brows wrinkled. He couldn’t help smiling at her confusion.
“For our date.”
“Our date? Here?” She peered around as he pulled into the underground parking lot.
“Relax, you’ll see soon enough. Are you always this anxious?” He opened his door, but turned to her first. “Stay there, I’ll help you out of the car.” Nick jumped out of the SUV and hurried to her door He was afraid she wasn’t going to wait for him, and he wanted to start this date off on the right foot. The gentleman always helps the lady out of the car.
She must think I’m nuts bringing her here. I hope it works out like I’d planned. He quickly checked his cell phone, sending the caterer a message to make sure everything was ready. Before he reached her door he got the response he was looking for. He opened her door and took her hand. “Watch your step.”
“Thank you. So you aren’t going to tell me what we’re doing here?” She looked at him with one eyebrow raised.
“I already told you, it’s our date.” He couldn’t tell her too many details without spoiling the surprise, so he shut her door and looped his arm with hers. When the wind whipped through the empty halls of the parking garage he pulled her close to help keep her warm. She smelled good, fruity, like strawberries.
Her puzzled expression told him she wasn’t convinced that this was a good idea. Once they reached the side door to Rivers Arena, Nick let go of her arm and swiped his security pass. “Trust me.”
She was quiet as he led her through the empty halls. He was careful not to move too fast because her ankle was still healing, but his excitement was getting the best of him. He couldn’t wait to see her face when his surprise was revealed.
“Downstairs?” She asked as they stepped into the elevator and he hit the down arrow.
“You’ll see. Are you always this nosey about surprises?” They were almost to where the Zamboni doors opened to the ice. Nick held his breath, hoping everything was how he ordered it. Seeing the doors propped open, and the red carpet stretched out over the ice, he knew that everything was ready.
“Wait, we’re going on the ice?” Panic spread across her face as she quickly came to a halt, pulling him back.
“Trust me.” He said in a soft voice. He expected this apprehension. She would change her tune once she saw what was on the ice.
Letting out a slow sigh, she reluctantly let him pull her towards the rink. The closer they got, he could see the ice was covered and a red carpet led out to a table with a long red table cloth. The table was set with designer silverware, while a vase with a few flowers and a lit candle decorated the center. The lights were dimmed, and soft Christmas music played in the background. The glow from the candle gave off the perfect warm, romantic radiance he was looking for. Hopefully she saw it too. The caterers and his team had done a wonderful job setting this up.
“Oh, my,” she said breathlessly. “Nick it’s beautiful.”
That was the reaction he’d hoped to
see. Amazement and wide-eyed awe. He pulled out her chair and pushed her in as she sat down. “I wanted you to have a happy experience on the ice, hopefully to replace the not-so-good one.” He looked towards the boards, where a waiter stood waiting. With a nod from Nick he approached the table and poured them each a glass of champagne.
“Nick,” Rylee looked at him over her glass. “This is too much.”
“Just sit back and enjoy.” Another waiter served them a small plate of cheese and fruit. “Fruit?” Nick picked up a piece of melon and moved it towards her lips.
She nodded and gently took a bite, her soft, delicate lips grazed against his fingertips. He fed her the remainder of the fruit. It was more sensual than he had planned; he would never normally move that fast, but she inspired him.
Finishing her bite, Rylee smiled. “This is all so beautiful. The way the candle glows it makes me forget I’m in the arena. You really didn’t have to do all this.”
The waiter interrupted her with plates of salad. She seemed to drift into thought as she dug into her salad. Her face was so cute scrunched up in thought. The music changed from an upbeat Christmas song to a slow one. Nick swore she was humming along. She didn’t speak again until the waiter cleared the plates for the main course.
As the waiter laid the plates before them, a smile spread across her face. “Chicken Marsala?”
“Is that okay? If you prefer something else the chef can prepare anything you’d like.” Nick was trying not to seem too nervous, but he wanted everything to be perfect. If she didn’t like the meal, he’d make sure she had whatever she liked.
“No, it’s perfect actually. It’s one of my favorite dishes.”
Nick breathed a sigh of relief and waited for her to take a bite of her food before he dug into his. “So, you like Chicken Marsala?”
“I do,” Rylee said as she took a forkful of food and covered her mouth with her hand. After finishing her bite she continued. “It’s one of those foods I really enjoy but never make for myself. It’s too much work for one person.”
“Well that worked out perfect,” he said as he enjoyed his dinner. He watched her sweep a piece of hair behind her ear. She was beautiful. Her auburn hair, her blue eyes, and those lips.
“Earth to Nick?” She waved her hand in front of his face.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, was I staring?” He looked down at his food and concentrated on stabbing a piece of chicken with his fork and chasing a mushroom around his plate in the hopes he could hide his embarrassment.
“Maybe a little, but that’s okay.” Her face filled with pink.
They ate in silence for a bit. He snuck glances whenever he could, hoping she didn’t think he was creepy for staring at her, but he couldn’t help it. Soon both of their plates were empty and the waiter returned with dessert.
“I hope you like crepes.” He watched her for some sign. He had already talked to the chef and they had a backup plan in case she didn’t.
Rylee was quiet while the waiter placed their plates before them. The crepes were topped with fresh strawberries and freshly whipped cream. Rylee took a forkful and as the crepe and cream hit her lips the biggest smile crossed her face. Her eyes glittered.
Taking his own forkful, it tasted delightful and sweet. “I will take that as a yes, you do like crepes.” He smirked.
She simply nodded in response.
“Well, once we finish dessert I have one other surprise for you.”
Behind him, arena workers had entered the ice and were beginning to pick up the covering to expose the ice. He had tonight all planned out and coordinated. Dinner here had to happen on a night nothing else was happening at the arena and he was lucky enough to find the perfect evening. The ice had been covered for dinner so it wasn’t extra cold in here, and of course, so no one fell. But for the next part of the date they needed the ice.
“What are those men doing?” Rylee pointed to the end of the ice.
“You’ll see.” He knew her curiosity was getting the best of her, she was so bad with surprises.
As soon as their plates were empty, they polished off the rest of the champagne. Nick took his time, moving leisurely and calmly, but he could see in her eyes she was anxious. The waiter watched him, and when he was finally ready he nodded at him. It was time to get the second part of their night moving.
“Rylee,” He stood up and held out his arm to her. “Ready?”
“To do what?” She raised her eyebrow as a smile crept along her lips.
“You’ll see.” His answer remained the same. She was trying to spoil the surprise, but she wouldn’t succeed.
After her arm was looped around his, he led her back down the hallway and to his office. On his desk sat a chilled bottle of champagne and two stemmed glasses.
“Is this the surprise?” She asked still with one eye brow arched.
“No, don’t be silly. This is a stop between dinner and the surprise. Would you like a drink?” He poured a glass and handed it to her. Then poured a half glass for himself. He needed to be clear headed.
“Nice office.” She looked around.
“It’s okay I guess. So, your ankle seems to be getting better?”
“Yeah, I’m able to do way more things now. I should be resting it more than I am, but I just can’t sit still that much. The doctor just warned to take it easy.”
“So, no marathons yet?” Nick laughed.
“No, no marathons yet.” Her face reddened as she took a long sip of her drink.
A knock on the door interrupted them.
“Mr. Talon, it’s ready.” The arena worker exited as quickly as he had appeared.
“What’s ready?” Rylee asked with a smile, stifling a laugh.
“This is just a game to you now, isn’t it?”
“Maybe…”
“Well, you’re going to have to wait and see.” He set both of their glasses down on his desk. “Follow me,” he politely commanded.
“Yes sir.” She mocked.
Taking her hand, he led her upstairs through the empty halls of the arena. “Here we are.”
They were in an empty and dark private suite that looked out to the ice. It was nestled above the lower level seating but below the upper deck. The ice was dark, but he could see that all of the covering had been removed. These guys need a bonus for all of this extra help they volunteered. I’ll have to see to it that they get one.
Rylee looked confused, her forehead ruffled and her mouth pursed.
“Come with me,” he held out his hand to her and led her down to the seats.
Once they sat down, the Christmas music got louder and colorful images started to dance. Lasers beamed Christmas trees, snowmen and gingerbread men onto the ice. Each image twirled to the beat of the music. The tune changed and vibrant lasers jumped around the arena creating a magical wonderland of colors. Each image seemed to come alive to the music.
Nick looked over at Rylee. Her eyes were wide and her mouth dropped open in wonder as she was mesmerized by the light show. Her hand sat on her lap. Without any thought of how she might react, he slid his hand into hers, and held his breath once he realized what he had done. This could end wonderfully or with his cheek stinging from a slap. But she just smiled before she looked back at the light show.
***
Nick led her outside the arena, and the chill in the air hit them as soon as they entered the parking garage. Wind whipped around them and he did his best to shield her from the bitter cold. He aimed his keychain at his vehicle and remote started the engine.
“At least the car will be warm.” He shook his head and his voice cracked in the wind. “The winters here are terrible.”
“This is nothing. Wait till it snows.” She cocked her head to the side. “You didn’t grow up here, did you?”
There was never really a good moment to tell her all about his home life, but this seemed as good as any. He shrugged before helping her into his SUV, and hurried to his door to get out of the cold. Inside it was
already warm and cozy, and he let out a sigh settling into his seat.
“So?” she asked, her eyebrow raised.
“No, I’m not originally.” Putting the SUV in gear he turned out onto the road. “I grew up in Greece.”
“Greece? Wow. Pittsburgh is about as far away from there as you can get. What brought you here?”
“Hockey.” This was going to be a long explanation, probably longer than she had expected. Looking at her with his own eyebrow raised, “Do you want the short version or the long one?”
Rylee shrugged. “The long one is fine.”
“Well, I grew up in Greece with my mom and dad. My dad is a businessman and Mom stayed at home. It was me and my older brother and sister. I was the baby, kind of a ‘surprise’ I guess, seeing as how my brother was ten and my sister eight when I came along.” He let out a low chuckle.
“Are they in the States too?” She looked like she hung on his every word and it warmed his heart to see her so interested in him.
“No. My father was always a businessman, and I grew up being interested in what he did. He did a little traveling, and I was always curious about the rest of the world. His travels never took him across the ocean, and that was where I wanted to go. Fortunately for me, they were able to send me to college in the States, for business.”
“So where did hockey come in?” Her brow wrinkled in confusion.
“Well, we’re at your house already.” He pulled the SUV to the curb. “Shall we continue this conversation another time?” He didn’t want to leave her just yet. Her interest in him had his heart racing.
Her smile was pure innocence. “I’d rather continue it now. Would you like to come in for some coffee?”
“That would be nice, thank you. Stay there, I’ll get your door.” Quickly he hopped out of the SUV and opened her door, offering her his hand.
“You’re such a gentleman,” she said, smiling.
Zambonis and Mistletoe - A Holiday Romance (The Renegades Series Book 4) Page 6