“Are you kidding me, bro?” Tyler complains with a drawn out grown.
“Your choice.” Lucas tilts his head towards Tyler, raising both eyebrows. “But as your captain, I would recommend it. And as your friend, I would still recommend it.” A stern look briefly crosses Lucas’ face, before he turns back to ready the grill.
Waiting to make drinks didn’t even cross my mind. Guilt warms my cheeks. I feel like such an idiot. I knew Lucas would take the vacation workout regime very seriously, but it never occurred to me that the rest of the team would be less dedicated or complain about it.
As soon as my pitcher of fresh margaritas is ready, Tyler greedily hands me glasses to fill. He snatches one for himself and downs half of it in one sip. Blaine and Keith lounge poolside. Neither of them fazed by the drinks, staying put in their seats.
Tyler’s eyes find his willing victim in another senior, Blake. Tyler nods his head toward the drinks, encouraging Blake to go against the captain’s recommendation with him. Blake takes a glass, toasting Tyler in solidarity.
Basking in the glorious warmth of the summer sun, the girls and I chat. Libby and Sydney haven’t stopped spilling the newest tea.
About twenty minutes later, the delicious grill master calls out that the food is ready. Swaying sluggishly when I stand, I realize I’ve had two strong margaritas on an empty stomach. Talking with the girls distracted me, but at least I’m enjoying the vacation already.
“I bet he’s really a playboy,” Libby declares. Practically drooling at the thought of the new player.“You would think that, Libby,” Syd rolls her eyes. “I doubt he is.”
“With a face, name, and reputation for being the most sought after college hockey freshman, I have no doubt he is,” Bren adds her take.
Tyler hands Blake another margarita, pouring one of himself too, while he chimes in to the Ryder King rumors. “I heard from a buddy of mine that he could have gone pro but wanted to play college for a year or two first.”
Great. Now all the lushes are gossiping over our newest player. Too loudly to hear the creak of the front door. Too tipsy to notice the three new males arrive—one of which chuckles and saunters down the steps of the outdoor patio.
“You know, ladies—” a lilting voice calls “—and gentlemen too, you could just ask themost sought after college hockey freshman of this seasonwhatever it is you want to know.” Ryder drops his duffle back on the patio with a dramaticthud.
A gasp escapes Libby’s lips as she takes in the dark eyed, black-haired newcomer. Despite his features, dark and mysterious doesn’t describe him in the slightest. The air around him crackles with an energetic buzz.
His tousled, midnight hair swishes to one side, almost covering his eyes. Ryder is devilishly handsome mixed equally with boyish charm.
At eighteen, he is still a boy after all. But judging from the looks of thirst and lust on Libby and Sydney’s faces, they don’t seem to notice the same way I do. Even Bren looks him up and down, giving him much more than a once over.
The girls are not the only ones stuck in a daze. An eerie quiet surrounds us as the guys take in their new teammate. My mind drifts, starting to wonder if Tyler or Blaine could take Ryder in a fight. Ryder might be young, but his lean and agile muscles stretch over every inch of his body.
“Ryder, nice to see you again,” Captain Smooth sails in trying to defuse the lust and tension in the air. “You’re just in time for some food.”
Libby’s face tinges bright pink, and it’s not from the sun. She shakes off the daze, whispering an embarrassed greeting as the guys all re-introduce themselves to Ryder. Most of them have met him before, but none of the girls have. Coach keeps it very hush-hush anytime a hot prospect visits, even from the PR and marketing team. Based on the single minute of interaction I just witnessed, I don’t blame him one bit.
“Hi Ryder, nice to meet you I’m—“
Ryder interrupts me, “Lauren Bellinger. The captain’s girlfriend, sister of the great Nick Bellinger and daughter of the legendary Nico Bellinger.” He extends a hand out for me to shake. “Nice to meet you too.”
My eyes go wide. He knows who I am. He must take it as a sign that I’m uncomfortable with him mentioning my deceased family.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be insensitive.” He scrambles for words. “They were both phenomenal players.”
“No need to apologize,” I mutter, understanding. “Thank you. You’re right, they are.”
“Word on the circuit is you aren’t too bad yourself, King,” Blaine cuts in. My eyes fly to him, gratitude softening their edges.
Blaine’s eyes drift over Ryder with a hostile glare and a small snarl on his face, as if he's off-put by him.Tread lightly, Blaine, you can’t afford to fuck up this year if you want any chance of earning the respect of Lucas and Coach.
Ryder smirks. “You’ve seen me play, Mitchell. Don’t act like it’s just a rumor.”
Libby giggles like a schoolgirl at Ryder’s reply. Finally Blaine found someone to give him a taste of his own medicine.
Chitchat breaks out as we sit down to eat our dinner. Lucas focuses his conversation solely on Ryder. Ever since we planned this beach trip, he’s mentioned too many times to count that he needs to make a good impression on Ryder this weekend. He didn’t like when I teased him earlier about it.
I argued that inviting a freshman to a small trip with the top upper-class hockey players on the team shows that enough. No sophomores were even invited. But what do I know about winning over men.
That remark earned me a few seductive whispers in my ear about how I was very talented at winning a certain male over.
