“Only if it involves milkshakes.” The minute I make that bad decision I feel a wave of happiness wash over me. I want to spend time with him more than I want to do what’s right, and I’ve never felt that way about a man before. I think it would make me a little scared even if my career goals weren’t at stake.
His handsome face lights up in a victorious grin and he wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s hunt down some milkshakes, sweet Dixie.”
When we get to the diner they seat us in a booth at the back. The waiter comes over and Eli orders us two chocolate cake milkshakes and then turns to me. “Tell me what you want in life.”
“Wow. That’s a loaded question if I ever heard one,” I reply.
“I find you fascinating, not just sexy and incredible in bed,” he tells me with a smile that makes me warm. “I’ve never met a more focused or driven person my age.”
“I’m not your age. I’m older.”
“By one year. Sorry I forgot, ma’am.” I glare at him for the “ma’am.” He chuckles. “Seriously. How did you decide to get into sports communications and why?”
“I’ve been around hockey my entire life. I already knew how the business of it works thanks to Jude, and I thought that would give me an edge. And being a woman in this industry, I need all the edge I can get. Maybe part of me wanted to defy the odds and make a stand in such a male-dominated business too.”
Eli runs a hand through his thick, dark hair and leans forward on the table. “Most people fresh out of college just want a job with health benefits, never mind taking on misogyny.”
I shrug and pause as the waiter drops off the shakes. Eli orders a burger and fries and I ask for a bacon grilled cheese and onion rings. “Go big or go home.”
Eli lets out a deep laugh that I can feel between my legs. I shift in the booth, forcing myself to ignore it, and take the maraschino cherry out of my milkshake and hand it to him. Instead of reaching for it by the stem, he leans closer on the table, opens his mouth and bites it off the stem. Holy fuck, he’s hot.
When he’s finished chewing and I still haven’t continued speaking he grins. “So being Jude’s little sister and having a front-row seat to his career was like free training in sports communications?”
I clear my throat and gain some composure. “Yeah, because every time he did something dumb, which was often, I could think of a hundred different ways to handle it that would have been better than how his team at the time handled it.”
“So Jude is why you’re with the Thunder and not some other team?” Eli asks and wraps his perfect lips around his straw. He sucks down what looks to be half his milkshake.
“Nah. Mostly I wanted to work with the one woman who has made misogyny her bitch. Ryanne Bateman.” His jovial expression dims a little at that. What is that about? “You look like you have something to say about her.”
He shakes his head and drinks some more of his milkshake. “She just has a bit of a reputation with players. One that might even make your brother’s past look angelic.”
I frown. I’m disappointed he’s being a typical guy here. The waiter brings our food over, and once he’s gone I continue our conversation. “Don’t tell me you believe the crap about her sleeping with players.”
“Why wouldn’t I believe it?”
I sigh. “Because it’s just another bullshit rumor that always happens to women when they’re successful. God forbid a woman just be considered a badass who’s good at her job. They always have to be accused of sleeping their way there or abusing their power once they get there. It’s so annoying!”
I’m genuinely irked and he knows it. He looks concerned, like he knows our fun evening is taking a bad turn, and he’s trying to decide how to save it. I reach for the ketchup at the same time he does and our hands tangle. Neither one of us pulls away. “You like to have people to look up to, don’t you? Role models?”
I’m flustered by that question simply because I’ve never really thought about it. “It’s just nice to have goals and people who inspire you. It helps keep me motivated.”
He nods slowly. There’s something in his gaze that makes me think he’s not saying something, but I’m too distracted by the tingle of our skin-to-skin contact to figure out what it is. He lowers his voice and says, “Sometimes putting people up on pedestals leads to disappointment when they can’t live up to your expectations.”
I finally pull my hand from his, taking the ketchup bottle with me. He stops talking and just watches me as I dump some ketchup on my plate. Our eyes connect and he flashes a smile at me. “Like you think you’ve met the perfect girl and then find out she puts ketchup on her grilled cheese.”
“It’s delicious.”
“It’s an act against God.”
My only response is to pick up my grilled cheese, dredge it through the ketchup, and take a giant bite. He groans in horror like a drama queen and I laugh. This boy is so much fun. We eat our meal, exchanging cheesy pickup lines and making each other laugh. The horrendous week I’ve had feels so far away, and like it happened to someone else, all because of this green-eyed man with a devilish smile.
I grab the bill and pay it while he’s in the restroom so he can’t argue. Of course he then spends the next ten minutes, while we split a piece of coconut cream pie, trying to sneak forty bucks into my pocket. He finally gives up, and we make our way out of the restaurant. I open the app and summon a Lyft, then I glance up at him. “I’ve met Ryanne more than once, and she’s never been anything but a badass professional.”
His mossy eyes focus on me and he blinks. “Ryanne? We’re talking about your boss crush again? I thought we’d moved on.”
I nod. “Yeah, we have. I just…I hate that women get a bad rap in business.”
“Not all women do,” he says and looks serious for a moment. But the expression quickly dissolves and is replaced with a smile. “We’re having a good time keeping it light. Let’s not change that now.”
