Stronger (The University of Gatica #4) (5 page)

Chrissy wrapped up the stretch exercises that Jamie left her with and worked to get back on her feet. She rolled to her side and reached for the side of the closest machine, hoping to pull herself up. A soft chuckle caused her to turn her head, Ryan standing above her, dressed and smelling of cologne and soap.

She raised both of her eyebrows and tilted her head. "Something funny?"

"Yeah, you. Just ask for help."

"There was no one to ask firstly, and second, I'd not ask anyway. I can do this."

He set his bag down, reaching down and offering his hand to her. She scoffed at him and turned over, pulling hard on the machine and lifting herself up. She wobbled slightly, her balance being placed on her left leg once again. The muscles ached from having to overcompensate for the last few days. His hands slid around her waist, the sensation sending a torrent of chill bumps across her skin. Had it been so long since someone had touched her?

"You okay?" He spoke softly, his words lacking depth. She put her hand on his shoulder and used him to help keep her steady.

"Yeah. Just trying to get used to this. I've been a runner all my life. My legs are my future." She let out a shaky breath and moved from him, hopping toward her crutches. Once they were firmly under her shoulders she turned to face him.

"I get it, totally. I started out as a boxer and probably put a little too much strain on my right shoulder. Moving to hockey and being good at it didn't help much either. There wasn't a game this last season that I wasn't on the ice, playing or beating someone's ass." He smirked and turned as Jamie joined them.

"Good. You two need to get to know each other. Tomorrow the place’ll be locked up, but here is a key." He extended his hand and dropped the small object into Ryan's palm. "Work out a time to meet here and spot one another. I have a holiday party that starts in the morning and goes all day."

"All day Christmas festival? Sounds fun," Ryan retorted, pocketing the key.

"More like all day beer fest. My family enjoys a cold one more than they should, I think." Jamie laughed. "Only do the exercises I've instructed you to do. Don't overdo it and don't cop out early. Take turns helping each other and I'll see you both on Monday."

"Thanks, coach." Chrissy shifted her weight, pressing her right foot to the ground carefully to test how much weight she could put on the injured leg. It screamed in protest almost immediately. She yelped softly, swallowing the sound as fast as she could.

"You okay, Harris?" Jamie reached out and touched her shoulder.

"It’s fine. Just tender,” she lied. “Am I going to be back on the track for January or February meets?" Worry slipped into the pinched timbre of her voice.

"That's all up to you. If you follow the program you'll be as good as new by mid to late January. If not, then you'll be with me until you’re ready. Let’s error on the side of positivity, shall we? You'll be ready and back to running like the wind."

"Thanks, Jamie." She glanced at Ryan as Jamie walked away from them. "What time do you want to meet tomorrow?"

"Actually, I'd like to meet some more today." A smile lifted his handsome face, his lips drawing her attention.

She huffed. "Typical hockey player. Always trying to score in some way or another."

He laughed, the sound more than pleasant. "If I wanted to score in any way with you or anyone else... I would."

"Cocky. I almost like it." She moved toward the front of the gym, her mind set on getting a hot shower and lying up in her bed for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe even some ice.

"Have lunch with me. We can talk about a schedule for tomorrow and next week too. It's better to work out with someone. They can watch your form and keep you on track and motivated. Whatchya say?"

She looked over her shoulder, pausing by the front door to wait for him. It would be nice to dig a little bit more into him, but she wasn't much dressed for going anywhere nice. She glanced down at her t-shirt and running shorts.

"I could eat, but I'm not sure where."

"There is a diner at the edge of town I've heard about. I don't think they’d care much what we looked like. Just as long as one of us pays."

"You're asking me out to lunch, so you pay. Your daddy didn't teach you manners?" She smirked and walked through the door he held open.

"My father taught me very little, but that's another story for a different date."

"There's more than one? Awfully confident of you to think I'll say yes again."

He laughed again, pointing to the fiery red corvette in the corner of the lot. "I think you'll find that soon you won't be saying anything but yes. I can almost hear it inside my head."

Warmth covered her chest and rose up her throat as she moved toward the car. His sexual innuendo might not have been meant as such, but it hit her square in the gut. She glanced over the top of the car at him as he paused, pinning her in place with his gaze.

"My brother doesn't like you much. Not sure this is the best of ideas."

"He doesn't know me. He's made his determination of who I am based on situations and circumstances he believes to be true about my past and my father. How about you take a different path?"

She watched him for a moment more, knowing that he was right. Jason didn't have anything to base his conclusions off of. He was stubborn and a bit threatened by another great player. If Ryan moved to UG, where would that leave Jason? Was he better than her brother?

"You're right." She worked to get into the car, being careful not to hit her leg.

He slipped in beside her and turned toward her. "I usually am. You'll get used to it."

They hadn't been sitting in the booth at Pete's for more than a few minutes and damned if the same elderly waitress from a few days before didn't come over. She eyed Chrissy with a long stare before asking for their drink order. A smile tugged at Ryan's lips as he shifted his eyes between the two of them. Chrissy kept her attention on him, enjoying the humor he found in what he didn't understand.

"Drinks?" the waitress hissed.

"I'll have a Coke," Chrissy spoke, her attention moving to her menu as to not have to deal with the heavy stare from the waitress. The woman must have thought she was a total whore. The comment about sleeping with Jason a few days earlier meant as a joke and yet the waitress didn't know that. Now she was embarrassed about it. Not very mature now.

"Me too. Bring us some buffalo wings with ranch too, please miss."

"Of course." The woman turned and walked off.

Ryan chuckled. "Okay. What's the story? That old lady pinned you with a glare that my grandmother would be proud to own." He sat back, his finger tapping on the table between them.

Chrissy looked up, setting her menu down and shrugging. "No idea what you're referring to."

"Quid pro quo, pretty girl. Tell me your secrets and I'll tell you mine." He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing just slightly.

Chrissy's stomach tightened as she watched him. Warning signals went off inside of her. If not careful, she would find herself falling for him and that wasn't something she wanted to see happen. Jason didn't like him, which could change over the course of time, but him leaving for Boston couldn't. Desiring someone she couldn't have close wasn't going to fly. She and Brent had made the decision to split schools and look what happened. Distance didn't make the heart grow fonder. It created a gap for cheating to slide through.

"Did I lose you?" Ryan's voice brought her back as the waitress placed a Coke in front of each of them. She set Chrissy’s down hard.

"Sorry. Just thinking about all I need to do to get back to running."

"What'll you two be having?"

"Turkey sandwich with fries for me." Chrissy handed her the menu, keeping her eyes adverted toward Ryan.

"Burger with an extra patty, no mayo and add a couple of extra tomatoes to it."

"Fries?" the older woman asked.

"No, fruit if possible."

She mumbled something and left.

Chrissy sat back, pulling her napkin in her lap. "Okay. So ask a question and I'll answer it. Then it's my turn."

"I already did. Gotta be quick on the uptake, Chrissy." He smiled again, teasing clear on his face.

She growled softly at him. "So the other day after I first got injured, Jason brought me in here. He toted me to the table and said a few curse words in front of the waitress. The waitress said he should be polite around his girlfriend. She got onto him about his language and teasingly I told him that if he didn't stop, no sex for him. It was a joke." She shrugged, her cheeks burning.

"Oh that's classy. Does the lady know he’s your brother?"

"No!" Chrissy threw her napkin at him. "It was a joke and not a funny one. I regretted it as soon as I said it."

Ryan laughed, his finger brushing by his lips and grabbing her attention. "So she must think you're a hussy."

"A hussy?"

"Google it later." He chuckled again.

He wasn't the stoic guy he appeared to be at The Red Coats. His smile was contagious, his need for companionship obvious.

"Whatever. Donkey. My turn."

He burst out laughing. “Did you just call me an ass?” He waved his hand. "Okay, shoot."

"Why the hang up with your father? We all know him to be a great guy and yet you obviously don't." Chrissy picked up her soda, taking a sip through the straw as she watched him.

"Ouch! I ask you about a diner and you dive right into the meat of the deal. We haven't even slept together and you want to ask me about my daddy-issues?"

She choked on her drink, setting the cup down and reaching for his napkin before coughing loudly into it. Her eyes filled with tears at the burn in her throat, Ryan chuckling again from across the table. She pressed the napkin to her mouth and just stared at him. Never in her life had she met someone so full of himself. "You assume we're going to sleep together?"

"I hope we are." He tilted his head to the side, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth as he watched her. "You don't?"

"I asked a question. I'm going to leave your over-confidence alone. You can crash and burn on your own when you realize that women aren't interested in sex with strangers."

"We're getting to know each other right now, aren't we?"

"You asked me to lunch in hopes of us having sex?"

"Nope. That would be an asshole move. I asked you to lunch because you're beautiful and I don't know anyone here. Might as well get to know the girl I'm going to be spending the holidays with. If sex happens, all the better."

"You're ridiculous. Answer my questions and let's not talk about my upcoming denial of you."

He smirked, as if she would ever deny his advances. Something inside of her told her quickly that he was probably right. "I'm an only child and my mother passed away when I was young. Car accident. Don't ask because I'm not reliving that today." He crossed his arms over his chest. "My father’s a dick. My mom got caught cheating around the time she found out she was pregnant with me. My father never really forgave her and he thinks I'm a product of her infidelities."

"That's horrible, Ryan. Shit..." Chrissy's heart ached in her chest, the steeled resolve on the handsome boy across from her making it hurt worse. "Why didn't he just take a paternity test?"

"He did."

"And?"

"I don't know. He won't tell me. He just treats me like shit half the time and loves on me the rest. Who knows?"

She stared at him, unsure of how to respond.
Crap!
She was going to end up sleeping with him.

"Here's your lunch," the waitress spoke, interrupting the moment. Chrissy looked up at the woman with relief. There was nowhere to really go from there. Why couldn't she have asked an easier question to start with?

The woman left and Ryan went to work on getting his hamburger together. The mood softened as he looked up and smiled. "Anyways... your turn. Answer my question."

"I don't even remember what your question was."

"I asked if you hoped we would end up naked and sweaty together. You changed the subject."

Chrissy sat in stunned silence for a moment, caught in shock for the first time in a long time. She ignored him, pulling the lettuce from her sandwich and trying to come up with a transitional statement to get them to another topic.

"I'll take a pass on that one." She looked up. "You're allowed one pass."

He stared at her, looking like he wanted to argue, but then shrugged. "Okay, that was yours. Tell me why your brother’s so protective of you."

"Aren't most brothers overly protective?" She leaned over and bit into her sandwich, the complexity of flavors surprising her.

"Yeah, I guess, but Jason seemed to hover over the top of you the other night at the pub. Why?"

"I just hyperextended my knee. We’re not exactly made of money. I'm sure he knows that if I lose my scholarship, I lose everything." He’d just told her something incredibly personal about his mom, however she wasn’t sure how she felt about telling him her family secrets over a turkey sandwich.

"Oh damn... that's a big deal."

"Yeah. I'm just hoping the coaches and doctors know what they're talking about. Seems like stretching and exercising a loose tendon is a bad idea." She shrugged, reaching for the napkin closest to her. "I just want to get better."

"Yeah, me too. I'm nothing without a hockey stick in my hands." He laughed, but the sound fell flat. They were quite the pair. Both of them exuding fake confidence and yet broken in more ways than one.

"I doubt that, but I get it." Chrissy reached for a strawberry on his plate.

He poked at her fingers with his fork as he smiled. "Hey. Get off my food. We're not sleeping together. Stay on your own plate."

"Are you saying that if we were having sex I could eat off your plate?"

"If we were sleeping together you could have anything you wanted of mine."

"Hmmm," she touched the strawberry to her lips, a smile lifting her mouth, "hot sex in the sauna at the gym for a corvette. I think I'm having a change of heart."

"Now hold up." He put his fork down and lifted his hands. "It would have to be a
whole lot
of hot sex in the sauna, like years and years’ worth for the ride. She's my baby."

"Oh, in that case, never mind. I don't plan on competing for attention. Too time consuming. You can have the car. I'll find someone else to explore my sexuality with." She shrugged, the words far too crass for her persona. She was playing too far to the edge. Time to pull back.

"Explore your sexuality?” He swallowed the large bite he’d just taken with barely chewing. “How new are you to all of this, pretty girl?"

"What if I was, you know?" She put her fork down, chewing slowly as she watched him like a hawk.

He seemed stunned by her words. He looked down at his hamburger before picking it up and taking another huge bite. He chewed it slowly this time before finally swallowing it. “Guess I’d better be careful not to piss off your brother.”

She laughed and nodded, understanding his plait perfectly.

They made small talk for the rest of lunch, asking questions about each other's love of sports and how they ended up in their respective sports and such. Another burning question pushed at Chrissy, but she waited until the meal was over to ask.

"Why Providence? Why Boston?"

"Great school and excellent hockey program. Plus, my dad hates them." He smiled. "He was a great player back in his day for UG and they lost every year to Providence. So... what better way to give out the proverbial fuck you?"

"I guess so." She sat back, realization washing over her. "Are you staying at your dad's place?"

"Yeah, but I try to keep to myself. He's like an emotional roller coaster on the best of days. He's heading to visit my grandmother tomorrow morning for the weekend, so I'll be grateful to have the place to myself."

"You're going to spend Christmas by yourself?"

"Is this weekend Christmas?" He pulled his wrist up, looking at his watch with intensity.

"Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve." Chrissy chuckled and pulled out her card as the waitress approached.

"Heck no. Put that away." Ryan pulled out his card and they both tried to get the elderly woman to take theirs. He grabbed Chrissy's and slipped it into his shirt, offering his. The woman took it, rolling her eyes and grumbling about 'kids nowadays' before walking off.

"Give me that." Chrissy leaned across the table and pulled at the front of his shirt.

"Come get it." He reached down and pulled his shirt off, his shoulders broad and perfectly sculpted. She let her eyes move across him, the card almost forgotten.

"If I wasn't crippled I would teach you a lesson. Put your shirt on and give me the card."

"Or what?"

"Or no hot sex in the sauna." She tilted her head to the side, a smile lifting her lips as the image of him naked and sweaty brushed across her senses. It’d be hot sex here in the diner. She shook her head. How had they gone from talking about Christmas to sex again? Him... it was his fault, no doubt. “Do you always have the habit of taking your shirt off in places you’re not supposed to?”

He pulled his shirt back on and flicked the card across the table like it was on fire. He smirked and reached for the returned bill from the waitress, talking as he signed the slip. “I didn’t realize.” He leaned forward. "I also didn't realize it was Christmas Eve tomorrow. I guess other than seeing you at the gym in the morning I'll be on my own." He looked up, his expression becoming rather solemn. "Are you still wanting to meet? I understand if you need to get to your family. Are you local?"

"I'm going to a party tomorrow night at my uncle’s house, but other than that, I'll be alone too. I'm not sure of Jason's plans other than the party, so who knows." She started to slide toward the edge of the booth and paused. "Why don't you come with me?"

He finished and closed the small black pouch before getting up and walking over to help her. She took his hand and let him pull her up without much effort. She slipped her crutches under her arms and looked up at him.

"What?" Confusion moved across his handsome features.

"Come with me to the party tomorrow night?"

"Don't you think Jason would be a little less than thrilled with that?"

"Don’t worry about Jason. I can handle my brother. It's in Manhattan. It's from six to like eight. Just food and hanging out with lots of random strangers."

"And then you'll come back to my place after?”

"I'm not sleeping with you, Ryan. I was teasing earlier, but I'm not that kind of girl."

He reached over and touched her chin, his thumb rubbing the bottom of her lip as they stood there. "Sex doesn't define you as a person, Chrissy. It's an expression of passion. If we get caught up in each other, then sex will work its way into the night. If not, that's perfect to. I'll come with you if you come with me."

"Let me think about it." She smiled and moved from him, working hard to catch her breath as they made their way to the door. The idea of dealing with Jason wasn't nearly as traumatizing as the thought of being with him at his dad's house all night. She wasn't sure it was a good idea at all. She didn't know him and he could have easily been spewing all sorts of made-up crap for the last few hours.

"You want me to take you to your dorm?"

"Yeah, I can't drive just yet. That should be a while too, thanks to this being my right leg." She growled softly as she moved out into the late afternoon.

"It’ll all happen soon. Just take your time and stick to the program." He lifted his arms into the air, one going higher than the other. "I have a few more weeks of pushing then my shoulder should be as good as new."

"Looks like you've made great progress." She got into the car and waited until he was in to pick up her thoughts. "Did you tear your rotator cuff?"

"Yeah, in three places. They had to repair my bicep as well. Due to the instability of the damn thing they sawed my cuff down, so I've been working with Jamie to loosen it back up. It's working. He's a good weight room coach."

"Then you're going back to Boston once the holidays are over?" Chrissy buckled as she spoke, trying hard not to let her thoughts betray her. The idea of getting involved with him was riding her emotions hard. She wanted to try again, needed to feel that overwhelming emotion that love offered, but if he was just going to help her create that and leave… she wasn’t going through heart break again. The damn thing was too sensitive.

He looked over at her, his brow creasing slightly. "That's the plan for now. Why? You falling in love with me already?"

"Not even close, buddy." She laughed and swatted at him, popping his shoulder.

He flinched and let out a sound of pain, his other hand cupping the shoulder as if she stabbed him. She turned toward him, reaching over to softly rub his arm.

"Oh crap. I totally forgot. I'm so sorry, Ryan."

He laughed and moved to start the car. "It's the other shoulder."

"You donkey! Is it really?"

"No, but it didn't hurt. I was going to ask for a kiss to make it better. Missed my chance I guess."

"I was feeling so bad I would have offered so much more than a kiss to make it all better."

"Really?" He looked over at her, the car jerking to a stop as lust filled his gaze.

"No, but it’s fun looking at the expression on your handsome face." She chuckled as he growled softly.

"So you think I'm handsome..."

She rolled her eyes and leaned her head back, letting out a small sigh. He was perfect. Handsome and cocky, damaged and alive. "Come with me tomorrow. I want to learn more about you."

His fingers slid into hers and pulled her hand to the center console. "Spend the night with me. I want to explore every inch of you."

"I don't even know you," she whispered, her courage gone as she looked over at him.

"So get to know me. I'm an open book. Ask."

She ran her thumb over his and released his hand. "I was hurt so much by my last boyfriend. I'm interested in a friendship, but nothing else. I can't protect myself from what's going to happen, but I can try, right?"

"You can try, hell, I'll even try to behave, but I'll admit it now, I like you. I like your style and the way you carry yourself. I can't wait to see you move in the gym tomorrow. I'd love to see you on the field in your element." He glanced over at her as the familiar city moved past them outside. "You're two steps beyond hot and sarcastic as hell. I think it's me who's going to have to work at keeping my thoughts pushed toward lust and nothing else."

"Lust is good." She smiled and turned to look out the window, wishing that the fluttering in the pit of her stomach would die down. This wasn't good... not at all.