Dirty Score, A Rough Riders Hockey Novel Read Online Free Page A

the menu…”
    Rafe mentally checked out while she continued the nonstop monologue over food. When the waiter brought Rafe’s second Patron, he had to force himself not to hammer it back. He was sure she would have at least slowed down by the time she had a glass of wine in her, but she just kept talking.
    Right through the salads.
    Straight into the main course.
    “…in fact, my mama says my husband is going to be a very lucky man. She trained at the Le Cordon Bleu before she met my father and puts on the most amazing dinner parties, and she’s been grooming me since I was knee-high. My father is constantly entertaining. Real estate at his level is such a fussy business, but I so enjoy meeting and chatting with his clients. Recently, he represented the ambassador to Kenya, and the man brought his eight children with him. Eight. Can you believe? I mean, I love kids, and I want a big family, but eight? Anyway, I pitched in and entertained the kids while the ambassador and his wife toured properties with my father, and oh, those children were so precious…”
    The waiter quietly replaced Rafe’s empty glass with a refill. His fourth. Rafe knew he couldn’t drink it. He should have stopped after one. Too much alcohol would dehydrate him. The aftereffects could dull his reaction times in tomorrow’s game. And the realization was truly painful.
    Rafe tilted his head back and met the man’s eyes. They held gazes a moment. And a very clear understanding passed between them. The waiter gave him the slightest nod of sympathy before he placed a comforting hand on Rafe’s shoulder and drifted away.
    Rafe cut a piece of prime rib and lifted it to his mouth. Chewing, he met Ashlee’s gaze to give the illusion of actually listening, then slid his focus slightly left, where he could watch the customers at the bar again.
    Ashlee giggled at something she’d said. She was three glasses into the bottle and now seriously tipsy, bordering on drunk. Rafe wished he were as lucky. While he was definitely feeling the Patron, he wasn’t near as numb as he wanted to be. And this dinner had the horrible potential to go on forever, especially considering Ashlee was talking too much to eat.
    He picked up his water glass instead of the alcohol and tipped the glass back. His gaze skimmed over the bar again, and he caught sight of a new couple sliding onto stools at the end of the bar bordering the restaurant.
    The man caught Rafe’s attention. Tall, blond, well-dressed, good-looking— Cole Kilbourne. The Rough Riders’ new trade from the Calgary Flames. Prick was the first thing that came to Rafe’s mind. It was no secret that Kilbourne wasn’t any happier about the trade than the Rough Riders were.
    The guy was in his early twenties and needed to have that hot-shit chip smacked off his shoulder in a big way. He might be good at getting the puck in the net, but he lacked so many other crucial skills to pull a team together, Rafe thought they were better off without him. Kilbourne had nothing but a bad attitude since he’d arrived, he was too arrogant to even attempt to try and work with the other players, and lacked even the most basic respect for teammates and coaching staff.
    “…and when I have children,” Ashlee was saying, “I’m certainly not going to have a nanny raise them. I’m going to raise my own babies, the same way my mama raised me. But I will definitely have a planned babysitter because I love to work out. I believe it’s important to keep fit for mind and body, not to mention a healthy sexual relationship…”
    Rafe shifted his gaze to Ashlee again. How could someone so physically beautiful make him so viscerally miserable? If he had to listen to her drone on any longer, he might just stab his steak knife through his heart. Or maybe he could just stick his cock in her mouth.
    When the thought made him wince, Rafe corralled his wandering mind and started strategizing how he could use Kilbourne to get him out of