“Come on. You know most, I’m guessing?”
“Yeah.” She scanned the small crowd and a line dipped in between her brows. “There aren’t any women…”
“Single guys night out. I can guarantee all the taken and married men are back home right now celebrating their own way.”
She pressed her lips together, fighting a smile. “Nice.”
We could have been doing the exact same thing. Had it not been for Lenora. Gabby’s insecurities. This entire messed up situation.
I pushed away the doubt trying to claw its way in. It was my own insecurities.
Maybe Lenora’s visit rattled me more than I let on. It wasn’t like I’d forgotten what she said—or what she implied she wanted. No way in hell that was going to happen though.
Not ever.
Didn’t mean trust would come easily and there I was, married to a woman I barely knew.
What a recipe for an epic disaster.
“Yo Dubiak!” Alix swooped into our space, wrapping his arm around Gabby and twirling her in the air.
She was gone and out of my reach, wrapped up in Alix before I could stop him.
“Hey Alix,” she said, leaning into him. The move was friendly. A typical reaction.
I gripped my drink tighter and glared at his hand that was much too low on her hip. “Hey. Watch the hand, yeah?”
Because he enjoyed pissing me off, his thumb brushed against her and Gabby stepped back.
“Easy killer. I’m taken.” She hitched her thumb in my direction with a smirk.
“No harm, no chickens, yeah?”
“Foul. Alix. Jesus.”
“I know. Just giving you shit.” He pointed at me, dipped his finger toward my drink. “You are not drunk enough to be fun yet.”
“I’m plenty fun.” He was right. The bar was loud. The guys were wasted. The only thing on my mind was getting Gabby alone, rewinding to when my door opened and having it not be my cheating ex-wife.
I took a large swallow of my drink, hissing at the heavy burn in my throat.
“Sorry to interrupt. Can we talk for a moment, Joey?”
I turned to Bonnie, my weeknight manager. She had the office iPad in her hands, stylus shoved through the band at her ponytail and a frown.
Awesome. “What is it?”
“We’ve had an issue with one of our barware suppliers. Sorry to interrupt your party and everything, but can you help me with this?”
Shit. “Yeah.”
“Great. I’ll be in the office then. Come grab me when you have a few minutes.”
She left as quickly as she arrived and I faced Gabby. “You okay alone for a few minutes?”
Alix threw his arm over her shoulders. “I’ll take good care of her. Promise.”
Gabby shook her head, smiling. “I’ll be fine.” She narrowed a playful glare in Alix’s direction. “I’m sure Alix knows if he does anything inappropriate I don’t just have a brother who will kick his ass, but a husband, too.”
Husband. My chest swelled until it ached. It sounded so right coming from her.
Alix threw his hands in the air. “Point taken. Point taken. Come and hang with us while boss-man gets to work.” He spun and headed back to where Arlo, a rookie who was called up earlier this winter and got his formal spot two weeks later, was standing next to the pool table, cue in hand while he waited for Kane to take a shot. Near them were other guys, including Max… and to my utter shock, Dominick.
Dominick Masters, best defenseman in the league hands down. Out of all the guys on the team, I knew the absolute least about him, which meant I knew nothing. He never hung out with the team. I shook off my surprise. Maybe winning the Cup had finally broken through whatever wall he’d put up with the rest of the team.
“You sure you’re okay? I’d put this off but with leaving tomorrow, I need to get some things taken care of anyway.”
Things I probably should have thought about, like emailing the managers earlier. Planning for payroll and all the crap I kept a loose grip on.
“Of course, go.” She flipped her hand in the direction.
“Thanks.” I reached out, caught a hair that was stuck to her glimmering lip gloss and pulled it back. As I did, her lips parted, eyes softened.
Damn. One single touch was all it took for me to feel that warm beat in my veins, that steady thump of desire for her. Based on her look, she felt it too.
“Joey,” she whispered my name like a prayer. Maybe a plea. I stepped in and brushed my lips over her cheek, settling my hand at her hip and holding her tight.
“I promised you earlier we’d go slow if you need that, but don’t for one second think that I’m not going to be waiting for you to be ready, thinking of all the ways I want to strip you out of the clothes you’re wearing.” I brushed my lips down her throat, reveling in that hitch in her breath I caused as I moved and pulled back before I pushed too far. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
And before I swung her over my shoulder and ignored all my responsibilities and pushed her too far, I stepped back.
To my utter delight, her lips were still parted and that soft look in her eyes had darkened—no, heated.
Yeah. She might think she needed slow, but it wasn’t what she wanted.
That, I could work with.
As soon as I was done in the office, I grabbed another drink from the bar and immediately found Gabby.
She was sitting on her own side of a booth, two unlikely brutes sitting next to each other on the other side.
Dom was all quiet, aloof, and wore a constant scowl, distancing himself from everyone. I wasn’t sure what his problem was, but I was convinced he was the reason why the reminder “there is no I in team” started—guys like him who thought they were alone instead of learning how to work together. Sure, as a teammate, he did his job. He was a hell of a defenseman. But he played angry, like every game was a reason to throw a punch. He learned the plays, executed them perfectly but when it came time to celebrate, be there for their teammates off the ice… as soon as the skates came off Dom, so did his teamwork.
Which was the exact opposite of Max who lived like life was one huge party and he was the master event planner. Hell, I was surprised he was even here. He was the guy who’d take the Cup on his time with it to every dance club in the city, or hell, this time zone, for the sole purpose of getting pics taken with puck bunny after puck bunny, probably hoping to fill the cup with numbers of all the single women he came across. He lived for the adventure of the game, the excitement of the travel and the constant attention.
He was also our other first line defender with Dom, but outside practice, I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen them hang out.
Now they were sitting on the same side of the booth like they were besties.
More shocking—Dom was smiling. At least, that’s what I figured it was but given his thick dark beard and the fact I’d never known a look on him outside a scowl, I wasn’t entirely certain.
And he was doing it with that smile aimed at my wife.
Who had her head thrown back, laughing her ass off as she took a sip of beer.
“You’re such a cheating asshole,” she exclaimed, pointing at Dom.
His grin widened—a look so out of place on him I almost ran right into the chair in front of me.