“Challenging, best friend’s little sister, and all? Those are some serious balls, Andersen!” Emily knocks my shoulder. “Proud of you.”
I slip my fingers up the back of my toque and scratch my scalp to distract from the fact that I’m feeling a stupid amount of guilt. I let my blue balls do the talking, and now I’m gonna spend the rest of my life trying to hide it from one of my best friends.
“It was only the once. Won’t happen again.”
The truth is more disappointing than it reasonably should be.
Because as it turns out, offering to take care of Jennie’s needs might’ve been, like, the teensiest bit of a mistake, and a highly addicting one too.
On the plus side, her sprained ankle seems to be healing well. Girl can bolt faster than Usain.
Adam has a breakfast date tomorrow, and now I’m fucked.
“You’re not fucked,” he says for the third time. I might’ve accidentally said the words out loud when he told us the news two minutes ago. “It’s one date. It might not work out.”
How does something not work out with a guy like Adam? He’s the very best person I know, which is exactly why I’m fucked. He’ll settle down, and then I’ll really be lonely.
“I’m gonna be the only single friend,” I mumble absently.
“Jaxon’s single,” Carter tosses out. “You guys can pick up chicks together.”
“I don’t wanna—I hate—ugh.” Cheek on my fist, I glance at my lunch menu, then Adam. “Where’d you meet her?”
“At the grocery store. Cereal aisle. She said she likes dogs. That’s good, right?”
“Considering you have a dog, that’s probably for the best.”
Adam swirls the straw in his chocolate milk. “I haven’t been on a date in forever.”
Emmett looks up from his phone. “Cara wants to know if we can run a background check on her and also if she can dress you for your date.”
I tune out the conversation as I consider my future, what I want it to look like. My friends are trading nights at the bar for phone calls in the hotel room with their wives, and hangovers for early morning trips to Ikea, spending all their free time together, nothing but brightness looming in their futures.
I’m not bitter; I’m envious. There’s only so much COD a guy can play alone on his couch while his friends are doing coupley shit together, like how Cara extended the sympathy invite to Adam and me to cut down Christmas trees with her, Emmett, Carter, and Olivia. They’re moving forward, and I think I’m…stuck.
Emmett pulls my attention, poking me. “Hey, what about that girl? She’s staring at you. Ask her out.”
The pretty brunette approaches, and I roll my eyes. Gaze locked on the back of Carter’s head, she tucks her hair behind her ears and takes a deep breath before tapping him on the shoulder.
“Excuse me. I’m Arianna.”
Carter doesn’t look up from his menu. “I’m married.”
I lift my own menu to hide my snort.
Arianna opens her mouth, and Carter cuts her off before she can use it.
“Happily.” He looks up with a grin and shows her Olivia’s smiling face on his phone screen. “Isn’t she beautiful?” He flips through his photos. “Here she is on our wedding day. Fucking gorgeous, right? And here’s the baby she’s growing right now. That’s my baby. What do you think? Girl or boy? We’re not finding out. We want to be surprised. I’m trying to convince myself I see a penis, though, ’cause girls are scary.”
Huh. Arianna might be faster than Jennie. She’s back on the other side of the diner before I can blink.
“That’s exactly why it’s hard to meet someone, though,” I point out, and Adam nods. “I have no idea when someone is genuinely interested in me, or the rich hockey player.”
“What about your neighbor?” Carter asks. “You guys still fucking?”
“Nah, nothing’s going on. She lives across the hall from your sister.” Wishing I’d left off that last bit, I bury my warming face in my menu. I’m shit at lying, even worse at hiding things. If Carter prods even a bit, there’s a good chance I’ll accidentally shout that I tongue-fucked his sister. “You said Jennie was uncomfortable with the neighbor stuff, so I figured since we’re, like, friends by association, I wouldn’t do it anymore.”
Cautiously, I lift my gaze. Then I deflate. Carter’s not even looking at me. He’s blowing bubbles in his fucking chocolate milk.
“Jennie can be a bit scary sometimes, but she said she had a good time watching the game with you.”
My mouth falls open and my brows skyrocket before I demand my brain lower them back down to their home. I chug my drink to hide that I’m barely hanging on right now. “She did?”
“Yeah, said you ate good. Something about the dessert you brought being, and I quote, orgasmic.” He rolls his eyes. “She’s so dramatic.”
“Wonder where she gets that from,” Emmett mutters.
At least I think that’s what he says.
I’m too busy choking on the chocolate milk that’s gone sliding down the wrong tube.
Carter rambles on about a good meal being the only thing Becketts need to keep them happy, and while I’m gasping for air, my entire life flashes before my eyes, especially at the hard, suspicious gaze Adam watches me with.
If it’s my time to go, at least the dessert was orgasmic.
Lunchtime games on Saturdays are my favorite. I get my workout in extra early, hockey’s done before dinner, and we get a rare Saturday night off.
Emmett keeps labeling Cara’s twenty-sixth birthday party tonight as lowkey, but I’m not sure that word belongs in any sentence with Cara. I doubt there will be girls dancing on her kitchen counters like last year at the bar, so I guess that’s lowkey.
“How was your date this morning, bud?” I ask Adam as I drop to my knees beside him, spreading my thighs and stretching my groin. My morning skate went well, and getting back on the ice feels exceptionally good. Coach has me on limited ice time tonight to ease back in, but at least I’m playing. I’ve been wound tight from nine days without hockey, among other things. The arena is buzzing, the chill from the ice feels refreshing on my cheeks, and I’m not gonna look at Jennie the entire game. Nothing can go wrong.
Adam sighs. “She definitely doesn’t like dogs.”
“But she told you she did.”
“Well, I kinda wanted out at the end of breakfast.” He chuckles at my expression. “So I told her I had to head home to walk Bear before the game. She insisted on coming.”
“Dude. You’re too nice.”
“I didn’t have the heart to tell her no! She was pouting up at me, with these big fucking eyes…” He sighs as we climb back to our feet. “Bear jumped up to say hello before I could stop him. Licked her face. She, uh…lost her shit, to put it nicely. About the slobber, the hair…”
“Aw, c’mon.” Bear’s next level on the cute scale, a giant, furry suck. “She’s out, right?”
“If she hadn’t already been, she definitely would’ve been when she asked if he’d be around much longer.”
“Speaking of dates.” A spray of snow slashes my face and covers my visor as Jaxon Riley, our new defenseman, stops in front of me. He spares me an absent glance. “Andersen.”
“Riley.”
He’s already on my shitlist. To be honest, he’s been there for years. He’s an arrogant prick who shoots his mouth off nonstop. It gets him into a lot of trouble, hence why he’s been traded here from Nashville after his second suspension of the season. Coach thinks he can straighten him out and get the most out of him. We’ll see.
“Speaking of dates,” he repeats. “Who’s the rocket?”
I follow his gaze into the stands and reply on autopilot. “Cara and Olivia.”
“I know who they are. I’m talking about the one with the dimples and the killer rack.”
Yeah, I was hoping that wasn’t the case.