“She seems pissed,” Aaron says unhelpfully as he scrolls and taps on his phone.
“You think?” I grumble. This is my fault. I was so distracted by that call with Mark, dropping the bomb about Sabrina, and then heading directly to my workout with Trevor… I forgot. Which, according to Bex, wouldn’t have mattered, anyway, but I still feel like a fool. Tonight was supposed to be perfect.
Aaron is scrolling through something on his phone. I’m tempted to ask him why he’s coming out tonight instead of Drew—usually it would bereversed. Going out, having fun, especially on a night when the Bravado is busy? That’s Drew’s MO.
It doesn’t take long for Bex to clock out and change. After ten minutes, she’s walking back across the floor toward us and something seizes in my chest at the sight of her. She is so beautiful with her curves accentuated in leather leggings that hug her hips, and a black top that ties at her neck and dips low to expose her cleavage. Her hair cascades down over her shoulders in rich chocolate waves, the strands reflecting a mirage of colors from the casino lights.
As she draws near, I pull her close to me for a hug and bury my nose in those wavy locks, inhaling deeply. “I’m so sorry,” I murmur against her ear.
Bex wraps her arms around me, mumbling, “I’m annoyed, yes, but I am happy to see you.”
For a moment, we stand there, just holding each other. It’s not aggressive or ravenous—something I was convinced I would be the moment I had her in my arms again. No, this is… intimate. It’s something I’ve never experienced before, a sense of fulfillment and completeness. I never even felt this way when I was briefly with Sabrina. It consumes me for a moment, wondering how I got so goddamn lucky to have this woman in my life.
“Game starts soon,” Aaron pipes up beside us. I pull back from Bex and give my best friend a glare. “Sorry, man,” he says, holding his hands up as if in defense. Aaron turns to Bex and asks, “Can your friends join us?”
Bex gives me a curious glance before nodding at Aaron. “They’ll meet us there.”
The relief mixed with excitement is visible on Aaron’s face, and I wonder if Bex’s friends are the motivating factor for him coming out tonight. I make a mental note to ask him about this later.
I take Bex’s hand in mine and squeeze. “Ready for this, baby?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I’ve never been to a hockey game, so I don’t really know what to expect,” she says.
“Don’t expect too much from the game,” Aaron says over his shoulder as he leads us through the casino. Aaron and Drew worked diligently and tirelessly with the city to get a sky bridge directly from the Bravado to the arena. Guests are eager to shell out the money for a room at their luxury hotel just for the convenience of being connected to the arena.
“I didn’t think the Vipers were that good,” Bex admits.
Aaron and I both bark out laughs. “They’re not,” I say. “Christian’s a co-owner for the team, and his son is an enforcer for the team. He’ll be the first one to tell you how shitty they are.”
“The best thing about tonight will be the food and drinks in the suite,” Aaron explains. “With a top shelf open bar and a food menu by Bobby Flay, it’s the best suite experience in any arena in the US.”
Bex smiles and nods, and while I know she’s being polite, this kind of shit doesn’t impress her. To be honest, this stuff doesn’t impress me anymore, either. About midway through my career, when shit really started taking off, when I didn’t have to audition for roles anymore… I reveled in the high class, luxury lifestyle that I was suddenly able to enjoy.
Not my Bex, though.
Shit.My Bex? I glance down at her and catch her quickly looking away from me, but I catch a sexy smirk on her face that fills me with warmth. My girl was staring at me with some sort of light in her eyes.
My Bex. I am so totallyfucked.
“Is this where the party is?” I turn to the suite entrance, where Ally and Britney are arriving. Britney enters with a flourish, shaking her arms and tits as Bex runs over to her, laughing. I know Bex is grateful for her friend’s appearance because, until now, she’s been the only woman in this suite.
Christian grins from behind the bar; our suite came with a bartender, but they were dismissed pretty quickly. My friend claims to be an amateur mixologist, so we often indulge his desire to play around with ingredients. Sometimes the drinks are incredible concoctions, but most times we end up asking for straightforward cocktails, like bourbon on the rocks. Hard to screw that up.
“Can I get you ladies anything to drink?” Christian asks, gesturing at the liquor bottles arranged behind him.
Ally moves quickly over to Christian, peruses the bottles, and immediately asks for a gin and tonic. He grins at her, and I can tell he’s trying to turn on the charm for her. Rolling my eyes, I wonder if Ally would be into someone like Christian. From the little I know of her, she’s pretty straight-laced and no-nonsense. She cares a lot about her job and lets very little distract her—including relationships. The only relationships she is interested in are the fictional ones in her smut books—as Bex calls them.
I look at the other end of the suite, which opens out to the arena. There’s a bar-height counter with some chairs, then a section of ten seats just inside the arena.
Bex and Britney are deep in conversation, and I take a moment to admire Bex. Her ass really pops in those leather pants, and I bite my lip,recalling how thick and plush that ass felt in my hands weeks ago. And while I was happy to get her a Vipers jersey—she said she could wear it on game days next season at work—I’m a bit disappointed how it covers the curve of her hips and those lush, full breasts.
I’m about to head over to them when Aaron steps next to me, nudging me with his elbow. “Hey.” That’s all he says. Aaron’s eyes dart nervously between me and where Bex and Britney are huddled.
“All right, man, what’s going on?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest.
Aaron shrugs, sliding his hands in his pockets. “What do you mean? Just enjoying watching the Vipers…” He trails off, squinting at the jumbotron for the score. “Losing by three goals after the first period.”
“You’re so full of shit,” I say, laughing. “I wasn’t sure at first, but you’re into her friend Britney, aren’t you?”
