“You look nice too,” I say, which he does. He’s wearing tight gray dress pants and a white button up. The sleeves are rolled up, showing his sculpted forearms, and I swear I can see a few chest hairs sticking out of the top of his collar. No one should be able to pull off every single thing they wear the way he does.
“Sorry I haven’t been to the gym. Season has been busy.”
“Oh, I didn’t notice.” Such a lie. I catch his smirk in the dimly lit pantry. He takes a step closer to me.
“You know, this pantry is convenient. Dark, quiet, we’re here… together.”
I swallow thickly, and I’m trying to weigh the pros and cons in my head. He takes another step closer. His hand eagerly reaches out and grips my hip. He doesn’t do anything besides touch me there, searching my eyes and waiting for my response.
I’m about to open my mouth and say something stupid like yes, when the pantry door opens. Alexi’s hand is immediately off of my hip with a grinning Charlotte holding the door open.
“Uh, so Owen’s here,” she says, the blond Beta poking his head into the pantry. His eyes glance between me and Alexi, and it looks like his mind is working a million miles a minute.
“Connery?” Alexi says in a confused tone.
“You know Owen?” I ask.
“You know Owen?” he parrots, and my brows furrow.
“So I guess you’ve figured out my job now,” Owen says with a shrug of his shoulders.
“You work for the Foxes?” I ask. Alexi shifts a little next to me, and Charlotte makes a noise in the back of her throat.
“I’m the new goalie.”
“Oh, wow. That wasn’t on my short list of what I thought your job was.”
“This is fun and all, but why don’t we get out of the pantry,” Charlotte says. Good idea, I’m far too close to Alexi right now. And things just got awkward.
Alexi gives Owen a head nod, and I can’t help but notice a tint of pink on Owen’s cheeks. It’s comforting to know the man doesn’t just render me into a puddle—it’s universal.
“So this was the party you were already going to?” Alexi asks him.
“Yeah, didn’t know it was the same one, or that Piper had any affiliation to the Foxes.”
“Piper is your date to the party?” Alexi asks with a mischievous smile.
“We’re friends,” I interject, and Alexi’s smile widens even further.
“Piper is a good friend to have,” Alexi says. Charlotte still hasn’t left, and her pregnant ass is just standing there with a beaming smile like this is the most riveting TV show she’s ever seen in her life.
“Piper is the best kind of friend,” Charlotte says, and I’ve never wanted to drown her before, but there’s a first for everything.
Alexi looks at Charlotte, and it’s like they have a little moment. Both of them know too much information, and I don’t like it.
“Owen, do you want to get a drink?” I ask.
Owen looks between Charlotte and Alexi and nods his head, then follows me to the drinks table.
“What was that all about?” Owen asks as soon as we’re a distance away from Charlotte and Alexi. I grab two glasses and begin to pour a very full glass of champagne.
“Which part?” It would be a Christmas miracle if he could just drop it and leave it as it is, but if I were Owen, I would have questions too.
“Are you dating Alexi?”
“No, I’m very much single.”
“It looked like you two were close in that closet,” he says, and I’m not sure if I detect jealousy or not. Would I like it if he was jealous? Maybe…
