Sucking in a deep breath, I lower myself into the spot next to her. Bash sits in an open spot close by on the other couch.
“What did you ladies do tonight?” I ask before lifting a slice of pizza to my mouth and taking a big bite. If I don’t, I might start rambling, and I want to impress Blair, not make her run away from me.
“We went to a bookstore. We’re going to start a book club.”
Why does she look embarrassed by that? Fuck, she’s cute. “That sounds fun. What book did you ladies get?”
“Oh, um, I can’t remember what it’s called.” She ducks her head. Suddenly, the pizza on her plate is very interesting.
“What kind of book?” I press. I want her to talk to me, not hide.
“A romance.”
“Ahockeyromance,” Mira pipes up from her spot beside Griffin. “A spicy one.”
That seems to get the attention of all my teammates. Even Bash is smirking.
“Oh, baby, you know I like it when you read spicy romance.” Griffin waggles his eyebrows at his wife. “We’re going to have so much to act out with a hockey romance.”
“Dude,” Maddox groans. “How many times have I told you to keep your bedroom shit to yourself? She’s my little sister.”
Griffin shrugs, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he smiles broadly. “And she’s my wife. Sorry, not sorry.”
“I don’t know why Madds is complaining. I’m the one who has to hear all about their book reenactments,” I murmur low enough that only Blair can hear it. “One time they were reading some stalker romance, and I had to listen to Wright debate thepros and cons of the different masks he was trying to choose between so they could act it out.”
Blair’s lips twitch. Encouraged, I continue.
“I don’t really get why women are turned on by the Ghostface mask, but he eventually decided against it because it would cover his mouth, and…” I cut myself off, realizing Blair may not want all the slutty details. “Well, I’m sure you get the picture.”
She rewards me with a bright, loud peal of laughter, and I feel like I just won the fucking lottery. What is happening to me?
“He did not.”
I nod solemnly. “Oh, he did. God help me if they ever read a werewolf romance. I don’t even want to think about the kind of costumes I’m going to have to help him choose then.”
That draws another round of laughter out of Blair. My guys grin around me, and so do the ladies. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they’re as invested in whatever this is between us as the boys. It makes me feel a bit like an animal in a zoo—a spectacle—but I’m glad they seem supportive. The guys will always have my back and root for me, but if the women had reservations? It would probably make me doubt this.
“That’s… Yeah, I’m not sure any of that surprises me,” she says, smiling.
It illuminates her whole face when she smiles, and holy shit, she’s gorgeous. Luminous golden-brown skin, curls that skim her collarbone, making me want to trace the skin there with my mouth, and deep, dark mahogany eyes that look like they hold the secrets of the world.
“So, a hockey romance, huh?” I ask, trying to keep from smirking. Something tells me I have one of the other ladies to thank for that.
“Oh, uh, yeah. I didn’t even know that was a thing,” she mumbles before taking another bite of pizza. “Then again, hockey was never on my radar before taking this job.”
“You’d really never watched a hockey game before the family night?”
She shakes her head, making her curls bounce. “Nope.”
“So you really had no idea who I was that night we met.” I don’t mean to say the words, but they’re out there now. That night plays in my mind every time I close my eyes, and I’ve been dying to talk to her about it. It’s probably a stupid thing to say, but my curiosity has only grown with every moment I spend with her.
“I really didn’t,” she responds quietly. “If I’d known, I never would have…”
Noting her obvious discomfort as she shifts in her seat, I reach over and cover her hand with mine. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up.”
“No, it’s fine. I just—I’m still so embarrassed about how all of that went down.”
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m the one who should feel like an idiot.”
