“It’ll be okay, honey,” I say in a patronizing tone. “I promise you’ll still be a big strong hockey player afterward.”
He smirks, rolls his eyes and pulls the helmet down on his head. I love riding a scooter in San Diego. You can lane share and beat all the notoriously evil traffic.
“Why wouldn’t Ty just drive me?” Avery groans as his long, ridiculously muscular legs straddle the scooter and his muscular butt sits on the back of my seat.
“He said to say ‘this will teach you to ignore your check engine light.’” I giggle.
Apparently Avery’s Audi has had the check engine light on for more than a week, but he didn’t bother to take it in. The car finally died tonight, as he was on his way to meet Maddie, Ty and his team for drinks. Maddie asked me if I would bring him since I was going to join them anyway.
“Hold on tight, Princess,” I say in a deep, manlike voice.
Avery groans in my ear but snakes his hands around my waist. Despite the humor of the situation, my insides quiver at the feel of his arms around me.
I drive more carefully than normal, knowing Avery isn’t all that comfortable or used to being on the back of a scooter. He keeps his big, strong hands flat against my abdomen and I keep getting tingles in my girl bits because of it. Fifteen minutes later I pull to the curb in front of Hamilton’s and Avery hops off very quickly and very ungracefully, almost falling over. I pull off my helmet and give my hair a shake before smiling up at him.
“Don’t worry. No one saw you,” I whisper with a wink. “And your secret is safe with me.”
I lock our helmets to the bike and we walk into the bar together. Ty sees us immediately and grins mischievously. “How’d ya like the bitch seat, Westwood?”
Larue, Echolls and their backup goalie Nikolai Furlov, whom they all call Furry, chuckle at Avery’s expense, but he just smiles and shrugs. “Call it whatever you want, but I got to spend fifteen minutes wrapped around this fine woman. I win.”
He drapes an arm around my shoulder and grins cockily. Normally I would be slightly miffed at a man making a comment that makes me seem like a piece of meat, but…it’s Avery. I’m just shocked he said something so cocky.
“Something tells me that’s as close as you’ll let yourself get to a woman for another half century,” Alex pipes up, and grins at me. “Glad you enjoyed it.”
“Shut up.” Avery gives Alex a friendly shove and then turns to me. “Beer?”
I shake my head. “Perrier.”
Avery heads for the bar and I join Maddie and the boys at the table. Moments later Avery puts the sparkling water over ice on the table as he drops into the empty chair next to me. We talk about the game they played last night because they won—breaking their three-game losing streak—and the guys are hyped up. Despite the losing streak, they’re doing better than they have in four seasons. All except Beau Echolls, who is scowling, are pumped up but also nervous about the games to come.
Maddie and I listen supportively. This is all new to Maddie, who didn’t grow up watching hockey, but it’s normal for me because of Sebastian. Even after I ran away from home when I was sixteen, I still managed to keep track of his games. And then after living in Seattle and socializing with the Winterhawks, I became aware of not just the technicalities of the game, but of the emotional side of it too.
Once the team has a few more drinks in them, the conversation turns to lighter things and the guys start to wander throughout the bar. Echolls and his girlfriend, Kyra, head over to the bar, probably just to get away from Avery. Beau hates him. The single guys, like Alex, saunter away in search of a conquest. Avery doesn’t join them.
“Not up for the hunt tonight?” I ask him with a smile. “Not that it’s hunting. It’s more like shooting high-heeled fish in a barrel.”
He chuckles and sips more of his pale ale. “You trying to get rid of me?”
I shake my head. “Hell, no. Although it is entertaining to watch the high-heeled fishes swim around you trying to get your attention.”
My gaze lands on two girls talking to Nikolai. The one with the darker hair keeps letting her eyes drift over to our table. I lean my head closer to Avery and lower my voice. “Like that one there…in the nude patent leather pumps. She’s just itching for you to leave the table so she can pounce.”
I watch his dark eyes shift, and he glances at the brunette through his thick lashes. “I don’t know. I think she’s angling for a shot at Furry.”
“Nah. The other one is going for that. She wants you,” I reply, and finish my drink. “I’ll bet money on it.”
“Okay.” Avery turns his head and looks right at me, a twinkle in his eye that makes me light-headed. “How much?”
“What?” I blink.
“You said you’d bet money.” Avery smirks and it’s delicious. “Put your money where your pretty little mouth is, Miss Deveau.”
I swallow and suddenly feel incredibly warm. He’s making a bet about picking up another girl; that shouldn’t feel like flirting, but it does.Get your shit together, Deveau, and calm the fuck down, libido!
“The bar tab for the night,” I counter, and smile, hoping it looks sexy and doesn’t betray the quiver he’s started again in my girly bits. “For the entire team.”
“That’s a little steep. I was thinking like twenty bucks.”
