“I don’t know…” I pause. “Maybe I’m open to, you know, trying the relationship thing.”
He lifts that damn eyebrow again.
“Don’t do that. You look like Dad,” I say.
The eyebrow drops. Before he can ask a question, though, Jasper is dropping his giant body into the chair beside me with an exasperated sigh. “Hey! I’m starving and the only thing that will fix this about-to-be raging hangover is serious sausage and eggs.”
“That’s what I ordered you.”
“You’re a godsend.” He side hugs me like a total girl, even dropping his head onto my shoulder for a second. I can’t help but laugh.
Levi is amused too as he sips his boring black coffee. “How come you’re more hung over than Eli?”
“Because Eli didn’t go out with Eddie Rollins after the event,” Jasper explains and runs a hand through his disheveled white-blond hair. “That guy took me to like seven different bars trying to score.”
Levi looks confused, and I know I look guilty. “I thought you said you were with Jasper last night?”
“You said I was with Jasper. I didn’t correct you.”
Jasper smiles. “Wait a minute, your brother doesn’t know about Julie?”
“Julie?” Levi repeats and that fucking eyebrow goes up.
“Yeah, Dad.” He drops the eyebrow. Thank God I had the good sense to store Dixie’s number under a fake name in my phone. “There’s a girl named Julie. Would you like to meet her parents? Maybe drive us to the prom?”
“Okay, relax.” Levi rolls his eyes. “Is she the reason you’re thinking of a relationship?”
“Yeah.” I wish I could bite back my smile, but I can’t. “But it’s complicated.”
“The best ones always are,” Levi says, almost under his breath.
The waitress brings our meals and we eat in silence for a bit until Jasper finishes his last chunk of sausage and asks, “So speaking of complicated, did you really sleep with Braddock’s girlfriend during playoffs?”
Levi stops chewing mid-bite and gives Jasper his infamous captainly glare. “Really? That’s your question to the guy who leads the team you’re going to join one day? Maybe not that soon, if you keep asking those types of questions.”
Jasper’s pale Swedish skin starts looking sunburned, and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from chuckling. Jasper is too new to know that Levi’s death stares aren’t as deadly as they appear—most of the time, anyway.
“I…I just…I mean, there’s just a lot of talk…and I thought…” he stammers.
“He wasn’t dating her anymore when we hooked up. But I didn’t tell him about it, and it was stupid and, yeah, the team could very well have lost playoffs because he, rightfully, could barely share the ice with me. There’s rules, on and off the ice. I broke them. Don’t be me.”
Jasper nods. I feel this need to stick up for Levi even though I know Jasper isn’t judging him. “Jude and Levi worked it out. Jude’s happier now than he ever was with Tess.”
“Oh, cool.”
“Yeah, he’s going to be a dad and everything.”
“Anyway, the point is, no fucking with other players’ girls,” Levi repeats and puts his napkin down on his empty plate. “These guys are your brothers. Treat them that way. And no fucking with the staff or the ice girls.”
He stands up, grabbing his wallet out of his back pocket. “And no fucking with the staff’s friends or family for that matter. Or the friends and family of teammates. Sounds like a lot, but San Francisco is a big city. I’m sure you’ll find someone not off-limits. Eli clearly did.”
Jasper nods and I pretend not to be paying attention because he not only just told me not to fuck around with staff, which I’ve already done, but he added family of players to that list and, fuck, Dixie is that too.
“I gotta run. Want to swing by Tessa’s salon and say good-bye before I head to the airport.” Levi dumps more than enough money on the table to pay for all three meals. I could protest, but the dude’s a millionaire, so I’ll let him get it. He points to me. “I want more info about this Jessica later.”
“Julie,” I correct. “And I’m gonna spend another night, can I stay at your place?”
“Really?”
