Page 18 of Pucking Never

I look around and take in the hockey memorabilia and framed posters crowding the walls. I want to roll my eyes and groan, but I hold back and just take a long drink of my beer instead. Carson and I are sitting side-by-side together. I can tell he frequents this bar a lot, even if he hadn’t said anything, because everyone seems to know him. The bartender greeted him by name when we came in, the waitresses are flirting and teasing him, and other patrons occasionally stop by to talk with him.

“Yeah,” I sigh. “It’s pretty… cool.”

Carson grins and shakes his head. “It’s all right. You don’t have to pretend you like the place, but I’m glad you came out tonight.”

I shrug and smile. “No, no, it’s all right. Besides the hockey stuff everywhere, the vibe is pretty chill.”

“That’s quite amicable of you, sis,” Carson teases.

I nod. “I know. Hey, you and I should talk about some of the posts I’m going to put out in the next few weeks. I’ve gotten some really good footage of you on the ice, but I’d like to get some posed pics for Instagram?—”

He waves his hand dismissively and says, “Oh, that can wait, can’t it? We’re here to relax and have fun! We don’t need to talk about work right now.”

I shoot him an annoyed look and sigh. “Fine, what do you want to talk about then?”

“So, what’d you think of practice today?”

“I thought you said no work talk!” I exclaim.

He grins sheepishly and shrugs.

My mind instantly recalls the hit Jensen took and how painful it looked. For a moment, after seeing him hit the ice, I’d felt real panic that he’d been hurt. It’d been a relief when he’d gotten back up and had appeared fine, but that moment of fear had caught me off guard.

“That hit Jen…I mean, Reece took looked pretty hard,” I say. “Was he all right?”

Carson nods, seeming not to have caught my slipup with Jensen’s name. It would be a little weird if I called Jensen by his first name when Carson only calls him by his last, and I’m supposed to have just met him.

“Yeah, he’s fine,” he tells me. “I think it was just a bit of a shock to him. The guy doesn’t get taken down like that often. I talked to him after practice just to check in, you know? He said he was having an off-day.”

“Oh, really?” I murmur, my curiosity sparking. “I hope everything’s all right.”

“Reece tends to keep things close to the chest,” Carson explains. “Oh, by the way, I hope you don’t mind, I actually invited?—”

He’s suddenly cut off by a boisterous group walking through the entrance to the bar. I turn and immediately recognize members of Carson’s team, and among them is Jensen.

Turning back to Carson, I catch him grinning and waving at his teammates. He doesn’t appear at all surprised to see them.

When he realizes I’m watching him, he gives me a sheepish shrug.

“I mean, I figured there was a good chance the guys would show up,” he admits. “This is our usual hangout spot, after all. I did invite Jensen to join us, though. I thought you two could get to know each other a bit more. He’s a good guy to know. Plus it was only a matter of time before you got to know my best friend. If I’m lucky, I’ll get a little payback and he’ll drive you as crazy as your best friend drives me.”

My heart skips a beat as I look back at the group, and my eyes meet with Jensen’s. Carson has no idea. Warmth spreads through me, heating my cheeks, and I quickly look away.

“That’s… very brotherly of you,” I manage to say to Carson.

Carson grins at me. “Well, I do what I can.”

Just then, Jensen breaks away from the group and walks over to us. His broad shoulders swallow the space around him.

“Hey guys,” he says in that deep voice, his gaze shifting from Carson to me. Those stunning eyes stay on mine for longer than what seems polite or casual.

“Hi,” I squeak out, trying not to blush under his scrutiny. I can’t help but think of the other night. He was so skilled with his touch and the pleasure he gave me was so intoxicating. There’s a part of me that wants more. These are not thoughts I should be having right now, though. Not when Carson is right next to me and when I’m trying not to make it obvious that I’ve seen his best friend naked.

Jensen takes the stool next to me and orders a draft. His arm brushes against mine and sparks run down my spine. This is going to be a long night.

The rest of Carson's team joins us soon after. “Oh, Grace!” Carson hops up from his stool. “Let me introduce you to the rest of the guys. This is Zander, Cruz, Wilder, and Jayce. Guys, this is my sister, Grace!”

All the men are huge and wearing goofy grins just like Carson. It’s like they were all produced from the same hockey player factory. How do they all get so massive? Is it something in the water?

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