Page 102 of The Best Friend Power Play

I knock into him playfully with my shoulder. "Don't you start on me."

He takes advantage of our closeness to draw me in closer. He whispers into my ear, "Oh, but now that I have started on you, how am I ever meant to stop?"

It's a good thing Culver is holding onto me because my knees go weak. Literally. I never knew that was a thing, but yep, turns out that it is.

Culver notices that people are looking our way, so he lets go of me and creates a bit of distance between us. "Want to find Doyle and rub it in his face?"

I did. But not anymore.

"No." I step closer to him, place my hands on his solid chest, and look up into his brown eyes, not caring in the slightest who's watching or what anyone is thinking. "I'd like to place an order for another serving of the Palladino Edge."

"Oh. I see." He grins. "I take it you were satisfied with your first purchase?"

I smooth my palms over his wide shoulders. "I gave it five stars on Yelp."

His grin becomes a smile. "In that case, I should let you know there is a subscription option available for the low monthly price of?—"

"Sold."

He chuckles, deep and rusty, running his fingers down the side of my face, and pins me with the kind of a look reserved for a man who loves a woman.

"Let's go home."

19

Culver

Want to know what's worse than having to leave Hannah and drive down to LA for training?

The answer is nothing.

Nothing is worse.

Even getting medical clearance to resume normal-level training drills with my teammates hasn't moved the needle on my sour wish I were back home with Hannah mood-o-meter.

Thankfully, it's our last day, so the second we're done, Fraser and I are jumping in his car and driving back to our girls.

The drills are pretty standard—stick handling, passing, and shooting. It's great being back out on the ice, and even better being able to train alongside my teammates, but…I don't know.

My mind is elsewhere.

My heart is elsewhere.

The session wraps up.

After our cooldown and debrief, I'm in the locker room with Fraser and Milo. Fraser's been texting on his phone in between getting dressed, while Milo is his usual sullen self.

Swell atmosphere, really.

Not that I can talk.

That little niggling feeling I had after telling Hannah I think I love you has only grown and grown.

And being apart from her these past three days has only cemented my certainty.

Something has changed in me. Shifted. On a cellular level.

There's no I think about it anymore.

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