Page 1 of Some Like It Hot

CHAPTER 1

Blake

Slid right in there. Like me between Elise’s thighs.

I grip my tumbler tighter and concentrate on not crushing it as I remember the taunt hurled at me on the ice earlier tonight as the puck passed me into the net.

It would be just my luck to end up with a sliced-open hand and not able to grip my stick for the next game. Travers would fucking love that.

Plus, this glass probably costs a thousand dollars.

Instead of smashing the tumbler, I lift it to my lips and take a long pull of the expensive whiskey. Then I take a deep breath and look around the room. I’m in a party room on the top floor of a hotel with my entire team after a big win this afternoon over the Dallas Dragons. It’s New Year’s Eve. I should be happy, partying, getting ready to celebrate the start of a new year.

Instead, Justin Fucking Travers is on my mind. More specifically, the woman Justin Travers slept with—is possibly still sleeping with—and the fact that I hate that fucking guy.

Most of the Racketeers, my hockey team, the best in the league and the one that is going to win the championship this year, dammit, hate Justin Travers. For good reason. He’s a cocky son of a bitch, who not only scored their only goal tonight (a fact I can’t shake as the Racketeer’s goalie) but he’s mouthy as hell.

Still, none of them have as good a reason to hate him as I do.

Namely, Elise Starling.

I shouldn’t care that Elise and Justin hooked up.

I don’t care that the gorgeous, sassy brunette with the make-a-grown-man-beg lips and make-a-man-grown-man-weep curves clearly has terrible taste in men.

It’s all about Justin Travers having anything that he thinks I want.

Have Elise and I flirted? Yes.

Have I had a few dirty dreams about her? Of course.

Would I have welcomed her into my bed for a hot night, or even a long steamy weekend? No question.

But I don’t want her. Not to keep. Not for long-term. It’s not like I’m in love with her.

So the fact that Justin keeps bringing up the fact that he’s been with her like she’s some kind of conquest, like he’s won some contest between us, rankles. It’s disrespectful as hell to her.

Plus, I just don’t want Justin Travers to have anything nice or anything that makes him happy. Definitely not anyone that I would love to see naked.

“I’m heading out,” Crew McNeill tells us, draining his glass and setting it on the high round table that I’m standing at with him, Alexsei Ryan, and Jack Hayes. “Got a wife and a baby girl to start the new year with.”

“Not to mention our boss and our team doctor,” Alexsei says with a chuckle.

“Yeah, them too.” Crew grins.

McNeill is married to a woman who is married to two other guys. One of them is our team owner, Nathan Armstrong. The other is Michael Hughes, our team physician. Their wife, Danielle, just had their first child, a baby girl, about a week ago. They all live together, of course, and Crew is head over heels for his wife and daughter.

Crew only showed up tonight at the party because he had to. It’s one of the things we do. We’re a team. A family. It’s important we celebrate together, just like it’s important that we come together after losses.

But the amount of time we spend at these celebrations and group pep talks varies. Like the way Armstrong came to the party, made a very short speech, and then left about five minutes later.

Of course, he’s the boss and can do whatever he wants.

Crew at least hung out for the past hour.

“Trust me,” Crew goes on. “We had to talk Dani out of coming tonight. You know she loves these parties with the team. Especially now that Luna comes to all of them too.” He inclines his head toward where his sister is talking with a group of wives and girlfriends.

Alexsei’s face softens and his smile grows as he looks toward Luna. “I love that I can have my people here.”

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