Page 33 of The Love You Win

“Touchy, touchy.” Griffin shimmies his shoulders. “Did you spend the rest of the weekend rocking blue balls? Because she’s hot, man. I considered rubbing one out to her, but I doubted you’d appreciate me thinking about your woman that way.”

“Jesus,” Bash says with a shake of his head. “Smooth, Griff.”

“She’s not my woman.” They all look at me funny because I sound put out by that fact. “Isla’s not interested in me. I blew any chance of that on our date last week.”

Logan side-eyes me. “You sure about that?”

Am I sure? Yes. They didn’t see her face that night. The only reason she gave me the time of day at Skin and Tonic was because I helped her out of a sticky situation. Probably didn’t hurt that the guys were there, too. They’re a good buffer. “Yep.”

“I don’t know,” Bash considers me. “If you really blew it as badly as you think, I doubt she would have hung around with us at the bar.”

“She was nervous to leave.” I can’t let myself think she was showing any interest. We’re about to head into the preseason, and I won’t have time for any relationship, let alone a new one. Even if there is something about her.

“She fell asleep on your shoulder.”

Pursing my lips, I shake my head at Navarro. “That doesn’t mean anything. She was tired.”

“She could have dozed off with her head on Griff’s shoulder, but she didn’t. She fell asleep on yours.”

“You’re reading into this.”

“Maybe,” Navarro agrees. “But you are distracted. Are you really trying to convince us it has nothing to do with Isla?”

Yes. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do. Because I need to convince myself, too. “It doesn’t have anything to do with her.”

“Uh huh,” Griffin sings. He brings his stick to his face and acts like he’s making out with it. “Oh, Isla. I’m so glad you gave me another chance. I want to make sweet, sweet love to you. Have my babies. We’d make adorable, grumpy little redheads together.” He thrusts his hips against the stick, egged on by Logan and Sebastian’s laughter.

“Oh yeah, baby. I love that you don’t care that I have a small dick. And that I can only last ten seconds before I blow my load.” His hip thrusts become more exaggerated. “That’s it, baby. God, you’re so hot.” He pulls away from the stick, his mouth opening into a look of shock. “Griffin? Why are you crying out his name while I’m buried inside of you? You know what? I don’t even care. I know Griff’s better than me in every way, so I don’t mind if you scream his name while we’re naked.”

That’s it. Putting on a burst of speed, I race toward Griffin and push the annoying bastard down as hard as I can. He lets out a little shout of surprise before he’s sprawled out on the ice, stick still clutched in one hand. He guffaws loudly before resting the stick on the ice and humping it.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Wright.”

“Nah, man, I wouldn’t fuck Jesus. But if you’re seriously not going to make a move on Isla, I might try to fuck her.”

Navarro shakes his head. “Wrong thing to say.”

Before he can react with more than a bark of laughter, I throw myself on top of Griff and throw a few half-hearted hits to his gut. Logan’s cracking up, his phone in hand as he records us, and Bash has the exasperated face of a parent whose children are quickly eroding his last nerve.

“Uncle,” Griff yells, laughing. “Fucking uncle!” He’s still laughing as I extend a hand and help him to his feet. I’m laughing too. It’s hard not to when Wright gets going. The man doesn’t take much of anything seriously outside of hockey.

“You two done?” Logan taps his phone before stuffing it in his back pocket. We both nod. “Good. Then let’s figure out how we can help Graves get the girl.”

I scrub a hand through my hair. “What makes you think I want the girl?” I do want her. I just don’t want to.

I haven’t done relationships since Candace sold her fake version of events to that tabloid, and I have no intention of starting now. I’ll enjoy a woman for a night when the urge becomes too strong to ignore, but that’s all it ever is. One night of mutual pleasure, no strings, no feelings, no expectations.

The thing is, I don’t think Isla Harding is a one-night-stand kind of woman. She strikes me as a woman who wants romance, late nights in bed talking, friendship, and depth. That all became clear when she spoke about her job and her students. When I realized I’d read her so wrong. She’s not some vain girl chasing someone to pay her way. She’s real and beautiful and driven, and she deserves someone else like that.

But I can’t be that guy for her. Not that she’d want me to be. I’ve sworn off relationships, and for good reason.

“Dude, maybe you’re fooling yourself into thinking you don’t want her,” Logan says while rolling his eyes. “But you’re sure as hell not fooling us.”

“She’s pretty,” I say. As if that explains it all.

Griffin chuckles. “Yeah. She’s also feisty and cool. She’s not afraid to put you in your place, and she’s funny. She’s not some single-minded puck bunny who only cares about snagging a hockey player. In fact, I doubt she’s impressed by your job at all. You think we don’t realize how attractive that must make her to you?”

When I don’t answer, Navarro cuts in. “It’s okay to take a chance on someone, man. Not everyone is going to betray you.”

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