Page 29 of Bringing Home the Biker

“Just chuck the hoops at Ben and try to hook them on the antlers,” Carmen instructed, her voice carrying from the kitchen.

Rain grinned with a smirk on her face. “I like finally having a reason to chuck things at your head.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Like you really need an excuse for that.”

I chuckled under my breath.

Rain wound up and tossed the first ring, but it landed at Ben’s feet. “What the heck, babe? Fling that ring!”

She threw the second one harder, and it bounced off the inflatable antler.

Davis sat on the sidelines with his arms folded and shouted, “Height! You need to get some height on your throw!”

“Okay, okay!” Rain grumbled, clearly getting frustrated. She took another shot, this time with all her strength, but the ring hit the ceiling fan and bounced off.

“Not so much height,” Davis chuckled.

“I am not athletic, okay?” Rain grumbled and threw her hands up in the air.

Ben took the antlers off his head and tossed them in my direction. “You’re up, dude. Maybe you guys can do better than we did.”

I raised an eyebrow and looked at the ridiculous inflatable horns. I had figured that Star’s family Christmas might get a little crazy, but I hadn’t thought I’d be wearing inflatable antlers and have Star throw hoops at my face.

“Alright, alright,” I muttered and shook my head in disbelief. But I couldn’t help it. The chaos and fun—it was all infectious. I plopped the antlers onto my head and assumed Ben’s position. I could feel Star’s eyes on me as I took my stance.

“Don’t hit his face, sweetie. The man is too handsome,” Rickie called out from the side, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Davis leaned in and offered the same piece of advice. “Height,” he said again. “Give it some oomph.”

I looked over at Star, who was standing at the other end of the room, her smile wide.

“Let’s do this,” I said and flashed her a grin.

Star rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh. “You look absolutely ridiculous. I should take a picture and share it with the guys at work,” she joked.

I swept my gaze around the room. “No one takes photos.” I focused back on the task at hand and watched as Star carefully lined up her throw. The room went quiet for a moment.

“Go on, sweetie. You’ve got this!” Rickie cheered from the sidelines.

Star pulled her arm back and tossed the first hoop toward me.

The ring missed—by a mile.

I held up my hands and feigned disappointment. “Is this what you’re working with? Come on, Star.”

She laughed, her voice filled with mock annoyance. “Shut up, Axel.”

The next hoop came faster, clipping the top of one of the inflatable antlers but fell to the floor.

“Not bad!” I called out.

“Height!” Davis barked again. “You need to get some height on your throw!”

“Give me a break,” Star muttered, but she was smiling despite herself.

She lined up the final hoop and threw it with a steady hand. This time, it sailed through the air and landed square on the left antler.

The room erupted into applause. I couldn’t help but laugh. “There we go! That’s what I’m talking about!” I cheered.

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