Page 2 of Going All In

There were times that Darcy couldn’t tell if her friend was really interested in the hotshot rookie or if she just flirted with him to drive her brother crazy. But that expression told Darcy it was more than just driving her brother insane, and she hoped Ally wouldn’t get hurt in the end.

“What should we do first?” Ally asked twenty minutes later when they walked into the hotel ballroom. “I’m thinking we need a drink,” she said, tugging Darcy toward the bar.

The room was filled with people in cocktail attire mingling around and playing various table games. This was Darcy’s first Casino Night. She wasn’t much of a gambler, but everything was to benefit the Strikers’ charitable foundation, so she’d planned to lose a little money for a good cause and maybe bid on a few small raffle items. Her older brother, Charles, was a huge hockey fan and his birthday was coming up.

They grabbed their drinks and turned away from the bar.

“So are you ditching me to hunt for Dom?” Darcy asked, taking a sip of her wine.

“I’m not that shitty of a friend. We have to find a few guys to fall for you, and then I’ll slip away,” Ally said with a grin.

Darcy shook her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“There you are,” Ethan called out as he approached them. He pulled his sister in for a hug.

“If you mess up my hair, I’ll kill you,” Ally grumbled against her brother’s shoulder.

Ethan laughed. “Hey, Darcy. Glad you decided to come. Maybe you can keep my sister out of trouble tonight.”

“You brought her into a room with hockey players. That’s just asking for it,” Darcy said with a laugh.

“Shut up both of you. So, where’s Dom?” Ally asked, ignoring her brother’s muttering.

“Your own fault,” Darcy said to Ethan.

“He’s around here somewhere, but you are going to stay away from the punk,” Ethan warned.

Big mistake.

“You’re not the boss of me, and it’s fun flirting with him, so calm down,” Ally said to her brother, then turned to look at Darcy. “Come on. I want to say hello to Penny.” Ally grabbed Darcy by the arm and they headed to one of the craps tables where Ethan’s girlfriend sat.

“Hi, Darcy. Ally,” Penny said, but the rest of her words were cut off by Ethan kissing her.

Their affection for each other made Darcy ache. Not that she had any time for that right now. Maybe when she finished her master’s later this summer. Or after her doctorate was done. She inwardly snorted. It was going to be a while before she had any real time for anything outside of school.

“Shouldn’t you be mingling? Getting the other guests to spend all their money for the foundation?” Penny asked Ethan when he finally let her up for air.

“I am mingling with the guests. You’re playing, aren’t you?”

She laughed. “Pretty sure that’s not how it works. Now go mingle with your superfans while Ally and I spend your money.”

Ethan chuckled, then leaned in close to Penny’s ear, whispering something that stained Penny’s cheeks with a bright blush.

“You’re terrible. Go mingle,” Penny said, pushing her boyfriend away.

Yep. They were adorable.

After Ethan left, Darcy settled in to play a few rounds with Ally and Penny. She’d promised her friend that she’d have fun tonight and not think about all the studying she should be doing.

***

An hour later,empty glass in hand, Darcy looked over the auction items. Ally had set up shop at a roulette wheel with Dom thirty minutes ago and had no plans to leave anytime soon, so Darcy had left her friend to flirt and wandered around. Her brother would love anything signed, but most of the bids were already out of her price range.

“Looking for anything special?” a warm voice asked from over her shoulder.

She spun on her heel and had to tilt her head back to see the face the voice belonged to.

Bright blue eyes stared down at her. A perfectly chiseled jaw held a smile that caused all the blood to vacate her head as he grinned. His blond hair swept across his brow and looked way too soft. Her fingers itched around the wineglass stem and she sucked in a breath.

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