Page 45 of Defensive Zone

Chapter 9

“Mac and cheese?” Connor asked Ava Saturday night as they sat in a big round booth at Lanzi’s.

The Strikers had won their matinee game earlier today, and Max wanted to celebrate with dinner at Lanzi’s with his family. He’d never wished for more matinee games during the season than he had now that Ava and the kids were living with him. It was nice to finish a game early and hang out with his family for once on a game day.

And seeing Gabi in his jersey appealed to the caveman in him. His name stretched across her shoulders shouldn’t warm him up the way it did, but he had the overwhelming urge to beat his chest.

That kiss the other night. His cock twitched at the memory. It’d been three days and he wanted more. Sure, he’d been irritated at the direction of their argument, because she clearly didn’t understand the game he loved, but they could work on that.

Wait. Did he want to work on that? He hadn’t thought through much beyond finally getting a taste of her. Actually pursuing her would probably lead to disaster. He wasn’t a long-term guy, and she didn’t seem like she did casual flings. Not to mention that she was his sister’s best friend and Ava would have his balls if he did anything to hurt Gabi or ruin their friendship.

It’s not that he was a player. He just enjoyed keeping his options open and no one had objected to the arrangement thus far.

But Gabi was different. He didn’t need his psych degree to tell him that; not that he should have assumed anything at this point. But she was interested, even if she’d been skittish as hell around him ever since that kiss, darting down the hall when he was near or scooting to the opposite end of the couch when he sat down.

He wondered if Ava had clued into anything. She’d given him a questioning eye more than once in the last few days, but when it came to his interactions with Gabi, Ava was always eyeing him, waiting for him to annoy her best friend.

And as idiotic as it sounded, he was grateful Ava had walked into the kitchen when she had. Gabi had gotten carried away, and he didn’t want to be a regret. They were combustible, and when it finally boiled over, he wanted them to both be on the same page.

A beautiful, lust-filled page it was going to be.

He couldn’t fucking wait.

But for now, he would enjoy his dinner, sitting next to his current obsession. He could thank Connor and Amelia for rushing them into their seats before Gabi could protest to sitting next to him.

“Connor, there are so many amazing things to eat here. Way better than mac and cheese, I promise,” Max said, turning his attention back to the kids.

“Fine. But no chicken. I don’t like it,” Connor said, and Max laughed.

“No chicken, huh?” a woman said from over Max’s shoulder.

He turned to see Mrs. Lanzi. She ran the restaurant with her husband and various family members, and her daughter Sophia was currently dating Finn, one of the other Striker defensemen. Aside from Crash and Byrne, Lanzi’s was the other Strikers’ hangout. The Lanzis always made the Striker players feel welcomed into their family.

“Hi, Mrs. Lanzi. Don’t mind him. I told him everything is amazing, but he’s four,” Max said.

She laughed. “Oh, I have plenty of experience with four-year-olds and what they like to eat. I’ve been waiting for you to bring everyone in since they moved in with you. I’m sorry for your loss, honey,” she said to Ava.

“Thank you, Mrs. Lanzi,” Ava said, swallowing.

Max had brought his family to Lanzi’s more than once when they’d come down to visit over the years while he’d been playing in San Francisco, and he knew that over a year ago Connor had stolen more than a few bites of the chicken parm Max had ordered.

“If you ever need a hug or takeout, you just have to call,” the older woman said, squeezing Ava’s hand, her voice low, but Max caught it.

“Now, I know you two, but introduce me to this little one,” she said.

Ava’s laugh was watery and it was a punch to Max’s gut. “This is Elise.”

“She’s an absolute doll. Those cheeks. Congratulations, honey,” she gushed.

“Thank you. She’s pretty cute.”

Then her eyes darted between him and Gabi, and he waited, enjoying Gabi’s squirming.

“I don’t believe we’ve met. I can’t remember the last time Baz brought in a date,” Mrs. Lanzi said.

“Oh. Me and Max?” She shook her head. “Definitely not.”

That stung a hell of a lot more than it should’ve since he was pretty fucking sure that she hadn’t minded his tongue down her throat the other night. Maybe she was just saying that for appearances.

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