Page 47 of Breakaway to You

Chapter18

Piper

Quinn and I entered the Xcel Energy Center, which had been transformed from its normal ice arena. Where the ice rink had been were now dozens of round tables covered in white tablecloths with burgundy and green floral centerpieces. The lighting was subdued, and a band was playing music on one end by the empty dance floor. Guests and players milled about as servers walked through the room offering hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. A few Christmas trees were set in the corners, giving a subtle nod to the upcoming holiday.

The arena wasn’t the only transformation. The players, who I normally saw in either hockey pads or sweats, were all looking sharp in their tuxedos, ready for a formal night of plated meals, paid servers, dancing, and of course, our annual auction.

Somehow, with a few hundred people here, I was still able to spot Zeke easily in the crowd talking with a few of his teammates. From his dark curls to his broad shoulders and those clear blue eyes, he was hard to miss. And to see him in a tuxedo in person? Yeah, that was an experience in and of itself. He looked like he belonged on a red carpet somewhere.

“You’re drooling,” Quinn said as we made our way farther into the crowd.

“Oh, stop it.” I lightly swatted her arm. “I am not.”

“Don’t be ashamed. I am too.” She waggled her eyebrows as her gaze swung from one hockey player to the next.

Maybe bringing Quinn hadn’t been a good idea. As much as I was against love and relationships, she was the exact opposite. She would run headfirst into a relationship, always wearing her heart on her sleeve—although her relationships never lasted long. She was more of a ‘this was fun while it lasted but let’s see what else is out there’ kind of person. There had been plenty of men who had enjoyed her carefree approach to relationships, but she had also left plenty of heartbroken men in her wake. She was hard not to like, with her free spirit and quick smile. The last thing I needed was her getting involved with one of the players on the team. I did not want to deal with whatever fallout would surely come from that.

“You can flirt but nothing more,” I warned.

“Boo. You’re no fun,” she pouted. “Why do you get to have a hockey player on the team, but I can’t?”

“I do not have a player on the team,” I said adamantly.

“Oh, really?” She pursed her lips. “What would you call that coffee date with a certain hockey player you kissed?”

“Shh,” I hissed, looking around to make sure no one had overheard her. Although I guessed the entire team had seen that kiss, I wasn’t sure the news had reached management yet, and I wanted to keep it that way. “And it was not a date. It was a coincidental run-in, and you know it.”

“Do I know that?” She feigned ignorance. “Because with the way he is looking at you right now, I would guess there is definitely something going on between you two. Date or not.”

I followed her gaze to find Zeke’s eyes raking down my body and back up again, the heat in them letting me know how much he liked my dress.

I wished I could say I hadn’t thought about him while trying to find a dress, but that would have been a lie. When I had tried on this emerald-green dress, with its combination of satin and lace, I’d known it was the one. The off-the-shoulder gown had a corset bodice with swirls of sparkling embellished lace and satin stripes over the supportive boning, which led to smooth satin that stretched across my hips, showing off my curves, and a side slit that added the perfect final touch. I’d left my hair down, my golden-brown strands falling around my shoulders in loose waves. With the way he was looking at me, this dress was worth every penny, and it had been worth every minute spent getting ready for tonight. Relationship or no relationship, I enjoyed whatever was going on between Zeke and me.

Once his eyes landed back on my face, I raised my brows as if to say, ‘like what you see?’

His lips tipped up in a wolfish grin that told me his answer was very much a yes.

“Yeah, you two are as subtle as a brick to the face,” Quinn said, causing me to take my eyes off Zeke. “Although I can’t blame him for ogling you. You look hot in that dress.”

I couldn’t deny that Zeke and I weren’t always great at hiding our attraction to one another, but maybe it worked with the fake dating story we had started in Chicago and no one would think anything of it.

Before I could respond, Ryder joined us. “Good evening, ladies,” he said. “Piper, you are looking lovely as always. And who is your guest?”

I should have known he—and probably every other single player on the team—would be clamoring to meet Quinn. She looked beautiful in her soft pink gown with the heart shaped neckline, tulle and chiffon cascading down along her legs. The dress was flowy and sweet, like her personality.

“Ryder, this is my sister Quinn,” I told him. Then turned to my sister, “And this is Ryder, the team’s?—”

“Forward. I know.” She held out her hand in greeting, and instead of shaking it, he took it and placed a light kiss on her knuckles.

I didn’t even try to hide my eye roll.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Zeke making his way toward me, and a spark of excitement ignited in me. Anxious nerves spread through my body just knowing he was coming over. The power this man had on me was a dangerous thing, and I couldn’t seem to get control of it. Did he have any clue what he did to me without even trying? I wanted so desperately not to feel anything for him, to feel as much anonymity toward him as I had when Ryder had joined us, but I had a feeling that would never be the case when it came to Zeke, no matter how much I wished for it.

“Good evening,” he said to me, his voice gliding over my skin, causing goosebumps to form. He nodded a hello to Quinn. “Nice to see you again,” he said to her, but the voice he used with her was different.

Or maybe it was all in my head. I wasn’t sure.

“Hi, Zeke,” she said in a knowing tone, like she’d caught the way his two greetings were very different. She gave me a ‘go get him’ look before turning back to Ryder and asking him to introduce her to the rest of the team, effectively leaving Zeke and me alone. And she had saidIwasn’t subtle.

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