Page 15 of Crossing Lines

“Hey, who are you looking at?” Owen grabbed my chin and forced my gaze to meet his. “I’m right here, not over there.” He glanced behind him, then scowled.

I stepped backward, my chest heating. “Dude, don’t manhandle me.” It was time to start standing my ground, nice guy or not.

“What?” Owen raised his brows. “Oh shit, sorry.” With a sharp chuckle, he lifted his beer glass to his lips and stopped. “Just remember you’re with me. Okay?”

I took a deep inhale. What the fuck? But he had apologized. “Those guys are on my team. Two of them are guys I coach directly.” As I drank my beer, my gaze snagged on Jonah’s.

With an instant grin, Jonah tagged Archer’s shoulder and tilted his head my way.

Archer focused on me and stopped, then he lifted a glass to me.

After the two of them had some quick words, Jonah made his way through the men in the bar toward me.

Shit, this was awkward, especially with Owen being such a loose cannon. I wasn’t sure what would come out of his mouth. Plus, it didn’t look good for a coach to be with a guy like Owen. I was supposed to be setting a good example, be a mentor.

“You have gay players on your team?” Owen furrowed his brows and shifted, throwing an arm around my shoulders and tugging me into his side.

“I do.” Shrugging his arm off, my pulse quickened. “Stop it.” I glared at him.

“Coach Gibson. Nice to see you outside of the barn.” Narrowing his eyes, Jonah looked Owen up and down.

Owen swung his arm around my waist like he was laying claim to me. Ticking his head at Jonah, he asked, “Who are you?”

Flicking his gaze to me, then to Owen, Jonah puffed out his chest and took a step forward. “I’m a hockey player, left winger for the Devils. Who are you?”

“I’m Ryan’s boyfriend.” Flashing a smile, he held out his hand to Jonah.

“B-boyfriend?” While shaking Owen’s hand, Jonah twisted his lips and peered at me.

I dipped my head and shifted away from Owen. He wasn’ttryingto lay claim, hewaslaying claim. “He’s not, uh?—”

“We’ve been going out since New Year’s Eve.” Owen gave me a knowing grin. “Haven’t we?”

“We met on New Year’s Eve, but…” Hanging my head, I planted my hands on my hips. Shit, did it really matter? I could probably correct this whole thing later. Better to not make a scene in the bar in front of them all. I faced Jonah. “Anyway, what are you all doing here? Do you come here after every win?” Maybe it was a superstition thing with them.

“Naw, just sometimes.” Jonah scratched the back of his head and then glanced behind him.

I stole a peek at his friends. Mason beamed back at me, a shit-eating grin on his face, then flapped his fingers our way. What was that about?

Rolling his eyes, Jonah dragged his gaze to mine. “Don’t mind them. Mason’s an idiot.”

“I see.” I chuckled. Clearly, Mason knew about Jonah’s interest in me.

“Why don’t you both come and join us?” Jonah peered at Owen, the hint of a snarl curling one corner of his lip. “We can have a little late celly.”

“Oh no, we couldn’t intrude on your…” Owen eyed Jonah up and down. “Little soiree.”

“Why don’t you let him decide?” Jonah stepped closer to Owen, until their chests almost touched, Jonah standing a few inches taller than Owen.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I slid my hand between them and pushed on Jonah’s chest. “You guys go and enjoy yourselves tonight. You deserve it.” This was exactly what I didn’t want to happen.

Clenching his jaw, Jonah narrowed his eyes at me. “You sure?” He brushed his fingers over mine, resting at my side.

Tingling played up my arm. He was giving me a sign. He was concerned about me. I met his gaze head-on. “Yeah, I’ll be fine here.”

Jonah’s gaze stayed glued to mine for a beat, then he stepped backward and smiled. “Okay, but we’ll be right over there if you change your mind.” As he twisted to leave, he tossed a quick glare at Owen.

Owen lifted his chin, offering a satisfied smile back at him.

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