Page 64 of Daring the Defender

I know he’s just kidding, but the irony isn’t lost on me. Who am I to judge or accuse people of hooking up with a friend’s sister when I can’t keep my hands off of Shelby?

19

Shelby

With no game tonight,the bar is quiet and Mike lets me leave early. When I step into the Manor, I’m hit by the scent of buttery popcorn and surprised to find everyone in the living room.

“Shelby!” Nadia’s eyes light up when she sees me. “You’re home early.”

“Why didn’t you call?” Axel asks, shifting over so Nadia can sit next to him on the love seat. “I was going to come pick you up.”

“Mike let us go early.” I drop my bag on the kitchen table. “And it’s only half a mile. I can walk.” I walk over to the couch. Reid and Jefferson are sitting on each end. “What are you doing?”

“Cap told us we have to stay home since we have the charity event tomorrow,” Jefferson says.

Reese shrugs from the armchair he’s sharing with Twyler. Their bodies are intertwined and I’m not sure where hers begins and his ends. “We have to spend the full day with a group of kids.The last thing we need is for someone to be hungover or sick. It’s the one day of the year you need to be a good example.”

“I still don’t know why that means all of your girlfriends get to be here and I can’t hit up the Kappa house.”

“Because it does,” Twyler snaps, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl in her lap. “You can go one night without cuddling up with a puck bunny.”

“Just seems unfair, right, Wilder?”

Reid, wearing dark sweatpants and a worn Wittmore Hockey t-shirt, focused on his phone, grunts noncommittally.

“We’re about to start,” Nadia says. “You can join us.”

“Thanks, but I really need to take a shower. I smell like fried food and beer.”

“You just described two of the sexiest things ever,” Jefferson says, patting the center of the couch. “It’s like catnip for hockey players.”

“Dude,” Axel warns.

“As happy as I am to know you won’t be offended,” I tell Jefferson, “I’m still going to change and clean up a little. Go ahead and start without me.”

When I come back down the lights are off, light coming from the action movie playing on the screen. The only spot left for me is between Reid and Jefferson. Both men are huge and leave me a tiny slice of the middle cushion. Careful not to touch either of them, I sit, and then I’m instantly hit with Reid’s scent. If wings and beer are catnip to hockey players then whatever Reid’s soap is made up of is mine.

A shiver rolls across my skin.

“You cold?” Reid asks quietly.

“I’m fine.”

“Shelly’s always freezing.” My brother doesn’t hide that he’s eavesdropping. “Which makes sense because she insists onwearing clothing that is the complete opposite of the weather outside.”

I look down at my shorts and bare legs. “I forgot my sweats!”

“Whatever.” He rolls his eyes. “She does this in Texas, too, insisting on the AC being way down while she bundles up.” He grabs the blanket off the back of the chair he’s sitting in and tosses it at me. “Take this. You shouldn’t be walking around these hooligans showing your legs anyway.”

“Good grief,” Nadia says. “She can show her legs without asking for some guy to start humping them.”

“Seriously,” Jefferson says. “You know I’m all about the tits anyway.”

Before my brother can react, Reid leans around me and slams his fist into Jefferson’s arm. “Ow!” he whines, rubbing his very muscular bicep. “What the hell, man?”

“You’re lucky I didn’t do it earlier.”

“Seriously, dude, stop being disrespectful to people’s sisters,” Reese chimes in. “Now, if everyone is finished being an asshole, maybe we can watch the movie?”

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