Page 32 of Accidentally Checked By My Brother's Best Friend

We’reremoving ‘brooding’ from the Wolverine’s goalie title and just saying ‘irresistibly handsome’.

Why do you ask? Because Duncan James has teeth that form the most delicious smile.

There wasn’t one woman in the arena not dying to be on the receiving end of it.

Including Ava Norris.

Things between the two of them just became the perfect cup of tea with a stick of cinnamon.

Warm and spicy.

And I, for one, am here for it.

Till Next Time,

Chamie

Chapter Fifteen

Duncan

Comingofftheiceafter the game and finding Ava wearing my jersey has my blood pumping. I can’t remember the last time I felt this sense of euphoria, and my teammates are noticing.

“I need a pair of shades,” Spencer teases, walking over to me and shielding his eyes. “I didn’t know you had so many teeth.”

Tightening my lips and narrowing my eyes, I grunt. “Knock it off, Cavill.”

“And he’s back!” He laughs. A twinkle in his eyes as he punches me in the arm before walking over to celebrate with some of the other guys.

My lips lift at the corner, and I turn to my locker, but not before Viper catches it and roars with laughter.

“We all knew there was a smile in there somewhere,” he jokes. “Just weren’t sure what it would take for it to make an appearance.”

“Don’t get used to it,” I mumble, rolling my eyes and biting the inside of my cheek. “It’s not sticking around.”

“I said the same thing about Sandy.” He winks, catching me off guard. “Sometimes everyone knows before you do.”

Staring at his back I think about what he just said. It was never a question of me knowing that Ava was the one for me. The moment I laid eyes on her I knew she was my person.

Despite how young I was.

Me knowing isn’t the problem—has never been the problem. The problem is that I am in this situation and have feelings again. Pushing out a breath I remind myself what Ava and I are doing.

Faking it.

At least, we’re supposed to be, and she is. She fakes it often. It’s her job.

The lightness of the past sixty minutes drains from my body and is replaced with the heaviness of truth.

Scrubbing my face, I call on the grumpy and seal my heart with it.

When I head out of the locker room, I find Ava talking with Sandy and Tom, relaxed and safe.

The tightness in my gut releases, and my heart jumps at the sight of her.

“Remember what this is,” I quietly murmur to myself. I mentally zip up my heart again.

But telling myself to do something and actually doing it aren’t the same thing apparently, because walking toward her I’m enchanted. Her face is glowing, her eyes are bright, and a desire so strong comes over me that it grips my stomach.

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