Page 253 of Branded
My stomach immediately growled. They were my favorite.
It was sweet—and unsurprising—that the thoughtful and detail-oriented Beth knew the dish was my favorite. The other woman was devious and prepared and had never met a bone she didn’t like to dig her teeth into. And good luck breaking her hold on it.
Case in point, the plate sliding and the mischief in Beth’s eyes and the slight hint of a smirk.
Because the food and Sprite had come with a side of hot hockey players.
(The result of the chair-screeching).
An extra-large side.
Smitty—one of the Breakers’ defensemen—sidled close to his shy, sweet woman, Kailey. Oliver—a former player—looped an arm around Hazel’s middle, nuzzling a kiss into the side of his wife’s neck. Marcel—current star forward—slid his stool right next to Pru’s, pressing their thighs together. Raph—quiet, steady, and great on the ice—began massaging Beth’s back, an instinctual, caring gesture from the man who beat Beth out in thoughtfulness (and stubbornness) and took care of her seemingly without thought.
And the single ones, they came close too.
Squeezing stools into the already full table.
I released a thankful breath when it was Theo—another forward who made it clear he had absolutely no plans of ending his single status—who ended up next to me and not Cas—the steady defenseman…and my secret fantasy.
He was the regret I turned over in my head in the dark of night—something I had far too much time for because I worked the late shift, was up late five days a week.
Something I had far too much time for because every time Cas was close…
Well, I had a hard time remembering why I’d turned him down.
Eyes the green of pine needles, a temptation to find home in a man who might?—
No.
The temptation to find home in a man was a stupid one.
I’d tried that, and though it had ended with me having the best thing in my life—that being Ethan—I couldn’t do that again.
It hurt too much when it went wrong, when I would ultimately end up alone.
But when I looked up, my fork full of loaded tots, my belly rumbling with the urge to. Get. Them. In. My. Belly. I found it nearly impossible to ignore the calling of those tall trees, the winter cold air, the snow crunching beneath my boots.
Especially when eyes of forest green kept catching mine.
Three
Cas
I was trying not to stare like a fucking idiot, attempting to not slaver over her like a dog.
Like I always did.
But fuck, she was pretty.
Deep brown eyes, shining blond hair. Hips I wanted to grip as I stroked home, stroked deep. An ass that called for my teeth, the slight sting in my skin from the crack of my palm.
Not interested.
She wasn’t interested.
I, on the other hand, was nearing obsessed.
Even though I was trying not to be, was attempting to ignore the draw I felt toward her. But fuck, it was getting harder with each minute I spent in her presence. There was an inner light to Jules that caught my focus, shining brightly, bringing out my protective instincts.
