Page 89 of Play Your Part

“So what?” I said. “Sex doesn’t mean love. Maybe your old married asses have forgotten that.”

Gemma raised her eyebrows comically high. “Sex, you say?”

I groaned and tossed my head back. “Please stop.”

“Kens, stop holding out on me! I need to live vicariously through you, remember?” She flashed her shiny diamond rings.

I tossed Matt a meaningful look. “This doesn’t bother you? Gemma’s unhinged love for your teammate.”

Matt shrugged. “Honestly, I get it.”

“You’re so hot when you agree with me.” Gemma tilted her head toward Matt who leaned down for a kiss that held for an uncomfortably long time.

I glanced at Jeff. “I never thought I would say this, but I’m ready to make my entrance.”

Jeff insisted we needed to do something funny, but we didn’t like each other’s ideas. The reception doors opened before we could compromise, so Jeff swept me off my feet and into his arms like a damn damsel in distress.

“I’m going to kill you,” I hissed, but Jeff ignored me, smiling as laughter filled the hall. He finally put me down on the dance floor. The attention shifted to Matt and Gemma, who were announced as the Harrises for the first time. They came into the hall to a nineties song—C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)—while doing the ridiculous dance.

“I’ll take over.” The familiar deep-accented voice came from behind me, raising goosebumps on my forearms. Alexei pulled me by the waist toward him, my stomach swooping with the move that brought my body against his. He navigated us away from Jeff, closer to the edge of the dance floor.

“I think I’m supposed to dance with the best man, Alexei.”

His double-dimple smile hit me deep in my gut, as always.

“Too bad. He’s had you all to himself for the last few hours.” He moved his hands from the small of my back to the side of each hip, resurfacing memories of last night. My heart pounded, forcing me to look away from him to hide the emotion that no doubt showed on my face.

“Yeah, well…” My voice caught when I noticed the person standing behind Alexei, watching us. My feet stopped moving. My arms tensed around his neck, feeling as stiff as concrete.

“Is something wrong?”

I cleared my throat. “Don’t look, but Justin Ward is behind you.”

Alexei’s hands tensed on my hips, but to his credit, he didn’t turn around. “Did you know he was going to be here?”

“No.”

“He’s here for you, isn’t he?”

“I don’t know.”

Alexei shook his head. “Kennedy, don’t bullshit me. He showed up at your place. Now he’s at this wedding. And on the ice, he wouldn’t shut the fuck up about how you were only with me because he hadn’t tried to get you back yet.”

Thatwas what Justin taunted Alexei with during the game?

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Alexei prompted when I said nothing.

“What?”

He watched me intently, looking for whatever sign in my expression would reveal the truth.

“Is that what you think of me? That Justin could snap his fingers, and I would run back to him? Give me some fucking credit.”

“I don’t know what to think.”

“Neither do I,” I said. “You’re acting like a jealous boyfriend when we both know you have no right.”

Alexei scoffed. “What happened to not wanting to make the easy choices, Kennedy? You blame it on your grief, but you’re afraid. And Ward?” Alexei spat out Justin’s name as if it were stale beer. “He won’t support you. He’ll let you keep hiding. You should want more.”

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