Page 76 of Time to Shine

Okay, so Casey could go after him and...what? Seriously, what? Landon was fine. He was tired, and being escorted back to their hotel by their very capable and responsible team captain. He didn’t seem to be mad at Casey, and he didn’t seem to need Casey either. If Casey ran after him, it would be weird.

If Casey stayed, he could have fun with Claudia—sexy fun that he desperately needed and wanted. That option made way more sense, but for some reason Casey couldn’t commit to it.

“Did Lee steal your boyfriend?” West asked. Casey hadn’t even noticed him approach.

“Huh?”

“Stackhouse. He left with Lee,” West said, as if that was the confusing part.

Casey narrowed his eyes at him. “What do you mean ‘boyfriend’?”

“You obviously have a crush on him.” West seemed a bit tipsy, his words slurring slightly. Also he was loudly talking about something he really shouldn’t be.

“No I don’t,” Casey lied. It was such a fucking lie.

West laughed. “Okay.”

Suddenly Casey was being hugged from behind. “Hicks, you fucking animal. What’s up?”

Casey tilted his head back onto Clint’s shoulder and smiled. “Having a good time?”

“I’m drunk.”

“Really?”

“Me an’ Westy are going to play blackjack.”

“Wow. That is a really terrible idea.”

Clint released him and took a step back. “Yep. Let’s go get rich, Westy.”

West shrugged at Casey, then followed Clint. The booth was getting really empty, but Claudia was still there. And Landon was long gone. And Casey didn’t want to gamble with his drunk teammates, he wanted to fuck. That was the whole point of this night, right?

He smiled at Claudia, and went to sit next to her, and thus ensured the success of Operation: Get Laid.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Oh shit, hey, Chuckie. I forgot you play for Colorado now.”

The man who was paired with Casey for the face-off huffed and shook his head. “Figures. I’m surprised you remember what team you play on.”

“Hey now. You gotta be nice to me. I’m mic’d up.”

“Jesus. They seriously put a microphone on you?”

“Yep! National broadcast too. The whole country is gonna hear my fucking wit.”

“Not if you keep swearing, dickhead.”

“Oh right! Whoops. Having a good time?”

“Eat my ass.”

The puck dropped, Lee won the face-off, and Casey had the puck a few seconds later. Since the face-off had been in the Colorado zone, Casey was able to rip a dangerous snap shot right away. Their goalie stopped it but couldn’t control the rebound. Casey happily retrieved the puck and fired it over the goalie’s right shoulder.

“Hey now! There we go,” he said as he raised his arms in celebration. “Kids, if you miss the first time, try again. That’s an important hockey lesson.”

“Who the fuck are you talking to?” Clint asked as he hugged him.

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