Page 95 of Burner Account

“No, I want you to take good care of that ass so it’s not bruised when we’re in bed.”

He almost tripped right then and there, but I kept him upright.

“Learning to walk, are we?” I asked with a grin.

He rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

On our way back to rejoin the party, I said, “No, I don’t want you to fall on your ass. But you could toss me some pucks.”

“Uh-huh. How many pucks do you have, anyway?”

“Probably too many.”

“Eh, you can never have too many pucks.”

“Exactly.” I elbowed him. “So you gonna toss me some?”

He just laughed, and we continued socializing.

Maybe ten or fifteen minutes later, Tanner stepped away for a moment to get a drink, but when he came back, he gestured over his shoulder. “Buckley wants to get some pictures down on the beach with all the Yellow Jackets that are here.” He gave me an apologetic smile. “It should only be a few minutes.”

I laughed and kissed his cheek. “It’s okay. We don’t have to be joined at the hip every second.” I gestured in the direction his teammates were walking. “Go. Have fun.”

He studied me uncertainly for a second, then pushed himself up and kissed me lightly. “I’ll be back.”

He left with the guys, and I couldn’t help grinning to myself. I’d known for a long time that Tanner Jeffries was hot, and that he looked like a damn fashion model in a suit. Seeing him walk away in that perfectly tailored suit, though, especially with his kiss still tingling on my lips, was mind-blowing. I was here with him? Wow. I wondered when that would stop being a novelty.

Alone, I wandered over by the windows. As it happened, there was a great view of the guys setting up for the photo down on the beach. Of course, they were laughing and joking. I’d watched enough off-ice videos of hockey players to know that wherever they went, chaos was sure to follow. The bride seemed to have a good sense of humor about it. She was laughing as she stood off to the side and watched, and though I couldn’t hear what she was saying, I got the impression she was egging them on.

I’d only met Buckley a few times, and I’d just met Emily this week, but they struck me as a really good match. Relaxed with each other. Effortlessly affectionate. Tanner had told me on the way to the wedding that he could always tell when Buckley was texting with Emily or reading one of her emails, because he’d get this absolutely lovestruck grin on his face. The guys all cracked jokes about Buckley being locked down with a ball and chain, and the bride and groom played along, but Buckley was so clearly on cloud nine, it was adorable.

I’d always envied relationships like that. All I’d ever wanted was someone who looked at me the way Emily and Buckley looked at each other. I wanted to look at my partner and think,This is it. You’re my person.

The men down below finally organized themselves and posed for the camera, all smiling broadly. As the photographer moved around, probably lining up the perfect shot, my gaze landed on Tanner.

And my heart sped up.

This is it. You’re my person.

I turned away, suddenly out of breath. Okay, I was gettingwayahead of myself here. Tanner and I had a good thing going—a great thing—but I had to be cautious about this. Had to be realistic.

“He’s so young, honey,”Mom had said.“And he’s… Well, he’s young. You two seem to really like each other, but he might not want anything permanent at his age.”

“Tanner’s twenty-six. Dad was twenty-three when you two got married.”

“Yes, well…”

I’d been able to read between the lines:Tanner’s a young, rich, hot athlete who has a lot of time and a lot of options. Don’t pin your hopes on him deciding to be with you instead of playing the field.

Thanks, Mom. Appreciate it.

I shook those thoughts away, and I refused to let my ex’s voice trickle in with his two cents. Tanner hadn’t given me any reason to believe he thought I was below him or that he deserved better than me. I needed to get a grip and stop—

A woman appeared beside me, startling me out of my thoughts. “Oh, hey.” She motioned toward the other side of the room. “Could you let someone know the vegetable tray is empty?”

I blinked. “The… what?”

She shot me an impatient look. “On the buffet?” She pointed again, sharply this time. “It’s been empty for the past twenty minutes and no one is doing anything about it.”

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