Page 97 of Rules Of Our Own

“So fucking pointless, Kitten.” He kisses my forehead.

“How’s Kristie’s information hunt going?” River calls out.

“Good. She sent some stuff over to Sidney’s guy, but we’re still waiting.”

“I can’t fucking wait.” Alex rubs his hands together in excitement, then proceeds to grab my nuggets, following River into the living room and taking the spot next to him.

I go to sit in one of the chairs, but Alex pulls me onto his lap and runs his fingers absent-mindedly over my thigh. Both guys are absorbed in the game, and there’s something peaceful about the three of us just chilling together. No sex, no tension, just being near each other. I pop a nugget into my mouth. I could get used to this.

The players fly across the ice, but the play is suddenly called to a stop. “What happened?”

“Icing,” River answers matter-of-factly, like I’d have any idea what that means. He slowly turns to me. “Do you not know what icing is, Love?”

“Um…should I?”

Alex’s chest rumbles beneath me. “This is a fucking travesty.”

The guys spend the next twenty minutes explaining what’s happening. It’s not my first time watching hockey, but it’s definitely the first time I’ve gotten excited about learning the game.

“So what positions do you play?”

Alex scoffs, offended that I don’t already know. Like, I kinda know, but I want them to explain it anyway. “We’re both forwards. I’m center, and Riv here is my right winger.”

“So you score all the points?”

“That’s right, Kitten. We score all the points.”

Before I know it, the game switches to the intermission show. There are fourexpertstalking, and River mutes it. “Fucking, idiots.”

Apparently, these two feel the same as Jax about their opinions. I go to climb off Alex’s lap to toss out my garbage, but he holds me in place.

River takes it from me. “I got it.”

“Thanks.” I settle against Alex, giving up any attempt to argue, and just let them take care of me.

“You’re coming to our game tomorrow, right?” Alex asks, and I twist in his lap to face him.

“You want me to?”

He raises a brow. “If I could force you to go to every game, you’d be there.”

“Okay.” I shrug.

“I’ll get you one of my jerseys.”

“The fuck you will.” River sits beside us, closer than he was before. “If we start that shit now, it’ll be a never-ending battle. I’ll get you a jersey that says Brooks. I’d wear it too if I wouldn’t get in shit.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh yeah, you’d wear my last name? Puh-lease. I know how you guys get about your names.”

River’s jaw clenches. “The fact that you even asked that pisses me off.”

“Can we just talk about the fact we haven’t played doctor yet? Feels like a missed opportunity,” Alex chimes in, breaking the moment.

I huff out a laugh. “I’m not that kind of doctor.”

“That’s fine. I’m happy to pretend.” A thrill shoots through me, suddenly imagining exactly what that could entail, and Alex grins, both of his dimples on full display.

I search for a change of subject. “Okay, so now that you’re both big hockey stars, what’s the next goal? What do you have planned for the future?”

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