“He’s worse in motion.” Scarlett nearly chokes on champagne while laughing.
“I said the SAME thing,” Sophie says from the snack counter.
“I don’t know what any of you are talking about,” I say. Nobody reacts to this because nobody believes me.
Elena watches Max loop past the glass again. “That man looks like he’d help an old woman carry groceries and then get into a fistfight in a parking lot thirty seconds later.”
Harper points at her with complete seriousness. “That is the most accurate description of Max Stevens I’ve ever heard.”
Piper’s youngest suddenly reaches for Elenafrom her lap, and Elena takes him automatically, settling him against her hip without missing a beat. “You have excellent instincts,” Piper informs her.
“I raised three younger brothers and one ex-husband.”
Scarlett giggles and nearly spills her drink. Must be on her second or third. The game hasn’t even started and already Elena has somehow integrated herself into the group like she’s been here for years. “So,” Sophie says, leaning forward with the expression of someone about to commit violence for entertainment. “Tell us everything about Toni.”
“Absolutely not,” I say immediately.
Elena gasps. “Oh, I have material.”
“Treason,” I mutter.
“She organizes her pencils by emotional importance.” The room erupts.
“That is not true.”
“She labels folders alphabetically and by color.”
“Toni,” Scarlett says through laughter, “are you forty-five?”
“I’m organized.”
The arena lights dim suddenly. The crowd roars. Players skate onto the ice through smoke and strobing lights while music detonates through the building hard enough to shake the suite glass. Elena grips my arm. “This is insane.”
The Guardians explode onto the rink one by one to screaming fans. Then Max appears last, behind Trey. The noise level somehow doubles. And God help me, Elena notices everything immediately. A wave comes from the crowd. Kids slam the glass as he skates by. The easy swagger. Of course, the grin.Max notices a little kid near the glass. Taps the glass with his stick and makes the kid lose his mind.
“Oh, that’s unfortunate. He’s charming without trying. Those are the dangerous ones,” she says serenely beside me. “He belongs here.” My chest shifts unpleasantly. Because she’s right. Max glides backward near center ice, talking to Anthony while adjusting his gloves. Then he looks up. Straight toward the suite. Toward me without hesitation or searching. Like he always knows exactly where I am. His expression shifts. Just enough. Something warmer underneath the grin. Possessive, or worse. Elena sees it happen in real time. “Oh, sweetheart,” she murmurs.
I tear my eyes off him. “Don’t.”
“He looks at you like he’s already kissed you today.” Scarlett spits champagne into a napkin. Harper covers her mouth with both hands. Piper fully turns away laughing into Christopher’s hair.
“I hate every person in this room.”
“No, you don’t,” Sophie says cheerfully. “You’re trauma-bonded now.”
On the ice, Max skates toward the bench. Still looking up here. Anthony follows his eyeline toward the suite. His entire face changes. That idiot immediately elbows Max hard enough to nearly send him into the boards. Even through the glass, I can tell Anthony is saying: Stop looking at her, you idiot. Max shoves him back. Too late. Now half the bench is looking up here.
“Oh my God,”I whisper.
Elena watches the chaos below with fascination. “You brought me to a live soap opera.”
“And yet somehow still less dramatic than Thanksgiving with my family,” Harper says.
The anthem begins. Everyone stands. The arena falls silent. Below us, the players line the blue line shoulder to shoulder beneath the lights. Max removes his helmet. And against every instinct I possess, my gaze catches on him again. The bruised mouth from Philly. The sharp line of his jaw. The broad shoulders beneath the jersey. Then he glances upward one more time. Finds me immediately. And smiles. Private.
Nothing like the cocky grin he gives the cameras. This one belongs to me.
The elevator ride up to Elena’s apartment feels significantly longer than eleven floors.
