“Thank you, Ronnie.” Emma narrows her eyes at Gabe.
“Well, I for one, am not lying.” I pull Aubrey back in, brushing my lips against hers once more. “I really do think you look beautiful, even like this. I always think you do.”
“Thank you,” she breathes against me.
I kiss her deeply one last time before letting go. “I’ll see you later, Angel.”
“Bye, Shane,” she says, biting her lip as I take a step back.
Waving to everyone, I head back to the other side of the street where Jessie waits with his front door open and a cocky grin on his face. “Oh, you have it so bad for that little one.” He laughs.
I slap him on the shoulder as I walk past him. “Not even going to deny that.”
He closes the door behind him, following me further into his house and over to the kitchen. “So, I’m guessing her brother still doesn’t know.”
I sigh, wishing things weren’t so complicated and that I didn’t have to hide with my girlfriend. “No, he doesn’t, not yet.”
I know Aubrey said she needed time, and I’ll respect that. But I wish we could get past this already. I want to go out with her in public, hold her hand and kiss her without caring who sees.
“You do know that guy is going to lose it when he finds out, right? Have you seen how possessive he is of his wife? Well, he’s the same when it comes to his sister.” Jessie pours us two fingers of bourbon each, handing one over.
“Yeah, I know.” And I do; I’ve seen the way Greyson looked at Julian when he pretended to flirt with Aubrey. It looked like he was about to murder someone. But I’m hoping the fact that he knows me might make it easier to accept… or it might make things worse. Whatever it is, I’m prepared to accept it.
I won’t give up on Aubrey, no matter what.
A few hours later, night has fallen, and people are constantly walking through Burkley’s front door. Tonight, it’s only me and Jessie joining the party, since Jason is working and Julian isin Tokyo for business. I know I could have gone alone, but I appreciate Jessie tagging along.
I’ve never been much of a partier, and I always feel a bit out of place coming to these things. Most coaches hang out with the coaching staff or their own friends on their time off, not party with their players. But I’ve always been closer to the players than the staff members; I guess that’s just the hockey player that still lives inside of me. If I hadn’t had my accident all those years ago, I would probably still be playing or just retiring.
So when my team invites me to their parties or events, I show up to most, even if it’s weird. But I never get wasted with them or anything like that, that wouldn’t be very professional of me. And besides, I’m not much of a drinker.
Jessie locks up his home as we step outside and wander across the street. Seconds after ringing the doorbell, the door flies open, and we are greeted by Cecilia. “Hey, Coach. Hi, Jessie. Come in.” She waves us in and steps aside.
“Ah, my favorite petite brunette.” Jessie grins widely at her and kisses her cheek. Jessie’s always been a big flirt with the ladies, but with these ones it’s harmless.
“Back off, Storm.” Silas shows up behind her and pulls his wife away from Jessie before turning his attention to me. “Hey, Coach. Happy you could join us this year.”
“As if he’d want to be anywhere else,” Jessie mutters under his breath. I rib him with my elbow and he laughs.
Cecilia smiles knowingly. “Yes, well, I’m sure you’ll be enjoying your night. You should see the entertainment room. The view is quite… angelic.” She winks and leaves with her husband, rejoining the party. But I got the hidden message—she was letting me know where Aubrey is.
We make our way to the entertainment room, and I prepare myself to sweep the room, but there’s no need. I spot my girlinstantly. Her back is to me as she talks with Veronica, so I take the moment to drink her in.
Her hair has been pulled back at the sides into braids that tie together behind her head in a fancy way, the rest of her hair hanging loose in wavy curls. She’s wearing a sparkly long-sleeved silver dress that’s open at the back and hugs her perfect curves, ending a few inches above her knees, with a pair of black stilettos on her feet.
Jesus, she’s mesmerizing.
I look around the room, not spotting her brother or his wife anywhere and decide to take my chance. Jessie and I walk over to them, and once she’s beside me, I place my hand on her lower back.
She shivers at my touch and looks up with sparkles in her eyes. “Shane,” she whispers my name before looking around the room quickly.
Her brother might not be around right now, but there are a few other players that don’t know about our relationship yet, so I still can’t kiss her despite desperately wanting to.A kiss on the cheek will have to do for now.
Placing my other hand on her hip, I turn her slightly toward me. Her hands automatically come up to my chest as I lean in and press my lips to the corner of her lips.Happy mistakes if anyone notices.To everyone around, it simply looks like I’m saying hello, greeting a friend, but to us, this means so much more.
“Hi, Angel. You look exceedingly magnificent.”
“Thank you, and you look as handsome as always.” She tilts her head to the side, kissing me in the same place I just kissed her.
