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The loser.
HOLLYN
Ilost the bet.
Which goes to show you how competitive these hockey players really are that they can’t allow a girl to win.
Not that I would’ve wanted to win like that anyhow, but still.
However, Reid was ready to order my appetizer for me—mini burgers, mozzarella sticks, potato skins, and boneless wings—and I was only beaming at the prospect of eating it all.
Seated at the round table that Reid has been residing at all night, we’re all huddled together. Reid’s bicep and forearm brush against mine every time he goes to grab his beer, and I’m literally compacted in a spot where I don’t move and overcrowd his space.
That’s until the food comes.
After that, it’s free game.
“You up for dessert, Hollyn?” I glance over at Wells, this really cute blonde with a faded cut and piercing green eyes. They’re dark, almost the shade of emeralds, and he sends me a come-hither look like he was born to do. “I’ll play you in a game of pool for it.”
My lips part to agree to said game, but Reid cuts in and crowds my space with his retort of the situation.
“Leave her alone, Wells,” he practically growls out. “The girl already lost tonight.”
Aw. That’s kinda sweet.
But I’m not upset about it. I haven’t played pool since I was a child, and my Uncle Steven had a table in his basement. Since then, I’ve forgotten how to properly hold a pool stick and all the rules.
“I’m down,” I reply, patting Reid’s thigh twice to let him know that I’m okay. “But I haven’t seen the dessert menu yet.”
Wells smiles. “I’ll grab one for you.”
I feel Reid tense at my side before I narrow my eyes on his friend. “Hold on a second…how good are you?”
“Decent.”
“Definition of decent,” I press onward because I’m down for playing, but not a professional. The game will be over in less than two minutes.
Wells laughs warmly. “As in, I haven’t played in a while. And I suck.”
“Just like what Hollyn said Reid does,” Byron jeers, dipping his fry into a massive pond of ketchup on his plate. “Damn, dude, that must’ve sucked.”
Reid straightens his spine, giving me a small sliver of my space back, and glowers at his buddy. “Ah, well, like half the women here, you probably swallow, right, Sullie?”
I’m thankful that Reid didn’t say my name in that sentence since it was literally something we’ve grazed over twice. I would’ve burned alive with embarrassment if he had mentioned it.
“Depends on what it is,” Byron says. “But I’ll always take a hard pass on you, Reaper. You’re probably too violent in bed. Do you spank women with your hockey stick?”
“Watch your mouth,” Reid mutters. “There’s a lady at the table.”
“No offense, but she’s more like one of the guys. You should’ve heard the shit-talking she was doing while playing pool.”
“I did not,” I retort with a smile that I don’t bother hiding. “That’s a flat-out lie.”
“You mean like the one you just told?”
I lift my chin. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Excuse my reach,” a female voice says behind me before a whole tray of food shows up in front of me. “Is there anything else I can get you?”
