AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The live band was already playing the requested songs from the bride and groom, but they were nowhere to be seen. Again.
“Insatiable,” I said when Asher found me near the bar. “Those two are absolutely insatiable.”
“Can you blame them?”
“No,” I said. “I can’t judge. Hell, you know me. I’ve treated sex like a marathon on the best of days, but these two seem determined to miss their own wedding. And what’s the point? It’s not like they’ll be spending therestof their lives together?”
“You wouldn't understand,” Asher said, then tilted his head. “Or would you?” His eyes trailed behind me, and I turned around.
He was looking at Aspen, who was talking to someone I didn't recognize. A very tall masculine someone who was making her laugh.
“Isn't that your girlfriend?” Ethan asked, joining our group.
“Looks like Weston’s Raptor rookie tight end is finding her quite interesting,” Gareth added as he joined us, sipping from his cocktail.
“What the fuck? He's a Raptor?”
“Yep,” Gareth answered. “And a damn good one, too. Even as a rookie, he's got a shit-ton of potential. I'm hoping I can trade him from Weston in the future. Just before he gets big.”
I couldn't take my eyes off of Aspen and the way she looked up at the rookie, fully engaged in whatever the hell it was they were talking about. And then she laughed again, her smile bright, her head thrown back because whatever he said wassodamn funny.
A foreign emotion sliced through me, an odd instinct that had me passing my drink to Ethan without looking back and heading straight for her.
I slid my hand along the small of her back, not so casually tucking her into my side as I locked eyes with the rookie.
“There you are,” I said, finally looking down at Aspen.
“Here I am,” she said in an equally sugary voice as she patted my chest. “I didn't know if you were done with groomsmen duties yet,” she said, and then motioned to the rookie. “Jake was just explaining the difference between a running back and a tight end to me.”
“It's never too late to learn,” Jake said, raising his drink toward her before taking a sip. Then he turned to me, reaching out a free hand. “You must be the boyfriend she was talking so much about. Crossland? You’re friends with Weston right?”
I shook his hand firmly before releasing it. “That's me.”
“Nice,” he said. “I love hockey. Your team isn't doing half bad, but I usually root for the underdogs, which doesn’t include yours or Asher’s team, huh?”
“No, I can't say that we are,” I said. “If you're looking for underdogs, Bangor is shaping up to be the absolute worst teamin the league.” I brought up Doyle's team and sighed, actually feeling sorry for the players who had such a prick for an owner.
The rookie laughed and shook his head. “I don't root forthatbig of an underdog,” he said. “But I wouldn't mind seeing Detroit rise in ranks a little bit before the end of the season.”
I nodded, respect overtaking whatever instinct had propelled me to stomp over here in the first place.
Was it jealousy?
That was a rare, unfamiliar feeling for me. And yet, I still had a possessive hand placed around Aspen’s hip. How could I be jealous of something that wasn't even real?
I shifted my stance, relaxing a little bit and convincing myself that I was only interested in protecting the image that we were trying to portray to the public, especially to my friends.
That's all.
My friends would expect me to come over here and make sure the rookie knew who Aspen belonged to. Because that's what you did in a real relationship. I’d certainly seen Asher, Wes, and Ethan do their fair share of growling when the situation arose.
I looked down at Aspen, studying the features on her face as I tried to navigate these new emotions.
“You hungry?” I asked, unable to come to a firm conclusion.
“Always,” she said, grinning up at me before she offered that same smile to the rookie. “It was great chatting with you,” she said. “I’m definitely going to watch the Raptors now and cheer for you.”
“Thanks,” he said nodding to us both. “You'll be able to see me play whenever the first string needs a break.”
