Page 25 of Flirty Pucking Wolf

“I have grown-up hot cocoa,” Miranda says, holding up a thermos. “Want some?”

That sounds intriguing and slightly inappropriate for a kids’ hockey practice. Totally my sort of thing.

“Sure,” I say. “What makes it grown-up?”

“Peppermint schnapps. For you, it’ll just be flavoring, not enough to make you tipsy. It won’t even make me tipsy. But it makes these practices more fun.”

Shrugging, I nod. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a big thermos and two cups. Just then, Kendall plops into the seat next to Miranda.

“Ooh, just in time for cocoa! I have the cookies.” She pulls a bakery box out of her bag. I feel less silly about the random stuff I carry, like dance shoes, tights, and dance clothes. “The pink dress you were wearing, is that yours?”

I nod.

“Where did you get it? I think we’re about the same size.”

Miranda snorts as she grabs more cups out of her bag, hands them to Kendall, and starts pouring. “Same size? You’re practically twins! You both have blond hair and blue eyes. Tiny. I’d believe Kendall’s your sister before thinking Declan is your brother.”

She hands one to me. “That’s for Mallory.”

That’s when I notice Mallory on my other side. I was so focused on the cocoa commotion that I didn’t register someone sitting inches away from me.Thanks for looking out for me, I tell my wolf. She just curls into a tighter ball and plops her tail over her eyes. My shifter is firmly in decorative mode, no function to be found. Awesome.

I hand Mallory the cup Miranda poured.

“Thanks!” she says, pushing her coppery hair over her shoulder with the hand not holding the cocoa. She and Trevor have similar coloring, but Mallory’s is morevibrant. Her hair is redder; her eyes are green to his hazel. They are both outgoing. “I saw you and Trev on the morning show. You looked great! Did you know your brother was going to be a host?”

“Oh, yeah,” Daphne says from the other side of Mallory, “you looked shocked. Had it been a secret, or are you that good of an actress?”

Before I can say anything, Miranda hands me another cup of cocoa. “That’s for Daphne. No booze.”

“Thanks, sweetie!” Daphne leans back to say. Her hand is resting on her belly, rubbing soothing circles. Daphne is adorable, but she’s loud. In a happy way. But it’s still a lot. Birdie is probably going to be able to sleep through anything. Birdie is the nickname they have for the baby since Logan is a golden eagle shifter. They don’t know if they are having a boy or girl yet so Birdie is their default name for their child for now.

I accept my cup from Miranda and take a cautious sip. It’s warm but not scalding hot. We can drink it right away. I taste the peppermint, and while I always think my family’s whisky is the proper choice for alcohol, this is refreshing.

Remembering Daphne asked me a question, I swallow my cocoa and answer. “Total surprise. I assumed he was enjoying the hiatus before his show starts again in May. He never told me he was interested in hosting. I thought his plan was to dance and maybe eventually become a judge like our mother.”

“Are all of your brothers gorgeous?” Mallory asks.

Before I can answer, Miranda shouts, “Yes!”

I eye her cup. Did she add extra schnapps to hers? She’s usually so soft-spoken that her outburst takes me by surprise. Maybe she needs to stick to the plain cocoa Daphne’s drinking. I sink down in my seat to hide from the parents who glance up at us.

Miranda just waves. “Declan is the most handsome, of course, but they’re all gorgeous.”

“Are they all single?” Mallory asks. “I have an older sister I wouldn’t mind shipping off to the other side of the Atlantic some days.”

“The twins, Patrick and Owen, are,” I say. “They’re a year older than I am. My younger brother, Seamus, has a girlfriend, but I’m not sure how serious it is. My twin, Ian, has a partner, Peter. He’s a dancer on the show too. They’ve been together for almost two years.”

“Does it bother you?” Kendall asks.

I’m shocked she’d ask something so rude. “No,” I say frostily. “My brother is happy, and Peter is wonderful. Love is love.”

Kendall blinks a few times and then shakes her head. “No! Oh my god, I’m sorry. I meant, does it bother you he’s going to be on the show? My cousin Andy and his fiancé Harrison are my next-door neighbors and close friends. I’m absolutely with you on the love is love train.”

I relax, slightly embarrassed I jumped to the conclusion I did. I’m protective of Ian. Not that being a gay man in the ballroom dance scene is unusual, but growing up, there were a lot of teasing and snide remarks. No one would say it to his face because of who our mother is. Being a massive wolf shifter probably helped keep lips zipped too. But that didn’t stop them from gossiping where I could hear it. When I’d get upset, Ian would just laugh and say they were jealous he was a better dancer and more fabulous than they were. And that he wouldn’t hook up with them. He was way better at recognizing predatory sleazes for who they were than I was.

After Ian and I stopped dancing together, I thought I was in love with an older man who claimed he wanted to be my partner on and off the floor. Turns out he just wanted another notch on his bedpost and the opportunity to be close to my mother in hopes of being tapped for a pro spot on the show. I wish I could say I only fell for that scheme once, but younger-me was a slow learner, and it took me two more times to realize they weren’t in love with me. They wanted the connections and advantages being with me brought. Now when I hook up, I know that’s all it is. Mutual pleasure, no promises, no future. I can’t give them what they want anyway, so why pretend?

I haven’t been with anyone in over a year. Dance has been my focus. I have toys to take care of my physical needs, and I have physical contact with my dance partners. That’s enough. Most of the time. Of course, there’s my fling with Trevor. A fling that has been annoyingly sparse.

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