Page 12 of Love Restored

While the Avalanche were having a crappy season, and frankly, had been having them since Sakic retired in Graham’s opinion, he still thought they could beat the Maple Leafs.

At least, he hoped they could, since watching a game in person where his team lost sucked.

While he and his brother sipped at their beers, the seats around them began to fill in, except for the two on Graham’s side. He was just about to ask Owen about it when he spotted a very familiar face at the end of the row walking toward them.

“The fuck?” he growled.

Owen turned at Graham’s curse and snorted. “Oh, that’s sweet,” he said before sobering. “Don’t be an asshole,” he muttered before standing up. “Hey, Blake. Fancy seeing you here.”

Blake’s honey eyes widened as she took in Owen and Graham. She didn’t freeze, but Graham figured that had more to do with the fact that she didn’t want to step on the person’s toes in front of her. Their grouping of four seats was in the middle of the row, three rows behind the glass. Amazing freaking tickets, but now Graham had to sit next to the one person he was trying to stay away from.

“You,” she mumbled. “It had to be freaking you.” She raised her chin like she had before and went to sit down in the spot farthest from him, only to get pushed slightly as the man behind her took the seat instead. “What the hell, Derek?” she snapped as she turned around.

That gave Graham a moment to look at her tight jeans that encased a very nice butt and shapely thighs. His dick hardened, and he cursed. This was going to be one long game if he couldn’t get his thoughts off her ass.

But considering it was right there, all nice and perfect for his hands and everything, he couldn’t really help it. Owen cleared his throat beside him, and Graham turned away, cursing under his breath again. This woman was going to be the death of him, and he didn’t even know why.

Derek, Blake’s date—and didn’t that just rub Graham raw for no known reason—shrugged. “Take a seat, Blake.” He looked pointedly over at Graham. “Maybe you’ll get that stick out of your ass that’s been hell on all of us at the shop if you just talk it out.”

She grumbled something at him, her fists clenched at her sides, and Graham sighed. This might be partly his fault since he’d been acting like a bear with a thorn in his paw, but he wasn’t about to apologize. Apparently, he couldn’t quite not act like an ass around her.

“Sit down, Blake,” he said low. “You’re going to piss off the people behind you if they have to look at your ass all night instead of the back of your head. Not that looking at your ass is a hardship.”

She whirled on him, and he froze. Well, hell. He was pretty sure between talking about her ass and images of what he’d be doing to her if he were truly looking at the back of her head—in bed—his dick was going to have permanent marks from his zipper. And he hadn’t exactly meant to mention that he’d been looking at her ass and liked it, but this woman could make a saint sin.

“I just…I can’t…argh!” She sat down in her seat and folded her arms over her breasts, mumbling something about evil beards and assholes.

Well, he couldn’t really negate either of those things where he was concerned.

“I take it Austin gave you his other two tickets,” Blake said, her attention on the ice in front of her.

Graham nodded, then remembered she probably couldn’t see him since she was pointedly not looking at him. “Yeah, he gave them to Owen.”

“You two done yet?” Owen asked then, leaning over Graham as he did so. “Hello again, Blake.” His younger brother smiled, and Graham barely resisted the urge to punch him since he was so close. Barely.

She turned then and glared at Graham before smiling at Owen, though he could see the slightly manic edge to it. “Hi, Owen. This is Derek. He works at the shop with us.” She tilted her head at her date and scowled. “Though I might kill him later, so Austin and Maya might be out another floater artist.”

Derek laughed but tilted his chin toward them. “Hey, nice to meet you. You’re Jake’s brothers right?”

They both nodded.

“Cool. I don’t get to stay in Denver much since I work most of the year up in Seattle, but I know Jake. You ready to see if the Avs can actually win this time?”

Graham winced as the people behind him mumbled their displeasure. “They’re gonna win, damn it. There isn’t another option. And watch your mouth, Seattle boy.”

Derek just grinned. “I’m an Avs fan at heart, Gallagher.”

Blake looked between them, a gleam in her eyes that he didn’t like. “Avs fans, are you? Hmm…”

Yeah, he really didn’t like the sound of that.

When the game started, and the Avs took the ice, Graham kept his attention on the players rather than the very sexy woman beside him. His team needed his head to be in the game and not on Blake’s curves. And, yes, he might be a little superstitious, but whatever.

At the face off, Toronto took possession of the puck, and Blake let out a little cheer—not loud enough for others to hear, but just those on either side of her.

Holy hell, had Austin sent a traitor into their midst? A freaking Toronto fan at a home game for the Avalanche? What the hell was that Montgomery thinking?

He growled at her as she quietly cheered the first Maple Leaf goal and met Derek’s eyes. Why the hell was the other man laughing? Couldn’t he see that Blake was cheering for the wrong team? She lived in freaking Denver for God’s sake, and considering that her family’s ancestral home was here, she had to be a native. And yet, she cheered for Toronto? It was as if she were trying to annoy him.

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