Page 2 of In It to Win It

“Damn.” I rub my chin, smiling ruefully. “Busted. But can you blame me for wanting to sit beside a beautiful woman instead of my aunt?”

She shakes her head. “Your auntisa beautiful woman.”

My aunt Everly is only a year older than me. It’s weird, but my grandfather married for the second time later in life and had four more kids, Everly being one of them. She’s also a bridesmaid, having become good friends with Lacey. “Well, yeah, she is. But she’s myaunt.I can’t flirt with her.”

“You’re going to flirt withme?”

“All night long.” I meet her eyes. Hers darken, and heat slides down my spine.

“Well, calling me beautiful is a good start.”

“It’s the truth.”

“I don’t know.” She tilts her head and studies me. “You seem a little cocky. You probably say that to all the girls.”

I grin. “Only the beautiful ones.”

Everyone is taking their seats for dinner, so I pull out Taylor’s chair for her.

“Thank you.”

I take my seat next to her. “We can get to know each other better over dinner.”

Her eyes meet mine and she purses her lips.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m a nice guy.” I lay a hand on my chest.

“That’s not what I’ve heard.”

“Oh no.” I groan. “Théo’s been talking about me.”

“Well, yeah. But you also have a . . . reputation as a hockey player, Killer.”

Killer. Great. “You like hockey?”

She nods.

“You’ve seen me play.”

“I was at the game last year when you hit Novotny and got suspended.”

I press my lips together, my jaw tightening. I look down at my place setting. “That shouldn’t have happened.” I lift my head and meet her eyes. “I don’t play to hurt guys. Really.”

She nods slowly. “But that wasn’t the first time you got suspended.”

I suck in a long breath. “True. Sometimes my emotions get the best of me. I’m working on it. Trying to do better.”

It’s true. This year I have to show the team I’m worth keeping on the roster. Last year didn’t go so well. In a lot of ways.

The others are now sitting at our table—six people—so we make small talk. Lacey and Théo stop at the table to chitchat for a few minutes, and then servers start bringing out salads, so they take their own seats.

“How long have you known Lacey?” I ask as we dig into greens with blueberries, walnuts, and feta cheese.

“Not long. Just since she moved here.”

“You must have become friends pretty fast.”

“Yes. We met when she helped me catch my dog. And my dog liked her, so I knew she was okay.”

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