Page 29 of Pucking Off-Sides With My Brother's Best Friend

I don’t have time to be distracted by Aiden and his talented digits, no matter how many times my dreams conjure them up.

I need something else to keep my mind off him until things go back to normal.

Mark smiles. “Well, I wanted to apologize to you.”

“To me?” I ask in confusion. “What do you need to apologize to me for?”

He takes a few steps forward, stopping a couple of feet away. “I realized after you and Aiden walked away that I might have overstepped. I know you two are close, but I didn’t mean to—“

“We’re not,” I say, interrupting him. “Close, I mean. He’s my brother’s best friend, so he’s always been around, I guess. But we aren’t really friends like that.” I try to ignore how much it aches to say that. None of my words are untrue, and yet they ache all the same.

Mark’s eyes widen, and he glances out at the ice where the team is still practicing. When he looks back at me, his smile is a littlewider. “Oh, well, that’s great to hear. I mean, not that I don’t want you two to be friends or anything. But I was worried I might have stepped on his turf the way he came up to you that day.”

I’m ready to grit my teeth at the thought of being anyone’s ‘turf.’ There’s something about the way he says that that makes me want to stomp my foot. “No.”

“Great. If you’re not involved with anyone, would you like to get dinner with me sometime?”

That’s unexpected and throws me off completely. I don’t know what I was expecting from Mark, but it certainly wasn’t for him to ask me out on a date. I look him up and down, trying to see past his similarities to my ex.

I know it’s not exactly fair to compare the two. Mark hasn’t done anything to me to warrant such a reaction, but it’s still unnerving.

“You can totally decline as well,” he adds quickly. “It won’t be weird or anything if you do. I know the workplace isn’t exactly the right place to find a date, but you’re really cute, and I’d regret it forever if I didn’t at least shoot my shot.”

I smile at his words and feel a small sliver of relief. He isn’t being pushy, which I appreciate, and he’s giving me an out—one that I know I should take. But something in me is pushing to give things a try if only to help push out the memory of Aiden’s taste on my lips. I thought I needed a distraction, and here Mark is, offering himself up as tribute. A part of me feels guilty for usinghim in a way, but when I agree to dinner, his smile makes me push that part down.

“Great,” he replies, clapping his hands together. “Anything you like in particular? I mean, this is Florida, so of course, we could find a good seafood place.”

I giggle. “Seafood is fine with me. I eat just about anything.”

“Perfect. Me too,” he says, taking his phone out of his pocket. “I think this is the part where we exchange numbers and set things up.”

I give him my number and punch his into my phone. When he steps back again, the silence is a little less awkward. “So, tomorrow night?”

Mark nods. “Tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up around six if that works for you?”

“That works perfectly,” I agree before glancing at the rink. “I better get back to these pictures before practice ends, and I don’t have much to choose from.”

“Right. I have a couple of the guys to see and make sure they aren’t overdoing it before the next match, but I’ll text you later tonight.”

Mark nods, and I watch him make his way to the exit. The smile on my face is genuine, and I feel relieved that I’m finally moving on. I don’t think this date will lead to anything major, but I know Katarina would be proud of me, and I feel like I’ve just taken alittle bit more of my power back. The feeling lasts through the end of the workday until I’m back home, and Jax and Aiden decide to work on their interrogation techniques.

“So,” Jax starts as he looks up at me from where I just came through the door. “Simon told me he saw you talking to some guy today.”

I frown and pause at the refrigerator. “Who’s Simon?”

Jax turns on the couch to follow me. “Don’t worry about who Simon is,” he counters. “I want to know what guy he thinks he saw you with.”

I shrug. “I couldn’t tell you since I don’t know who Simon even is.” I pull a bottle of juice from the fridge and move to the cabinets. “But whoever Simon is, though, is a snitch. Do you seriously have people keeping tabs on me at work, Jax?

Do we really need to have another talk about boundaries?”

I clench my teeth, totally annoyed by his questioning, “Need I remind you all that I am an adult? Who I screw is none of your business.” Aiden immediately turns to look at me, and I feel my cheeks heat and swiftly turn to my glass. “Besides, you don’t see me getting all on your ass when you stay out all night with whoever.”

“That’s because—“

“She is right about that,” Aiden says, cutting off whatever Jax was about to say. I glance over my shoulder at him. “It wouldbe a bit hypocritical to come down on her about who she’s with, don’t you think.”

“Shut up. Who the hell’s side are you on?”

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