Page 25 of Until He Scores

December made a face and looked at her sister. “Did he just invite us to a game?”

July nodded. “Uh, huh?”

“Okay, whoever you are,” December said, “what did you do with the real Thierry Thomas?”

Wes snorted while I stared at both women. “She’s got you there, man. You’ve never invited us to your games. What gives?”

Well, shit, the way they made it sound, I’d cut all of them off after high school. Thinking about it, I guess in a way I had. Pope was the glue keeping me connected to everyone else. Without him, I’d seen little sense sticking around unless they put themselves in my way. So, I went to college, played for theUS team, then entered the league. However, I never stayed away when Wes called or the guys. “Lily-Mae came to the game. Guess I understood what it meant to have family members in the crowd cheering me on. It’s different.”

“You mean you don’t have anyone special in your life yet, Thierry?” Wes wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist. She tucked her head to his chest while staring at me with the saddest eyes. Like me not having a partner, was a bad thing.

“Nope,” I answered, taking a drink of my second beer. Not that I’d ever taint them with my ex. “Not yet. Guess that mysticalBoomstuff doesn’t work on everyone.”

The look on July’s face turned downright dangerous as a sinful smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Maybe that’s because you haven’t found the right motivation yet.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood as the sensation of someone standing directly behind me crawled across my skin. My heart hammered. My muscles tensed. I closed my eyes, not wanting to make a fool of myself by turning around to find no one there. Yet, I felt the heat of their body against mine and a shiver chased the unease away.

“Long time no see, Thierry. You home for good?”

Fuck. I was done for.

How dare he stand right behind me after what happened atFlameand act like it was no big deal? Like he hadn’t fucked my mouth with his pierced tongue. Hadn’t made my heart race or my dick ache. How dare he just act like it was no big deal seeing me again!“Now,” he whispered across my mouth before licking my bottom lip; his obsidian gaze locked on mine. “we’re even.”

I walked away this time. Proud of myself for not making a scene. I couldn’t deal with Pope. Not that deep voice of his. Or the raspy drawl. The man I’d seen atFlame, covered in tattoos wasn’t the boy I knew. He’d changed. So, rather than face my past and be the bigger man, I disappeared into the crowd andgot corralled by the wives, including a few new women I’d yet to meet.

“Well, since you’re avoiding a certain someone,” July teased, hooking her arm with mine. “Let me introduce you to the Banks family.”

“The banging wife—er—Ireland,” I said, recalling the nickname Christopher had given Mack at the restaurant. I cursed softly, feeling heat creep into my cheeks. Pope had thrown me off my game.

“You’ve already been to the shop then?” July arched a brow. “Thought you owned a brand-new truck.”

I did—do. “Learned about her and what she did from a teammate. His father owns the machine shop in town.”

“Well,” July stated, “you’re in for a treat because she’s not anything like you’d expect.”

We stopped behind a woman wearing tight capri pants and a red and blue top. Her red hair was piled on top of her head in an intricate design held in place by a blue polka dot scarf. When she turned round, her green eyes drew my attention first followed by the myriad of tattoos covering her curvy body. I could appreciate Christopher’s assessment of her, though I’d never say as much out loud.

“Ireland,” July said, “I’d like to introduce you to Thierry Thomas.”

I extended my hand in greeting. “Good to meet you.”

She shook my hand and gave me a curious look. “You’re kind of like Mack, aren’t you? A member, but not full time?”

I barked out a laugh, drawing a few inquisitive glances in my direction then cleared my throat. “Not even close. Wes and I go way back, that's all.”

“Don’t let him lie to you,” July said, giving me a playful shove of the shoulder. “Thierry is a famous hockey player. He’s one of the coaches for our local hockey team now. He’s also in rehab.”

“Prescription, recreational, or alcohol?” Ireland tilted her head.

“None of the above,” I replied. “Knee.”

Ireland devoured the bonbon in her hand. “Bummer. So, who’s your person?”

“He doesn’t have one,” July said, “we’re going to fix that though.”

“Oh yeah?” Ireland leaned in, a conspiratorial expression on her face, like she enjoyed this shit as much as any of the Mayson did. “Who’s the lucky girl?”

“Um…” It wasn’t a secret. Even if I wanted to keep everything on the downlow, my ex ruined that when he up and cheated on me then decided to blame me for his indiscretions. Like I somehow made him trip and fall sticking his dick into his plaything’s ass.

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