Page 30 of Heart Taker

No. Fuck, no.

I entered the packed ballroom, nodding at several of my colleagues along the way, and moving through the room with a determined stride. Determined to get to the bar, that is. No dirty martinis, though, extra or otherwise. That’s what got me into this trouble to begin with.

Once I had a glass of red wine in hand, I headed for my table in the center of the room and joined the mayor of Sutton, Edwin Lane, along with Dave, Nora, and several local and state businesspeople. There was the usual introductory chit chat, and then the mayor and Nora took off into the crowd to meet with reporters.

After a fortifying sip of my drink, I gave in to temptation. I glanced around the room, looking for my team. Looking for one defenseman in particular. The Cougars had several tables at the front of the room, and it looked like every player was in attendance, including Silas. I did a double take, hardly recognizing him. I’d never seen him in a tuxedo before. Only, his tie was undone, and so were the top buttons on his white shirt. I could see the intricate floral tattoos that decorated his chest and neck. His long blond hair was tied up in a bun, and fuck, he was goddamn sexy.

Sexy? Get hold of yourself, Coach.

“Damien.”

I startled at the sound of Dave’s voice and nearly spilled my drink. Slowly, I placed the glass on the table and turned to look at my friend.

“Jeez, jumpy much?” Dave asked, shaking his head.

“Sorry, my mind’s elsewhere.” I paused, trying to think of a reason that had nothing to do with me lusting after one of my players. “I mean, I’m thinking about this announcement. You know me and speeches.”

Dave’s easy smile appeared as he took the seat beside me.

“Of course,” he replied. “I still loathe the public speaking part of my job. It never gets easier.”

“Exactly.”

“No date?” he asked me.

“No.” I shook my head. “But I was thinking of heading out once the dinner’s over.”

“You need a wingman?”

“I need a whole freaking team at this point.”

Speaking of teams, I glanced around and caught sight of Silas again.

Fuck, stop doing that. Stop.

“Let’s do it.” Dave nodded and raised his glass.

I did the same and took another long sip of my wine.

“Are you sure?” I paused and lowered my voice. “What about Nora? I thought you and her, you know?—”

“It’s not for lack of interest. But she’s my boss, she’s off limits,” Dave added then rubbed a hand down his face. “Okay, I shouldn’t have said that out loud. That sounds hot.”

“Hot, but potentially catastrophic.”

Remember that.

“Thanks for the reality check, Damien. I can always count on you.”

Hah.

“I think your boys are getting rowdy.”

“What?” That snapped me out of my daze. “What are you talking about?”

“Rowland. It looks like the party’s getting started at one of the Cougars’ tables. They’ve got the rowing club there too.”

I glanced over my shoulder and spotted the guys being their usual boisterous selves. Jace was talking loudly, waving his hand in the air and then clutching tight to Axel, leaning over to give his boyfriend a kiss. And yes, there were several students I didn’t recognize, presumably the rowers.

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