Page 100 of Of Pucking Course

I grab her hand. “I do, though. I’ve always liked Sam. And I’ve always had a crush on him,” I say, careful to keep my voice low.

Sophie’s eyes widen. “Really?”

I nod.

“But at the gala last season when you two went together, I asked if it was a date, and you said no. That you only saw him as a friend.”

I sigh. “I said that because I was trying to convince myself. I never thought a guy like Sam would be into me. He’s this hot, successful, sweet hockey player. I thought he just saw me as his friend’s dorky little sister. But after he let me move in with him, he admitted that he’s always had a crush on me.”

Sophie’s mouth falls open, but she quickly closes it before anyone notices. “So you two…like each other?”

I nod.

“So are things between you two strictly friends, or have you moved into the ‘something more’ territory?”

“Um…” I gulp my water as nerves fire off inside of me. But I feel awful lying to my best friend.

Before I can say anything more, she grabs my hand. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. That’s private, and I don’t mean to pry.”

I let out a relieved breath. “Thanks, Soph. It’s just…Sam and I are definitely in the ‘something more’ territory. It’s nothing serious. We’re just having fun,” I say. “We promised each other to keep things just between us, so I don’t want to say more, but…” A giddy grin pulls at my mouth. “He makes me really, really happy.”

She beams and squeezes my hand. “Say no more.”

Just then, the entire Bashers team walks into Spanky’s and comes over to our table.

“We brought almost the whole team with us,” Xander announces as he leans down to kiss Sophie.

She kisses him, then turns back to me. “When you’re ready to spill all the details, I’d better be the first one you tell.”

I chuckle. “Absolutely.”

She stands up and motions for Xander to take her chair. He sits down and pulls her onto his lap. I spot Sam sitting across from me, next to Del and Ingrid. He flashes a sexy grin that makes my tummy flip. I smile back, eager to go home and do filthy things with him in bed to celebrate his win tonight.

The guys share the pitcher of beer and order a round of shots.

“We gotta do a proper tequila toast to this guy!” Theo says, patting Sam’s shoulder. “You secured the win for us.”

Sam blushes as he smiles. “It was a team effort.”

Del bumps his shoulder. “Always so modest. Always the good guy.”

Sam’s smile falters for a second before he accepts the tequila shot from Theo. We all raise our shot glasses.

“To Sam!” Del hollers.

“To a kickass start to the playoffs!” Theo yells.

We all cheer and down our shots. For the next hour, we drink and chat. Almost the whole team has shown up along with their significant others and friends. We’ve takenup close to half the bar, but the staff doesn’t seem to mind. Probably because the guys are tipping generously, and despite how many of us there are, everyone is being polite. A few of the guys are on their way to getting drunk, but no one is acting belligerent.

“How’s running going?” Sophie asks me.

“Really well. I can run five miles without taking any breaks. Or puking.”

She beams. “That’s awesome! Way to go!”

I chuckle at how sweet and encouraging my best friend is. “Thanks, Soph.”

“That’s cool you’re getting into running,” Xander says.

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