Page 46 of Falling Faster
He scowls. "And your roommate ate the candy."
"When I watched him throw the empty boxwith my name on it, into the trash, I couldn't believe it. I wished I could channel one of our characters' powers and put him in his place. I'll get him back by making him a character in the next book who meets an unfortunate end."
He grins and kisses me. "You just got the cutest, evil genius smirk on your face."
"I'm thinking up ways to punish him on the page."
"I'm sure you'll think of something creative and fitting." His hand is a warm weight on my low back as we reach the bar. He orders a superhero cocktail for himself and gets me another villain one. Taking a taste of his, he surveys the people milling through the room. "I know Slater and Noah play for the Bedlam, but it's a little bizarre seeing so many of their teammates. I mean, we watch these guys in action at the arena or through our TVs, and here they are. Whoa, Devon is talking to Celek?"
I sip my drink, savoring the sweetness of the honey, the champagne bubbles tingling my tongue, and the smooth burn of the whiskey. "I introduced them. They're still chatting?That's great. What about Cody?" Turning, I peer into the crowd.
Cody stands squaring off against Patrick, gazes locked on each other, the light of battle in their eyes. He gestures with his drink as he talks. Or is this a debate or argument? Patrick shakes his head and responds with something that makes Cody huff, but then he presents Cody with one of the mini sub sandwiches from his plate, and Cody accepts with a beaming smile.
"They have an interesting dynamic," I say.
Cup at his lips, Craig snorts into his drink. "To say the least."
In the front of the room, Noah claps his hands together, and waves to catch everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming tonight and celebrating Slater and Ty's superhero series. One of the main characters is a hockey player. And we all know hockey players are superheroes, right?"
His Bedlam teammates cheer.
Noah grins. "They've put in a ton of long hours and hard work. Slater and Ty, we're proud of you and know this is only the beginning." He raises his glass. "To Slater and Ty."
"Slater and Ty." The words echo back. Craig taps his glass against mine, then bends and kisses me. The warmth from his kiss is better than any of the warmth from the alcohol circulating in my system.
I drain my glass and one of the Bedlam players near the bar gets me another. I'm feeling pleasantly buzzed. Cody and Patrick join us and Craig chats with them as I lean against him, content to stay in the circle of his embrace.
Soft lips brush my temple. "How many of those drinks have you had?"
"Three? No, wait. Four?" I shrug out of my jacket, then pluck my shirt from my chest, fanning the fabric, but itdoes nothing to cool me down. When did the room get so warm?
"When's the last time you ate anything?"
"I had a cookie right before Cody and Devon arrived."
"We need to get some food into you." Craig hugs me tighter to his chest.
Cody sets his glass on the table. "They're cutting the cake. I'll grab some slices. Paddy, help me? Ty probably needs a sandwich or something too."
The pair walk away. I tip my head back and kiss the scar on Craig's chin. "Your friends are nice."
"I like them."
The room's noise level rises as the event staff pass out plates of cake. Cody and Patrick return with a plate of sandwiches and another of cake. Cody also sets a glass of water beside me. The next time I look up, they're gone.
With one arm around me, Craig feeds me a bite of the chocolate raspberry goodness, then takes another for himself.
I snuggle in, playing with the bands in his bracelet. Maybe I'm picking up his nervous habit. "I'm really happy you're here."
He licks frosting from his lower lip and feeds me another bite. "I wouldn't have missed this for anything."
"No?" Looking at the cake remaining on the plate is easier than looking into his eyes. The room is still too warm and too loud, and I'm too buzzed to have this conversation. But emotions are welling up and I can't stop myself from talking. "Things seem like they're changing, and I'm scared those changes will drift us further apart. I don't want that to happen."
"Neither do I." His fingers touch my chin and raise my face to meet his serious gaze. "We won't let it."
"I want to believe that." All around us are pictures ofsuperheroes. Somehow, those heroes always find a way, no matter the odds stacked against them. "I wish superpowers were a real thing so I could see you anytime I wanted."
"I wish I had them too. It would make things much easier." Craig sets the plate down then cups my face in his hands. The intensity in his eyes takes my breath away. "You matter to me, Ty. That's not changing."
