Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
“Not gonna miss my chance to bond with Blob.”
I close the chapter on my phone. “Yes, team bonding with the mascot is sooo important.” I arch a skeptical brow. “Ryker sent you, didn’t he?”
Dev feigns shock. “Why would you think that?” He gives me a conspiratorial wink and I laugh. “Seriously, how’s the new gig treating you? Are any of the guys being jerks?”
“Ryker definitely sent you.”
“Of course he did.”
“So why do you assume they’d be jerks?”
He scoffs. “Because I know pro athletes.”
“Are you a jerk? Is Ryker a jerk?” I counter.
Dev hums as if weighing the question. “I plead the fifth…So, is anyone being a dick?”
Stefan strides past the galley and into the aisle with Hayes right behind him. Hayes is wearing the hell out of a slate-blue suit that’s just a touch tight in the arms. Stefan’s is a dark gray, the color of a stormy sky, and it makes his blue eyes look even brighter. I swear whoever made the rule about pro athletes wearing suits when they travel did not have to endure the view. I fight the urge to undress both of them with my eyes and focus on answering Dev’s question. “Gentlemen all around,” I say.
Stefan must have heard me. He stops at our row, scans behind him, then up ahead. “Nope. No gentlemen in sight,” he says, lifting his cup of coffee like he’s toasting to his own brand of trouble as he meets my gaze and holds it. My pulse skips one beat and then another when Hayes shoots me a knowing grin.
“Especially not the guy you’re talking to,” Stefan adds, eyeing Dev.
Dev raises his middle finger above his head, not even looking Stefan’s way.
“Aww, it’s Dev’s love language,” Stefan says.
“It’s my only language,” Dev adds.
But Dev’s a lover, not a fighter. Goalies don’t fight often, after all. Plus, he’s a fun guy, so I know he’s just teasing.
Hayes is quiet through the exchange, his expression more serious. I get that—it’s his first flight with his new team. He probably just wants to blend in.
Dev stands and stretches. “All right. Don’t cause any trouble for Ivy or I’ll have Ryker after my head. That goes for you, Viking. And for Hey You.”
“Will do,” Hayes says, taking Dev seriously. Stefan just laughs.
Mayday! Where is Dev going? He was supposed to be my goalie.
“Enjoy the tenth row, aisle seat,” Stefan says to him.
Hayes lifts a brow. “He’s superstitious?”
“Like you’ve never seen before,” Stefan says, then shrugs. “But I’m not.”
Stefan drops down into the aisle seat. Well, someone is staking his claim on me. Hayes gives a chin nod. As the new guy, I doubt he wants to get into a seat scuffle. But Stefan pats the middle seat for Hayes.
The taller man scoffs. “I’ll find an aisle.”
I roll my eyes, unbuckle, and stand up. “I’ll take the middle.”
I’m a regular girl, after all, and I don’t want Hayes to feel uncomfortable.
Hayes’s lips curve up. “Yeah?”
“I don’t mind,” I say.
I don’t want to be rude and leave. What reason would I give anyway? The two of you give off hungry wolf vibes and I want to be your prey, so I need to run to the back of the plane to avoid your dirty, flirty gazes.
The flight’s only about an hour.
I can handle the tension. Because it’s just that—tension. Hayes has already made it clear that we’d be a bad idea. Stefan seems more persistent but does that matter?
Besides the obvious problems with anything more than flirtation when we all work together, I don’t trust my judgment with men. My dad had treated my mom badly, and I’d missed the same signs in Xander. Even before he cheated on me, Xander didn’t value me or appreciate my attempts to include him in my life. But I didn’t see his critical comments for the put-downs they were. I foolishly thought he was being constructive and encouraging when, really, he was judging me and undermining my confidence.
My throat tightens. I liked him so much when we were together. Without my rose-colored glasses, I see the flaws in my judgment. It strengthens my resolve.
I can handle lust when I remember I’m not getting involved with either of these guys, so sitting with them is no big deal.
“Off we go to the city of sin,” I say, making small talk. “Will you play the penny slots in your free time, Stefan? Bet it all on black, Hayes?”
Hayes dips his face, smiles softly. “I’d definitely bet it all. I love to gamble, more than I should.”
“What about you, Ivy?” Stefan asks after he takes a drink of his coffee. “What’s your Vegas poison? Blackjack? A show? A roller-coaster ride? Late-night clubbing?”
I tap my chin as if considering. “You left out staying in and ordering room service.”
Hayes chuckles. Stefan scoffs.
“What? You don’t believe me?” I look from one to the other.