Page 61 of Falling for the Felid
Dáithí jabs me in the side. “That was your teammate trying to be friendly, you fool.”
I blink. “What? No.” I turn to Jared. “It wasn’t.”
He winces. “I think it was. And you weren’t very nice.”
“He called me FeFe! And he said that Ari makes heart eyes at me.”
They exchange a glance and then dissolve into chuckles.
“Ugh. I hate you both.” I disentangle myself from them and stomp off in Ari’s direction. Not because he’s making heart eyes at me or because I want to celebrate the win with him. It’s only because he’s here at my invitation and has been riding herd on Riley all night.
He comes forward to meet me.
“Hey.” Why the fuck am I suddenly breathless?
His smile widens, and he leans in to kiss my cheek. I wish he’d given me a proper kiss, but I guess his bosses are here. “Congratulations. You were incredible, and I’m almost hoarse from yelling.”
My cheeks get hot, but I don’t know why. This is stupid. He’s seen me naked. We’vedone thingsto each other. Why is a little compliment making me act like a shy schoolkid?
“It’s been a great night,” I say, and immediately want to take it back. “What I mean is, I’m hyped up now. Don’t think I’ll be able to sleep unless I find a way to work off all this energy.” I try for a seductive smile, am pretty sure it’s a leer, and wonder why I thought “sexed-up creep” was the vibe to go for.
Lucky for me, he seems to get it, his smile turning into a sexy little smirk. “I think I’ve got some ideas for how you can manage that.”
Thank fuck. “Yeah?”
He chuckles. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to Brandt, we’ll drop Riley home, and then you’re mine for the rest of the night.”
“Sounds good to me.” I follow him the few feet to where the king is talking to some people I don’t know—and Riley and Vitter, who I guess I’m going to have to be nice to. Maybe I could bring him a coffee tomorrow? Or something.
One of the men I don’t know, an older guy with silvering hair, grins widely and claps his hands. “Felix! Can I call you Felix? That was the best hockey game I’ve ever seen!”
“It was the only one you’ve ever seen,” King Raðulfr says dryly. “Felix, meet Brandt. Believe it or not, he was put in charge of the dragons.”
“It’s an honor,” I say, extending my hand, but he bats it aside and pulls me into a hug.
“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” he says when he draws back. “Next time, I’m bringing Percy and our daughter. I saw some of the children have those adorable ear protectors. She wouldlovethose.”
“She’d love bashing people over the head with them,” another man interjects, and Brandt rolls his eyes.
“This is Wil. He’s my killjoy for the night, and despite his harsh words, he adores Cecy.”
“Everyone adores Cecy,” Wil tells me, holding out a hand for me to shake. “I’m Brandt’s security. It’s great to meet you—thanks for making this a fun shift.”
Oh, that’s nice. “It was fun for me too.”
“Incidentally,” he adds, “I’ve known Ari a long time, and I love seeing him all unfocused like this.”
“I’m not unfocused,” Ari says firmly. “I wasn’t on duty tonight. When I’m working, my focus is exactly where it needs to be.”
Wil laughs and claps him on the back. “Sure, man.”
“Before we get off topic, we need to decide when you’re coming for the barbecue,” Brandt declares, and as everyoneturns to him, my gaze catches on Raðulfr. He’s watching Ari with a faint frown.
“Felix?”
“Uh…” I pull my thoughts together. “Yeah?”
“Do you think the team would come if I invited them all?”
