Page 48 of Power Play

“It was fun. I’d never been before.”

I stare at my wife. “To the Grizzlies?”

“To a hockey game. In real life.” Her cheeks flush a pretty pink, and I want to know what else I can do to make her blush. “I’m from Arizona, which isn’t exactly a hockey hotbed, and it’s not like there was a lot of leftover money after bills and everything…”

“We’ll fix that,” I promise, squeezing her arm. “Any game you want to go to, we’ll get you there.”

MacGregor laughs. “We get comped tickets to each game,” he adds.

I shake my head. “It’s not about that. I’ll pay full sticker price. What my wife wants, she gets.”

Riley’s eyes widen. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.” The bartender nods us forward, and I nudge her. “Vodka or rum?”

“Vodka, please.”

“Coming right up. A vodka Sprite, and an Old Fashioned.” I turn back to MacGregor. “What about you?”

“I’m good,” he says, holding up his glass of clear liquid with a lime wedge. He never drinks when we go to the bar after a game, so that he has one now is unexpected.

Unless he’s drinking something nonalcoholic. That’s an option, too.

The bartender pours our drinks and I stuff some bills into the tip jar before handing Riley her glass. She gives me a shy smile as I knock my glass against hers.

“Cheers.”

Taking her first sip, she hums with pleasure, the sound deep in the back of her throat, and I freeze, wondering what else causes her to make that noise. Heat floods my system and I stumble.

“You all right, there?” MacGregor asks, a knowing smirk on his lips.

“Fuck off.”

“Hey, look, there’s Bex,” Riley says, nodding to her friend.

The redhead looks beautiful in a floor-length emerald dress, but there’s no comparison. Riley is gorgeous. She outshines every other person at this party. It’s like there’s a spotlight trained on her, following her around the room. I can’t take my eyes off her.

“Let’s go say hello.” I start after her, but my captain catches my arm, holding me back.

“You like her,” he taunts, his voice low.

“Of course I like her. She’s my wife.”

“No. You like her.” He waggles his eyebrows. “Anything happen between you two yet?”

“What is this ‘yet’ business? You know the score as well as I do. That’s not what our relationship is about.”

“Except you want it to be.”

Scowling, I go to shove past him. “Fuck off.”

“Hey. Don’t blame me for your lack of sealing the deal.”

By the time we return home, I’m exhausted and emotionally drained from having to interact with so many people. Typically, being around other people energizes me, but all they did was prevent me from spending time with Riley, interrupting and being all needy. Sure, I’m only there to encourage donations. But they didn’t have to cockblock me all night.

Not that it was cockblocking, per se. More like conversation blocking.

We send Cari home and both peek in on Emmy, who’s fast asleep in her crib. Riley pauses at her door, like she wants to say something, but then she sighs and shakes her head.