Wild Ever After: A Marriage of Convenience Sports Romance (Wildcat Hockey Book 3)
Wild Ever After: Chapter 5

I rest a hand on Maverick’s shoulder to keep him from pummeling the guy hitting on Dakota at the bar.

“Johnny!” She screams when she swivels around to see her husband. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, baby.”

Dakota launches herself at him and I move out of the way. Mav gives the guy behind her one last glare before kissing his wife. The two of them don’t look like they’re coming up for air anytime soon. I slide my gaze to Jade and lift a hand in a wave.

“Hi.” An amused smirk twists her lips. I thought maybe she’d be upset about us crashing, but she keeps on smiling as she scans the bar to see the rest of the guys heading to their women.

Jack takes a step from behind me. “Hey, Jade. Happy bachelorette party.”

“Thanks,” she says with a laugh. “Are you guys the entertainment?”

Jack nods. “If Maverick ever removes his lips from Dakota’s, I’d say there is a very good chance that he’ll strip. Dude will use any excuse to get naked.”

“I am out if that happens,” I say. I’ve already seen Maverick’s ass more times than I’d like.

Jack bellies up to the bar and orders a round of Jager Bombs. A few seconds later, everyone else has joined us. We throw back the shots and then the girls decide they’re ready to head to the next bar.

I replace myself walking next to the bride-to-be. She’s in a sexy light-green dress that hugs her curves and stops miles above her knees. A white sash that says, ‘BRIDE,’ is draped over one shoulder and attached at the opposite hip, and she’s wearing a beaded necklace that has little penises dangling from it.

All remnants of the teary-eyed girl I saw two days ago are gone. I want to ask how she’s doing, but considering we’re at her bachelorette party—celebrating the fact she’s planning on walking down the aisle this weekend—it seems sort of tactless and unnecessary.

At the next bar, we grab two tables outside on a patio that overlooks the street traffic. We push them together to make room for everyone and more shots and drinks are downed.

The girls get up to dance in a small area in front of the DJ booth. They’re the only ones out there, but they don’t seem to care. And they’re quite the sight, all of them in their sashes and bead necklaces.

“Damn. This is almost enough to make me want to get married,” Ash says, smiling at the girls. Then he points from Tyler to Leo. “When are we having a couple of bachelor parties for you two? I could plan them. I know all the best places.”

“He means strip clubs,” Jack mutters under his breath.

“Scarlett wants to have a joint bachelor/bachelorette party at the beach somewhere,” Leo says. Then adds, “She hasn’t set a date yet.”

“His and her strippers. I dig,” Mav says.

Leo cuts him a look. “No strippers.”

“Boo.” Ash gives him a thumbs down.

“Joint parties seem like a good idea.” Tyler tips the neck of his beer toward the dance floor. “Those guys are creeping.”

“What is it about bachelorette parties that makes me want to show the bride a night she’ll never forget?” Ash grins. “Not Jade, just, you know, generally speaking.”

Tyler’s brows lift and then he juts his chin to Leo. “Yeah, I think joint parties are a good call, man.” He pushes his chair back and stands. “I’m going in.”

“Me too,” Leo and Maverick chime in at the same time.

“Ah, what the hell,” Ash says with a grin as he dances his way to the group.

“What about you?” I say when it’s just me and Jack.

“What about me?” His stare remains on the girls as he takes another sip of the whiskey in front of him.

“Think you’ll get married someday?”

Jack huffs a short laugh. He tips his head in the slightest motion and I follow his gaze to replace a girl across the room staring at him. She lifts one hand in a wave. I don’t know how he does it. The man doesn’t even need to speak to pick up girls.

“Someday, maybe.” He drains his glass and then sets it on the table as he stands. “But not today.”

I don’t feel much like dancing, so I stay put, finish my drink, and then order another round for the group.

Leaning back in my chair, I don’t have anything to do but people watch. It’s a busy bar and our friends have garnered a crowd around them. Everyone’s gravitating toward the fun. For some reason, Dakota is wearing a veil, but she takes it off now and puts it on the top of Jade’s red hair.

She’s something to look at in that little dress and veil falling over her shoulders. Her smile is ear-to-ear. Seems like things worked out between her and Sam. I don’t know why, but that doesn’t fill me with the relief I expected.

My phone vibrates in my pants. I shift and slide it from my pocket, gaze still locked on the happy bride-to-be. Reluctantly, I look at the screen in my hand and then wish I hadn’t. Three texts within minutes of each other. Where are you? and I need to talk to you, and I’m standing outside your place.

Damn. She went to my house? I shouldn’t hit her back, but the urgency of her texts has me worried. I stand and move through the bar to a quiet corner as I call her.

Crissy answers almost immediately.

“Hey,” she says breathlessly. “Where are you? The lady across the hall is giving me a weird look.”

She doesn’t know I moved, and I start to tell her, but then think better of it.

“I’m out of town. Is everything okay?”

“No, everything is not okay. I miss you.”

Annoyance claws at my chest. “We can’t keep doing this. I’m not the guy for you.”

“I want you any way I can have you.”

Well, that feels…desperate and wrong, and like I’m a giant asshole that has reduced this girl to shucking her pride to give me what she thinks I want.

“I can do casual,” she adds when I don’t respond.

“We’re done, Crissy.”

“You don’t mean that.”

I hate that a tiny part of me suspects she’s right. I have enough alcohol in my system that catching a ride back home for a hookup with Crissy sounds almost like a good idea. How long will my attempts to keep her away for her sake last? I can almost see the way it’ll happen. A month will go by, she’ll hit me up and say all the right things to convince me she can handle it, and then the next day, I’ll hate myself again.

Jack would tell me there are too many girls out there to keep going back to Crissy, but I’m not Jack. Girls don’t wave me over in a bar. I stay under the radar for the most part. Especially during the season. If she doesn’t fall into my lap, it’s too much effort. And the girls that fall into a hockey player’s lap during the season are usually the kind that earn you a spot in the tabloids. No thanks.

“I do mean it. Don’t call me again.” I ball my fist at my side, hating myself a little for being such an asshole, but knowing it’s necessary. “And stop knocking on my door. I don’t live there anymore.”

I hang up without waiting for her response, tip my head back, and growl deep in my throat. Fuck me. I stalk back to the table ready to toss back all the liquor I can replace.

When I get there, Jade’s left the group on the dance floor and sits alone at our table.

“Hey,” I say, falling into a chair.

“I think you might need this more than me.” She eyes me curiously and hands me the shot glass in her hand.

I don’t ask questions, just throw it back. It’s sweet, and I cough as it makes my mouth twist up.

“What was that?” I manage to choke out after a sip of water.

“Sex on the beach. Some guy ordered it for me.”

My brows lift. “You were going to drink something some random guy handed you?”

“Relax.” An amused smile tips up the corners of her mouth. “I watched the bartender make it.” She sits back. “Besides, who is going to mess with me when I have half the Wildcats hockey team here to protect me?”

“Guys are assholes, so I doubt that would stop some creep from trying to get you into bed.”

Her brows pinch together with a hint of worry. Fuck. I’m really on a roll tonight. I take a long pull of my beer to calm my nerves.

“I’m sorry. Of course, we’re looking out for you. Have a good time. We’ve got you.”

She lets out a small laugh. “I can take care of myself, but thanks.”

I tip my beer to her in a gesture that I hope says, sorry I’m an ass and you’re welcome.

“How come you aren’t on the dance floor?” she asks me. There’s a taunt in her gaze that tells me she knows it isn’t my scene, but wants to hear me say it.

“I should be asking you the same thing.”

“My feet hurt.”

Instinctively, I let my gaze drop to her feet and the strappy sandals that lace around her ankles. They’re as sexy as the rest of her.

“Ah,” I say, the sound rough in my throat.

“And I was starting to feel like I was in the beginning of an orgy out there.”

Some of the weight on my chest eases as I glance out at my teammates and their significant others. Dakota and Maverick are full-on making out, Leo has his hands on Scarlett’s ass, and Tyler and Piper aren’t even really dancing—just staring into each other’s eyes. And that’s to say nothing of the girl humping Ash’s leg or Jack, who is sitting at a private table with a girl on his lap. Things escalated quickly.

“Sorry about us all showing up and killing girl time.”

“Please, like I didn’t expect this,” she says, and I’m surprised that there’s no irritation in her tone or in her expression. Then she adds, “Leo texted me to make sure it was cool.”

“You don’t mind?”

“No.” She shakes her head and briefly looks over her shoulder at our friends. “I love how in love they all are.”

As if she’s said more than she’s comfortable with, she turns and hangs her head, staring down at the table.

“Are Sam and his friends coming too?”

“No.” She still doesn’t look up at me. “He went on a fishing trip.”

“I’m glad you worked things out.”

She pins me with those big dark eyes and smiles in a way that feels more sad than happy. “Thanks.”