I swat his hands away. “We’re in public,” I hiss.

He only chuckles. He does that a lot lately—laughs. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. Our friends try to give me the credit for this change in him, they say he’s not such a grumpy bastard anymore, and while they like to tease us, deep down, I know it’s true. I make him happy. And I love that.

“Later then,” he whispers, pressing a tender kiss to my temple.

I nod in agreement. We’ve had an active, and exceptional, sex life. I never knew sex could be so much fun, but it is. There’s nothing to be self-conscious about, no awkward moments whatsoever. There’s just me, and the man I love and a whole lot of chemistry.

We settle in together on one side of a booth, and the waitress comes by to take Justin’s order as he loosens his tie. I already have a cocktail in front of me.

Owen and Teddy are in the corner arguing over the best whiskeys, and other idiotic shit like who would win in a fight—a grizzly bear or a shark. I can’t even with those two. It’s like puberty skipped over them—leaving them in man-sized bodies with the emotional maturity of fourteen-year-olds.

Becca looks a little somber tonight. I’ve promised her that nothing about our friendship will change just because I’m in a relationship. The look she gave me said she wants to believe me, but she’s not so sure. She’s nursing a margarita at the far end of the table, listening to whatever Sara’s whispering to her, but her eyes are on my brother. I don’t think Owen even notices her. As close as they are, he can be a little clueless sometimes.

But before I can ponder it further, Justin leans close, pushing my hair over my shoulder so he can plant a soft, damp kiss to the side of my neck that makes my toes curl.

“I love you, Elise.” His voice is deep and raspy, and my eyes swing over to his.

“I love you too.” I touch his jaw, wondering about the sudden emotion I feel flowing between us.

A second later I see movement from the corner of my vision. “Enough you two. Just because you’re dating my sister now doesn’t mean I can’t still kick your ass, Brady.”

It’s my brother. He places one hand on Justin’s shoulder and gives it a firm squeeze, but his expression is playful.

“Good game tonight,” I say, grinning up at Owen. For all his faults, my brother is a damn good hockey player.

“Thanks.” He takes a long drink of his beer, his eyes roaming over toward a group of single ladies seated at the bar. I saw them when I came in—I think it’s a bachelorette party. I was hoping Owen wouldn’t notice them. No such luck.

“Hey.” I tug his shirt sleeve, getting his attention. Owen gazes down at me. “Will you go check on Becca?”

“Becca?” He frowns, his eyes swinging over to where she sits, contemplatively gazing down into an empty margarita glass. “I’m sure she’s fine,” he says, his tone non-committal.

“Owen,” I say firmly, my tone a warning.

He shrugs, relenting. “I’ll check on her. As soon as I assess the situation at the bar. Bridal parties are my jam.” Turning toward where Teddy sits, he makes a lewd hand gesture, then motions toward the bar. “Let’s roll, baby.”

Teddy chuckles, and gets up to follow him. God, they are idiots.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself so I don’t have to castrate my brother or his friends when I feel Justin’s calming hand press between my shoulder blades, rubbing gently. It calms me almost instantly. “You okay, babe?” His chiseled features are drawn into a tight line, and his expression is unreadable.

I smile, trying to reassure him. “Fine. I’m sure everything’s fine. It’s just sometimes my brother is such a jackass.”

“There’s no denying that.” He leans closer, nuzzling his face into my neck. “I have to agree with you on that…but I may think he’s an idiot for different reasons than you. If it’s any consolation, though, I love you.”

“I know you do. And can I just say I’m so glad your manwhore days are behind you?”

He chuckles then, his lips grazing my jawline again. “I am too, sweetheart. I am too.” He kisses me once softly on the lips and then meets my eyes. “I’ve got everything I need right here.”

It might sound cheesy, but he’s right. We have each other, and it feels like everything I could ever want or need with this gorgeous, thoughtful man. I guess the rest of the guys will just have to figure that out on their own. I only hope it’s sooner rather than later for Owen’s sake.

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I hope you enjoyed Justin and Elise’s story … up next is Becca and Owen and I can’t wait to share what happens next! Let’s just say the story starts with a BANG! If you’re ready for more hot hockey players, check out ALL THE WAY, details below.

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Drunken Confessions

Owen

“Come on, that’s it. Nice and easy. One step at a time.”

With my hands on her hips, I guide Becca slowly down the hallway toward my bedroom and away from our friends still partying hard, including my sister, Elise, and my best friend, Justin, who have recently become an item.

“But I’m not even tired,” Becca says, a huge yawn interrupting her in the middle of that statement. “I could keep going for hours.”

I chuckle. “Right. Humor me, then.”

Our group of friends had gone out for some drinks to celebrate after we obliterated our opponents in tonight’s hockey game, and then several of us ended up back here at my place to continue the celebration.

It’s almost two in the morning, and like any good friend would do, I’m helping a very drunk Becca to my room where she can sleep it off, since there’s no way I’m putting her in an Uber with a stranger, not in this state or at this time of night. That’s definitely not happening.

“Take my bed. I can sleep on the couch in the media room,” I say after steering her into my room.

I close the door behind us, shutting out the noise of the party. Most people have gone home by now, but there are still a couple of guys hanging out in the living room.

“You mean you’re actually going to take a break from sleeping around tonight?” she murmurs, her voice playful and a little surprised.

“I don’t sleep around that much.”

Okay, yeah, I do, but still, I don’t know why she’s calling me on it. Becca and I have been friends for years, and she’s never commented on my overly enthusiastic sex life. Just like I don’t comment on hers, or the lack of it. Which is exactly the way I prefer it. I’ve never let myself think about Becca as anything but a friend.

While she sits on the edge of my bed to remove her boots and socks, I hunt around in my dresser for a clean T-shirt she can wear to sleep in. When I turn to hand it to her, she’s halfway through undressing, her pants unbuttoned as she tries to shove them down her hips, awkwardly and with a lot of grunting.

I toss the T-shirt on the bed beside her and turn my back to give her some privacy.

She seems unconcerned right now about putting on a free show, but I know in the morning she’ll be horrified to learn she did that. Becca is normally so modest and composed. I don’t remember the last time I saw her get drunk like this.

“I’m safe now. You can look.”

When I turn, she’s standing across from me dressed in a soft gray T-shirt with my team’s logo that engulfs her five-foot-four frame, hitting her below the knees. She looks so small, I can’t help but grin at her.

“You good now?”

“Yup. But don’t lie to me, Owen.” She takes a step closer and jabs her finger at my chest. “I know you better than you think.”

I smirk at her. “Oh yeah? And what is it that you think you know?”

I’m suddenly a little worried about what she might say next.

My sexual appetite isn’t exactly a secret. Ever since making it to the pros, I’ve indulged probably a little more than was necessary, but I have no qualms about this. I’m young and single, living my best life after years of hard work and dedication to my sport.

I’m having fun, and no one gets hurt by false promises of more than one night. And I’m sure as hell not ready to settle down. But now with Becca looking at me like I’m a puzzle she wants to solve, I find myself feeling a little uneasy.

She purses her lips, thinking. “Honestly? I kind of wish I could be like you.”

She wishes she could sleep around? That’s news to me. Not to mention, any guy in his right mind would be perfectly happy to introduce her to the business end of his dick.

I’m transported back to our chat last week when we met for coffee. Listening to Becca complain about her dating life, I thought it was nothing more than a little dry spell, but now I’m starting to think maybe there’s a lot more to it than that.

“Um, why?” I manage next.

“I wish I could have a more relaxed attitude like you have about sex. You just seem to enjoy yourself and have a good time and not overthink it, I guess. That’s all.”