bitch about how much it hurts to get hit by a Kuznetsov slapshot, and nobody wants to risk it because we don’t wear as much gear as the goalies.”
Devin laughed, making my heart flutter like it did every damn time. “Yeah, I’ve never played, but it seems like getting hit with a puck would fucking hurt.”
I whistled. “Oh, yeah. It happens, but nobody wants to put themselves in that guy’s crosshairs.”
“Doesn’t seem like anyone would want to put themselves in yours either. I was in the second row once when one of your shots came up and hit the glass.” He chuckled. “I swear, everyone in the entire section about jumped out of our skin.”
“Oh, yeah, we do that on purpose.” I sipped my beer. “It’s a good way to make sure the fans aren’t dozing off.”
Devin snorted and rolled his eyes. “You know, I wouldn’t actually be surprised if that turned out to be true. Not that any of us are in danger of falling asleep during a Snow Bears game. Have a heart attack, maybe”—he shot me a pointed look—“but not fall asleep.”
I flashed him a grin, which made him laugh again.
A thump turned both our heads. Not surprisingly, Tony the cat was on the coffee table, giving us judgy looks. He did that a lot. After he’d scowled at us for a moment, he made a huge gesture stretching across the gap between the table and the couch. Once he was all the way on the couch, he usually curled up in Devin’s lap, but this time, he walked onto my lap and eyed me.
“Hey, kitty.” I petted him, and he started purring. Kneading, too, and I gasped as little needles poked through my jeans. “Uh. Hey. That kinda hurts.” I unstuck one of his claws.
Devin laughed, scratching Tony’s chin. “Yeah, he does that. Just be glad you don’t have food.”
I glanced at him as I petted Tony. “Oh yeah?”
“Mmhmm. He’ll make sure you don’t forget he’s there.”
“What?” I looked at Tony, who was loving getting petted and scratched by two people. “You don’t do that, do you?”
He just purred louder.
“If you want to move him,” Devin said, “you can put him on the blanket over there, or I can take him.”
“Nah, he’s good.” I popped another claw free. “Just didn’t expect it.”
Not giving a damn, Tony walked in a few tight circles on my lap, then flopped over, and he held on to my jeans so he didn’t slide off.
Tony looked at him, eyes narrow, and purred even louder as he kept kneading my leg.
“Oh, and you’re smug about it too,” I said. “You cute little asshole.”
“That’s him.” Devin laughed, but then it faded to a soft smile. “For the record, it usually takes him months to warm up enough to someone to get into their laps. So, apparently he likes you.”
“Aww.” I scratched under Tony’s chin. “He likes me. Yes he does.”
Tony scrunched up his face and probably tried to look annoyed, but he was still purring, so the effect didn’t really take.
“Both of my kids like you,” Devin said. “They’re both pretty good judges of character, too.”
I met his gaze. “Yeah?”
Still smiling, he nodded and put his hand on my knee. “Oh yeah. I mean, Dallas has only met you once, but I’m pretty sure she’s—hey!” He jerked his hand back. “Dude, what the hell?”
Tony pulled his paw back from apparently swatting at Devin, and he tucked it under himself, still looking exceptionally smug.
I chuckled. “Okay, so you’re saying I’ve won over the kid that’s tougher to please?”
“Yes, definitely.” Gaze fixed on the cat, his smile faded a bit, and his brow creased.
“Hey.” I touched his leg. “What’s up?”
“I, um…” He cleared his throat and met my gaze. “Well, as long as we’re on the subject of Dallas…” He moistened his lips. “She knows about us. I, um, I told her.”
I gulped. “You did? Uh, how did she take it?”
“Well, she certainly wasn’t upset about it,” he said with an uneasy laugh. “She didn’t believe me at first, actually.”
“What? Why not?”
He shot me a look. “Are you kidding? As far as she’s concerned, her boring accountant dad is batting just a hair out of his league by landing, well, you.”
“Pfft.” I squeezed his leg. “All that league bullshit is stupid. I’m just a guy.”