The Sweet Talker (Boston Hawks Hockey #1) - Gina Azzi Page 0,6
darkness flaring in his eyes—“well, let’s just say that impressed is not a word you would use to describe me.”
I open my mouth to say something comforting when Austin appears and throws an arm across my shoulders. He tugs me toward a group of men I know by name from SportsCenter but have never met in person. “You moved here just as the season ended and everyone went their separate ways. Let me introduce you to the team, Indy.”
I raise an eyebrow and glance up at Austin.
“Purely so they’ll know better than to hit on you,” he clarifies, making his intention known.
Tossing back my head, I laugh. Noah chuckles but Austin’s expression remains serious.
My cousin leads me toward the guys but I glance over my shoulder at Noah who remains at the railing. His hand wraps around the metal bar as his head swivels in my direction. His expression is amused, a small smile playing over his mouth. But his eyes burn with intensity as they latch onto mine. They track my movement with a severity I’m unprepared for and a thrill shoots down my spine. Noah’s gaze holds me hostage. Intense, heady, and hungry, this Noah rattles me even more than the boy I first crushed on.
“Easton’s back in rehab!” Claire hisses at me. We’re partially hidden, around the side of the bar, while Austin’s teammates socialize and mingle. “I mean, I’m pretty sure he is. Panda told me but said it wasn’t a confirmed thing but then, why else wouldn’t he be here?”
Mingle is putting it politely. Several of the guys have their hands roaming the curves of beautiful women, no shame in their game, as they touch freely. Women perch on their laps, their clothes tighter than skin, their makeup expertly applied.
I can’t tear my eyes away. I’ve spent the last several years locked in libraries, surrounded by guys in cardigans and girls who sport baseball caps on bad hair days. Or greasy hair days. The women surrounding me look like they never have a bad anything. They are mesmerizing. The guys think so too and a strange sensation ripples through my chest.
No wonder things with Jace and me didn’t work out. I couldn’t look like one of these girls with an entire team committed to my appearance, a la Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality.
“Indy! Did you hear me?” Claire shakes my hand, her eyes glazed. She stumbles and I grab her arm to keep her from teetering in her heels.
I wince, recalling Austin’s best friend and Claire’s number one crush. Easton Scotch is in a category all his own. Wild and reckless, he’s a force on the ice and a hurricane off of it. Bad boy personified, he was always getting into some kind of trouble. Now, I recognize his teenage pursuits for what they are—a man trying to escape his demons. But years ago, I found him irritatingly rash and careless. Still, my chest aches for him and for Noah, knowing how close they are as brothers, and for Claire who continues to worry about East even while flinging herself at other men. “I heard you. I’m sorry, Claire,” I say, studying my cousin.
For every drink I’ve consumed, she’s had three. Frowning, I realize she’s quite drunk.
Tears prick the corners of her eyes as she shakes her head. “What do you think triggered him? How do you think he is?”
I push her back into the corner, glancing around to make sure Austin hasn’t spotted us. If he knows Claire is wasted and nearly sobbing, he’ll drag us from Firefly and Claire will be doubly embarrassed tomorrow. “I’m not sure, Claire. But the good news is he’s working on it. Rehab isn’t a bad thing. It’s a step on the path to recovery.”
She squeezes her eyes shut, her black mascara smearing on her brow bone and beneath her eyelids. Jesus. I swipe a bar napkin from the bar and try to fix her face while shushing her. “Claire, Austin is going to haul you out of here if you don’t pull it together.”
“Ohmygod.” She drops her head to my shoulder, swaying. “Do you think Austin knows?”
“Knows what?” Austin asks, sauntering up to us, his expression murderous.
“Claire drank a little too much. We’re just having a moment.” I grin, trying to play off Claire’s wasted state.
Austin grumbles under his breath, looking over his shoulder. In an instant, Noah appears. “I’m going to take the girls home.”
Claire shakes her head, her fingers gripping the material of my dress.