though he’d been tempted to kiss her, he’d opted to keep things friendly. That talk they’d had about sex had been as weird as it had been interesting, but he hadn’t wanted to read too much into it. Whether she was letting him know she wasn’t interested in casual sex or something else, he couldn’t be sure because she was hard to read. He was pretty sure she liked him, but how much and whether or not it would go anywhere was anyone’s guess.
He’d find out more tonight, he figured, since there would be drinking and who knows what else. The team was a good mixture of older, seasoned veterans who were married with families, and younger, single guys who partied hard. A good portion of the team had settled down over the last two years, but there were enough single guys to make it a good time. From what he’d heard, it wasn’t going to be just a team party, but friends of friends were also invited, so the younger guys would undoubtedly get wild.
Not that he was interested in anyone beyond Tara, but he hadn’t gotten shitfaced since he’d first gotten divorced, and this might be his last chance for a while. His agent had reached out yesterday to tell him this was his opportunity to shine and show the rest of the league what he was capable of. It might be the catalyst that got him the trade he’d been hoping for, though he certainly hadn’t wished injury on Aaron. But he couldn’t waste this opportunity, so he was going to enjoy tonight before buckling down and getting into serious hockey mode.
All thoughts of hockey disappeared the moment he got to Gage’s house. He’d been here at least a dozen times over the last couple of years, but he’d never seen it like it was tonight. Spider webs and eerie lights decorated the front of the house and yard. Costumed employees were parking cars and escorting guests into the house, where the inside was even more decorated than the outside. Gage had gone all out, and Donovan looked around in awe.
It was a fantastic mixture of haunted house and elegant masquerade ball and he’d just reached the center of the house, where the curved double staircase was the focal point of the room, when he saw her. At the top of the stairs, like something out of a Disney movie, Tara paused and looked down. Their eyes met, and Donovan momentarily couldn’t breathe. She wore a beautiful long blue dress with a full skirt that looked very much like the one from the movie he remembered from childhood. Her hair was up in a messy bun with long tendrils framing her face, and she had long white gloves that gave her a sensual look he couldn’t explain. There was a modest amount of cleavage showing, and the dress accented the indentation of her waist along with her bare, shapely shoulders. But all he could see was those stormy blue eyes.
Even from the bottom of the stairs, they burned into his, and their gazes stayed locked as she took one step down to him at a time. When she finally got to the bottom, he held out a hand and she put one of hers in it.
“You look absolutely stunning,” he told her once he found his voice.
“Thank you. You make a pretty handsome pirate.”
“I was going to borrow Sara and Aaron’s parrot for the night, but when she told me how often they poop, I opted not to.”
Tara laughed. “Merlin is delightful. I would have helped you clean up after him.”
“I hear he cusses like a sailor.”
“I don’t think anyone would have noticed tonight.” She glanced into the family room, which had been turned into a dance floor, and it was already packed.
“Would you care for a drink?” he asked softly.
“I’d love a drink,” she said. She slid her arm through the crook of his elbow, and they walked toward the back of the house where the party was raging.
“Check out the punch,” Donovan said, motioning with his head to what looked like a cauldron filled with something people were using a ladle to put into cups. There was smoke coming from it, probably an effect created with dry ice, but it looked authentic enough.
“What’s in the pot?” he asked Logan, who was filling a glass for himself.
“Something Gage called Halloween Moonshine. I have no idea what’s in it, but it’s sweet with a kick, and I’m