Tending Tara (Alaska Blizzard #7) - Kat Mizera Page 0,20
Aaron’s on the injured reserve.”
“That’s right. You’re the starter now. Pretty impressive.”
He shrugged. “It’s what I do, you know?”
“I do. But since you won’t be drinking in the next few weeks, let’s get drunk.” She held out her cup. “Fill me up.”
“I’d love to.” He grinned and ladled more moonshine in her cup.
They drank and danced until the wee hours of the night. The party was still in full swing at two a.m., and the house was filled with people she didn’t know, but she didn’t care. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, especially Donovan. He was even funnier when he was drunk, and at one point he began holding court on the back deck, telling more stories about his days in the Major Juniors.
He was sweet, though. Both his stories and his antics mostly innocent, and never malicious. Things like squirting water on the teammate who’d slept with his then-girlfriend were about as nasty as he got, and Tara found herself charmed, intrigued, and even more drawn to him than before. There was something wickedly enticing about him, an allure that went beyond his success as a professional athlete. He was handsome, entertaining, and occasionally even a little full of himself, but there was another side of him, too. The guy who never let his pranks go too far and who held the hand of a woman he barely knew while her jaw was relocated.
“Shots!” Logan came out carrying a tray.
“No tequila,” Laurel said, shaking her head. “I’ll do Jägermeister or Fireball, but no tequila.”
“We have Fireball and Jägermeister,” Logan said. “Everyone, grab your poison and let’s have a toast.”
“What’s your pleasure?” Donovan asked Tara.
“Jägermeister.” She held out her hand, and Donovan gave her a shot glass filled with the dark liquid.
“I’m a Fireball guy myself,” he said.
Everyone held up their glasses. The crowd had thinned out now that it was late, but there was still a decent group lingering on the deck.
“To a fuckin awesome Halloween tradition,” Logan said, holding up his glass.
“To an awesome but undoubtedly hungover tomorrow hockey team,” Laurel said, lifting hers as well.
“We’ll sleep on the plane, Coach,” Donovan said.
She gave him a look. “You’d better because there will be practice when we get to Denver.”
“Party pooper,” Logan laughed.
Everyone lifted their glasses and then downed the shots.
“Who’s in for skinny dipping?” someone yelled. “The pool’s heated!”
Donovan glanced at Tara, who was shaking her head. “No way. I’m not taking my clothes off in front of my brother’s teammates.”
Donovan laughed. “Challenge accepted.”
The later it got, the drunker everyone got, and Tara decided to go with the flow. It had been a long time since she’d partied like this, especially in a safe, fun environment with people she liked. Especially Donovan. And when the skinny dipping started in the heated pool, Donovan managed to lure her in. The party had dwindled down a dozen guests or so, and Laurel had gone to bed, but Gage was hanging out doing shots with everyone.
Logan, of course, was the first one to get into the pool and Tara had a fleeting thought, wondering what it would be like being married to him. Could she even do it? It was hard to think about, but she really didn’t want to leave. Especially not now that she’d found Donovan.
They were in the water and he had one hand on her bare ass, the other in her hair as he kissed her. There had been a lot of drinking, and even more making out, which had her aching for his touch. Maybe it was alcohol-fueled, but it was no different than any other thoughts she’d had about him. He was hot, sexy, and sweet, and the only thing alcohol eliminated was her subconscious need to take things slow since he was both a friend and one of Miikka’s teammates.
“We should go upstairs,” he murmured between kisses. “You’re driving me crazy.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you, Tara.”
“Me too.” She lost herself in the feel of his strong hands and bare torso. God, he was beautiful naked. He was tall and lean, with sinewy muscles beneath tan skin, and a backside she would have loved to take a bite of. His abdominal V led down to a nicely trimmed groin area, and her mouth watered a little just looking at it. She slid her hand down to cup his balls, the motion somewhat hidden by the water since they were mostly submerged, but Donovan’s eyes met hers hungrily.