“Hey, yourself, goalie boy. Great game tonight.”
“Could have been better. I let two through.”
“So what? You stopped like forty other shots. Stop being so hard on yourself.” I kiss the tip of his nose before slanting my mouth over his to swallow whatever protest he’s about to utter. I understand Sebastian expects greatness from himself. All of these guys do. You don’t make it to the professional level without expecting more of yourself than most people ever would, but he’s too hard on himself.
Bash hums against my lips as he slowly lowers me to my feet. His fingers tangle in my hair, and it makes my stomach erupt with a swarm of butterflies. “Thanks for coming, baby.”
The butterflies multiply at the pet name. “Always.”
“All right, fam, time to celebrate!” Griffin leans forward and pulls his wife onto his back for a piggyback ride, which makes the room break out into laughter. “Let’s go. I’m giving you dorks an hour before I take my wife home and have my dirty, dirty way with her.”
“Dude.” Maddox groans, pinching the bridge of his nose as Isla snickers and rubs sympathetic circles on his back.
“Sorry, not sorry,” Griffin says with a cheeky little salute. Then he’s carrying Mira out the door, expecting the rest of us follow them.
“You ladies up for Chasers?” Sebastian asks Lola and me.
“Always,” Lola answers. “But I’ll probably call it a night early, so don’t worry about giving me a ride back.”
“You sure?”
She nods. “Yep. You and Indie hang out as long as you want, though. All night, even. You should show her your house.”
“Lols,” I hiss.
“I should, should I?” Bash grins at my best friend.
“You definitely should.”
He turns to me, eyes sparkling. “Come on, Rosebud. Let’s go have some fun, then I’ll take you to my place and give you a tour.”
“It’s okay if the tour lasts all night,” Lola adds. “Gotta make sure it’s thorough.”
“Jesus,” I groan. Lola laughs, sauntering out the door behind everyone else, while Bash and I take up the rear. “Sorry about her.”
“Don’t be, I like her. She’s good for you. I’m really glad you’ve had her in your corner.” The softness in his voice tells me he means every word, and my heart expands. His hand is warm around mine as we make our way out of the arena and onto the sidewalk. Heads turn as we pass, and a few people pull out theirphones to take photos and videos. This close to the arena, and given the size and stature of all these guys, it’s not hard to pick them out as Rogues players. The WAG jackets help too.
Sebastian stays between me and the gawking fans as much as possible, and I try not to freak out over the possibility that someone will get a clear shot of me. This is Minneapolis, not LA. The odds of someone recognizing me are slim to none. Still, I keep my face down and lean into Bash’s side.
“Almost there, sweetheart,” he murmurs.
I relax a bit once we file inside Chasers, even though people have their phones out there too. It’s crowded enough in the bar that there are more places for me to hide, and more people to distract from me if I’m in a shot.
Besides, if I’m going to go on dates with Bash and spend more time with him, this is something I’ll have to get over eventually. Especially if they continue dominating the playoffs.
“Dude, I’m sorry to bug you all, and I know this probably isn’t cool, but that game tonight was fuckin’epic,” a slightly inebriated guy, who looks to be in his late twenties, says, coming to stand at the open part of the booth. His two friends trail behind him, neither quite as many drinks in, if the lack of redness in their eyes is any indication. When Isla giggles, the guy scans the table and swears. “Shit. Sorry for swearing in front of the ladies. That was fuckin’ stupid.”
We all laugh at that, and his friends do too.
“Fuck. Shit. Sorry.”
“It’s all good,” Mira pipes up. “Itwasfucking epic.”
The fan grins and raises his bottle to her. “You should have heard it in here. Everyone was going nuts.” He glances back at his friends, who nod at him. “My buddies and I would like to buy the next round for your table.”
“Thanks, man, but you don’t have to do that,” Sebastian says diplomatically. “Your support is enough.”
The guy’s attention swings to Bash before he glances in my direction. His eyes narrow slightly as he stares at me for a beat too long, his head cocking to the side, but then he grins widely and returns his gaze to Sebastian. “We’d be honored to buy you a round, though.”