Page 92 of Risky Play

“Him and TJ would get along really well,” Maddie said.

I had thought the same thing multiple times. Probably why I easily brushed off TJ so much. Ty was my practice run.

I took our jackets into the hall closet but lost Maddie at one point. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed us some beers.

“I thought she was off-limits,” Ty said from behind me, making me jump.

“She is.”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “You’re sneaking around? You? Really?”

I grimaced. “Her idea.”

“She’s cute. You look happy.”

“I really like her.”

“Then you’ll figure it out, man. But it explains why you disappeared on me.”

I took a sip of my beer and glared at him. “You know I’m on the road a lot.”

He grinned. “I know. Just yanking your chain.”

I shoved him. “Dick!”

“You down for some Pong?”

“Yeah. Where’d my girl go, though?”

He waved me off. “Oh, Ari’s here. Let the girls chit-chat.”

I took his word for it and followed him to the makeshift dining room, where a bunch of guys in backward baseball caps were playing a round of Beer Pong. They nodded at us as they finished their game.

Ty and I were up next, and we dominated like we always did. I had been so focused on hockey and staying in Philly that it made me realize I needed to make time for my friends, too. Maddie and hockey had been all I had time for lately. Not a bad thing, but making time for the other people in my life was important.

As I sunk my last ball and won the game, Maddie sidled up to me. I wrapped my arms around her waist. “Hey, there you are.”

She leaned up on her tip-toes, and I bent down to give her a quick kiss. “Sorry. Got lost chatting with the girls. Did you win?”

“Fuck yeah, we did!” Ty told her.

She sipped on her beer, and I felt like a dick because I got her one, but then Ty drank it while we were playing Pong.

“You play?” Ty asked her.

“Sure.”

“I’ll be your partner, and we can get their asses,” a female voice called out.

I turned and saw the blonde from the night I told Maddie I wanted to be more than friends. She looked a little tipsy and had her arm around Maddie’s roommate, Ari.

“Yeah! Kiira and I are gonna crush you!” Maddie cheered.

Ari leaned up and gave Kiira a quick kiss. Huh. Interesting.

“Okay, you’re on!” Ty said, and we reset the cups.

A little friendly competition never hurt anyone, and since we were all hockey players, we were extremely competitive. The girls proved to be even more than Ty and me, and they completely kicked our asses.