Chapter 1
Sam
“I’m gonna need you to talk me out of murdering my new brother-in-law.”
I look over and see my friend and teammate, Del Richards, standing next to me at the bar. He yanks at the black tie he’s wearing like he’s pissed at it.
“What happened?” I ask.
He huffs out a breath. “I just ran into Dakota in the hallway as I was leaving the bathroom. She’s in tears.”
Worry slices through me. “Is she okay?”
Del tugs a hand through his dark hair, ruining the neat hairstyle. “When I asked her what was wrong, she told me she was just stressed out. Then she made a joke about weddings always being stressful before ducking into the ladies’ room to fix her makeup. I don’t buy it. I know it was Jake who made her cry. That motherfucker always makes her cry.”
I shake my head as my worry turns to anger. That motherfucker also doesn’t deserve her.
I take a second before speaking so I don’t sound toopissed off. Del might pick up on it, and then he’ll be one step closer to realizing I have a thing for his little sister.
“This is your sister’s wedding day. She shouldn’t be crying,” I say.
“She wouldn’t be crying if she didn’t choose to marry such an asshole,” Del says. “He deserves to be punched in the face for that.”
He balls a fist at his side.
I pat Del’s shoulder. “Easy there. You can’t let Dirty Del come out tonight. Not all of the guests here are hockey fans, so I don’t think they’d enjoy seeing you beat the groom to a pulp.”
Del cracks a small smile. We both play for the Denver Bashers professional hockey team. Del is a two-way center known for being ruthless on the ice. That’s how he got his nickname, Dirty Del. He used to be the kind of player who would throw down over anything and everything. He doled out his fair share of cheap shots too, resulting in him having the most penalty time out of every player in the league a few seasons in a row.
He’s dialed it back after he was traded to Denver last season. Our Coach, Gavin Porter, isn’t a fan of that kind of play and told Del to clean up his act, which he has. He’s done away with all those cheap shots, but he’s still a fierce player and will fight when necessary. He fights more than I do, and I’m a defenseman.
And even though I’m in Del’s corner and would love for Jake to get his ass kicked for making Dakota cry, I’m also Dakota’s friend. She hates it when Del pulls the protective big brother act. She’d hate it even more if he caused a scene today of all days.
“You can’t be the guy who starts a fight with his sister’s new husband on their wedding day in front ofeveryone,” I say. “That’s Jerry Springer levels of trashy. Dakota would hate you for it.”
Del huffs out a breath, nodding. The angry fire in his eyes starts to fade. “Reception day, not wedding day,” he corrects. “They eloped, remember?”
He glances around the dimly lit pub in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Denver. It’s set up for a cocktail reception with a dozen standing tables and a dozen regular tables. People are sipping drinks while servers carry trays of appetizers around the room. Soft, romantic music plays over the sound system.
“I still can’t believe they decided to elope,” Del mutters. “Dakota wanted a fall wedding, remember? But that jackass made her rush into an elopement five months earlier than she planned.”
I nod, even though I’m kind of glad they did. That means I didn’t have to watch the woman I have feelings for marry a man who doesn’t deserve her.
An ugly feeling claws through my chest, sinking to my gut. It feels a lot like jealousy. And regret.
I regret never asking Dakota out. I regret keeping my feelings for her a secret. I regret never having the guts to tell her that I like her.
I glance at Del, who’s sipping from his glass of bourbon that the bartender just dropped off for him.
That ugly feeling burrows deeper inside of me, along with a fresh wave of guilt.
If Del knew I had feelings for his little sister, he’d kick the shit out of me.
He’s my closest friend. We’ve been tight since we played hockey together in college at the University of Denver. We know each other better than anyone. And that’s why I know that Dakota is forever off-limits.
It’s the unspoken rule among all guys: no dating the sister of your friend or teammate.
It’s a rule I’ve never had any problem with. I have a sister too, and I would have hated it if she had dated one of my friends or teammates.
