Until I do touch her and let my fingers drift across the bare skin at the small of her back, right where the dress ends above the swell of her ass. Her skin prickles, and I swear I hear her gasp. The corner of my mouth lifts before I slip seamlessly into the moment, throwing an arm around her dad like I’ve done a hundred times before.
“Hey, Coach.”
The man who’s the reason I ever made it to the NHL turns around, his face splitting into that huge, beaming smile I grew up chasing approval from.
“Zeke… look at you,” he says, giving me a once-over.
I catch Addie doing the same, but the only thing in her eyes is pure, unfiltered want. I get it—hell, I can’t look at her for too long either. I’m already half hard, and that’s not going away anytime soon.
“How’s it going, Coach?” I ask, and he opens his arms wide, looking around the room.
“I’m going to soak all this in before it’s back to the ice next week.”
“You deserve it.”
He claps my shoulder, pride shining in his eyes. “Thanks, son. How’s Boston treating you? I’ve been keeping up with you, Jasper, and Roman—watching every game. You boys make this old guy proud.”
“Couldn’t have done it without you, you hard-ass,” I say, and he lets out a big booming laugh, shaking his head.
“Some of you boys needed someone to give you a serious kick up the ass to get moving, and I guess that had to be me.” I nod, grinning, when someone calls his name from across the room. Heclaps my shoulder once more and excuses himself before stepping away.
Mikey suddenly appears again, sliding his arm around Addie’s waist, but she instantly shrugs him off, not even being subtle about it.
“Don't touch me.”
“Adds, come on, don’t be like that.”
“Problem?” I ask, stepping beside her.
Mikey turns toward me, his smile as fake as it is forced. “Zeke… didn’t expect you to grace us with your presence. Surely you’re too good for us all, now that you’ve made it pro.”
“Well, as you can see, I’m here.”
“What about Jasper and Roman?”
“They’re over there,” I say, tipping my glass toward my boys. He follows my gaze, glancing over his shoulder before looking back at Addie.
“Did you know Roman was coming?”
“Yeah,” she says with a shrug.
“No one told me.”
“Why would they? You shouldn’t even be here, Mikey.”
His jaw tics, and his eyes bounce between me and Addie. “I don’t think we should be having this conversation right now.”
“I agree,” I say, finishing the last of my whiskey in a single swallow. The burn trails down my throat as I set the glass on the side table with a quiet clink. “Which is why I’m leaving.” Relief washes over Mikey’s face, and he doesn’t even bother to hide it. “Addison, are you coming? We can catch up.”
I hold my arm out like the gentleman I can be, and she laces her arm through mine. We fall into step as we make our way across the room straight toward the only two men here who matter because I know they’ll need her close, even if Jasper’s the only one who’ll ever admit it.
“Thank you,” she murmurs, and the scent of her perfume wraps around me like silk.
“You’re lucky it was me who came to get you. If it had been Jasper, you’d already be tossed over his shoulder with his hand halfway up your dress.”
“I believe you.”
I lean in closer, letting my mouth brush the shell of her ear. “You look breathtaking, baby.”
