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I snort, and Adam rolls his eyes. “Sorry to disappoint you, brother.” He looks around as he grumbles, “This is why I hate these kinds of events.”
Ellie rubs her hand up and down Adam’s back. She looks over at me, her face pinched as she holds back a laugh. Adam’s grumpy behavior hasn’t changed much since they got together. He’s only slightly more laid-back now than he used to be, but it’s these moments that remind me how Ellie couldn’t be more perfect for a guy like Adam. Her happy-go-lucky attitude diffuses Adam’s penchant for being uptight no matter what they’re doing.
Ellie points to a man across the room. “Oh, there’s Leon. Let’s go say hello.” Adam takes the lead, walking Ellie over to talk to whoever that guy is. Likely someone they work with if Ellie knows him.
I scan the room, taking in all the people who have arrived in the hour we’ve been here. I know very few of the guests here tonight. It’s making me wish I had brought a date just to give me someone to talk to. I have no idea who I’d have asked. Dating isn’t my thing, and I would have been worried about the message I was sending all night instead of enjoying myself.
Nolan elbows me. “You want to go talk to Tilly’s brother? I think he’s the only other person I know here that isn’t family.”
I shrug. “Why not?”
He turns, placing his hand on my lower back to lead me to where Desmond is standing with some other guys. I met him at the Ellis family Christmas party and was surprised by how nice he was. I pegged him for a cocky playboy type, but he was actually pretty down-to-earth.
“Well, hot damn. You look fucking ravishing, Katie Cole.” Desmond grins. He reaches out his hand about waist-high and leans in to kiss my cheek. How he manages to make that move feel cherishing and not leering, I have no clue.
My cheeks flush at his attention. There’s no getting around the fact that Desmond Areneto is hot. His brown hair has natural highlights of red, and there is a confidence behind his brown eyes that only comes from years of being the best at something.
“What about me? I’m not ravishing tonight?” Nolan teases. Desmond grabs his hand and pulls him into a bro hug.
“Compared to this work of art?” Desmond turns back to me. “You’re not even close.”
I roll my eyes while Nolan laughs. “You’ve got me there.”
“Guys, this is Katie Cole, a good friend of Tilly’s and Ellie’s, and this is Nolan Ellis, Adam’s youngest brother.” Desmond introduces us to the two guys standing next to him.
The first guy steps forward. “Carrick Shepherd.” He holds his hand out to me and then does the same with Nolan. His dark hair is wavy in a way that I don’t think is intentional, and with a sharp jawline and blue eyes, I’m pretty sure he could be the model on the cover of every one of my romance novels.
“I’m Brooks Manfield,” the second guy says, shaking our hands, as well. He’s a little smaller than Desmond and Carrick, but his presence makes up for it. The three of them together are overwhelming.
“Brooks is our goalie, and Carrick is my left winger.”
I grimace. “I’m sorry to say I don’t know a thing about hockey. Ellie is the only reason I’ve even seen a few games on TV.”
Carrick grins. “We love Ellie. She’s a spitfire.”
“We need to bring you up for a game sometime, then. It’s a lot more fun in person,” Desmond says.
“That’s what Ellie has told me, too. I’d love to come to a game.”
Desmond’s eyes light up with interest. “Then I’ll make it happen.”
“Katie, do you want another drink?” Nolan asks. I’m surprised to find my glass is empty when I look down. I have no clue when that happened.
“Sure, that would be great.”
“I can get it. I need another one, too,” Desmond offers.
“Oh, okay. Thanks.” Would I normally trust a man I barely know to get me a drink? Probably not. But Tilly would crush him into a million pieces if he did anything to hurt me.
Desmond and his teammates head to the bar, leaving me with a grumbling Nolan. “Fucking hockey players and their smooth talking. Hate that guy.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Did you just say you hated Desmond?”
“What? Psh, no. He’s a nice guy. Why would I hate him?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I asked.”
Nolan starts nodding his head and then rocks back on his heels. “Soooo, are you going to go to one of Des’s hockey games?”
