Page 123 of The Casanova Complex

Maisie sighs. “I feel like this is what it’s going to be like whenever we graduate from college, you know. Like everyone is going to chase their dreams and do their own things, and I feel like it’s just going to be harder and harder to make nights like these happen.” A small frown pulls at her lips, and the wide-shouldered, also ridiculously pretty man sitting beside her slips his arm over her shoulders and lowers his mouth to her ear.

I can hear him whispering but can’t quite make out what they’re saying. All I know is that her cheeks tint pink, and she swats at him playfully.

“Unfortunately, I think that’s kind of just what being an adult entails. But it makes you appreciate these days more, you know?”

They both nod, and we spend the rest of the game cheering on Bennett. And when the final buzzer sounds, I feel like I’ve gained two new best friends.

After the game, we wait for Bennett near the locker room, and I’m still buzzing over the win.

“Shit, I cannot believe that I actually like hockey this much,” I say to the girls, who both nod.

“That was kind of me too.” Maisie laughs. “I was not a hockey girl until Wilder.”

The guys are standing off to the side, talking quietly, or really just standing there being broody in each other’s presence, and Lennon starts telling me the story of how they met. About how she’s a figure skater, and the only reason they ended up together is because they were forced to share the ice. One thing led to another.

Hearing this makes total sense with how opposite they are.

It reminds me of Bennett and me. On the surface, we’re different on nearly every level, but together, we just fit somehow.

Bennett walks out of the locker room a few minutes later, looking so devastatingly handsome in his dark, navy blue, three-piece suit and burgundy tie, with his blond hair darker from his shower, still wet, curling at his nape and over his ears.

My God, he is so fucking hot.

How is this man mine?

He scans the crowd of people near the locker room, and it makes my heart swell because I know that he’s looking for me. Finally, his gaze lands on me, and a broad grin overtakes his face.

He sees his friends standing beside me, and even from across the room, I can feel the happiness radiating off him as he strides over.

When he stops in front of me, I launch myself into him, tossing my arms around his neck and squealing when he lifts me completely off the ground.

“Holy shit, Bennett, you were incredible.” The low, sexy chuckle warms the inside of my neck, and I fight back a shiver that ghosts along my spine.

Who knew that seeing him play hockey could be so much of a turn-on?

He tightens his arms around me, and I pull back to look at him. “I’m so proud of you.”

The corner of his lip ticks up, and I lean down and press my lips to his, unable to wait another second to kiss him.

I could stay here all night, just like this in his arms, kissing him, but the giggling behind us distracts me from his lips.

I tear my mouth from his, and he laughs, his blue eyes light with happiness. “Thanks, baby. You look so fucking good wearing my jersey.”

His gaze drops to my lips, and I trace my tongue along the bottom. “Yeah? Just wait till you see what I’ve got on under it.”

A quiet, rough groan vibrates out of him, and he looks past me where Maisie, Lennon, and the guys are standing, then back at me. “Think they can find their own way home?”

I laugh. “Nope. They’re here to celebrate you, Goalie. Let’s go.”

Begrudgingly, he slowly lowers me back onto my feet, unwrapping his arms but then grabbing my hand, lacing our fingers together.

“You two are nauseatingly freakin’ adorable, and I love it,” Lennon says with a wry grin, her green eyes dancing between Bennett and me as we make our way over to them.

“You’ve got the nauseous part right,” Saint deadpans, and she lifts her arm, elbowing him in the side, telling him to shut up.

It’s the first time tonight I’ve seen even a hint of emotion on his face, a tiny smirk that seems only to be reserved for her.

Bennett barks out a laugh. “Pookie! You’re here.”