Page 63 of The Chase

I grumbled at him, but I pulled out my wallet and threw a couple of bills at him.

Dick.

“That doesn’t mean I’m in love,” I protested.

“Keep telling yourself that, bud.”

When we walked into Eileen’s, I spotted my girl across the room. She was wearing my jersey and tight jeans that hugged her nice ass. She looked sexy as hell, and I kinda wanted to fuck her in my jersey tonight.

I frowned when I saw she was talking to a big blonde dude who had his suit jacket rolled up to reveal a sleeve tattoo on one arm. Max tipped back her head and laughed at whatever he said to her. A spike of jealousy ran hot through my center at a man looking at my girl. She was my girl, nobody else’s.

“Oh, hey, that’s Holmstrom!” Noah said when he spotted them. Dinah was on the other side of the bar, so he was heading in the opposite direction.

“The dude we just beat?” I asked.

I was seeing red. Why was that asshole talking to my woman?

Noah arched an eyebrow at me. “Dude, chill. He’s a homer.”

“Blaise Holmstrom’s from Philly?” I asked.

Noah shook my head at me. “Do you live under a rock? His dad owns the bar.”

Oh.

Ohhhhh.

I knew Hal had two kids in the league, but I hadn’t put two and two together with the name Holmstrom.

Noah walked over to Dinah, and I went in the other direction where Max was standing. I put my arms around her from behind. “Hey, you,” she said with a big smile on her face when she looked up at me.

I kissed her cheek. “Hey, baby girl.”

The possessive move did nothing to phase the blonde man she was talking to. Maybe I had misread the situation.

“Hey, do you know Blaise? We went to high school together,” she introduced us with a warning look for me to behave.

I put out a hand to Blaise, and he firmly shook my hand. “I don’t think we’ve met before, TJ Desjardins.”

He laughed and rubbed his shoulder. “Nope, but you checked me hard into the boards tonight. Nice to see the Bulldogs hang around my dad’s bar.”

“Okay…how many Holmstroms are there?” I asked.

He laughed. “Six.”

My eyes bulged out of my head.

Max laughed.

“Which one of you is the best hockey player? Surely not you,” I teased.

He laughed. “Yeah, I’m kinda having a shit season. My long-time girlfriend broke up with me.”

Max’s face fell. “Oh, Blaise. I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged. “I’ll get over it. Eventually.”

I cringed. “Sorry I brought it up.”