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She crossed the floor, reaching the bar in no time. This wasn’t a usual team night. They’d actually come to a new, rustic bar. Aster loved it, but some of the girls weren’t overjoyed to be here. They liked familiar, and in most cases…rough and ready.

Aster glanced back, eyeing Mia’s drink. She’d order a fresh pint for Grace’s girlfriend, too.

“What can I get you?” a soft voice filtered through the air, pleasant to Aster’s ears.

“Oh, hi. Three pints please.”

The bartender smiled, her black hair pulled up high on her head, the right side shaved. Tattoos littered her neck and exposed collarbones. She was certainly pleasing to look at. “Be right back with them.”

Aster caught the nametag before the bartender turned and grabbed some glasses. Esme. Nice. She watched Esme work the bar, smiling when the bartender’s light blue eyes caught hers. Esme’s smile turned shy, her head dipped as she tilted the glass and poured a pint.

Aster turned back to her friends, waving when Dom and Blair walked into the bar. Blair always looked immaculate, and Dom always looked trendy. Aster glanced down at herself; she was satisfied that she fitted in tonight. She lifted a hand, offering a drink to Dom and Blair, but then Eden walked in behind them, and Aster lost her mind. Holy fuck!

The door swung closed, sending Eden’s hair flowing around her shoulders. A vision…that’s how Eden looked. Like an absolute vision. God, why does she have to be so beautiful? Aster lowered her eyes, turning back to the bar. She ordered Dom and Blair their usual, Eden a whiskey—that seemed to be her drink of choice over the last few weeks—and carried the tray back to the table. Esme had given her a final flutter of the eyelashes, but Aster’s head was too far up her arse to think about it now. Thirty seconds ago, she would have asked for Esme’s number—it’d been a while since she’d been spontaneous—but right now, Aster was putting her all into regulating her heartbeat.

With shaking hands, she placed the tray down, handing out drinks to Grace and Mia. She turned to Dom, smiling. “Got you a beer, mate.”

“Thanks.” Dom took the drink, placing her hand on Blair’s thigh as her fiancée sat beside her. “Aster got the drinks in, babe.”

Aster offered a glass of white wine to Blair. “Good to see you both.”

“Thank you.” Blair wore a permanent bright smile lately. “I brought Eden with us tonight. She could do with a night out.”

Aster turned to Eden. “Whiskey?”

“O-oh.” Eden seemed surprised. “Thank you.”

“I got you what I thought you’d like. But if it’s wrong, I can grab you something else.”

Eden placed a warm hand on Aster’s forearm. God, it felt good. “It’s great. Really.”

“Well…” Aster was aware that Blair’s eyes were on her. She felt them burning through the side of her face. “Have to keep the boss happy.”

“Oh, yeah!” Blair laughed. “Because when you piss the boss off, punishment will follow.”

Aster smiled, her nerves through the roof. Why was Blair looking at her with a stupid grin on her mouth? “I’ll bear that in mind.”

“You wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a spanking, Aster. Trust me.” Blair winked, sending Aster’s cheeks a deep shade of crimson. “Right, sweetie?”

“Oh, give it a rest.” Eden rolled her eyes, focusing back on Aster as she took a seat between Dom and Eden. “Pay no attention to Blair. She’s been cooped up in an office all week.”

Blair offered a single nod, sipping her wine. “This is true.”

“So…” Aster paused, turning her attention to Dom. If she focused on anything other than Eden, she wouldn’t have to worry about mentally undressing her. That’s weird. Don’t do that! “Who do you play in the semis?”

“Unsure at the minute. The other teams have to replay. Finished nil-nil.”

“I don’t suppose it matters who you end up with. Ashforth is one of the only ones in the league with a full team. Was it my poor maths, or did that other team only have nine on the pitch today?”

“They did. It’s been a hard season for a few of the teams. Something needs to change because they register for cup games and end up with no players on the day.”

“Ashforth is lucky they have dedicated players then, huh?”

Dom barked a laugh. “The only reason everyone shows up each weekend is because Fi threatens to knock on their door…naked.”

“Oh.”

“And I’d say she doesn’t mean it, but she actually does. It’s happened a few times now.”