Page 124

I bit down on my lip. “Who wouldn’t be? I bet some of my…clients will be out there in the crowd. It just feels like it’s always going to happen.”

“I’m not embarrassed, Red. I was just trying not to end up in jail because I’d killed a guy. It makes me crazy thinking of anyone else touching your perfect fucking body. Because you’re mine. It would have been the same no matter who it was. A former high school boyfriend, someone you caught jacking off to your picture—I would have acted the same.”

I studied his face, looking for the lie.

But as usual…I couldn’t find it.

“Okay, I’ll go,” I finally murmured, watching as his face lit up. “But you’re talking crazy again.”

“If it isn’t a little crazy…is it even love?” he asked as he pulled me up from the bed.

* * *

LOGAN

The energy at the parade was electric—fans packed every inch of the streets, shouting and cheering, losing their minds. The noise was deafening, but in the best possible way. We were on top of the world, rolling through downtown Dallas on a float, passing the Stanley Cup back and forth. Sloane was glued to my side, her fingers gripping my hand like I might disappear in the chaos. Even though I could sense her nerves, she was loosening up, smiling more, her eyes wide with the madness unfolding around us.

Ari, already tipsy before we even hit the first turn, climbed up on the edge of the float, balancing a beer in one hand and waving wildly with the other. “I’m king of the world,” he yelled, ripping off his jersey and doing a weird shimmy that had the crowd screaming.

His wife, Blake, was trying—failing—to get him to get off the railing. “Ari, for fuck’s sake, you’re gonna fall off!”

“Angel face, baby lover, I’m invincible!” Ari roared, lifting the beer to his lips and chugging it like a man possessed. The crowd erupted, cheering him on. Blake threw her hands up in defeat, laughing.

“Dallas Knights! Dallas Knights!” Camden and Walker were waving their arms to get the crowd hyped, their wives rolling their eyes but grinning like they’d seen this show before.

Ari jumped off the railing, making a grabby motion with his hands, and he was immediately handed two beers. He nudged me with an elbow. “Think you can handle this?” he asked, nodding at the Cup, gleaming in the sunlight next to us.

“Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,” I shot back, grabbing one of the beers from him. We lifted our bottles and clinked them together, then poured the beer straight into the Cup. The crowd went wild.

“Let’s do this,” Ari said, lifting the Cup and tipping it back while he chugged the beer. He finished with foam dripping down his chin, grinning like an idiot, and handed it to me. I followed suit, the beer ice cold and somehow sweeter than it had ever tasted before.

And then—because Ari was Ari—he looked at the float behind us, also loaded with members of the team, and shouted, “Heads up!” beforetossingthe Cup over to the next float like it was just some casual object instead of a priceless relic.

Knights staff, standing on smaller floats around us, collectively lost their minds. One of them even screamed, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

The Cup sailed through the air for a terrifying split second before Dobbins, one of our wings, caught it, laughing hysterically while the staff members nearly fainted in the background.

I doubled over, laughing so hard I almost spilled the rest of my beer. Ari gave a dramatic bow like he’d just pulled off the greatest stunt of his life, which, knowing him, he probably thought he had.

Sloane tugged on my sleeve, her eyes wide, but there was a smile there now—a real one. “You guys are insane,” she said, her voice half laugh, half shock.

I grinned, feeling the buzz of the beer and the adrenaline from the crowd. “Yeah, but you’re having fun, aren’t you?”

She bit her lip, trying to suppress a smile. “Maybe a little.”

“Maybe?” I teased, pulling her closer as another roar went up from the crowd. The guys were still at it—Walker had found a microphone and was trying to lead a round of terribly off-key singing, while Lincoln had his arms wrapped around Monroe, and he was now attempting some kind of wobbly slow dance on top of the float.

Sloane laughed, shaking her head as she leaned into me, finally letting the excitement of it all take over. “All right, fine. I’m having fun. So much fun.”

I gave her a look, one eyebrow raised. “What was that?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m having fun, Logan.”

I smirked. “Told you. Now, kiss me before Ari tries to throw me off the float next.”

Sloane rolled her eyes but let me kiss her. I even slipped some tongue action in because I knew it would make her laugh. When I finally released her, we stayed holding hands while she started talking to Olivia.

“Whatcha looking at so hard with those binoculars, Colt?” I asked one of my teammates as he leaned over the railing, on the verge of falling out.