Page 13 of If You Claim Me

“I’m not trying to.”

Her nails scratch my skin as she pries his hand from my collar.

“What is this asshole doing in your apartment, Dred?” Flip’s anger is usurped by another emotion—maybe betrayal, or hurt.

For a moment I regret pushing his buttons. Mildred’s alreadystuck with me for the foreseeable future. Straining the relationships that are important to her, my fiancée, is not in my best interest. I need her happy and compliant, not angry and defensive.

Flip grabs her hand, eyes wide with shock and horror. “What the fuck?”

I wish I could revel in the glee of knocking him off-kilter, but he’s touching what’s mine and raising his voice, and I won’t have it.

I settle a palm on Mildred’s shoulder. I’ve recently discovered that it’s startlingly soothing to touch her. “Stop yelling at my fiancée,” I warn through gritted teeth.

“Just throw gasoline on the fire, why don’t you?” Mildred mutters with an eye roll.

“The fuck?” Flip looks like his head is about to explode.

The elevator doors slide open, and half my team and their significant others fill the hall. Their timing couldn’t be more perfect.

I turn to look at all of them. “Mildred and I are engaged.”

CHAPTER 6

DRED

Connor’s timing could not be worse. My friends pile out of the elevator as he makes this announcement. Rix is carrying a churro cheesecake, and her husband, Tristan, has a cooler, also likely full of delicious things made by Rix.

Dallas and Hemi, Lexi and Roman, Hollis and Hammer, Essie and Nate, and Tally all wear matching confused expressions. Only Ash and Shilpa are missing, but Shilpa just had a baby, so the Palaniappas get a pass on fajita night. The men of the group are current and recently former Terror hockey teammates—except for Nate, who is one of Tristan’s younger brothers—and the women are my Babe Brigade. They’re the only real family I’ve ever had, and I’m about to drop a significant bomb on them. Here’s hoping they can handle it.

“Am I high? Did Connor just say you and he areengaged?” Rix’s eyes are saucers.

“The fuck, man?” Hollis shoots daggers at Connor with his eyeballs. “When are people going to stop stepping on my damn toes?”

Hammer squeezes his arm and whispers something to him. Probably reassurance. He’s been waiting to pop the question while everyone around him gets married.

“This is a joke, right?” Flip looks like he’s on the verge of something not good.

“It’s not a joke.” Connor looks Flip dead in the eye as he leans down and kisses my cheek.

His lips are soft and warm, fingers flexing gently on my shoulder. I’m annoyed at the thrill that shoots down my spine. I give him what I hope is a scathing look. “Can’t resist lighting the match, can you?”

“Just playing my part, darling.” He winks. “I’ll be in touch.”

And with that, he slips past everyone and disappears into the elevator, leaving me to deal with my very confused friends. Fucking Connor Grace. Why can’t he be the nice guy who sits next to me at Callie’s hockey games? I take a deep breath.He’s fixing your life, I remind myself.You probably should have asked him to stay.And needle Flip? Not a great idea.

It seemed like a fantastic idea in the moment, but how the hell am I going to explain this?

“I think we should move this into Flip’s apartment,” Rix suggests. Thebefore he blows a gasket in the hallwayis implied.

Lexi slips between the others to join me, worry etched on her pretty face as she threads her arm through mine. She’s pregnant and showing and still acting as a barrier between me and Flip and everyone else. Aside from Flip, Lexi is my best friend.

She’s married to Roman Forrest-Hammer, formerly Hammerstein, the Terror’s recently retired goalie. Lexi understands loss. She became the legal guardian to her sisters Callie and Fee when her mother and stepdad were killed in a boating accident a couple of years ago.

“Is everything okay?” she asks.

I nod. “I’ll explain.”

We file into Flip’s apartment. He’s already pacing with his hands in his hair. “How long has this been going on? How can you be engaged to that assclown? Why would you commit yourself to someone likethat?” He spins to face me. “Why him?”