Chapter 10

10

BEN

“This can be practice for you. A social event for you to practice being outgoing.”

We’re on our way to the axe throwing place. “I think I’ve created a monster,” I say.

Mabel laughs and tosses her coppery hair back. “I do like helping people. And I’m having fun.”

“Okay.”

“Aren’t you having fun?”

I don’t answer because as usual, all the things I want to say get lost between my brain and my mouth. The truth is, I am having fun, but it’s not because I enjoy dwelling on all my faults, but rather because of spending time with Mabel.

Earlier we had that… moment. Where we were holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes and the air around us was sort of sizzling and… I could have kissed her.

But that’s not what this is supposed to be. She’s my teammate’s sister. She’s the girl who tormented me as a teenager.

I realize that neither of those things is actually a reason that I couldn’t kiss her. Except for that text message Smitty sent to the group chat:

Smitty

My sister is coming with us tonight and all you ballbags don’t get any ideas, she is off limits.

And that one time in the morning, I kept looking over at her sleeping on the couch, the blankets down around her waist, her soft tits outlined by a thin tank top, and he punched my arm and told me to stop looking at her.

She’s still waiting for an answer, so I say, “Sure.”

She laughs again. “That sounded enthusiastic.”

“Being reminded of all my flaws is tons of fun.”

She bumps me with her shoulder. “That’s not what it is.”

“Okay.”

Smitty leads the way into the building where we meet up with the others. He introduces Mabel to Crusher, Dilly, and Archie. There are six of us, so we make two teams of three to compete. We spend about fifteen minutes getting some instructions and signing waivers, which is only a little scary, then head to a wall. There are targets painted on the walls with point numbers in each circle like darts.

We brought drinks, so we all grab a beer.

“I’m going to be so good at this!” Mabel handles her hatchet while bouncing on her toes.

She and I and Archie are a team. I’m screwed, I think. Archie’s kind of an oddball and Mabel is acting way too enthusiastic about throwing a sharp weapon. Ah, well.

We let Mabel go first. She stands with the axe in two hands, lifts it over her head, and throws it. It looks like a good throw but holy shit, the axe bounces off the wall and comes back at her. I’m standing to the side but I lunge at her and tackle her to the floor. The axe lands harmlessly on the floor behind us.

“What the fuck!” Smitty yells and runs over. “What are you doing?”

I managed to get myself under Mabel so I didn’t crush her into the concrete floor and she’s lying on top of me, all soft curves and sweet flower scent, her hair in my face.

“Oh my God,” she mumbles, her lips near my ear. “Oh my God.”

I grip her hips and lift her as I sit up.

She stares at me with big eyes. “I nearly died.”

Honestly, the adrenaline racing through my veins agrees with that. “Holy shit,” I say.

She plops her ass on the floor.

“What happened?” Smitty demands.

“I didn’t throw it very well,” Mabel says, her voice weak. “It bounced back and nearly hit me.”

Smitty turns his displeasure on me.

“Hey, I saved her! Don’t look at me like I tackled her for funsies. Jesus.”

He lets out a breath. “Yeah. Okay. Maybe you’d better just watch, Mabel.”

“No.” She pouts. “I want to throw axes.”

“Let’s go over the form again,” I say. “Remember, you don’t need to crank it that hard. These aren’t regular axes. They’re not as heavy.”

“Right.” She pulls in a breath and exhales a long stream. “Okay.”

I pull her to her feet and Archie hands her the axe.

“I was picturing Julian’s face,” she mutters as I move behind her. “I may have overdone it.”

I want to laugh. “We should have brought photos. Then we could all aim at him.”

She giggles and looks at me over her shoulder. “Damn, why didn’t I think of that.”

I reach around to her front to get her hands in the right grip – sort of like a golf club. “Not too tight.” I guide her hands up.

Big mistake. Huge.

I breathe in her scent. Fuck, she smells good. Her ass brushes against my thighs and all my blood runs south. Lust wraps around my cock and squeezes.

I swallow thickly and move her hands forward. “And release right in front of you. Here.”

“How do you know this?” she asks, still sounding out of breath.

“I just listened to the guy. You want to try again, or wait and watch us?”

“I’ll watch you guys first.”

“Archie?” I look over at him.

“Okay, I’ll go.” He swings his axe and steps forward.

This time there is no unfortunate boomerang and his axe embeds nicely into the wall. Not on the target, but on the wall.

“Shit.” He frowns as he moves forward to retrieve the axe.

I grin and take my own turn. Three points! I punch my fists in the air. “Yeah!”

Mabel grins. “Okay. This time I got it.”

She throws again and sinks the blade into the wood, neatly scoring one point.

“Good job!” I put up my hands and she beams as she moves toward me to slap them.

We do five axes each, alternating with the team next to us, cheering and jeering. I’m not failing to notice the way the guys all watch Mabel when it’s her turn, and it’s not because they’re worried about getting axed. They’re checking her out. Her ass does look bangin’ in those jeans.

Smitty notices too, and scowls. He misses his next shot. I have to grin.

“Focus!” I call to him.

He gives me a dirty look.

We win the first round, although only by a couple of points.

“This is fun!” Mabel’s cheeks are pink, her eyes sparkling. “After that first little mishap.”

“Thank God nobody got hurt,” I reply.

“No kidding. Whew. I need another beer.”

I actually can’t believe they let people drink booze and throw sharp objects, but I, too, accept another beverage.

In the end, our team loses the next two rounds and we’re done.

“It was close, though,” Mabel insists as we get our jackets on and leave. “I’m sorry you had to have me on your team. I think I dragged us down.”

“Not at all,” Archie says courteously, with a flirty smile. “You did great.”

I level a warning look on him. He ignores me.

“I can’t believe you’ve never done it before,” he goes on, pairing up with Mabel on the sidewalk.

“Ah. You’re just being nice.” She touches his chest.

I narrow my eyes.

“Where are we going now?” Dilly asks. “I’m starving.”

“How about Uncle Ernie’s?” Smitty says.

“Yeah. Good idea.”

We call an Uber that’ll fit six of us and are chauffeured over to 12th Street, not far from home. Uncle Ernie greets us when we walk in with a wave and a big smile. “My favorite hockey players! How is your All-Star break going? Why aren’t you on a beach in the Caribbean somewhere?”

“Can’t afford it,” Smitty says.

Uncle Ernie scoffs. Then he spies Mabel. “And who is this lovely lady? A new girlfriend?”

“No!” Smitty barks. Then more calmly, “This is my sister. Mabel. Mabel, this is Uncle Ernie.”

“Pleased to meet you.” She gives him a charming smile and shakes his hand.

Like everyone else, he’s smitten. “Likewise. I had no idea Smitty had such a beautiful sister.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“I have a table for you over here.” He leads us to a bigger table that all six of us fit around. “You need menus?”

The guys all shake their heads, but Mabel says, “I do.”

He swiftly retrieves a menu and gallantly hands it to her. She begins to look it over as the rest of us order beers.

“Something to drink, Mabel?” Uncle Ernie asks.

“I’ll have a Diet Coke.”

“We don’t have Diet Coke,” he says apologetically.

Mabel ponders that. I expect her to ask for a regular Coke, but she says, “Okay, then, I’ll have a margarita.”

I blink at that leap.

Uncle Ernie disappears to get our drinks.

“Mozzarella sticks. Wings. Fried ravioli.” Dilly looks around the table. “Yeah?”

“Two orders of wings,” Smitty says.

“Just one with buffalo sauce,” Dilly replies. “I know you don’t like the hot stuff.” His gaze moves to Mabel. “Do you like hot stuff, Mabel?”

She lifts her eyes from the menu and gives him a smirk. “I definitely do.”

“She’s got bigger balls than you, Smitty.”

Smitty scowls again. I think he regrets bringing Mabel. “Watch it.”

Mabel elbows him. “I can handle it.”

“Christ. Don’t encourage them. You have no idea…”

He’s right.

Uncle Ernie arrives with our drinks and takes the order for the appetizers we’re going to share, plus several large pizzas.

“This black truffle burrata toast looks good,” Mabel says. “Anyone want to share that?”

“No,” we all say.

“Okay, fine. I’ll share what you’re having.”

“So, Mabel. Can I get a woman’s opinion on something?” Crusher smiles at her.

“Sure.”

Smitty and I exchange wary glances.

“What do women think of uncircumcised men?”

“Oh, fuck, no. We are not talking about circumcision,” Smitty growls.

Mabel rolls her lips in but otherwise appears unfazed.

She opens her mouth and Smitty holds up a hand. “No.”

She shrugs.

“Okay, what about bald guys?” Dilly asks. “Do chicks like bald guys?”

She blinks. “Why do you ask?”

“I’m asking for a friend. Actually for Archie. He’s losing his hair.”

“I am not losing my hair!”

“You told us you were,” Dilly says.

“I was worried about it.” Archie runs a hand through his thick waves. “But I don’t think I am.”

“You have great hair,” Mabel tells him.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t encourage him,” Dilly mutters. “He’s obsessed with his hair.”

“I’m not obsessed.”

We all snort.

“Bald guys can be very attractive,” Mabel offers.

“Jeff Bezos,” Smitty says.

Mabel winces. “Not who I was thinking of. More like… Shemar Moore.” She smiles.

“He’s hot,” agrees Crusher. “What?” He looks at all of us. “He is.”

“Prince William,” Archie suggests.

“Er… maybe for some,” Mabel replies. “I also like Stanley Tucci.”

“I don’t know who that is,” I say.

“Oh! Let me show you.” She reaches for her phone.

I hold up a hand. “That’s okay.”

“I want to see,” Archie says.

So Mabel spends a moment finding a pic of the guy and poring over it with Archie.

She and Archie seem to hit it off.

I don’t like that.

I take a long pull of my beer.

“Maybe I should shave my head,” Archie says.

We all go dead silent and stare at him.

“Kidding!” He lifts his beer.

Our chicken wings arrive, one platter of buffalo, one of garlic parmesan. We all dig in and they’re gone before the mozza sticks and fried ravioli arrive.

“It’s like we’re trying to clog our arteries on the break.” Crusher dips a mozza stick into tomato sauce.

“Back to healthy eating next week,” I say.

“When’s your next game?” Mabel asks.

“Tuesday,” I reply.

“That’s a nice long break. Over a week.”

“Yeah.”

“We should have gone to Aruba,” Smitty says.

“I have a meeting,” I remind him. “With Keeping Kids Safe.”

“Oh yeah, right. You could have postponed that, though.”

“Maybe. I didn’t want to book a trip because I thought I was getting into my new place 1 February, but now it’s March.”

“You’re staying with Marek until 1 March?” Mabel asks.

I meet her eyes. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“No, no, don’t apologize. That’s not what I mean.”

“You’re not making her sleep on the couch, are you?” Crusher says.

I cringe. “Um… yeah?”

“You asswipe.” He punches my shoulder.

“No, I fit on the couch easier than he would,” Mabel says. “It’s fine. Also, he was here first.”

“How long do you think you’ll be staying?” Smitty asks his sister.

“I don’t know. I need to find a job first.”

“What do you do for a living, Mabel?” Archie asks.

“I’m a librarian.”

I see they’re all taken aback by that.

Mabel laughs. “I love being a librarian.”

“Hmm. Okay.” Crusher nods. “Sexy librarian.”

Smitty makes a noise in his throat.

“That’s just another stereotype,” Mabel says. “Trying to subvert the typical matriarchal image.”

We all say nothing.

“But you are the guardian of the books,” Crusher says.

“Yes, but I use power, not sex appeal.”

“Jesus.” Smitty shakes his head. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

I grin. Mabel is definitely a handful.

I’d like a handful of her…

No. Stop. I can’t be thinking about her that way, no matter how smoking hot that moment earlier was.

But then our eyes meet across the table and she smiles and I smile back and that heat blasts through me again like my blood is on fire.

“Your friends are fun,” Mabel says lightly to Smitty, then looks at me again.

On our walk home, Mabel moves beside me and says quietly, “You did great socializing tonight.”

“Yeah. I was with my friends. I’m comfortable with them. That’s not hard. It’s people I don’t know. Even the rest of the team I don’t know as well.”

She nods. “Okay. Pretend those people are your friends when you talk to them.”

I glance down at her as we walk. “Sure. Easy.”

She smiles. “Come on. It’s not that hard. Let’s talk about homework for you.”