Love Restored (Gallagher Brothers #1)(13)

Derek, Blake’s date—and didn’t that just rub Graham raw for no known reason—shrugged. “Take a seat, Blake.” He looked pointedly over at Graham. “Maybe you’ll get that stick out of your ass that’s been hell on all of us at the shop if you just talk it out.”

She grumbled something at him, her fists clenched at her sides, and Graham sighed. This might be partly his fault since he’d been acting like a bear with a thorn in his paw, but he wasn’t about to apologize. Apparently, he couldn’t quite not act like an ass around her.

“Sit down, Blake,” he said low. “You’re going to piss off the people behind you if they have to look at your ass all night instead of the back of your head. Not that looking at your ass is a hardship.”

She whirled on him, and he froze. Well, hell. He was pretty sure between talking about her ass and images of what he’d be doing to her if he were truly looking at the back of her head—in bed—his dick was going to have permanent marks from his zipper. And he hadn’t exactly meant to mention that he’d been looking at her ass and liked it, but this woman could make a saint sin.

“I just…I can’t…argh!” She sat down in her seat and folded her arms over her breasts, mumbling something about evil beards and *s.

Well, he couldn’t really negate either of those things where he was concerned.

“I take it Austin gave you his other two tickets,” Blake said, her attention on the ice in front of her.

Graham nodded, then remembered she probably couldn’t see him since she was pointedly not looking at him. “Yeah, he gave them to Owen.”

“You two done yet?” Owen asked then, leaning over Graham as he did so. “Hello again, Blake.” His younger brother smiled, and Graham barely resisted the urge to punch him since he was so close. Barely.

She turned then and glared at Graham before smiling at Owen, though he could see the slightly manic edge to it. “Hi, Owen. This is Derek. He works at the shop with us.” She tilted her head at her date and scowled. “Though I might kill him later, so Austin and Maya might be out another floater artist.”

Derek laughed but tilted his chin toward them. “Hey, nice to meet you. You’re Jake’s brothers right?”

They both nodded.

“Cool. I don’t get to stay in Denver much since I work most of the year up in Seattle, but I know Jake. You ready to see if the Avs can actually win this time?”

Graham winced as the people behind him mumbled their displeasure. “They’re gonna win, damn it. There isn’t another option. And watch your mouth, Seattle boy.”

Derek just grinned. “I’m an Avs fan at heart, Gallagher.”

Blake looked between them, a gleam in her eyes that he didn’t like. “Avs fans, are you? Hmm…”

Yeah, he really didn’t like the sound of that.




When the game started, and the Avs took the ice, Graham kept his attention on the players rather than the very sexy woman beside him. His team needed his head to be in the game and not on Blake’s curves. And, yes, he might be a little superstitious, but whatever.

At the face off, Toronto took possession of the puck, and Blake let out a little cheer—not loud enough for others to hear, but just those on either side of her.

Holy hell, had Austin sent a traitor into their midst? A freaking Toronto fan at a home game for the Avalanche? What the hell was that Montgomery thinking?

He growled at her as she quietly cheered the first Maple Leaf goal and met Derek’s eyes. Why the hell was the other man laughing? Couldn’t he see that Blake was cheering for the wrong team? She lived in freaking Denver for God’s sake, and considering that her family’s ancestral home was here, she had to be a native. And yet, she cheered for Toronto? It was as if she were trying to annoy him.

After the first period, he got up, his hands fisting at his sides. “I need another beer.”

Owen, who had been quiet the entire time since he was apparently answering emails on his phone, looked up. “Grab me a soda, will you? I need some caffeine, and since I’m driving us home, I’ll let you drink.” He winked toward Blake. “I think you’re going to need alcohol tonight.”

Graham grunted and stomped his way through the aisle and up the stairs so he could get a beer. Since everyone and their mother got up during intermission, he’d have to wait in line, but maybe that would help him cool off. He was just so freaking pissed that she would dare root for another team. And that made no sense. Why could she get under his skin so easily?

“Hey, Graham, wait up,” Derek said as he jogged up behind him. “I don’t know what you did to piss Blake off, but I should probably let you know she’d rooting for Toronto just to needle you.”

Graham turned. “Excuse me?”

He must have looked like he wanted to rip someone’s arm off because a few people moved back in the line and Derek held up his hands.

“She’s a diehard Avs fan. Even owns a signed Sakic jersey and keeps a spare she can wear during games. The signed one only comes out during the playoffs. It’s got to be killing her to root for the other team, and it must be because of you.”

That little witch. “How do you know it’s not because of you?” he asked, intrigued and pissed off all at the same time that she would do something like that.