Boarded by Love (Bellevue Bullies 1)

I am going to kill my brother and our teammates, but it’s like she doesn’t even hear them. Claire continues to kiss me until finally I pull away. Getting lost in the depths of her beautiful blue eyes, I whisper, “You are so fucking hot.”

She giggles as she smacks my face lightly. “You’re not so bad yourself, hot stuff.”

I smile but then turn to find my brother and some of the guys laughing at the corner booth. “I’m gonna make y’all pay tomorrow, assholes.”

They all shut up when they hear that as Claire just giggles beside me. Turning to look at her, I love what I see. A little wisp of her hair is falling in her face, her cheeks are bright, her eyes shining, and her lips so swollen and delectable.

“Teammates?”

“Yeah, and my brother,” I answer.

She eyes my brother, and when Jayden gives her a wink, I almost come out of the booth, but Claire’s hand is resting on my thigh and I don’t dare move, but I’ll make sure to kick his ass later. “I can see the resemblance.”

I shrug. “I’m hotter.”

“Oh yes, by far.”

She shoots me a grin just as our food is laid down in front of us and we both dig in. We eat in silence for a few but then she asks, “Is that your only brother?”

I shake my head, swallowing the piece of bacon I just threw in my mouth. “Nope, I have a younger one, Jace, and then an older sister, Lucy.”

“Oh, that’s right, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”

I nod then ask, “Do you have siblings?”

“Nope, only me, but I have a really huge extended family. Lots of kids for me to love on.”

“That’s cool. I have a niece, Angie. She’s one.”

“That’s nice,” she says. “What do your parents do?”

“Dad is a lawyer and my mom is a stay-at-home mom.”

“That must have been nice growing up.”

“Yeah, she spoiled us,” I say with a chuckle. “And I’m her favorite.”

“I wouldn’t doubt that,” she teases with a wink, and I smile.

“What about Reese and your uncle, Phillip, right?”

She nods. “Yeah, Reese owns the dance studio, Reese Allen’s Dance Company, and Phillip plays for the Nashville Assassins.”

I stop eating and look over at her as I process what she just said. Surely, he’s not the Phillip Anderson I think he is. “You have his last name?”

“Yup, Anderson.”

“Phillip Anderson, as in, leading scorer in the NHL, Phillip Anderson?”

She smiles. “That’s the one.”

I am speechless. I admire Phillip’s game. We go to watch the Assassins play all the time as a team unity exercise, and Phillip has always been my favorite player, along with Erik Titov because of his speed and stickhandling. I knew that he looked familiar! How did I not place him?

“Wow, he’s a great player.”

“Yup, he’s the best. Really wonderful uncle, too.”

I take a swig of my orange juice as I continue to think on this. It’s just so mind-blowing! Glancing over at her, I smile and decide I need to talk about something else before I start asking questions about her uncle.