Tore (Sidewinders Generations #2) - Kat Mizera Page 0,2

narrowed to a tapered waist and hips, and a black dress shirt that had several buttons open at his throat and that showed off broad shoulders.

“Hey, Josh.” Jamie grabbed my hand again, pulling me forward. “This is Margot. Margot, this is my friend, Josh LeBlanc. He and I went out on one date before I realized Viggo was the only man for me. He’s from Ottawa and came to town specifically for tonight.”

Josh held out his hand. “Hi, Margot.”

“H-hi.” I looked up at him, mindlessly shaking his hand, unable to think of anything else to say. He had long-lashed hazel eyes and perfect teeth surrounded by well-shaped lips. I could kiss him.

Right?

“Josh is gay,” Jamie continued quietly. “He’s been fantasizing about being with a woman because he never has, which is why he’s here.”

“Never?” I asked before I could stop myself.

Josh shook his head. “I mean, I kissed a few girls as a teen and such, while I was figuring out who I was, but I’ve never made love with a woman.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what to say.

The door opened again and Viggo stepped inside, a faint smile on his face as he met my gaze. For some reason, my stomach squeezed painfully as I waited to see who the other man was.

Then my mouth fell open.

Tore Brekken?

No fucking way.

I shook my head the moment I realized who it was.

The professional hockey player of my dreams.

The man I’d been in love with for months.

The same man I’d shot down and friend-zoned after he’d kissed me two months ago.

Nope. This wasn’t happening.

“There’s been a terrible misunderstanding…” I barely got the words out before rushing past all of them and back into the hallway.

2

Tore

“Margot, wait!” Jamie brushed past me and went after Margot before I had a chance to wrap my head around what had just happened.

What the fuck?

I’d signed up for Fantasy Night two years in a row and had been surprised to get the invitation to participate this year, but the last thing I’d expected was to find Margot waiting for me.

I’d been chasing the sweet, sexy brunette for months and I’d finally worked up the nerve to kiss her at a friend’s wedding two months ago. After the most delicious, exciting and romantic kiss of possibly my entire life, she friend-zoned me so fast I got emotional whiplash. One minute we’d been kissing like characters in some sort of Harlequin romance novel, and the next she’d pushed me away and told me we could never, ever do that again. That our friendship was too important. That her daughter needed her and that a man would be a distraction. That she needed stability, both for herself and for Gracie, and that I was too busy with my hockey career to think about being a dad.

She’d gone on for so long I’d wanted to shut her up with another kiss, but then her words sunk in and they’d hurt my feelings, which was pretty hard to do. I wasn’t the most sensitive guy, and I was always up for lighthearted fun, so it took a lot to hurt me. And Margot had. Maybe it was because of my feelings for her, or because she’d essentially told me I wasn’t good enough to be a father to her daughter, even though she hadn’t said it in so many words. Whatever it was, it hurt, and since then we hadn’t spent much time together and none alone.

“Give us a minute,” Viggo said gently. “Why don’t you two get to know each other? Josh LeBlanc, this is Tore Brekken, one of my teammates on the Sidewinders. I think you can figure out each other’s fantasies while we try to talk Margot down off the ledge.”

“I don’t think this is going to work out,” I said quietly. “Nothing personal, Josh, but she friend-zoned me back in June and things have been pretty strained between us since then.”

Viggo winked. “We know all about it. You don’t think this is a coincidence, do you? Jamie is the master matchmaker.” He walked out into the hall, shutting the door behind him.

“Do I get to know the story?” Josh asked, leaning against the wall, his eyes twinkling as he looked at me.

I sighed and blew out a breath. “I’m into her. All of our mutual friends told me she was into me too. I spent almost a year working up the nerve to take things to the next level, and at a wedding, I kissed her. Afterwards, she basically