Hammer & Nails by Andria Large Page B

crowd. A few of us are going out; do you want to join us?” Roman asks, his eyes landing back on me.
    I hear a round of excited yesses from my brothers and my dad. Nolan gives a nonchalant shrug and says that he’s game.
    “And what about you, Harley? Do you want to go out with me?” Roman asks with that damn crooked grin.
    I blink up at him. That was a weird way to word it. It sounds like he’s asking me out on a date, which is just ridiculous. It must be because he’s Russian, he probably just words things differently.
    I nod. “Yeah, sure,” I reply, finally able to find my voice.
    “Great. Let me finish getting dressed and grab the other guys, then we can go,” he says, sending me a wink before turning and disappearing through the double doors.
    I glance at Nolan to find him frowning after Roman. I don’t get the chance to dwell on the why too much before my brothers and my dad start talking animatedly about how we’re getting this once in a lifetime chance to hang out with some of our favorite hockey players. I, of course, can’t help but join in.
     
     
    ~ Nolan ~
    I am really not liking Roman right now. We’ve been at the bar for an hour already and he’s been monopolizing every second of Harley’s time. We are at a table in the back of the bar. Roman somehow stuck Harley between him and Marc Hancock, one of the teams’ defensemen. And Roman has been all over her. Flirting and teasing and slinging his arm around her shoulders. I’m sitting adjacent to him at the end of the table, biting my fucking tongue. Harley seems to be enjoying herself, so who am I to stop her? We’re not officially together. If she wants to fuck a famous hockey player then that’s her decision.
    I sit back in my chair, drink my beer, and brood. This is not what I expected to happen when I decided to introduce her to some players. I thought that it would get me some brownie points with Harley, not have her stolen from me. She’s barely looked my way since we got here, which fucking hurts more than I would like to admit.
    Roman laughs heartily at something Harley says then plants a kiss on her cheek. Harley flushes bright red and I’ve had about enough. I shove out of my seat, snatch up my beer and head for the bar. I feel multiple eyes on me as I walk away, but I don’t really care at the moment.
    I find an open space at the bar and clunk my bottle down. I lean against the bar, my back to the table where my woman is being schmoozed by a guy I can’t compete with. I finish off my beer and order a couple of shots.
    A hand claps me on the back after I down my second shot. I glance to my right just as Nate leans against the bar next to me.
    “What are you doing?” he asks.
    “What does it look like? I’m drinking,” I grumble.
    “No, I mean, what are you doing letting Roman hang all over Harley like that?” Nate says.
    “Not really my place to intervene.” I shrug.
    “Bullshit,” Nate snaps.
    I shake my head. “We’re not really together, Nate. And if she doesn’t want him hanging all over her then she will tell him. But it’s obvious that she’s soaking in all of the attention he’s giving her.”
    “That’s because she’s being a stupid star struck girl. We both know what he really wants.”
    I grit my teeth. Yeah, I fucking know exactly what he wants. And knowing Roman, he usually gets what he wants.
    “That’s Harley’s decision,” I murmur, praying like hell that she doesn’t leave with him.
    “Dude, what the fuck? You were just talking about how much you like her and you’re just going to let her go?” Nate asks angrily.
    I turn to face him. “It doesn’t matter how I feel, Nate. If she doesn’t feel the same way about me then what is there to fight for?”
    “Man, I know she feels the same. She’s just a little blinded right now because she’s had a crush on him for years.”
    “And now he’s giving her the time of day, so where do you think that’s going to lead?”
    Nate frowns and