"Easy there, Kitten. Didn't mean to scare you," Alex says, wrapping his arms around you from behind and dropping his forehead on your shoulder.

"Were you waiting for me?"

"Lucas called before you guys left, thought it was best to walk you up from now on."

"From now on?" you ask incredulously.

He chuckles, and his warm breath tickles your neck, sending shivers running down your back. "Just let me be overprotective for a little while, before you ruin all our fun."

You roll your eyes, and the motion makes the world tilt a little. Maybe you're a little more tipsy than you thought.

"Fine, but only until it's not cute anymore."

Alex runs his nose up your neck, and his lips brush the back of your ears. "Oh, it's cute now, is it? You like having a hockey player thinking about you day and night? 'Cause, Kitten, I fucking am."

You melt back into him, loving the sound of that, and trying your best to ignore the way your thoughts swirl in your head, making the room fuzzy. You spin in his arms and grin at him. "I got a job today."

He smiles right back. "I heard. Proud of you. Although it looks like you celebrated without me."