Page 67 of Pucking Revenge

“Did you have fun tonight?”

We’re riding the elevator up to my floor because Lennox is staying at Sara’s.

It’s been a long, long day, but as soon as Sara settled in my pickup, it’s like she got a second burst of energy, talking a mile a minute, giving me a play-by-play of her night.

“It really was amazing.” She clutches her hands to her chest. “And that little stunt you pulled?” The hum she lets out is pure delight.

“Which one?” I tease. I pulled a few tonight, and I couldn’t blame even half of them on my uncle.

“The push-ups with me on your back.” She sighs, her body practically melting beside me. “You should have heard Seb after that. He was fuming.”

“He didn’t do anything to you, right?” I press closer, inspecting her like there’s any way I would have missed an injury. I know better, but it doesn’t stop me from checking. If he left any marks, they’re the invisible ones, and the emotional scars are what I’m truly worried about.

She pushes me back with a laugh. “Nah, a little name calling never hurt me.”

A shot of anger rushes through me. “He called you a name?”I’m standing too close again, my hands balled into fists at my sides.

She rolls her eyes and lets out a little laugh. “Puck bunny.”

How is it that she can let that roll off her back so easily while I’m seething on the inside? She’s not a fucking puck bunny. And honestly, I hate that term.

“You’re not a puck bunny. He can’t call you that.”

The elevator dings, and when the doors open on my floor, she grabs my hand, pulling me forward. “I know that. Seb’s words don’t faze me. I know exactly what we are. You’re my best friend.”

Those words don’t touch what we are. Sure, she’s my best friend, but so is War. I sure as fuck don’t have this overwhelming compulsion to push him down on my bed and devour him.

My relationship with Sara transcends friendship and lust. It transcends every feeling I’ve ever had for another person. I’m in so far over my goddamn head I can’t see straight.

As we walk down the hall hand in hand, her warmth seeps into me and spreads through my body, settling me. Maybe I’m finally seeing straight. Maybe we both are. When she tips her head up, giving me that coy smile of hers, the smile she’s shared time and again, I finally see all those moments between us for what they really were. Whispered secrets, reassurances sometimes veiled in teasing or sarcasm, full conversations held without words in a language entirely our own.

But despite all that, there’s a piece of me I haven’t shared with her, and I’m tired of hiding it. I want to tell her exactly how I feel. As we round the corner to my apartment, I tug her closer, eating up the space between us until she’s just a breath away. “Sar, you’re so much more than just my?—”

“Oh, thank God!”

I’m knocked back at the sound of my brother’s shout down the hall.

Sara’s eyes go wide, and she spins toward him, pulling back a step.

Aiden jumps up off the floor in front of my apartment door. “I swear I’ve been sitting here waiting for you guys for hours.”

“You okay?” Sara drops my hand and moves closer to him.

What the hell?

“Am I okay?” he bellows. “No, I’m not okay. How the hell do you know Lennox?”

Moving to Sara’s side, I glare at my brother. “Watch it.”

Aiden runs his hands through his curly hair. It’s still damp from his after-game shower, and it’s a wild, tangled mess. He’s in a suit, but it’s rumpled and so unlike Aiden. The kid always looks sharp. He may be a clown off the ice, but he’s always a well-dressed clown.

“Sorry.” He lets out an exaggerated sigh. “But seriously, Sar. How do you know her?”

With a low grunt, I tilt my neck one way, then the other, hoping to release the tension that’s suddenly taken over. With Aiden here, there’s no way Sara and I are going to have our big talk tonight. It kills me, but it’s pretty clear that I won’t be getting another taste of her either. Not yet.

I shake it off and step up to my door. Once I’ve got it unlocked, I hold it open for Sara. She gives me a quick inspection as she passes, but her brow is furrowed and her shoulders are tight. Dammit. She’s uncomfortable. When Aiden crosses the threshold, I slap a palm against his chest to stop his movement. “She’s her best friend. Be kind.”

Aiden winces and pulls on the back of his neck. “Yeah.”

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