Page 100 of Pucking Revenge

When I throw it open, I stagger back. Seb is standing on the other side of it, a brown box in one hand and the other poised to knock. His salt-and-pepper hair is a mess, like he’s been pulling on it. He’s in a pair of jeans and a black sweater. The look is casual for him, yet still a little too formal.

For a moment, I stare at him, confused about why he’s here. He watches me in return, his face blank. But as he takes me in, sliding his gaze up to my hat, that dull expression morphs into a familiar scowl.

God, how did I ever find this man attractive?

The bluish gray of his irises makes him look like one of those walking zombies. Void of anything but misery. Both eyes are rimmed black from the broken nose he’s sporting. The one he claims he got when he tripped and hit a dresser on his way down. I tamp down the elation that zaps through me at all the misfortune he’s so obviously earned.

“Can I help you?”

He crosses his arms over his chest, his scowl deepening into a menacing glower. With a shake of his head, he scoffs. “Thought the charade was over.”

My stomach knots. “Excuse me?”

“The charade. The revenge plan you and Brooks so obviously concocted when you found out I was married.” He waves a dismissive hand in my direction, as if I’m worthless. As if his nephew couldn’t possibly be interested in me. As if pity is Brooks’s only motive.

But I know the truth about how Brooks feels. And I know how he makes me feel.

A full-on smile spreads across my face. “Guess I should be thanking you, huh? If you hadn’t fucked up so royally, my best friend would still be convinced he had to be a robot like you. And I’d be missing out on the best relationship I’ve ever had.”

With a growl, he pushes the box toward me. When I catch sight of the label, that elation is back. It’s a package from an erotic online shop. I totally forgot that I’d ordered a bunch of dildos in my name and had them sent to Seb. I giggle and peer up at him. The box has been opened, so he clearly saw its contents. I am so immature sometimes.

The sneer on his face makes him look so ugly. “These little games of yours are pathetic. He’s going to destroy his career. Is that what you want? He’s playing like shit. Can’t stop a goddamn puck to save his life.” He takes a step closer. “You want to destroy him? Destroy his relationship with his family? You don’t have much of one, but his means everything to him.”

I should feel his words like the slaps he intends them to be. But Brooks’s love doesn’t leave room for them to land. Maybe Brooks was colder, angrier, off his game for a few weeks. But that wasn’t because of me. That was because of the poor excuse for a man in front of me.

I set the box on the table in my entryway, then step out the door and pull it shut. He doesn’t deserve another moment of my time. “Thanks for delivering my dildos, Seb.”

As I side-step him, he takes a surprised breath. “You’ll ruin him. You ruin everything you touch.”

I laugh all the way to the store. I have every intention of ruining something, but it won’t be Brooks.

Then again, maybe he and I are ruining each other. As we grow closer, I kind of hope neither of us looks like the person we used to be. I already feel stronger, and I’ll do everything in my power so that Brooks can say the same.

But as far as ruining him? Yeah, I guess I will. I’ll ruin him for every other woman.

Because Brooks is mine, and I won’t give him up.

THIRTY-SIX

BROOKS

“Someone’s in a good mood.” War saunters into the locker room, his attitude cocky and annoying as hell.

“Oh, didn’t you hear?” McGreevey tees it up.

Rowan, the asshole, joins in. “Our goalie is finally getting some.”

I look from one guy to another, being sure to glare at them all.

War shakes his head. “Nah, that’s not it.”

Propped up against my locker, I fold my arms and roll my eyes. “Out with it already.”

War smiles and shakes his phone back and forth in front of him. “It’s because he’s now Sara’s boyfriend.”

Aiden swipes the device from him and studies my Instagram profile. I updated it last night while lying in bed with Sara. Did it to make her smile after a couple of asshole trolls commented on the Bolts’ page about her being a flavor of the week.

First, I’m not like that, so it made no sense, and second, I want to make sure the world knows that I was the one who posted that photo to the Bolts’ official page, not Sara.

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