Page 26 of One Pucking Wish

With final instructions insisting that I take whatever I want, she shuts the door that separates this room from the rest of her home and leaves me with the bins of clothes. Grabbing the one labeled with my current size, I open the lid and pull out a few pairs of leggings, T-shirts, a warm-looking sweatshirt, and a zip-up hoodie. I hope that we’re not going to be here long enough for me to need all of these items, but I take them just in case.

Clothes slung over my arm, I exit the mud room to find Gunner standing with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face, waiting for me. He’s evidently had enough socializing and is ready to return to the room.

I ignore the six-foot-five man and his heated stare. I’m thinking a change of pace is in order for today.

“Do you have any playing cards we can borrow?” I ask Alice.

“Sure, sweetie.” She hurries to the cupboard in the living area, opens the door, and retrieves a deck of cards. “You’re not going to like them, though,” she says, placing the deck in my hands.

I look down at the playing cards and smile. The deck has the blue orca in the shape of the letter C, the Vancouver Canucks logo. “Oh…Alice.” I shake my head. “You just made my job of convincing that one”—I nod toward Gunner—“to play card games with me a lot more difficult.”

She shrugs, her lips tilting into a wide smile. “What can I say? You’re in Canuck territory.”

CHAPTER

TEN

GUNNER

Istare into Penny’s pleading eyes. “No,” I repeat, my voice firm.

Penny has either been in my T-shirt or naked for the past day and a half, and at this moment, she is neither. Instead, she’s wearing some clothes from Alice, and while they look comfortable, I want them off her. They’re definitely something Alice would wear, but I’m not a fan.

“Come on. It will be fun,” Penny says for the tenth time.

“I’m not a card game person,” I state once more.

While our entertainment choices are limited, playing a goofy game of cards is the last thing I feel like doing. I’d rather stare at a wall than see how many cards I can collect in the same suit. The process sounds horrid. Penny insists that we should take a break from all the sexual activity today, and quite frankly, I think that sounds like an incredibly stupid idea.

In fact, the thought of not ripping that sweatshirt off Penny has me feeling on edge—inexplicably angry even. Surely, the roads will be cleared by tomorrow. Canada has to be used to snow. It’s not as if three feet of snow was dumped on Florida or Texas. We’re in the north, where people can handle snow and ice. Getting things back to normal around here shouldn’t take more than two days. Deep down, I’m very aware that this time with Penny is coming to a close, and that thought fills me with rage.

The amount of unease I feel is unsettling. I should be ecstatic that we get to go home soon, and I can’t figure out why I’m not. Yes, sex with Penny is good. Hell, it’s fucking great. But I’ve had plenty of great sex in my life. That can’t be it. Routine has always been my safe space. The thought of getting back to my place, the team, lifting, practice, and games should bring me a sense of calm. Yet it’s doing the opposite.

Add in the fact that playing nice with Penelope Stellars takes a lot of energy. Small talk and pleasantries are not my thing, either. However, the two of us agreed to be different people while we’re here—ones who don’t hate each other. Surprisingly, I’m doing just that. I should be thrilled that soon enough, I can be myself. Yet once again… I’m not.

It makes no sense.

I’m in need of some major stress relief, which would explain why I want to tear Penny’s clothes from her body. But no. The cool girl who was down for fucking all day long yesterday has been replaced with the rummy card game pusher.

“Fine.” She sighs. “What do you want to do?” I open my mouth to speak, and she cuts me off, holding a finger up. “That’s not sexual in nature.”

Seriously, where is yesterday’s Penny?

“I don’t know,” I grumble.

She taps her thumbs across her phone. “No flights yet but they’re thinking tomorrow. I can’t wait to get home.”

“Same,” I lie.

I sit against the headboard, and Penny sits cross-legged, facing me. “Well, if you don’t want to play rummy, which I think is a bad call, I guess we can talk. Seeing that we’re still here in this fake friendship, I guess we could get to know each other. I mean, all I know about you is that you’re huge, a great goalie, and kind of an ass.”

I lift my shoulders. “That sums me up.”

“Back at Frank and Alice’s, you said you didn’t have any family in Michigan, but?—”

I cut her off. “No.”

“What do you mean no?”

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