Page 31 of One Pucking Wish

It’s all unsettling, but at the same time, it’s the only course of action that makes sense. I need to let it go.

CHAPTER

TWELVE

GUNNER

My mind is half-asleep, but my body moves on instinct as we go through one drill after the next. I could complete these training exercises with my eyes closed. I’ve been doing this for so long that it’s all muscle memory at this point. Despite my body being a little sore, it performs well.

Coach seems happy with my performance in practice. At least I assume he is. There isn’t as much yelling as there is when he’s pissed. He definitely wasn’t pleased that I missed two full days of practice after our loss in Vancouver.

“Do some shooting drills, and you’re done,” Coach Albright calls out before walking away from the ice.

I take my position in front of the net, and the guys line up on the opposite end of the ice. Cade and Beckett are first, and they skate forward, passing the puck between themselves until Beckett hits it toward me. It goes toward the corner of the net and is easily stopped with a reach of my hand. It hits my glove and bounces back onto the ice.

Beckett skates in front of me. “What should we bet on today?” He likes to make the shooting drills more exciting by turning them into a game.

“No games today, Feltmore,” I warn. “Let’s just get this done so I can go home.”

“Tired after your vacation with spicy Penny, huh? What happened with that? You two hook up or what?” Beckett asks. Cade closes in on the net, clearly eager to get in on the conversation.

“Get to the end of the line,” I warn.

“Answer the question, and I’ll go.” Beckett grins.

“Nothing happened. I’m exhausted from sleeping on a lumpy mattress in a shitty hotel with no access to food because of the storm. It wasn’t fun. I’m tired. Let’s finish.”

The two skate back to the line. They say something to the others, but I can’t hear what it is. Bash and Jaden skate down next. Bash tries some new pass that I haven’t seen him use before Jaden attempts to hit the puck in.

The puck is stopped, and I smack it out to them with my stick. Instead of turning and skating back, they come forward. Bash speaks first, “Is it true you and Penny had to share a bed?”

“Go,” I state.

Jaden chimes in. “There’s no way the two of you shared a bed for three nights and didn’t bump uglies. Be honest.”

I stand tall. “I will kick your ass.”

Jaden raises his gloved hands. “Okay. Okay. You know, if you’d be more open in your communication, we wouldn’t have to ask so many questions.”

I lunge forward. The motion sends Bash and Jaden back to the other end of the ice in record time. They say something to the rest of the team, and whatever it was does the trick because there are no more questions throughout the remainder of the shooting drills. I’ve never met a group of guys who love gossip more than this one does.

We finish up practice and hit the showers. I hurry out of the locker room at record speed. I came straight here from the airport, and I can’t wait to get back to my place.

Pulling into my drive, I park my car and release an audible groan. A gorgeous blonde stands at my front door. The universe is testing my patience today.

It’s Felicity, a pharmaceutical rep I’ve been hooking up with for a couple of years every time she swings through town. No emotions are involved for either of us; it’s just sex. I’m normally happy to see her but not today.

“Surprise,” she says when I step onto the porch. “I had an unscheduled trip to Detroit, so I decided to drop by.”

I give her a nod and a grunt.

She follows me into the house. “I know we have a sex-only type of relationship, but how long do we have to know each other before you stop communicating in grunts,” she teases.

“Just tired, Felicity.”

She drags her bottom lip into her mouth and bites it. Lifting a brow, she steps toward me and circles her arms around my neck. “I know how to wake you up.” Standing on her tiptoes, she leans in and drags her tongue up my neck until she’s nibbling on my earlobe. She splays her palm atop my shirt over my chest and slides it down until she’s cupping my cock over my jeans. “How long has it been since the last time? Three months?”

“Something like that.”

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