Page 44 of One Pucking Wish

Tugging the clip from my hair, I sigh as my hair falls loose and weigh my options. I could force Iris to leave me to wallow, or I could talk to her. Both sound awful. Everything about today is complete shit.

“What do you want?” I ask.

Iris stands from my bed and steps toward me, her arms extended. “Come here.”

Squinting, I eye her arms. “What are you doing?”

“I’m giving you a hug.” She tilts her head to the side.

“I don’t want a hug.”

“As your best friend, I know when you need a hug.”

I scoff. “You’re not my best friend, and I don’t need a hug.”

She grins and steps closer. “Not only am I your best friend but I might also be your only friend.”

I shake my head. “That’s not true. I have lots of friends.”

“Who you like?” She raises a brow.

“Well, no. But that’s not a qualification for friendship.”

“Come here, Pen.” She closes the gap between us and wraps her arms around me. My whole body stiffens, and my arms go stiff at my sides. “Hug me back,” she says, her voice soft.

The movement feels weird, but I circle my arms around her until I’m squeezing her as much as she’s squeezing me. And then I’m crying. Full-on crocodile tears stream down my face as I rest against her shoulder. The embrace pulls me into this space where I’m loved and safe…and vulnerable. It’s equally terrifying and comforting at the same time.

After a few minutes of snotting all over Iris’s shoulder, my tears abate, and I step away.

“Let’s go sit down.” She heads toward the living room. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“Water is fine.” I plop down onto the sofa and wrap the throw blanket around me.

Iris comes out of the kitchen with two glasses of water and hands me one. “Tell me everything and start with the truth about Vancouver.” She takes a seat in the oversized chair opposite me, placing her glass of water on the side table.

At this point, I’ve messed things up so much that the truth couldn’t possibly make anything worse. So I tell her. I go over every emotion I felt as the events in Vancouver unfolded. I don’t give her specific details about the actual sex, but I do mention frequency and the insane chemistry. I explain how it was supposed to be nothing more than a three-night fling born out of boredom.

“And I left Vancouver in the past, I did. But today in the closet, he was close, and I could tell he wanted me. That combination made me feel insane as if I had no choice. I wasn’t thinking straight. I was blind to all logic and reason and only wanted him. It makes no sense because it’s not me. Whoever was in that closet wasn’t me, and now I don’t know what will happen with the team and my job. I’ve screwed everything up.” I suck in a breath as a new round of tears threaten to fall.

She holds her palms out to me. “First, take a deep breath. Your job will be fine. Sure, some of the guys know, but…”

Panic fills me. “But what?”

She chews on her bottom lip and lifts her eyebrows. “Let’s just say I’ve never seen Gunner so mad. It looked like he wanted to murder Bash. He made it very clear that if anyone said a word about you, he’d make sure they never played hockey again.”

My mouth falls open. “Like he’s going to break their legs or get them kicked off the team?”

Iris shrugs. “I have no idea, but I can guarantee no one is going to try to find out.”

“Really?” I question, still shocked by it all.

Iris shakes her head and grins. “It’s clear that you’re both into one another.”

“No, we’re not.”

“You’re so into him, and from the way he just had to have you in the closet and how he defended you…he feels the same. Those kinds of emotions aren’t something you feel with a booty call or a one-night stand. That’s the real deal type. Like in Barbados when Cade and I did it in the bathroom by the pool and in the pool while Beckett was going on about rum. When the connection is that intense, it’s love.”

I bring my fingers to my temples and rub circles against my skin. “First of all, in case I wasn’t clear before… I’m a hundred percent cool with never hearing another you and Cade Barbados sex story for as long as I live. Second, there is no way in hell that Gunner and I share anything resembling love. It’s lust.” I throw my hands up. “It has to be. For some reason, we share insane sexual chemistry, and that’s all it is.”

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