Page 4 of Pucking Vacation

Tyler rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “Are you a monk? What has college done to you? I knew you should’ve gone to the same school as me. Northshore Michigan is going to make you a priest at this rate.”

“I’m still interested in women,” I assure him. “Don’t be dramatic. I’m just not going to ditch you on our vacation together for just any girl, all right?”

Tyler clasps his hands to his chest and speaks in a too-sweet voice. “Aw! Baby brother! I’m so touched. You’d give up sex with a hot bikini girl for me?”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” I warn him.

He chuckles and reaches out a hand to give my knee a firm pat.

“It is kind of cool of you to prioritize me,” he says. A moment of silence falls between us and Tyler’s eyes dart around for a bit before landing back on me. He suddenly looks nervous, which puts me on edge immediately.

“What?” I urge when he continues to maintain his infuriating silence.

He hesitates a moment more, before finally saying, “Have you… talked to Dad lately?”

My jaw clenches at the mere mention of our father.

“Not since our last fight,” I say. “And I don’t plan on talking to him anytime soon.”

Tyler nods, a flash of understanding crossing his gaze.

“I know,” he murmurs. “I wish he wasn’t being such a dick about you playing hockey. He didn’t give me nearly so much grief when I wanted to pursue football. I don’t know what his deal is with you.”

“If you figure it out, let me know,” I growl. “Because I have no fucking idea.”

Our dad, Francis Reece, is a no-nonsense real estate mogul who has always pushed us to be the very best at everything we do. Growing up, mediocrity was not tolerated in our household, and that included our chosen sports. However, he’s not so keen on me pursuing hockey as an actual career, and wants me to pursue what he deems a more practical career path. He thinks I’m wasting my time and isn’t afraid to tell me so, which really, really sucks.

“I don’t want to talk about him,” I say with a huff. “I just want to relax and enjoy myself and not think about how much of a disappointment Dad thinks I am.”

“You’re not a disappointment,” Tyler tries to assure me, but I don’t believe him. He remembers how our dad was before our mom died, and Tyler believes he’s still that same man deep down: patient, fun-loving, affectionate, and understanding. I was too young to remember any of that, so I only know the cold, aloof, driven, and success-focused man he’s been ever since.

“Whatever.” I shrug. “I don’t really care what he thinks, anyway.”

A blatant lie, but I cling to it like a lifeline.

“Right,” Tyler replies, clearly not buying what I’m trying to sell him. “You’re right, though. We should just sit back and relax and not think about it. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

“It’s fine,” I assure him, though now that I’m thinking about our dad and our fight, I’m not sure it’ll be all that easy to relax again. I wish Tyler hadn’t even mentioned the stupid fight, though I know he’s worried about me. Still, now I’m worked up and annoyed. After a few moments, my irritation has only increased and I decide I don’t want to be around all these drunk idiots who don’t seem to have a care in the world as they laugh and party and take up space.

I move to get up off my lounge chair and Tyler asks, “Where are you going?”

“I’m going back to the room. I’m tired, and…”

My words trail off when I suddenly lock eyes with a gorgeous brunette standing on the other side of the pool. Her gaze is as blue as the ocean, and her shy, tentative smile makes my heart race. She’s wearing a bikini that matches her eyes and shows off her slim figure and smooth pale skin. Her dark hair is pulled back into a ponytail, but I can still see streaks of golden highlights when she moves her head and makes her hair sway behind her.

Suddenly, I don’t care about the fight I had with my dad. My irritation drains away and is replaced by the urgent need to meet this girl. I can’t say for certain what it is about her that makes her stand out among the sea of attractive and scantily clad figures around us, but I have to know who she is. I’m not the type of guy who believes in ridiculous concepts like love at first sight, but I definitely believe in lust at first sight, and I’m not one to deny myself when I see something or someone I want.

And I want this girl. I want her bad, and given the way she can’t seem to take her eyes off me, I think that she wants me just as badly.

Chapter Three

POOLSIDE TRYST

GRACE

I’m not sure why I can’t look away from him. Even when he catches me staring and stares back, I can’t seem to stop gawking. Arriving at the pool with my girls, I’d made a cursory glance around the area just to get a layout of the land and I’d caught sight of the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen. Relaxing on a lounge chair, his ripped, Adonis-like body on full display, he looks like he’s walked right out of an ad for some fancy cologne or something. Even though he’s wearing sunglasses, I can tell he’s staring right back at me. Why can’t I look away?

“Grace? You good?” Skyler suddenly asks, turning to look at me. I blink and finally manage to jerk my gaze away from Mr. Panty-Dropper, but it’s too little, too late. While Rylee and Sutton are busy slipping through the crowd to get to the bar, Skyler’s been focusing on me and caught me staring.

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