Page 4 of Puck and Run

I feel his thumb on my clit and my orgasm hits, I bite down on his shoulder so that I don’t scream out his name. My mask rises off my face, but I don’t care. I want him to see how I am. I want this man again and again.

He comes with a shout and falls over me. Leaning on his elbows to make sure he doesn’t put his weight on me. I wouldn’t mind if he did.

“Um, my mask has come up. I’m gonna go to the bathroom and fix it. Promise you won’t look?” He says in an odd voice and my heart plummets.

“Okay,” I answer in a voice I don’t recognize. It’s been a minute since we experienced something I thought was amazing and he’s worried about me seeing who he is. He was inside my body. I have to get out of here.

I hear from behind the bathroom door, “There’s a bathrobe in the closet if you want to put something on. Maybe we could get something to eat.”

I stand up and take the mask the rest of the way off. My hair still has a few feathers and flowers, but I just need to leave. I put my dress back on and pull the robe on over it. I don’t have my phone, but I can use one downstairs.

I grab my shoes and as quietly as I can I leave the room, leaving my mask behind. I knew what was happening when I left with him. This is what I wanted. One night and I need to be a fucking adult and live with the consequences.

Chapter Three

Duke

Sitting on the edge of the bench in the locker room, still in my gear, the smell of sweat and ice clinging to me like a second skin. Sounds of laughter echo around, but I can’t stop thinking about her. Her laugh echoes in my ears, bright and irresistible, and her eyes sparkled behind her mask.

We shared only a few hours of passion. We made a promise: No strings attached. It was supposed to be a one-time thing, something to savor without the complications of emotions. But, one week later, I’m still thinking about her.

“Hammer!” Ryan’s voice cuts through the haze. He’s leaning against my locker, arms crossed, a smirk dancing on his lips. “You gonna play today or just skate around?”

I roll my eyes, but he’s not wrong. My mind has been somewhere else since the night of the party.

“He’s daydreaming about his masked girl again.” Simon chimes in, joining Ryan.

I glare at the two of them. They seem not to remember how they acted when they were falling in love with their wives —not that I’m falling in love with anyone.

“You need to focus on practice. We have a big game coming up, and we need you sharp.”

I nod, trying to push down the emotions just thinking about her evokes. “I know. I’ll get it together.”

I try, I do, but practice sucks. I’m missing passes, fumbling the fucking puck, and can hear my teammates’ laughing at me as I make mistake after mistake. What the fuck did this woman do to me?

After practice, I’m back in the locker room, with my mind reeling. I have to get it together. I’m looking for something in my bag and the mask pops out.

“Still hanging on to that thing, huh?” Simon calls out, smirking as he catches sight of the mask.

“Carrying it around can’t be helping your focus, dumbass,” Ryan adds with a chuckle.

“You need to let it go. There are plenty of other girls out there. Let’s go out and have some fun. We can head to O’Connell’s and you can meet someone else.” Spike suggests.

“Or drink your problems away.” Adds Ryan.

Laughing, I finish packing up my stuff and leave my teammates behind. I don’t want to forget her. I want to understand what it was that made that night feel so special and why I can’t get her out of my mind. Is it because she left me? Is this just an ego thing?

The guys are right about one thing. I need to get my shit together and focus on the game. This is the reason for my fucking rule. I’ve never focused on anything other than hockey. It’s why I have the career I have.

Determined to let this go, I grab the mask and take it into my office. I take a picture and send it to our team chat.

HAMMER: Can you ask your wives and girlfriends if they know who this mask belongs to? If they don’t, I’m throwing it away and letting this go. I can’t do this anymore.

I walk away from the mask and head to my home gym. The last week feels like an out-of-body experience. The guys have made sure to pick up the slack at practices so I haven’t beenreamed out by Coach, but it’s just a matter of time if I don’t get my shit together.

I’ve been running on the treadmill for fifty minutes when I hear my phone ping with an incoming text. I run the last ten minutes with anticipation running through my veins.

When I check my phone the text isn’t from the team chat. It’s a new group chat I’ve been added to with Ryan, Simon, and their wives, Paisley and Tuesday.

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