Page 47 of Body Checked By the Defenseman

I crash on my bed for a few hours and by the time I wake up it’s dinnertime.

I head downstairs to the kitchen because I am starving. All the guys usually have dinner together. Even though during exams we aren’t always able to due to our different schedules. I find Finn and Charlie in the kitchen. They aren’t cooking together as I was hoping. Finn is in his boxers and Charlie is wearing his jersey. They are at the kitchen table eating ramen noodles.

“Hey,” I say to them, but I can’t help but laugh. “When is the last time you both ate real food?” They look at each other because they’ve been on a sexfest all week.

“Damn.” I can’t help but smile because those two are relationship goals. “I’m gonna make us some food,” I offer.

“You’re going to cook?” Finn questions, sounding shocked.

“Don’t look surprised, Captain. I got this.” I wink.

I find a bag of lettuce in the fridge that has been washed and cut. I dump it into a bowl.

“I’m seriously curious. What are you making?” Charlie smirks deviously like she doesn’t trust my cooking skills.

“I’m not telling you both. And if you continue to mock me, I won’t share,” I retort playfully.

They both laugh.

Cade walks into the kitchen. “Whoa, what is going on here?”

“Fuck off,” I rebut because he’s trying to make a big deal out of me cooking. I know how to cook, but if there is someone else who enjoys cooking in the house, why would I take their joy away?

Cade hops onto the island since things look a little too cozy with Finn and Charlie at the table.

Luc walks into the kitchen next. “If you say one damn thing, you won’t be eating,” I warn.

“Chill, bro,” he defends, and he takes a seat at the table and looks at Finn and Charlie. “You guys coming up for air?” he jokes.

“Yes,” Finn replies.

“We needed food,” Charlie explains.

Ruby and Hayden walk into the kitchen next.

“Why is everyone hanging out here?” Hayden asks.

“Because Mack is cooking and we’re all curious,” Cade explains.

“Do none of them know you know how to cook?” Ruby asks.

I side eye her. “Don’t be giving away my secrets.”

I make a fresh salsa.

Then I dump the ground beef in a pan and spice it up.

“What is he making?” Luc asks Ruby.

“Don’t tell them,” I warn her, stirring the meat. I don’t look at her because every time I do I get a semi, and I think of her coming. She keeps asking me when we are going to have sex, and every time I give her another reason why we can’t. She’s getting annoyed. I want her like my next breath, but it isn’t right. We can’t do it. Even if she keeps telling me it’s about her. There is so much more at stake, and maybe I worry she’ll regret her decision after it’s all said and done. I don’t want us to end and after we sleep together, we’ll be over because there isn’t another option.

“Mack is a good cook. We’ll leave it at that,” Ruby assures the guys.

She takes a seat at the table and Charlie asks her how her exam was. She begins to talk about her exam, and it doesn’t sound like she is speaking English with the complicated words she is using. Ruby is smart, beautiful, kind. She is the whole package.

We don’t have any hard taco shells in the house, but I find a couple packages of soft tortillas so I heat them in the microwave.

Within half an hour, dinner is served. Everyone digs in and raves about how good it is.

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