Page 72 of Pucking my Enemy Boss

Her brow furrows, confusion flickering in her eyes. “I know it’s about Jake.”

My jaw tightens, the words harder to say out loud than I initially thought. “I don’t like the idea of you meeting him. It got in my head, and I didn’t handle it well.”

Holly sits up straighter, her book forgotten on the couch. “You think I’m still interested in Jake?”

“It’s not that I think you are.” It’s hard trying to find the right words. “It’s more that ... I don’t know. I guess I’m used to being the guy women want for one thing. Jake ... he’s different.”

Holly stares at me, eyes widening as realization dawns. “Ethan, you’rejealous?”

My lips press into a thin line, and the little nod of acquiescence is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

For a second, the room is silent, the tension hanging like a weight over us. But then, Holly’s lips curve into a smile, a small, amused sound escaping her.

“Ethan Carter, professional hockey star, brooding and mysterious ... is jealous of a guy like Jake?” Her voice is soft, but there’s warmth in it, the kind that wraps around me, loosening the tightness in my chest.

“Don’t rub it in.”

She laughs—a real, bright laugh—and suddenly, the world feels lighter. She stands, crossing the room toward me, and before I can react, her arms wrap around me, pulling me into a hug.

“I don’t want Jake, Ethan. I wantyou,” she murmurs against my chest, the words grounding me in a way I didn’t know I needed. “There’s no competition.”

The tension eases. The world stops feeling like it’s closing in. And in that moment, everything clicks into place.

Arms wrapping around her, pulling her closer, I bury my face in her neck, the familiar scent of her hair filling my senses. “I’m sorry,” my voice comes out rough. “For being a jerk.”

Holly pulls back slightly, our eyes locking, a soft smile playing on her lips. “Well, you made me worry all through the night. But apology accepted.”

We stand there for a beat longer, just holding each other, the world outside fading into nothing. The apology, the tension, all of it melts away, leaving only us.

But then, because Holly can’t help herself, andI barely can myself, she leans up on her toes, her lips brushing against mine in a way that sends a spark of electricity down my spine. “Now, shut up and kiss me.”

Don’t need to be told twice. My lips crash into hers, all the frustration and jealousy from the past few days dissolving intosomething else—something intense and undeniable. The kiss deepens, hands gripping each other as if we might never let go.

Holly’s fingers trail up my neck, into my hair, and my brain short-circuits for a second, lost in the feeling of her so close, so warm, soright.

When we finally pull apart, breathless, Holly’s eyes are bright, mischief twinkling in their depths. “So, you good now?”

I put my hand on the wall and lean closer to her face. “I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

Leaning even closer, my lips lightly graze under her ear, and she shivers with the contact. “You see, Jake wants something that’s mine, and I won’t let him have it.”

She glares, a little smile playing on her lips. “You think I’m yours?”

“Yes,” I pull her closer. “Your body,” my hands run down her waist and under her dress, “tells me you’re mine.”

Holly closes her eyes, letting out a groan as my fingers press against the damp spot between her legs. “You’re right.”

“I know I am,” I mumble into her neck and she lets out a little laugh, wrapping her arms around my neck. Pushing her against the wall. I lean in to kiss her again, pressing my crotch into her.

“Oh, god,” she tilts her head to the side, exposing a long, graceful, irresistible neckline that I immediately attack with my lips, nibbling collarbone to shoulder.

I reach across her back, slowly pulling down the zipper of her dress, kissing along exposed skin as the dress’s neckline falls down her shoulders. The sight of her white lace strapless bra, pushing up full cleavage, nearly makes me come right then. One hand goes to unfasten the clasp while my mouth descends on one nipple as soon as the lace falls away.

“Ethaaaan,” her knees buckle as she moans.

My free arm circles around her waist, lifting her as she wraps her legs around me. I bite softly down on the nipple and her hands grip my hair roughly, pulling me closer as she moans.

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