Page 11 of Puck Block

I snort out a laugh.

“Stop it. I’m serious.” Claire spins me around and makes me look at myself in the mirror. Her heart-shaped face is beside mine, resting on my shoulder. Our wavy hair mixes together, mine the color of the sun and hers as warm as cinnamon. “I don’t know when I became your hype girl instead of the other way around, but tonight…we’re both getting laid.”

I flatten my lips. “That’s easy for you to say. You have a boyfriend.”

All I have is an overprotective big brother andFord.

“Do you know what having a boyfriend means?” she asks.

I answer right away. “Unlimited sex with the captain of the hockey team?”

Claire’s smile grows bigger. “A wingman. We’re going to make it our mission to get you laid. And that doesn’t mean finding you someone…because you can do that all on your own. I’ve never seen someone flirt the way you do.”

I smile. It’s true. I’ve had my fair share of flirting.

It’s just what comes after that I’m lacking.

“Theo and I will distract Emory long enough so you can sneak away without him following you like a shadow.”

“Don’t forget about Ford. He’s just as bad.” If not worse.

Every guy on the hockey team, and mostly everyone who hangs out at the football house, knows that I’m off-limits. Emory has made it his life’s mission to decide who’s good enough for me, and his threats carry a lot of heat, considering he’s one of the best hockey goalies in the nation.

The only difference between now and the past is, all Emory has to do is look in someone’s direction, and they’ll back off. When he and Ford ruled the halls of our high school, they spread every rumor possible to keep me single forever.

They even went as far as telling everyone I had a rare disorder that would cause me to die if I had an orgasm. When challenged by the captain of the football team, Ford took it upon himself to mock up a fake medical article explaining the disorder and printed it out for “educational purposes.” The rumor stood that whoever made me orgasm and killed me would be charged for murder.

They say I should be thankful they’ve stopped telling people that.

I say I should murder them instead.

“So?” Claire asks. “What do you think?”

I grin. “I think we’re both going to get laid tonight.”

[ 6 ]

FORD

“They saya man who can dance is also good in bed.” I send the blonde I’m dancing with a flirty smile. She laughs like a hyena, and I feel my smile slide off my face but decide to overlook the obnoxious giggle and swing her around again. The country song is on full blast, and I wish I had my cowboy hat to drive the point further, but nonetheless, I’ve been swaying this girl off her feet for the last hour with my sudden Southern accent.

Everyone says it comes out when I’ve had too much to drink, but I’m not drunk.

I’m tipsy.

There’s a difference.

“Quit while you’re ahead.” Aasher, our co-captain, pulls the drink out of my hand, and I stop mid-twirl. The blonde stumbles, but I catch her around the waist.

“Party foul,” I say, hauling her upright. “Give me my drink back.”

“We have conditioning tomorrow morning. You show up hungover, and Coach will punish all of us.”

“He’s right.” Theo is standing behind Aasher with his arms crossed. You’d think after he made it official with Claire, he’d be less uptight about the season, but nope. He’s even worse.

“Calm down, Daddy,” I quip.

Theo’s cheeks redden, and his jaw flexes, but then he visibly relaxes when a football player snatches the blonde from my arms.

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