Page 24 of Puck Block

“Well, I’m out. We’ve got a game tomorrow, and don’t even try to pull that bullshit tonight about pre-game rituals. I’ve got my own rituals to do.”

Taytum pretends to puke because we all know what his rituals consist of. Emory pairs his smirk with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“You got her?” He tips his chin to his sister.

“Always.” I take my elbow and ram it gently into Taytum’s ribs. She smacks my arm away and scoffs.

“Later,” he says before leaning down to Taytum. “Oh, and stop eye-fucking the guy behind me.”

Taytum’s mouth pops open, and I laugh under my breath. Her cheeks turn an even darker shade of red. When he’s gone, she snaps over to me. “Did you tell him?”

I’m quick to prove a point. “Is he still alive?”

She rolls her pretty eyes. “Good point.”

I nudge her with my knee. “Go sit where Emory was sitting.”

“Why? Don’t want to sit next to me?” she teases.

I grab another fry, but instead of stuffing it in my mouth, I stuff it in hers. I smirk when her eyes widen. “That’s to get you to shut up.” She glares at me while chewing. “And I want you over there so you quit eye-fucking Cruz.”

“This isn’t going to work,” she murmurs. Regardless, she slides away from me and into the opposite side of the booth. “I can’t even look at a guy without you acting like a caveman.”

I wag my finger at her after placing my water down on the table. She steals it and sucks the rest of it through the straw. Her throat bobs up and down with a slow swallow as she waits for my rebuttal, but I hesitate.

Because,isthis going to work?

A very recent and vivid memory appears in my head of her with tears in her eyes, desperate for my help. “It’s going to work, but you’ve gotta sign this first.”

I lift a hip, pull out a piece of paper, and slide it across the table. My hand stays on it when Rush and his brother pile out of their booth. I keep my gaze glued to Cruz as he slowly walks past and glances at Taytum. When she peers up at him and bats her eyelashes, I kick her under the table.

She gasps. “Oww!”

“Eyes on me, and pay attention.”

Her eyebrows knit together, and I almost snap my fingers at her when she peers past my head and watches him leave The Bex.

“You done?” I seem impatient, but really, I’m just irritated that she’s showing interest in someone other than me at the moment.

Taytum sighs and shoves my hand off the paper. She flips it over, scans it for a second, then laughs under her breath. “Are you kidding me? Did you get this idea from Theo?”

I tap my temple and shoot her a crooked smile. “I’ve got a good memory. I saw the little list Claire gave him when they became roommates. It had you written all over it. I thought it was only fair to set some of our own rules.”

She concentrates on the list.

Ford’s Rules:

1. No fucking hockey players

2. No sexting hockey players

3. No flirting with hockey players

4. Ford Gets Full approval over who taytum chooses to pursure and when

The paper crumples in Taytum’s grip, and when she looks up at me, I have to force myself to keep it together.

Okay, fine.They’re a little extreme, but they’re also necessary.

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