Page 89 of Puck Block

There’s a little twitch of her lips, and I know I’m fucked up over her because, instead of letting her have her fun, I threaten her. “I will come up there and get you.”

She crosses her arms, and I’ve lost my patience. I skate over to the opening and sit down on the first set of seats, drop my helmet, then start to unlace my skates.

I hear Knox say he’ll text her later, and when I glance at her again, she’s slowly walking down the steps in my direction. Ire-lacemy skates and wait for her to get closer. As soon as she’s within my reach, I swoop forward, and she yelps.

I hold her tightly against my front, and she pounds my shoulder pads with her tiny fists. “Stop being ridiculous and put me down.”

“You want to know what’s ridiculous?” I ask while skating across the ice to the other side of the rink. “You playing games with me.”

“I’m not playing any games!” she argues.

We’re the only ones in the rink, and that’s such a dangerous thing, considering I am completely unhinged.

We make it to the other end of the arena, and I do a quick scan, confirming we’re alone before sliding her feet to the ice. Her ribcage extends in my grip.

“Admit it. You just gave him your number in front of me to get back at me for this morning.” Taytum tries to look away, but I don't let her. Her sweet gasp hits me square in the face when I force her chin to stay still. I squeeze, and she pouts.

“That’s not true. I gave him my number because we both agreed that last night was a one-time thing. Remember? You needed to get me out of your system.”

Dwelling on what was said before I fucked her doesn’t matter anymore.

“Of course I remember,” I say. “How could I forget anything about last night?”

“You seemed to do a pretty good job forgetting when your mouth was on Bryn’s a minute after it was on mine.”

I knew it.It bothered her.

“I was trying to play it cool so your brother didn’t find out that you were about to scream my name seconds before he came storming upstairs.” I feel myself leaning closer to her. The minute I left her room this morning, I told myself I could never cross the line again, and yet here I am, bending in half to kiss her again.

Anyone could walk into the arena at any given second, but seeing her smile at Knox made me want to do wild things to her in front of everyone–just to prove that she’s mine and not theirs.

“You make me crazy,” I admit. “Look at me…” I drop my head and laugh sarcastically. “I can’t even keep my hands off you when it hasn’t even been five hours since I touched you last.”

“And yet, you expect us to travel in a car together and stay at home with my brother and parents watching our every move?”

“I thought having their eyes on us would help me keep mine off you.”

Taytum says nothing, and still, my fingers twitch to touch her in other places. “You’re going to have to keep me in line, Tay. So stop fucking with me on purpose.”

I promise myself it’ll be a quick kiss. Just enough to curb the craving. But I know it’s a lie. My hand falls to the crook of her neck, and I pull her in close. I suck the hushed words off her tongue and curse the sexy little noise she lets out.

I snap backward and glare at her.

“I’m so fucked,” I admit.

I quickly skate to the locker room and leave her with my taste inside her mouth, praying her brother won’t know that she’s left me with hers.

[ 41 ]

TAYTUM

If the driveback home is any type of foreshadowing for how the rest of the evening is going to go, Ford and I aren’t going to leave my house unscathed.

My ears are bleeding from the volume of the music coming from my brother’s speakers for the last two hours, and it did nothing to help block the inappropriate thoughts filling my head as I stared at Ford’s talented fingers drumming to the beat the whole time.

“There they are.” My mom stands on the porch with her hands on her hips. Naturally, Ford is the first one to greet her with a big hug.

Emory coughs from behind. “Suck-up.”

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