Page 66 of The Score

Her: Don’t want to risk it. Let’s wait for a night we can be alone.

Me: You have no sense of adventure.

Her: You have no patience.

Me: Not when it comes to you.

Her: We had sex 3 times last night! I’m sure that’ll tide you over til we see each other again.

Me: And when will that be?

Her: Tomorrow night maybe? I’ll let you know.

Me: Fine.

Me: BTW—totally gonna think of you when I’m jerking off tonight.

Her: That’s cool. I just fingered myself and pretended it was you.

I groan out loud.

Tucker swivels his head toward me. He looks at my face, then my phone, then rolls his eyes. “Seriously, man? You’re sexting right beside me? Get a room.”

IwishI could get a room. Allie’s room, to be exact. But clearly that’s not in the cards tonight. And now, thanks to that little cocktease, I get to spend the rest of the bus ride with a stiffy.

16

DEAN

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Dakota skips around the equipment room like a tiny pixie while I stack helmets on the shelf in front of me.

Since the boys’ locker room isn’t exclusive to the hockey team—it’s also the one used by every other male student at Hastings Elementary—that means all the hockey gear needs to be stored in this equipment room. As assistant coach, it’s my job to put it all away.

“Well, do you?” she demands when I take longer than two seconds to respond.

I glance at her over my shoulder. “No, I don’t. And shouldn’t you be doing your homework right now?” Not that I mind her company. Dakota is highly entertaining.

She hops up onto the closed lid of a large storage container and sits cross-legged. “Don’t have any homework today.” Twirling the end of her blond ponytail, she chews loudly on her gum, blows a big pink bubble, then says, “Why not?”

“Why not what?” I shove the last helmet on the shelf and turn toward her.

“Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“Because I don’t.”

“Have youeverhad a girlfriend?”

“Sure. I’ve had lots.” Well, not since I started college, but I don’t tell Dakota that. It probably isn’t appropriate to reveal to a ten-year-old girl that I’ve been single for the last few years because I was busy screwing my way through Briar.

Speaking of screwing, if I don’t get some action soon, I swear to God my balls will explode. I didn’t end up seeing Allie on Sunday, and she wasn’t able to meet up yesterday either. She’s been busy with rehearsals and mentioned something about needing to make an audition tape, but I’m starting to wonder if she’s dodging me. She’d better not be, because I’m not ready for this…fling? Sure, fling. I’m not ready for this fling to end.

“You know my brother Robbie?” Dakota asks in a hushed voice.

I snicker loudly. “No, kid, I don’t know Robbie. I just coach his team.”

A sheepish flush blooms on her cheeks. “Oops. Right. That was a stupid question.”

“Ya think?”

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