Page 119 of Dirty Pucker

Since I took over Del’s Instagram account, Del has amassed almost fifty thousand followers. I post content regularly to his account and have noticed such a difference in the kind of comments he’s been getting recently. Whenever I post a photo of him during practice or a game, people rave about his skills as a player. And when I do fun posts, like of him posting food photos or goofing around with the other guys on the team or playing with the cats and dogs at the local shelter, he gets tons of glowing comments.

It’s been awesome to see just how positive the response has been. People are starting to see that he’s not just Dirty Del. He’s a sweet guy with a funny and wholesome side.

Maya smiles at me. “You made the Bashers fanbase fall in love with Dirty Del. Do you know how incredible that is? You’ve got such a talent for social media, Ingrid. Be proud.”

I soften at her heartfelt words. “Del said the same thing to me.”

She smiles. “He knows how brilliant his girlfriend is.”

I’m quiet for a second. “I had a hard time believing him though when he said it. And I think it’s because of the way Kyle and his friends used to belittle my work as an influencer.”

Maya’s brow furrows in concern. She grabs my hand in hers.

“I mean, I know social media isn’t the most important job. Not like I’m out here saving the world,” I say.

“Hey.” Maya gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “Don’t you dare talk yourself down. None of us are saving the world or curing cancer. That doesn’t mean our jobs don’t matter. That doesn’t mean we don’t deserve to be respected.”

I nod, agreeing with her.

“Kyle was a massive jackass who had no business criticizing your job,” she says. “He was a corporate lawyer. Talk about one of the most useless jobs on the planet.”

I laugh.

“You’re with a guy who is a million times better than your douchebag ex.” Maya flashes a soft smile. “Del recognizes how brilliant you are. He’d never in a million years belittle you.”

Warm gathers in my chest. My heart thuds. She’s right. He’s amazing.

She nods toward the ice, where Del and the rest of the Bashers are warming up. I watch as he goes through his stretch routine. We’re sitting to the right of the Bashers team bench, a couple rows back. Del is right in front of us, but he hasn’t seen us yet.

Maya looks at Del, then at me. “Del could kick your douchebro ex’s ass with one hand tied behind his back. That’s pretty amazing too.”

I burst out laughing. Just then I catch eyes with Del. He waves and flashes that killer half grin. A second later, his gaze drops to the jersey I’m wearing.

Hisjersey.

Even from this far away, I can see the look in his eyes. I catch a flash of something feral. Like he’s thrilled and hungry at the same time.

It sends butterflies whipping around my stomach.

He quirks up an eyebrow. And then he holds up a gloved hand and makes a spinning motion with his finger.

“I think he wants the full view,” Maya teases.

With my eyes locked on Del, I stand up, swipe my hair over my shoulder, and turn around.

I look over my shoulder so I can see his reaction. That hungry look in his eyes intensifies. His half-smile turns into a full-on grin.

A second later, he runs his tongue along his lips. My stomach dips.

“Someone really, really likes seeing you wear his jersey,” Maya teases.

I turn back around and sit down. Del’s gaze is still glued on me as he skates backwards to finish up his warmup.

One of his teammates gets his attention and he finally looks away.

When I exhale, I notice just how quickly my heart’s beating.

“The way you two eye-fuck each other is epic,” Maya says.

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