Page 67 of Dirty Pucker

She raises her glass. “To Del. For kicking the shit out of that scumbag.”

“To Del,” Sophie and I say. The three of us clink our glasses and sip our drinks.

As I gaze at the bubbles in my glass, I notice that ugly feeling starts to fade.

I think about Del, how quickly he reacted to defend me. How unfazed his expression was when he was taken to the penalty box. How he looked just as unbothered when he got kicked out of the game.

He did all that for me.

I think about my ex, Kyle, how we’d be out with his friends and they’d make snide comments about how silly my job was, even though I made more money as an influencer than all of them. They all worked normal office jobs as attorneys and accountants and turned their noses up at anyone who had a nontraditional career. When they made fun of me, Kyle never once defended me. He’d just laugh along, and then make excuses for them later on when we were alone together.

“Babe, you know they’re just giving you a hard time. Your job is just really different from what they do for a living. Try and have a sense of humor about it.”

Even just thinking about how he always defended them—never me—is still so upsetting.

I know that’s not the same as a guy making a horrific joke about assaulting me. Maybe if that had happened, Kyle would have defended me.

But that’s kind of the point. I can’t say for sure he would have. Because I don’t ever remember him standing up for me.

But Del did. Del put his career and his standing in the league at risk to defend me.

I wasn’t even there, and he stood up for me.

My stomach dips again, but this time it feels way more intense.

“Hey, ladies.”

I look up and see Xander, Theo, Blomdahl, Del, and a few other guys from the team, all dressed in suits, walking over to us.

Xander sits next to Sophie on the arm of the couch we’re sitting on. Theo takes the armchair next to Maya. Del, Blomdahl, and their other teammates take the couch across from us.

“Sorry about the loss,” I say to the guys.

Xander and Theo shrug like it’s no big deal.

“It’s okay. We beat them the last three times we played them. We’ll let them have this one.” Theo smiles. Maya kisses him.

The server comes by with more champagne flutes and takes the guys’ drink orders.

Xander asks if the champagne is any good and I offer him my glass to try. I look over and see Del staring at me. His gaze is dark and watchful. He blinks before glancing off to the side.

My stomach does that flippy thing again at the way he was looking at me.

Like he was watching over me, making sure I was safe.

Heat flashes across my skin. I can’t remember the last time a guy looked at me like that. There’s something so protective about it.

I like it. A lot.

That heat makes its way all the way down between my legs. I start to ache, then quickly cross my legs.

Wow. I didn’t know protectiveness turned me on this much.

I clear my throat and say, “No problem,” when Xander thanks me and hands me my drink back. I down the rest of the champagne in my flute, then chug from my water glass. My throat feels hot and dry all of a sudden.

When I look at Del, I catch him looking at me again, that same watchful stare. And then the corners of his mouth curve up slightly in the sweetest, most subtle smile.

My heart flutters.

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