Page 41 of Dirty Pucker

If this woman wanted me to go skydiving with a faulty parachute, I’d have a hard time saying no to her.

I know I should stay away from her, but I can’t help it. I like talking to her. And I want to spend as much time with her as I can.

I like everything about her. The way she laughs, the way she smiles, the way she makes sure I’m included every time there’s a team gathering, the way her eyes are bright and focused whenever she looks at me—like she’s genuinely interested in me and what I have to say.

The way she made me feel when she found out that I used to help my sister with her hair when we were kids.

I think about what she said earlier tonight.

You’re an amazing big brother. And a good person. And I’m not just saying that. I mean it. You’re incredible, Del.

I can still feel the warmth pooling in my chest, just like it did the moment she said that. Because it meant the world.

Maybe it’s stupid, but I don’t care. That’s not something I hear very often, how good of a person I am.

I hear what a great hockey player I am all the time, and that’s nice. But not as nice as it feels to know that someone like Ingrid, who’s sweet and funny and likable and sincere, thinks I’m a genuinely good person.

Because most people don’t really know me. They think I’m Dirty Del, the player who never backs down from a fight. The player who’s an asshole on the ice, who will do anything to get under my opponent’s skin.

But Ingrid doesn’t see me like that. She thinks I’m a sweetheart. She thinks I’m a good person. And that means more than she’ll ever know.

That warmth in my chest intensifies.

I force myself to stop thinking about how perfect Ingrid is as I walk into Theo and Maya’s place. It’s a massive house in the mountains, with an open-concept floorplan and modern finishings.

“Wow. Nice place,” I say as I toe off my shoes at the entryway.

Theo flips on some lights. “Thanks. It was a gift from Ingrid.”

He turns and smiles at his cousin, who is smiling as she walks over to the marble kitchen island.

“You gave them a house as a gift?” My voice hitches in shock.

Ingrid chuckles. “Yup. It used to be my house, but I was traveling so much. Theo was staying here when he was taking a pause from hockey. Maya was my personal assistant at the time, and I asked her to stay with Theo at the house to keep an eye on him.” She gives her cousin a look. “He had quite the party boy reputation and I didn’t want him trashing my place. But thenhe and Maya ending up falling in love while living in this house together, and it seemed like the right thing to do, to let them have it.”

Maya runs over and gives Ingrid a hug. “Best friend ever.” She grabs Ingrid’s hand. “Come on, let’s go get changed for the steam room.”

Sophie follows them down the hallway while the guys and I stand in the kitchen. I watch Ingrid walk off, in awe. This woman has a heart of gold.

Theo tells us he’ll grab towels for all of us for the steam room. When he returns, he hands me one.

“I gotta piss. Steam room’s at the other end of the house, next to the home gym,” Theo says before heading to the master bedroom.

Xander and Blomdahl head down the hall to a couple of the guest bedrooms to change. I head to the hallway bathroom, strip out of my clothes, and wrap the towel around my waist.

I walk out and make my way to the steam room. When I open the door, I’m shocked at the size. A lot of my teammates have steam rooms in their places, but they’re pretty small, usually only room for one or two people.

But this one is huge. Ten people could fit in here easily.

The heat and humidity pummel me in the face the second I step inside. I take a few seconds and deep breathe so I can acclimate to the sudden temperature increase. I sit on the wooden bench. A minute later, the door opens.

I look up, expecting to see one of my teammates. But then I spot Ingrid standing there in the tiniest bikini I’ve ever seen in my life.

My eyes pop out of my head as I gawk at her perfect breasts, which are spilling out of that swimsuit top.

She chuckles. I look up and see her cheeks flush red.

“I know, I look ridiculous.” She holds her hands in front of her, fidgeting. “This swimsuit top is way too small.”

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