Page 18 of Suck My Puck

When I see the shiny silver butt plug lying in the middle of the carpet, embarrassment morphs into full-on humiliation.

This cannot be happening right now.

I reach over, grab it, and toss it into another random drawer.

I stand up. “Sorry about that,” I say quickly as I study the floor. I can’t bear to look at him right now.

He clears his throat. “It’s okay.”

I don’t miss the hitch in his voice. This is definitely not okay. My neighbor, who I don’t even like, saw my entire sex toy collection. He probably thinks I’m a psycho. Or a sexual deviant.

I close my eyes and attempt to breathe through the top-level humiliation that’s roasting me from the inside out. It feels like my entire body is engulfed in flames.

“Bella, it’s okay,” he says after an awkward silence. “It’s totally fine to have…toys. Perfectly natural. And, um, healthy.”

I tug my hands through my hair, pulling hard against my scalp. Jesus. I’d give anything to disappear into thin air right about now.

When I finally muster the courage to look at him, he’s standing with his shoulders hunched and his hands shoved in the pockets of his joggers. His gaze darts from me to the floor to the far wall. God, he’ssouncomfortable.

He looks back at me and clears his throat. “Good for you for, uh, having all that…stuff.”

My head falls back as I groan. I am going to die of mortification. “Stop. Talking.” I muster what little dignity I have left and look Braden in the eye. “I don’t ever want to talk about this again, okay?”

He nods quickly.

“This never happened. Understand?”

He keeps nodding, then bolts out of the room. A few seconds later, I hear the door to my apartment gently close.

I fall face-first onto my bed and scream into my pillows. I’d give anything to have the floor open up and swallow me whole. Because I have no idea how the hell I’m ever going to look Braden in the eye ever again after what just happened.

Chapter 7

Braden

Ikeep my gaze trained on the ice as we play the Seattle Sea Monsters at home.

They are on fire tonight, but I’ve managed to ward off most of the shots they’ve aimed at me. Still though, we’re down one goal because of my shitty goaltending. We’re halfway through the second period and the score is two to three.

Probably because my focus is shot.

It has been ever since I helped Bella move her dresser yesterday and saw her sex toys spilled onto the floor.

A hot flush makes its way up my neck and face. My whole body is burning up. And not because I’m sweating my balls off in all my gear.

It’s because the second I saw those toys, I started to imagine Bella using them on herself.

I pictured her sprawled out on her bed, pressing a vibrator between her legs…

I was half-hard instantly. I had to shove my hands in the pockets of my joggers and hunch forward so she wouldn’t notice. Thankfully she didn’t.

I feel bad for imagining her doing something so dirty. But I couldn’t help it. Bella’s beautiful. And watching a sexy woman play with herself is hands-down the hottest thing I could imagine. It’s one of my favorite things to do in bed, watch the woman I’m with use a toy on herself. Nothing gets me harder faster.

But Bella isn’t someone I’m dating or hooking up with. She’s my neighbor. Who doesn’t even like me. And I shouldn’t have thought about her in that way.

Guilt throttles me for fantasizing about her like that. I’m a fucking heathen, on top of being a shitty goalie.

I force myself to refocus on the game. Players from both teams are battling for control of the puck near the Sea Monsters’ net. One of their defensemen, Sam McKesson, tussles with Xander before taking possession of the puck.

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