Page 7 of Suck My Puck

“I’m serious,” Xander says. “That used to be your old ritual. Getting laid the night before a game. You were on fire. Why’d you ever stop?”

“Because the last time I did that, we lost right before going into the playoffs. I figured I needed to change things up. And since then, it’s worked.”

Xander pushes his floppy brown hair out of his eyes. “Yeah, well, maybe now it’s time to change it up again.”

I don’t say anything.

“I mean it,” Xander says. “You’re a goalie. You’re all about rituals. Why not try a new one?”

“Leave it to the manwhore to suggest getting laid as the solution to your problem,” Theo jokes.

Xander shoves his shoulder, but he’s smiling. “Formermanwhore. And you’re one to talk. You used to sleep around like it was an Olympic sport.”

Theo flashes that smug, pretty boy smile he’s known for. “Yeah, I did. Not anymore though.”

He looks down at the gold band on his left ring finger. He’s been married for almost two years to his wife,Maya. It’s kind of nuts, honestly. I never thought he’d be the kind of guy who’d want to settle down, but I’ve never seen him so happy.

“We should start a club.” Xander grins. “Former manwhores who are now happily married to amazing women.”

Theo chuckles and fist-bumps him. “I’m in.”

“Jesus,” Del mutters behind the rim of his beer glass before taking a sip. “You two are weird.”

Xander tosses a napkin at him. “Oh, come on. Don’t act like you’re any different. You’re a simp for Ingrid, and you fucking love it.”

The stern expression Del normally wears ease after a second. The corner of his mouth hooks up as he starts to smile. “Fuck yeah, I’m a simp for my girl.”

“Atta boy!” Xander hollers. Del chuckles. Theo makes a grossed-out face.

“I don’t wanna hear anymore about you and my cousin,” Theo says. Del rolls his eyes.

Ingrid is Theo’s cousin and is also in charge of the Bashers’ social media accounts. She’s helped the team gain popularity through an impressive social media campaign she started last season.

Theo and Del couldn’t stand each other when Del first joined the team last spring. For years, Del was known as the dirtiest player in the league, doling out cheap hits and brawling over every little thing. Before he joined the Bashers, we’d all fought with him countless times.

So when Theo noticed that Del liked Ingrid, he hated him even more. Can’t say that I blame him. If I had a sister or a close female relative, I wouldn’t be thrilled for her to date my teammate either, especially one that I fought with constantly.

But when it became clear that Ingrid and Del were serious, Theo eventually came around. He and Del worked out their differences and are pretty good friends now.

“Look, all I’m saying is that maybe getting your dick wet the night before games could help,” Xander says.

I look at him. “What the hell does Sophie see in you? She’s a genius. And you sound like a teenage boy when you talk.”

Xander flashes a smug smile and leans back in his chair. “I don’t know. I just know I’m one lucky bastard.”

“I still can’t believe Coach Porter is okay with you being with his daughter,” Theo says. “I was positive he was going to murder you when he found out you two were dating.”

“Well, he didn’t. And he’s cool with me being engaged to Sophie, so it all worked out,” Xander says.

Xander’s fiancee is Sophie Porter, our coach’s daughter and the team doctor. She was a child prodigy who finished medical school in her early twenties. Kind of nuts to think a brainiac like her and a himbo like Xander could be such a good couple.

Xander turns to me. “Seriously, though. Think about what I said.”

I sigh. He’s not wrong. I used to hook up with someone the night before a game, and it worked like a charm. But just the thought of approaching a woman and trying to flirt with her doesn’t even seem appealing. I feel like such a fucking loser with how badly I’ve been playing.

Xander glances around the half-full bar.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

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