Page 83 of Beautiful Collide

“Cool.” He gives me a quick hug before heading down the hall, his strides confident and carefree.

The second Dane disappears around the corner, I whirl on Hudson, grabbing the front of his shirt and yanking him into the hallway.

“You think you’re cute, don’t you?” I whisper-shout, my voice low but furious.

“I am cute,” he replies without hesitation.Annoying jerk.

I inhale deeply, trying to keep my composure. “You know what I mean.”

He scrunches his nose, tilting his head like he’s genuinely puzzled. “Do I? I kind of think I don’t.”

I step closer, narrowing my eyes as I whisper, “You flipped me off.”

His grin doesn’t falter for even a second. “Did I? Or were you just looking for reasons to be mad at me? Because it’s hard to flip someone off while wearing hockey gloves. You, of all people, should know how bulky they are. I think you’re making this up just to win the bet.”

“You’re such a—”

“Careful.” He leans down just enough to bring us eye to eye. “Wouldn’t want to break our little deal, would you? That’d be embarrassing.”

My jaw locks so hard it’s a miracle my teeth don’t crack. The worst part is he’s right. If I snap, I lose. And Hudson, the king of arrogance, would never let me live it down.

I glare at him, my whole body vibrating with restrained fury. “You’re insufferable.”

“Yet here you are,” he counters, stepping around me with infuriating ease. He gives me a cocky wink as he walks away, his voice trailing him. “See you at the bar, Hex.”

He whistles as he goes, like he doesn’t have a single care in the world.

My fists clench at my sides, and I vow—right then and there—that I will win this bet if it’s the last thing I do. Hudson Wilde may have the upper hand tonight, but he has no idea who he’s dealing with.

He thinks he’s clever and untouchable, but this isn’t over. Not even close.

28

Molly

With the firstround of the playoffs over, it’s nice to have this little break even if it’s only for a day.

Of all the events we do as a team, this is by far my favorite.

Not because I’m particularly social or love standing around with players who constantly test my patience.

No, it’s because there are puppies.

Dozens of adorable, squishy, barking puppies.

My heart doesn’t stand a chance.

I love dogs.

Dogs are the greatest thing that has happened to all of humankind.

Honestly, if I was given a choice, I’d adopt every dog, start a compound, and live there happily for the rest of my life.

Unfortunately, logistically, that’s not an option, so instead, I take part in fun events like this. Helping dogs in need get adopted.

A few feet away, I hear a commotion and turn to look in that direction. The makeshift stage buzzes with activity, and in thebackground is my favorite sound—the sound of puppies barking. I try to keep a straight face, but every time one of them lets out a yip or trips over its own paws, my resolve crumbles a little more.

Heaven.

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