Page 35 of Don't Puck the Wrong Brother

I nod, hovering above her ear. "Not everything is going to be perfect. At least not all the time. We can have perfect moments but difficult circumstances. Or perfect circumstances and difficult moments."

She swallows as I rub her harder. "That's too…much insight for a hockey boy," she says, trying not to moan.

I smile, glad she's acknowledging that I'm not just a jock who likes to fuck. "Strip away our circumstance, and we have––"

"Why are you torturing me?" she breathes.

I stop my hand. "Are we ordering in?"

I can see her mind racing as she searches my face. I'm begging her not to say no to me again. She pushes my hand away.

She's still shaky as she says, "You won't touch me like that again and we have a deal."

I stare back at her. "I can't make any promises."

She walks around me. "I have standards, Sanderson."

"Oh, I know."

"We're not eating here," she says. "Everybody already knows you're in here, so you need to leave and I'll meet you later."

I watch the back of her head, my eyes lingering down to her shoulders. They're…fucking adorable. I can imagine her lifting tiny weights to tone those muscles.

"How do I know you're not full of shit?" I ask.

She snickers. "You don't, so I guess you'll have to find out."

She busies herself with cleaning up her dorm as I watch her.

"Meet me inside the rink. I'll have food."

Her eyes widen as she turns around. "Okay, you should go now."

I don't know what else I can do to convince her. I'm no Aristotle but I hope my words changed her point of view.

I use my hands to say something, but no words come out. I guess I'm walking out now. I leave her room, catching eyes from a few of the girls hanging out on the couches.

"Hey, Sanders," someone says. "Not surprised to see you here but I am that you're leaving so early."

"Rejected," I force a smile.

"Aww," she says, and the rest of the girls watch me.

"So, I'm out."

"Okay. Bye."

I wave awkwardly at the group of girls. As soon as I open the door and exit through the stairs, I hear the bubbled up laughter behind me. I shake my head with a smile.

I want to impress Hannah, but I don't want to assume she likes all foods. Shit, what if she has allergies? I rub the back of my neck as I sit in my car. I need to figure something out fast, but everything I scroll through doesn't scream impressed.

Fuck it. I don't need anything fancy. I find myself at Chick-fil-A. So romantic, I know. I order chicken, waffle fries, salads, fruit, a few sandwiches, and a few specialty drinks. Jesus Christ, you'd think I was buying dinner for the whole team.

I grab the order. "Thank you."

As I head to the rink, I grab my hoodie and put it on. I plan to put this hoodie over her head before the end of the night.

I make my way to the rink, walking fast. I place the food inside and then I stand outside the door to wait for her. I pull out my phone to scroll because my nerves are at an all time high. I glance around at the empty lot. She's going to stand me up, isn't she?

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