Page 93 of Zero Pucks

“When do you go back?” she asked.

My stomach flopped. “Oh. Uh…” My plane ticket had me there for another six days, but I already knew I wasn’t going to make that flight. “I’m not sure yet. I’ve been thinking about sticking around.” Most likely. Assuming that Tucker really and truly meant it when he said he wanted me to stay.

“Well, I hope I see you again this week.” She winked at me. “I like you. We should do lunch while you’re here.”

I had no idea what to do with that strange butterfly feeling in my chest, so I let it sit with me as I hunkered back down on the benches and waited. The rink was so quiet that I became profoundly aware of the ringing in my ears, and I had half a mind to sneak into the locker rooms to find Tucker just for some distraction.

Bzzt! Bzzt!

I jumped half a foot, then dug my phone out of my pocket. I didn’t recognize the number, and my heart sank. I’d blocked Bryce, but there was every chance this was him again. Or it was something else. Maybe it was work. Maybe they were going to tell me to get my ass back to the office, or I was fired.

Maybe there was an emergency with Alessia and it was the paramedics. Or the police.

My anxiety was too high to ignore it.

“Hello?”

“Baby—”

Shit. Shit shit shit shit…

“Deo? Are you there?”

I took a deep breath, then swiped on my phone screen until the call began recording. “I’m pretty sure I have enough evidence now to get a restraining order against you.”

Bryce laughed. “For what? Making a phone call to my boyfriend?”

I almost choked on my tongue. “I am not your boyfriend.”

“You know this little town is not cute, right? Like, who even chooses to live in a place like this? There’s a single supermarket and one bar. It’s embarrassing.”

My heart began to thunder in my chest. “A-are you… You’re here?”

He laughed. “I might be. Or maybe I’m fucking with you. Who knows, Amedeo. But I will tell you if you agree to quit playing this little cat-and-mouse game with me.”

My tongue felt like it was trying to stick to the roof of my mouth and cut off my air supply. I wouldn’t let him do this. I wouldn’t let him get to me. “I think I could definitely get you on stalking charges now.”

“Baby, listen?—”

“Stop fucking calling me that! I’m not your goddamn baby!” My voice echoed around the rink, and I forced myself to take another deep breath. “I hate you.”

He snorted. “You and I both know you don’t mean that. You have no spine, Deo. Which I kind of liked. It makes it easy to bend you over my lap and spank your ass until you decide to behave. And trust me, when you beg me to take you back, you’re going to have to work your useless little ass off to get me to forgive you.”

I felt sick to my stomach, but I wasn’t going to give in. Not now. Not ever. Even if Tucker turned me out tonight and told me he never wanted to see me again, I was done with Bryce. I was done with him tormenting me and making me doubt myself. I was done letting him convince me I wasn’t worthy of a good man.

Fuck him.

“Uh, hello?”

I sucked in a breath, then took all the emotion out of my voice. “Is there something you want, or did you just call to waste my time?”

“Darling, I don’t think you understood what I just?—”

“Yes,” I interrupted. I closed my eyes, pictured Tucker’s smile, and felt strong. “I understood you just fine. It’s your same old boring bullshit, and it’s starting to make me feel sorry for you. I mean, if you are here, that means you flew thousands of miles across the country to beg me to take your sorry ass back. If you’re not here, it means that your life is so pathetic and sad that you’re making up lies to try and get under my skin because your little fuck toy of the week isn’t giving you enough attention. Which wouldn’t surprise me. At some point, your hot little fuck toys are going to realize they don’t want some aging leech who can’t do anything for himself.”

He growled. “Watch your fucking mouth.”

“No.”

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