Page 56 of Zero Pucks

He snorted. “No, baby. This is a public ice skating rink most days. No one gives a shit who we are.”

I had a feeling that wasn’t entirely true, but there was no point in arguing. I gave his fingers one last squeeze, and then I hurried back the way Jonah had led me. By the time I was outside, the parking lot had almost entirely cleared out.

There were lingering groups of people, a few of whom were giving me strange looks, and I knew it was because they had some idea of who I was. I just didn’t know what that meant. Jealousy, maybe? I couldn’t imagine that anyone single wanted Tucker to be with some polo-wearing nerd like me.

The man was model-gorgeous, cut like marble, and while his personality might have been a little rough around the edges, he was kind. And he was so, so sweet. If he’d been mine—really mine—I would have never let him go.

For now, all I could do was ignore the people staring, get into my car, and pull around the back. Tucker was waiting for me, now standing on his legs with his chair folded up and resting against him. He was leaning heavily on a cane with a huge bag over his shoulder.

From where I was, I could see him talking to a couple of guys I didn’t recognize at all. Then, as I reached the curb, I noticed the coach walk up and clap Tucker on the shoulder. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but Tucker’s face was set in a scowl, so I didn’t think it was anything good.

I waited until the coach walked off before opening my door and jogging around to the sidewalk. “Can I help?”

Tucker smiled softly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Nah. As long as my hockey bag will fit in your trunk, I can get it.”

It probably would. It was a rental, and I hadn’t tried it out, but I popped it open anyway and let Tucker fuss around until he had everything situated. I got in, watching as he fit his wheelchair in the back seat, and then he slid beside me and dropped his head back against the headrest.

“Sorry.”

My eyes widened. “What for?”

“I wanted tonight to be different. I wanted to show you off to the guys and maybe grab some pizza or something with everyone. Instead, Boden had to lodge his stick even further up his own ass. He’s refusing to listen to reason, and—” He stopped abruptly and turned toward me. “Sorry,” he said again. “I’m rambling.”

I reached for him. I couldn’t help it. I coasted a touch along his rough jaw, enjoying the way his stubble scratched at my palm. “Please stop saying sorry. I’ve had a rough couple of weeks, so I’m not exactly upset I didn’t have to socialize with a bunch of strangers.”

His eyes widened, and his sighted one fixed on my face. “Oh my God, I didn’t even ask if you wanted to—shit. Deo, please tell me if I’m making you uncomfortable.”

“You’re not.” I dropped my hand, and he snagged it before I could pull it into my lap. God, he was so tactile—like he was always searching for someone to hold.

I wanted that person to be me. Which was absolutely fucking ridiculous, considering I barely knew him, but it was impossible to ignore what my heart—and my dick—wanted so badly.

I took a breath and then said, “This has been a lot for me. I came here expecting you to be a little pissed off that I married you and then abandoned you in a hotel room, and instead you’ve been beyond amazing.”

“Okay, truth? I didn’t love waking up alone,” he admitted softly. “I thought I’d hired a hooker who stole my wallet, my legs, and possibly an organ or two.”

I flushed. “It didn’t occur to me that you were going to struggle to get back to your room until I was almost at the airport. I feel like a complete asshole for not bringing your legs back to you. I was just, well…”

“Panicking?” he offered. He sighed and reached out, stroking a touch over my hair. “I wanted to be pissed off. I came home a little upside down over everything. I was determined not to like you at all, but the moment I set eyes on you, I couldn’t help it. And that’s probably how I felt in Vegas. It’s easy not to be angry when I look at your face.”

I nodded, and I felt similar. Except, I’d gone home to a miserable life that was completely upended. But now that I was here with him, touching him, everything felt okay again. “I don’t know what to think or how to feel except that spending time with you is nice. And all your friends have been…not what I expected.”

“I hope in a good way.”

I laughed. “In the best way. But to be honest, I don’t think I’m ready to be shoved into a locker room full of people who know who I am and what we did.” I swallowed thickly. “I need time to process everything.”

He bit his lip and nodded. “I get it. Like I said, I can get ahead of myself, and I don’t want to fuck this up, so please tell me if it’s too much.”

“It’s too much.”

He stiffened. “I can respect that. You remember the way back to my place, right? I can just?—”

“No. Tucker,” I was screwing this all up. “N-not…not that. I want you to come home with me. I just didn’t w-want to meet a bunch of strangers. This is good.”

He touched my jaw again, pressing his thumb to my lower lip. “Is the stammer anxiety or a speech thing?”

“Both. It’s a speech thing that I had a ton of therapy for, but when my brain moves too fast for my mouth, or I get all worked up and panicked, it starts again.”

“Hmm.” He didn’t say anything else, and after a long moment, he dropped his hand back to his lap.

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