Page 55 of Zero Pucks

“I’m getting hard,” I whispered, my ears so hot it felt like they were glowing.

He pulled back, glancing down, then cleared his throat. “It’s always been a fantasy of mine to have a little locker room?—”

“No,” I said, loud and a little too quickly. His jaw snapped shut, and uncertainty clouded his expression. Shit. I hadn’t meant to do that. “It’s…there are people everywhere. I just met one of your…whatever you call them. Rivals? The guy Boden was fighting.”

Tucker didn’t fight me as I slid off his lap, and he rolled back a few inches, glancing down the corridor. “Aw, hell. I need to call him. Well, no. Bodie needs to call him.”

“Is Boden still here?”

Tucker’s expression fell, and he shook his head. “He took off after the second intermission. He, uh…he and Ford kind of got into it.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he glanced up at me. “Sorry you’re here on a total drama night.”

“It’s fine. I don’t fully understand what’s going on, but?—”

“We can’t talk about it here.” Tucker pushed forward and seized my hand, squeezing my fingers. “Look, I kind of have this thing about me where I have zero chill at all. When I see something I want, unless it’s an actual crime, I usually go for it.”

“Okay,” I said slowly, not sure if I should hold tighter or pull away. His gaze was intense. It was hard to just stand there and take it.

He licked his lips. “I want you. You figured that out, right?”

Unable to help a laugh, I shrugged. “I guess, yeah. Obviously, I want you too.” I gestured at the slight tent in my jeans.

Tucker’s gaze caught on it, and he looked at me, unblinking for several moments. “Mhm. Um…” His voice was honey thick and slow. After a second, he blinked rapidly, then glanced up. “Can I have a ride to your place?”

“To m-my place?”

“Ford and Bodie are probably going to have a huge fight, and I really don’t feel like being part of it tonight. Can I stay with you?”

This wasn’t going to be a platonic sleepover. I felt a sudden wave of hesitation because was I really ready for that? Kissing was one thing. Being groped in the bathroom and eye-fucked in an empty corridor, that was all fine.

But things with me and Bryce had just ended. He was my first and only real long-term relationship. Was I going to break some unspoken rule that would make me a pariah of the community if I moved on too fast?

“Hey.” Tucker reached for my hand again, and I didn’t pull back. He squeezed gently before running a touch over my knuckles, his calluses catching on the wrinkles. It should have been an unpleasant sensation, but God, I liked all the ways he’d touched me so far, and thinking of those rough hands on my dick had me fighting back a full, rock-hard erection. “If I’m too much, you can tell me. It won’t hurt my feelings.”

I lifted a brow at him.

“Fine, it’ll hurt my feelings because I’m a delicate flower, but I do handle it well. Most of the time. Sometimes,” he clarified. “Basically, I’d never hold it against you. I want you to feel safe with me.”

My knees felt weak when I realized just how much he actually meant that. This man who barely knew me at all wanted me more than Bryce ever had, and Tucker was working harder than him to take care of my heart.

“I’d like to bring you home with me. And I really want you.”

“But,” he pressed.

I covered my eyes with one hand and took a breath. “I just got out of a relationship, and I’m still kind of dealing with the fallout. I might not, you know, be any good at this.”

He stared, then burst into laughter. “Baby, you’re already amazing. Whatever you want to do, it’s going to knock my socks off.”

I stared down at his legs, which didn’t quite reach the end of the chair’s seat. Was he wearing socks?

He tugged on my hand, and I looked up to find him smiling. “I wasn’t being literal, but I do have socks on. Fuck,” he groaned, “you are so cute. Kiss me again, and then I can grab my bag, and we can get the hell out of here.”

I bent forward, and he took advantage of the position to yank me back into his lap, tilt my head back, and kiss the absolute shit out of me. It was one of the best kisses I’d ever had, and I was almost losing my mind at the thought that for tonight—and maybe a little longer than that—I’d get to have more.

* * *

Tucker let me go before anyone could show up, then released me to my car. “Pull around back, and I’ll meet you.”

“Is there security?”

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