Page 13 of Off Limits PUCK

He closes the distance, taking my arm and pushing me against the countertop. Against my better judgment, a moan of desire slips out of me. I bite my bottom lip. He’s pushed up against me, his cock asleep in his pants but nonetheless tempting to me.

“Don’t you? Don’t you understand, Allie? From the way I see it, you and I had a moment in the PT room. Then you go running upstairs to the big boys who own the team. The next thing I know, I’m told you’re going to stay with me. And then, by some strange turn of events, Coach gets wise to what happenedbetween us. And now he’s camped out. I may be an athlete, but I’m no dummy.”

I gasp. “You think I told Coach—that I told anyone—about what we did? Jake,” I say reproachfully, keenly aware that he’s leaning into me, his lips close to mine. But while the closeness between us in the PT room was hot and sensual, this closeness is fiery with distrust and betrayal. He looks at me like he loathes me.

“Yes,” he says simply, releasing me and stepping back as if he’s disgusted with me. “It didn’t take me long to figure it out. You snitched. And that means I certainly cannot trust you.”

My gaze falters. I’m in such shock at his words. He takes that as an admission of guilt and scoffs at me.

“You are unbelievable. Why have sex with me, then, if you’re just going to run away scared to tattle to Coach?”

I glare at him, then. “I didn’t. So if you’re claiming that he knows, then I guess that leaves just one person who told him: you.” I step toward him and jab a finger in his muscled chest.

He flicks my finger away, his touch burning my skin. We’re both so angry at each other. I can see it in his eyes. I can feel it in his body language.

I realize in that moment of clarity that between the two of us, I actually have more to lose than he does. He’s the Eagles’ star player. They will never fire him unless something really bad happens. But me? They’ll let me go at the smallest hint of ascandal. I press my lips together. Boy, oh boy—I really messed up by sleeping with Jake.

My voice is shrill. “I have a job to do, buddy. And I’ll be damned before I let you ruin this for me. I thought what we did in the PT room was hot and sexy. But I guess I was just one woman in a long line of them to you. So you know what? Let’s just forget about the sex. Let’s just focus on giving you the best chance to get on the ice and play the game.”

He opens his mouth to retort something, then closes it again. He shrugs, tossing a piece of orange into the air and then catching it in his mouth. “Well, neither Coach nor Jones said that sex was off limits, so if I won’t be having any with you—which you led me on to believe that we would have sex again—I hope you won’t mind if I invite another companion over from time to time the next few days.” He smirks at me with a wink, torturing me with how true his words are.

Then he saunters out of the room, down the hallway to his master suite, leaving me fuming at him. I want to shout at him that I never led him on, but what’s the point? He just said that to get under my skin.

I slam the fridge shut. Well, he succeeded.

Chapter eight

Jake

Idon’t know whyI goaded her on like that last night. It probably was the combination of my sexual frustration and feeling out of control with so many people thinking they can just come and go from my own house without my thumbs up beforehand. I woke up this morning to a pretty redhead in my kitchen cooking me a specially ordered nutritious breakfast that Jones arranged. Apparently, she’ll be meal prepping each morning for me and I am to only eat the food she makes.

My calories, carbs, and protein are apparently in her hands now, not mine. I’m sitting in my TV room, empty plate beside me, waiting for my coffee order to be delivered. I typically make my own coffee but after the hell of a day I had yesterday, I deserve to order one in from my favorite coffee shop.

My phone lights up and I grin. I answer the call that’s coming in.

“Gator. Bro. When are you coming over to set me free from this lockdown thing that Coach put on me?” I groan dramatically.

He chuckles. “I thought you’d be either on cloud nine with that pretty PT living with you, or moping around if she refused to give you any PT sessions that involved your cock, not your shoulder.” He laughs.

I grimace and change the subject. “How’s practice? You guys should just be wrapping up the first one of the day.” I sigh. “I think it’s dumb that I’m not supposed to go watch. I hate sitting here like this. Hockey is my life.”

“Well, the good news is that practice is over and we don’t hit the ice again until after lunch. So that means that I just might have enough time to come visit your sorry ass and then you’ll totally owe me one.”

I perk up. Finally, a guest I actually want to see. “Really? Sweet!”

“Yeah. I’m just pulling up to your place. Damn. There’s like three cars parked out front. How many people did Coach set you up with?”

“Too many. I’m hiding in my media room. I’m coming on up to let you in,” I say and end the call.

I’m actually surprised that Allie hasn’t come searching for me yet, ready to poke into my back and try to go on pretending that sex between us meant nothing to her. I can’t trust her, though.Coach made it crystal clear he knows something is up between Allie and me. She had to have told him.

I hop up and wince as I forget to baby my bad shoulder. Moments like this make me feel old. I feel a surge of panic course through me—what if I don’t recover? What if I’m in chronic pain my whole life?

I don’t see the lithe form of Allie just coming in to my media room. We collide, chest to chest. Her breasts are soft as they press against me. Instinctively, my arms wrap around her slender waist. She jerks her head up to look at me, bringing our lips together. I’m leaning down, torn between asking her if she’s okay and lecturing her on watching where she’s going.

But the feel of her lips brushing against mine in such a random but sizzling way makes me forget my doubts about her, and my panic at my own loss of control in life. I tighten my grip on her waist and pull her in to me. The kiss is quick and the attraction I feel for her soars higher than it should.

I need a release. My cock is pushing against my pants and is as hard as it would have been if she’d been doing a striptease in front of me. How does this woman turn me on without any effort at all—it’s so organic and effortless. I’ve never felt this way before.

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