Page 2 of Pucking Your Best Friend

Maddie stepped out onto the patio surrounded by palm trees and found Lucy within seconds. It wasn’t because of her red mane of hair, but rather because of the man sitting at the table with her.

Wow. Demigod was accurate. Or was Adonis a full god? Whatever. The man next to her sister had an angular Michelangelo jaw, broad Ken shoulders, blond surfer hair, and a devilish 100-watt smile that could surely melt panties. Figuratively speaking, that is.

He looked like one of those Santa Monica beach bums people stare at all day on Muscle Beach, those guys proudly showing off their eight-packs. General category: hot dude.

Great. So when Lucy had said she was going witha friend,she'd meant one ofthosefriends. Couldn’t her sister have warned her? Maddie had little desire to hang out with Lucy’s conquests. She would be the third wheel while the two of them engaged in verbal foreplay, rubbing thighs together as if by accident.

Maddie sighed. Well, she was here now. Her watch indicated it was just after nine; she could stay just until ten thirty without being rude. At least there were a few groups of women sitting nearby. If Lucy and macho-man got hot and heavy, she could spend her time recruiting singles here for Match Me! Her agency was just getting started and could use every client it could get.

“Oh, Maddie,” Lucy said, beaming and jumping up as her sister reached the table. “I didn’t expect you to actually show up!”

Huh, if Maddie had known she already had an out, she might not have come. “Hey. You sounded upset on the phone and I didn’t want you to be alone.” She hugged her sister briefly and eyed the strange blond, who seemed vaguely familiar, staring at her with his brown eyes. “But obviously, that’s not the case.”

“Yes, this is Matt. He owed me a drink, so I invited him, too,” Lucy said lightly, waving her hand in his direction. “Matt, this is Madison, my sister.”

“Hey, Madison,” the demigod replied with a wry smile, his voice dark and calm as he stood and offered her his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Maddie’s stomach lurched as he wrapped his big, warm fingers around hers. Her gaze fell on his sinewy forearms. Oh, god, he was a hot dummy withmanners– the most dangerous kind of man.

You had to hand it to Lucy: her taste was impeccable, as long as it was just a matter of a few hot weeks with someone, which was not Maddie's MO. She cleared her throat and hastily let go of his hand. “It's Maddie. Everyone calls me Maddie. Nice to meet you, too.”

“What about you, do your friends call you Matty?” Lucy asked with a grin, pulling a chair over for Maddie. “Then I’d be out with Maddie and Matty today.”

Matt frowned and rubbed his stubbly chin. “Shit, no. No one but my sisters ever calls me Matty.”

“So, you won’t make an exception for me?” Lucy asked, playing up her coy agitation by putting a hand on her chest.

“Nope.”

Maddie forced a smile. The verbal foreplay had already begun. “Where did you two meet?”

“At work,” Lucy replied.

Maddie widened her eyes. “Oh.” Her sister actually had strict rules about separating work from pleasure. “So, you two are…”

“Ugh, no!” her sister said, horrified. “He’s on the team, Maddie. You know how I feel about that.”

Confused, Maddie blinked as she studied the blond man, and then realized why he looked familiar. Of course: He was Matthew Payne, a winger for the L.A. Hawks pro hockey team. She almost hadn't recognized him without the helmet. “So, you're just here as friends,” she said with relief, immediately relaxing. That would make the evening more pleasant.

“Of course!” Still shocked, Lucy looked at her. “I wouldneverget involved with this ice twerp.”

“Thanks, put a little more disgust in your voice,” Matt replied dryly and took a sip of beer.

Maddie laughed at his sullen expression. “Don’t take it personally, Matt. Lucy has this rule: She doesn’t get involved with hockey players.”

“Oh, that’s going to break some hearts,” he said with a sigh. “But I get it. I might as well warn them.”

Lucy rolled her eyes.

Maddie had to ask him with a broad smile, “So? Are you included in the heartbreaks?”

“Nah.” He gave her a mischievous grin, leaned forward, and whispered, “I prefer brunettes.”

Heat rose in Maddie’s cheeks as she hastily pushed her brown hair behind her ears. “Wow,” she managed to reply. “Was that line on sale, or why does it sound so cheap?”

Lucy laughed and, to her surprise, Matt did too.

“So much for practicing in front of the mirror,” he said, feigning distress, and then tapped her playfully on the shoulder.

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