Page 19 of Of Pucking Course

“It’s the truth. You’re a badass.”

Her smile is still small, but her eyes are brighter now. “You’re quite the hype man, you know that?”

“What are friends for?”

She chuckles and focuses back on cooking. I glanceacross the open concept space at the flatscreen TV that’s mounted over the fireplace in the living room.

I walk over and grab the remote, turn it on, and then pull up a streaming service.

“How about a fewBig Bang Theoryepisodes while we eat?” I say.

Dakota looks up at the screen. She grins wide and looks at me. “Sounds amazing.”

Chapter 7

Dakota

“Not too spicy, right?” I ask Sam as he digs into the chicken stir fry I cooked for us for lunch.

The corner of his mouth hooks up in a half-smile. “Nope. It’s perfect.”

We’re sitting next to each other on his massive couch while watchingThe Big Bang Theory. Sam inhales his plate of food. I glance at him, then look at my plate. I’m only halfway done.

I laugh. Sam grins. “What?”

“You ate that really fast.”

“Couldn’t help it. It was good.”

I smile, delighted that he likes my cooking. I make a note to myself to cook meals as often as I can for him. It’s some small thing I can do for him after how generous he’s been in helping me.

“Have more. I made a ton,” I say.

He hops up from the couch and returns a minute later with a mountain of stir fry on his plate.

“There’s plenty left for you too, in case you’re still hungry,” he says.

I tell him thanks, heartened at how thoughtful he is. A tingle flashes through my chest. There goes Sam being an absolute sweetheart again.

I think about how, when I was cooking, I told Sam about all the times I gave in to what Jake wanted, even though I wasn’t happy. I think about how ashamed I felt to admit all that…and how Sam refused to let me talk myself down.

He called me brave and a badass for leaving Jake in the middle of our reception. He was so sincere and genuine in the way he spoke that I believed him. I stopped feeling so pathetic and started feeling…powerful.

I look over at Sam, who flashes a cute smile at me.

God, he’s so sweet.

And insanely hot.

I try to ignore the observation my brain makes, but it’s impossible. Because Sam looks downright delicious right now.

My gaze runs along his tall, broad body as he watches TV. He’s a few inches past six feet, so around as tall as my brother. But Sam is a defenseman, so he’s got a little more muscle. He’s wearing a Bashers t-shirt that does a poor job of hiding the cut muscle in his back, chest, and shoulders.

Each time he lifts his fork to his mouth, his bicep and tricep flex. I chew slowly, then swallow. I glance at his long legs, my eyes catching on his massive thigh muscles. They’re practically bulging out of the joggers he’s wearing.

My eyes dart to his lap, and my brain wonders if other parts of him are massive and bulging too…

He twists his head at me, and I look away, back down at my plate.

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