Page 148 of Breaking the Pucking Rules
“He can control himself. You’ve met hockey players, right?”
“Yeah, babe. I know them,” she states. “But that’s the thing. Deep down, you don’t want him to control himself. You want him to walk in here and be obsessed with you. You don’t want him to be able to take his eyes off you. You want him to be jealous if another player—hell, another person—talks to you. You want to be his everything, and you want every fucker to know it.”
Do I?
Is that what I’m really afraid of?
“It’s okay to feel that way, Casey. It’s okay to want to be the center of his world.”
“But I can’t be,” I counter. Even with all the reasons why we can’t be together. “He’s got a daughter. She is, and always should be, the center of his world.”
“I wasn’t putting you up against her. Completely different categories, babe.” She drops her voice to a whisper, but despite the volume, the words smack me upside the head. “He can have you both.”
All the air comes rushing out of my lungs and noise erupts from downstairs. My heart jumps into my throat, fear surging through my veins.
“They’re here.”
“You’re going to need to come to terms with the fact that today, Kodie is likely to ignore you.” Her statement hurts, but I understand it. “He stands to lose a hell of a lot more than you do if this comes out. Your dad could trade him in a heartbeat and uproot his entire life. His daughter’s entire life. That won’t happen to you.”
“You also need to figure out what you want and where this is going, because the longer it goes on, the worse it’s going to get.”
“I know,” I whisper weakly.
A door slams and deep, booming voices filter up to us.
“Are you ready to put on your game face?” she asks.
Blowing out a calming breath, I move toward the mirror and check myself over.
I might be wearing a tank and shorts now, but beneath it is the bikini I teased Kodie with last night. Let’s see if I’m going to be brave enough to show him.
“Come on,” Parker says, taking my hand and tugging me away. “You look gorgeous. He’s going to be walking around with a semi all day.”
I snort a laugh as we descend the stairs.
“So when did Freya get back?” she asks.
“I have no idea. She surprised me earlier.”
“Yeah, well. Fuck her ex. It’s his loss. Today, the three of us are going to have some fun.”
Despite her words, and my agreement, my nerves are at an all-time high as we turn into the kitchen where the voices stem from.
Parker squeezes my hand in support, and it’s needed—because no sooner have we stepped into the room do a dark and hungry set of eyes turn on me.
35
KODIE
Sutton was up with the sun this morning running as usual, chattering at a million miles a minute. But for the first time in quite a long time, she wasn’t the only one who woke up with a spring in her step and excitement shooting through her veins.
The second I opened my eyes, I reached for my cell and re-read last night’s conversation like a pussy.
I didn’t care. I needed it. And fuck, if it wasn’t almost as hot as it was last night.
I woke up hard with thoughts of her in my head, but reading her words, picturing her getting herself off as she messaged me...fuck.
I’m so fucking fucked.
