Page 340 of Breaking the Pucking Rules
Glancing over, I find him rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
How the hell could he possibly be nervous? This is the thing romance books are made of.
“Well, my number one fan helped out a little. She chose the blankets and pillows.”
I sniffle and he steps in front of me, ducking down so he can look into my eyes.
“Casey,” he says softly.
“I’m sorry. I’m just…a little emotional.”
“You like it, though?” he asks, a slight frown marring his brow.
“I love it. It’s perfect. Thank you.”
Wrapping my hand around the back of his neck, I pull him down for a kiss.
“I’m kinda pissed about this, though,” I confess, tugging at his hoodie as I pull back.
“You prefer me in the suit?”
“I’ll take you in either. I was more talking about you changing without letting me watch.”
“If you’re lucky, I’ll give you a repeat later.” Stepping around me, his huge hands wrap around my waist before he says, “Up you go,” and effortlessly lifts me.
I crawl toward the stack of pillows and lie back, waiting for him to do the same.
“This is the best date I’ve ever been on,” I confess, rolling onto my side so I can see him. “Thank you.”
“It’s the only date I’ve ever been on,” he counters.
“W-what? How is that possible?”
Copying my position, he reaches out, wraps his arm around my waist and tugs me closer.
“You already know I don’t date, baby.”
“I don’t believe everything I’ve read online about you.”
“Does that mean I can try to convince you that I wasn’t a fuckboy before Sutton came along?”
A laugh bursts out of me.
“You can try if you want, but no one needed words to learn that. A picture paints a thousand words, after all.”
His eyes darken before he looks down for a beat.
“I’m not that person anymore. I haven’t been for a long time.”
“Kodie?” I cup his cheek and force him to look at me. “I don’t care about the past, or all the things you did in your rookie year that you’d rather forget.” One side of his mouth twitches as I’m sure more than a few memories fill his head. “What I care about is the man before me now.”
“We all have a past that’s full of bad decisions and regrets. But they’re nothing to be ashamed of, because they’re what makes us the person we are today. And, I for one, think you’re an incredible person.
“In fact, I might go as far as to say that you’re my favorite.”
“You’re my favorite too,” he whispers, leaning forward and brushing his nose against mine.
“Don’t let Sutton hear you say that.”
