Page 72 of Breaking the Pucking Rules
I think back to all the warnings Dad has given me over the years.He’s trying to protect me and stop me from getting my heart broken. I respect that.
But also…
Parker’s right. Those warnings are old. I’m a fully grown adult who can make my own decisions.
I internally cringe.
My heart isn’t getting involved in this.
I was just ticking off a bucket list item before I find “the one,” settle down, and never get the chance.
It was a one-off.
Something that won’t be repeated, and certainly not with another member of the team.
“Okay, fine. But if Dad has something to say, I’m sending him your way.”
She waggles her brows. “Oh, you can send Daddy Watson my way any day.”
My top lip peels back.
“Gross,” I mutter, shoving her out of the way so I can get to the door. I need a drink to help me forget that comment.
“What? He’s got that hot older thing going on. And he’s no longer a player, so…”
“Just for that comment, you’re buying the drinks.”
“Atta girl,” she says excitedly as she follows me into the bar.
Music and loud chatter hit my ears the second I step inside, and as I round the corner, my eyes immediately land on the booths filled with hockey players.
It’s not like they’re hard to find. They’re all stacked with muscles and unbelievably hot.
I don’t know what it is about hockey players' DNA. They’renot only gifted on the ice, but they’re always ridiculously good-looking.
It’s really not fair.
I scan the faces, mentally ticking off who’s here and who’s not, when my eyes snag on a face I was not expecting to see.
Kodie Rivers doesn’t go out drinking with the guys after a game.
He goes home and tucks his little girl into bed.
But not tonight.
He’s...here.
And he’s looking right at me.
18
KODIE
Every muscle in my body tenses, and my lungs depress as if I’ve just been hit in the chest with a stick.
I knew it was a risk when I agreed to join the guys for a drink tonight. But from what I’ve heard over the past year, Casey doesn’t follow the team out after a game.
I can only assume that’s because her father has told her not to.
