Page 16 of Chips & Checks
And for now, that’s enough.
Viktor gives me a knowing look. “So this girl you actually hooked up with last night… she the anti-Destiny?”
I think of Vi. Sharp tongue. Soft skin. Fierce, brilliant, and completely unexpected.
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “She’s nothing like Destiny.”
“Damn,” Knight mutters. “You’re in trouble already.”
I dump out my crap and start sorting my gear. “I don’t know. I just liked her more than I expected, I guess. Because once I’m not inside them anymore, I don’t usually like them at all.”
This time, Camden chimes in. “How did you meet her?”
Looks like I’m going to be playing twenty questions while getting changed. My favorite. At least this counts as team bonding, right? “Well, Briggs told me about The Puck Drop.”
“Damn.” Viktor laughs. “You just rolled into town and started trawling for chicks, huh?”
“No! I just wanted one night out in anonymity. And who wants to sit in a hotel room alone all night?” I yank off my shirt and replace it with my new Venom jersey.
Viktor laughs to himself. “Shit. You’re the new me. I’ll give you some pointers, Bowen. First one, don’t fall for the first chick to suck your dick.”
“That wasn’t on the table,” I tell him. The image of Vi on her knees, taking my cock in her mouth, flashes through my mind. Hot damn, that would be so fucking sexy. If there was a next time, I’d ask her to break her rules for me.
But there won’t be. It’s againstmyrules.
Who the fuck am I right now?
Viktor scoffs. “What kind of puck bunny doesn’t go down on you?”
I’ve slept with my fair share of puck bunnies—probablymorethan my share, frankly—but I bristle at the implication that Vi falls into that category. “She’s no puck bunny. We didn’t even mention hockey.”
Viktor hums. “Okay, point taken. If she’s not a puck bunny, what is she?”
I shrug, feeling a little helpless. So much for maintaining my aloof reputation. I’m already telling these guys more than they need to know. What’s wrong with me? Is there something inthe air? Are we closer to sea level or something, and the oxygen levels in the air are messing with my brain?
The guys are waiting for an answer, so I say, “She’s smart and spicy and really, really petite. But absolutely gorgeous. Unlike any woman I’ve ever known. In the biblical sense.”
Camden’s fleeting smile makes a momentary return. “Interesting.”
Viktor, too, seems amused by my description. “Cool. Now if she cuts you down and puts you in your place a lot…”
I shake my head. “Man, she dodged me at every turn.”
“Well, my wife was home with me. Who is this mystery woman?”
“Hell if I know. I didn’t get her number. Didn’t even ask her last name. All I know is that she goes by Vi.”
Camden chokes. Hard. On what, I have no idea. One second he’s breathing, the next he’s doing an interpretive dance of asphyxiation. “Vi?” he wheezes.
I glance over at Viktor, eyebrows raised. Has Camden hooked up with her, too? I did meet Vi at The Puck Drop, where they’ve been known to hang out. Not that it would matter. I don’t have a claim on her. I don’t.
But my spine is stiffening like it does matter. My fingers itch as if they want to punch my new teammate in the face. And that’s… not ideal.
Viktor’s expression shuts down so fast it’s like flipping a breaker. “Could be anyone,” he says smoothly. “Vi is a very generic name. And our Vi would never do anything like that. Ever.”
Camden is still coughing like he swallowed a live bee.
Tristan squints at me over his sports drink. “At The Puck Drop, you said?”
