Page 12 of In My Hockey Era
I choke on my water.“Idid notget flustered.”
He laughs.“Right, right.That’s why you’re redder than our damn ambulance right now.”
I hurl my empty bottle at him, but he dodges easily, still grinning.“Oh, this issogood.You, meeting your mortal enemy, getting all hot and bothered—”
“I wasnot—”
“—and now you’re stuck in a bet with him?”
I groan again, dropping my head onto the counter.“How do you evenknowthat?”
He shrugs.“It’s all over your face.”
I shoot him my best death glare.He just grins wider.
“So what’s the book?”he asks.
I reach into my bag and shove it at him.He turns it over, eyes flicking to the shirtless, broody-looking guy on the cover.Then he looks back at me, and his smirk returns, evenmoreinsufferable.
“Oh, you’resoscrewed.”
I grab my bag and head for the door.“Ihateyou.”
“Lies,” he calls after me, full-on laughing now.“You hateBennett Wilder.I’m just enjoying the show.”
And, unfortunately, he’s right.
I hate Bennett Wilder.
I just really hope I don’tloseto him.
I pause in the doorway.“It’s not like it even matters.This whole thing is stupid,” I say, wanting the words to be true.
Wishing they were.
“You hate losing.Racing through end of shift clean up?Beer pong?Trivia night?I know you, youmustwin, and you’ll trash talk everyone in your wake the whole time.”
He’s right, I realize.
Which is why I need to pull out all the stops.Use everything at my disposal—brains, beauty… my feminine wiles.Do I even have those?Whatever, I’ll figure it out.Whatever it takes to win.
5
RUFF BEGINNINGS
Bennett
Itell myself this isn’t creepy.
Showing up at the animal shelter where Lucy volunteers once a month isn’t stalker behavior.It’s just… strategic information gathering.A well-timed coincidence.
“Dude, I can’t believe you dragged me to an animal shelter on our only day off,” my teammate Hunter mutters as we push through the front doors, the scent of disinfectant, dog, and something less pleasant hitting us instantly.“Is this some kind of PR thing?”
Hunter’s a rookie this year, and a nice guy, I figured he’d be the perfect wingman for this.
“Something like that,” I lie, scanning the room for any sign of her.
“Uh-huh.”He gives me a knowing look, one that says he doesn’t buy a damn word of what I’m selling.“Wait—isn’t this where that EMT chick volunteers?The one who roasted your ass online?”
