Page 1 of Pucking Tangled
ONE
Mia
Mia closedher laptop and sighed.
The search for a new place to rent was not going well, and she was running out of time.
With only a year left until she had her law degree from Widener University, she wasn’t looking for a long-term rental, and she didn’t want to get tied up in another roommate situation only to be left high and dry when her roomie fell in love and got married—like the last two roommates had done.
If she didn’t find something in the next two weeks, she was going to be homeless.
“What’s wrong, Blondie?” Waylon walked up behind her and wrapped a strand of her blonde hair around his finger. “You look tense.”
Mia scowled from where she sat in the oversized recliner and pulled away from him. “Ew. You stink, Waylon.” She tried not to gag.
Her best friend since childhood just so happened to beCasey Novak, star forward for the Lancaster Barn Raisers hockey team. Waylon was their cocky defenseman, and Casey’s roommate, who loved to drive her crazy whenever she visited.
The guys had just come back from a morning skate, and from the smell of it, Waylon hadn’t bothered to shower before leaving the rink.
He smirked, flexing his arm muscles. His heavily tattooed arm muscles…
She rolled her eyes. “Go shower. Please. Before you make me vomit.”
Waylon was like an overgrown man-child. All two hundred and thirty pounds of him. Not that Mia looked up his profile or anything.
He flirted with every woman he laid eyes on and seemed to double down on the flirting and cocky attitude when it came to Mia. But she had no interest in playboys like Waylon, who probably slept with a different puck bunny every night.
“Seriously. What’s going on, Mia?” Casey flopped down on his sofa and stretched out, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. “Still no luck finding an apartment to rent?”
Mia and Casey had known each other since birth. Their mothers grew up as best friends, always doing everything together. That included somehow getting pregnant within weeks of each other with them. Both of their baby books showcased pictures of their mothers pregnant together, followed by their tiny newborns meeting milestones together, too.
If you asked Laney Abbott and Hannah Novak, Mia and Casey were destined to be a couple one day, too.
That wasn’t ever going to happen. Even if Mia hadhoped it would at one point when they were teens. It was a short-lived fantasy, especially when she realized her best friend liked boys. At least she thought he only liked boys…for a long time.
“Everything is out of my price range or in a terrible part of town.”
“So stay here,” Casey said without hesitation.
“What?” Mia scrunched up her nose. “No way. I can’t stay here with the four of you.”
All that testosterone and maleness in one place? That felt like a recipe for disaster and fodder for the rumor mill if anyone found out. She’d already been the subject of a few rumors since she’d often been Casey’s plus-one to charity events and public appearances until he and Owen Hawk, captain of the Barn Raisers, came out publicly. Thankfully, Owen hadn’t seemed to mind Mia being his boyfriend’s cover until he was ready for the world to know that he was actually bisexual.
Owen sat down next to Casey and stole the remote. “Case is right. Just stay here. We’ve got a spare bedroom, and you’d have your own bathroom.”
“It’s not like you don’t already know all four of us. And you wouldn’t have to worry about paying rent while you finish your degree,” Casey said, doubling down on his offer.
“I can’t live here and not pay rent, Casey.”
He and Owen each raised a brow.
Mia tried not to laugh.
If they thought they were intimidating her, they were sadly mistaken. The faces they were making amused her more than anything.
“Mia, we don’tneedyou to pay rent. Between the four of us, we’ve got it covered,” Casey said, as if she needed reminding. Pro hockey players made a lot of money.
“You might not need me to pay rent, but Ineedto pull my own weight. I don’t expect the four of you to cover me.”
