Page 64 of Puck You
“All right, let’s get some rest in before practice.Coach will wring my neck if I work you too hard.”
I realized too late that they were headed in my direction.For a moment, I considered fleeing, but Sebastian had already seen me.Tanner reached the bench first, pulling off his helmet as he stepped off the ice.I recognized him from our shared practices.He was a freshman.
“Hey, Grace,” he said in greeting.
I was immediately grateful to have heard Sebastian call him by his name.“Hey, Tanner.Nice edge work out there.”
He flushed under my praise.“Not as good as you or Sebastian.”
“There’s no need for flattery,” I teased, glancing up to where Sebastian stood behind him.“Sebastian already has way too many adoring fans singing his praises”
I’d slipped so easily into our normal banter, almost as if nothing had transpired between us yesterday.Playful seemed safer than serious.As long as it didn’t turn into anything more than that.Sebastian’s expression was hard to read.For a momentI braced myself, half expecting him to spew something cruel at me, to see that familiar anger in his eyes once again, but it never came.
Instead, he clapped a hand over Tanner’s shoulder and said, “Mind giving me a moment with Grace?”
Tanner gave us a goodbye salute before stalking to the opposite bench.Once he’d disappeared into the locker room, Sebastian returned his gaze to me.
“You don’t usually come in early on Thursdays,” he said, remaining at a distance from me on the other side of the bench.There was no hint of the usual playfulness in his voice.I felt a lurch deep in my stomach.
“I barely slept last night.Wanted to clear my head,” I said, motioning to the rink.
I could tell he was surprised at my honesty.“Was there any reason in particular you couldn’t sleep?”
I swallowed a lump in my throat as his neutral expression started to shift into something much more familiar.
“I would’ve thought that after last night”—he paused for a brief moment, eyes gleaming with delight—“you’d be exhausted.”
My breath caught.I watched him pull his lower lip into his mouth and release it.Images of him, of us, flashed across my mind.My grip on the edge of the bench tightened, fingers squeezing against cold metal.
Get yourself together,I thought.Sebastian knew exactly what he was doing.Despite agreeing that we couldn’t repeat last night’s activity, he seemed happy to resume his usual lusty gazes and suggestive comments.This man was a true terror.He knew exactly how to torture me, and he loved doing it.
“I would’ve thought that after last night, all of this wouldbe done,” I said.
“All of what?”He smirked.“I’m not sure I know what you’re referring to.”
“You know exactly what I’m referring to.”I jabbed my pointer finger into his chest.“It’s the sex eyes and the flirting and the suggestive remarks.”His only reaction was a quirk of the brow.“Don’t play dumb, Sebastian.”
Slowly, he leaned forward until our faces were mere inches from one another.“You’re the one who swore off sex with me after I gave you the best orgasm of your life.If anyone’s playing dumb, it’s you.”
My breath hitched, pulse jumping.“Sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“You’re desperate for me, Grace.Just as desperate as I am for you.Once you realize that, I’m happy to fuck you somewhere other than a locker room.Though I’m not picky about the location.”
Sebastian turned to leave, but I reached out to stop him.It was impossible to ignore the shock of energy that traveled through my palm the moment we touched.
“That’snevergoing to happen again.”
He looked me dead in the eye and said, “If that’s what you really want.”
Without another word, Sebastian set off across the rink.My heart raced as I watched his form grow smaller and smaller until he disappeared into the locker room.Despite the sleepless night, I felt wide awake.The fog around my brain had started to clear, and a new realization took form.Sebastian was the kind of all-consuming that could make you forget about everything else.My only hope was a winter break detox.The distance wouldhelp clear my head; it would allow me time to focus on fixing things with my sister.I couldn’t let myself become distracted by a boy, not when I was trying to repair one of the most important relationships in my life, and not when he held the power to break me.
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Sebastian
From: [email protected]
Sent: December 20, 2025 11:46
