Page 22 of My Virgin Puck

My mind is a whirlwind of crazy. It must have been a dream, because no man can be this fucking perfect.

“Thank you,” I say, grabbing the glass of orange juice from the tray and taking a sip. “Seriously, I can’t wait until you’re a chef. Ditch hockey already.”

Mason chuckles and I make a note to myself to make sure that’s the noise I hear every single morning for the rest of my life.

“Why is there such a hurry for me to ditch hockey?” Mason asks, hoisting himself further up on the bed and crossing his legs one over the other.

“Well, if you can cook this well without any formal training, imagine how good you’re going to be once you go through culinary school!”

I beam as Mason let’s go of that sweet chortle that makes my heart melt. As I collect a strip of perfectly crisped up bacon and bite down, I glance at the clock on the dresser across the room.

My eyes pop.

“Shit! Is that the time already?” I gulp down, nearly choking on the bacon. Don’t start that shit again, Madi. “I have to get ready to go. I need to be at work in an hour and I’ve still got to go home.”

Without asking, Mason jumps up and collects my things so they’re all in a neat little pile as I eat. He needs to be at training shortly, too, so when we’re both dressed and looking somewhat like we didn’t just roll out of bed, Mason pulls me in for a cuddle by the front door.

“Listen,” he says, gripping me by the shoulders. “When we leave this apartment, nothing needs to change.”

A smile lifts my cheeks. “Does that mean you’re still going to come down and visit me in the office today?”

“Only if you can deal with Judy drooling all over my shoes.” Mason winks and leans down to kiss me. “Seriously, this week is going to be full on. Coach Best is on a warpath. We have back-to-back games against Toronto this weekend. It’s the biggest week of the season and I’m going to need to be focused.”

I nestle in close and rub my hands over Mason’s chest. “You’d think hockey talk wouldn’t do much for me… But hearing you talk so damn sexy… Maybe we do have time for another round…”

Mason’s brows shoot up, but he quickly evades the idea with a shake of his head. “As much as I would love to, Coach would kick my ass if I’m late.” He leans down and kisses my forehead. “All I’m saying is, even though it’s a busy week, I’ll do everything I can to spend as much time with you as I can.”

I lean up on my toes, “Promise?”

“Promise.”

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