Page 10 of My Virgin Puck

- CHAPTER FOUR -

Madison

Chloe, my best friend from London, looks around the bar, a shocked expression pulling at her pink cheeks.

“This place is positively bonkers,” Chloe says, sipping her mulled cider. “And how you get anything done around here with all these hunky men is beyond me.”

Chloe blows her cheeks and her eyes pop at a giant man who’s wearing a replica Viking’s jersey. He’s at least six-foot-six, but his broad shoulders and beefy chest make him appear even bigger.

“So how’s London going anyway? I can’t believe we both work in sports teams!” I say, ignoring the shouting coming from the VIP area. “What’s the soccer team you’re working for again?”

Chloe’s brows shoot up. “Football. It’s football, Madi.”

“Right. Football.”

Chloe nods and draws another sip before beginning to tell me about her new role at Hampstead FC, London’s best ‘football’ team. Chloe’s chatting like she never left Canada when there’s another round of wild cheering from the VIP area. It’s loud and obnoxious and I can’t help but twist to see what the hell is going on.

I knew who would be there before I saw the tall stature of Parker Phillips. The Vancouver Vikings team is renowned for attending this bar. Why else would it be so popular on a Monday night?

Parker’s sitting across from Noah Edwards, who seems to be… Rubbing at his crotch with a towel? A few more familiar faces look more flushed than usual and I hope Coach Best doesn’t see any leaked photo’s of this gathering. It’s Rival’s Week after all, and I’m sure I’ll hear the gruelling telling off he screams from the gift shop when he finds out his best players are out partying mid-week.

“…. And so anyway, I called and they had this position come up. Maternity leave cover for a lass who’s bunked up with one of the players.”

Chloe’s British accent has grown stronger since she left Vancouver. It has been five years since she left for a gap year in Europe and never came back. It’s a nice surprise to have her back, even if I can’t give her my full focus because my eyes are drawn to…

Mason. Mason’s here.

My stomach flutters at the sight of Mason Miller, hunched over a pool table. He’s never out. I’ve only seen him at the bar once before, and that was after a play-off victory that sent the Viking’s into the next round.

But, here he is. At The Bloody Viking.

His forearms rest on the ledge of the table, veins popping and tattoos glistening under the light. He’s bent over, lining up his shot, but my eyes are focused on the perfect round curve of his tight buttocks. My fingers tingle, gripping my glass of wine so tight it might just burst.

Mason’s expression is one of steely determination. It’s like he’s on the ice, lining up against Toronto in the bright red of the Vikings. His lip is stiff, his tongue poking out, gripped between his teeth at the side of his mouth as he lines up his shot.

It’s sexy as fuck.

My core shakes inside my body and it isn’t until I feel Chloe’s hand on my arm that I pull my stare from the VIP area and Mason’s gorgeous body.

“Hello?” Chloe waves her hand in my face. “What the hell are you looking at?”

Another loud cheer makes the entire bar turn to see what the team are up to. It’s hard to make out what’s going on, but the guys are jumping all over Mason, scruffing his hair and piling on top of him. Maybe he just won the game? They’re forever playing for money, like those players need more money...

“Ah, it’s just the team…” I say, pretending to be uninterested despite searching for Mason who’s suddenly disappeared under a pile of chunky hockey players. “They’re always carrying on here.”

I swish around in my chair and when I look up at Chloe, her face is bright. Lifting her glass to her lips, she slurps and smacks her lips together, lowering the glass down without removing her gaze from me.

“So, which one is yours?” Chloe says, gesturing to the VIP area.

I chuckle and blurt out, “Ha! You’re as bad as the girls in the office.”

“What? You’re clearly into one of them, you’re practically drooling!” Chloe barks, her accent thicker the more her volume goes up.

I shake my head and do everything I can to avoid Chloe’s gaze. I can feel her on me. Just like I felt Judy and Lisa.

But they’re all wrong.

Even if I do have a crush on Mason, so what? Nothing is ever going to happen there. I mean, look at him… He’s a hockey player. Any girl in this bar would be ahead of me in the long, long queue to hop on for a ride of Vancouver’s best defensemen.

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