Page 48 of Not Your Pucking Girl

“Well . . . she kind of said it.”

“Huh?” he grunts, looking at me in confusion, letting his fist fall away before I get the chance to bump it, leaving me hanging.

I can’t help the grin on my face, knowing exactly how he’s going to react to this. “She was kind of asleep when she said it.”

“Fuck, man,” he booms in laughter, falling to the chair and holding his stomach as the boys watch with curious stares. “That shit doesn’t count.”

“Fucking does,” I argue, ready to go down on this hill.

“Maybe to you,” he scoffs at my expense. “But not to her.”

Fuck. I hate it when he’s right. I slouch down into my chair and get started on my skates when Coach Harris walks in. “Alright, ladies. On your feet.”

We quickly finish up in the locker room and file out onto the ice to get started with our usual sprints and practice shots. Each and every one of us pulls it together and gives one hundred percent during training, and by the end of our two-hour session, we practically fall back into the locker room, dripping with sweat.

“Good work, boys,” Coach praises as we start stripping off our sweaty gear. “Now, we’re two-thirds of the way through the season and it’s getting close to crunch time. We’ve been spotting a few scouts at the games, and I don’t need to remind you what that means for all of your futures,” he says as his gaze specifically lands on me and Tank. We both give him an understanding nod. “Good,” he murmurs with a slight grin. I must remember to thank Dani. Coach has apparently continued dating Professor Whitaker after the auction and seems a shitload happier since.

“Now, game night, tomorrow night. You’re up against the team from New York. Last year, these guys almost cleaned the ice with your asses. You had the speed and strength, but they possessed agility and footwork. So keep your heads in the game. No doubt they’ll be playing dirty, so get in the attack zone and get that damn biscuit in the basket.”

We nod, more than ready for tomorrow’s game as he begins to wrap it up. “Okay, get yourselves cleaned up. I expect you all to put in at least an hour of gym time today, preferably focusing on your speed and agility.” He gives us all a hard stare and disappears out the door.

We all leave together as the Zamboni finishes up on the ice and the Figure Fairies get started on their session. Jaxon, Bobby, and Aaron all hang back to get the girls’ attention, hoping they might want to drop their panties for them the same way the Puck Bunnies do, but these Figure Fairies are not the kind of chicks you want to mess with.

Tank and I keep walking, making our way out front and getting into our trucks after making plans to meet at the gym at 5 p.m. I get my ass back home to find Dani strutting around my place in a tight little tank and tiny sleep shorts. Did I mention she’s not wearing a bra?

I dump my gear at the front door and collapse on the closest couch. Dani makes her way over and straddles my lap, and my hands instantly take possession of her waist. She bends down and places a kiss on my lips. “I missed waking up with you this morning.”

“I missed it, too,” I tell her, pulling her down harder against me. “But I’ve got to say, I loved hearing your sleepy monologue as I was leaving.”

“Oh, shit,” she gasps, sitting up a little straighter and looking at me with wide eyes. “What did I say?” She thinks hard, trying to remember what she might have slipped up with, and with each passing second, she only looks more concerned.

“Nothing, babe,” I say, kissing her while grabbing her ass. I stand and lift her with me, the movement prompting her to wrap her legs around my waist. Heading to the stairs, I walk us up to my bedroom. “But, just so you know,” I tell her, looking her right in the eyes so I have her full attention. “I love you too.”

Her body tightens in my arms as she looks at me in shock. “You do?” she asks as her eyes grow watery.

“So fucking much,” I declare.

She leans forward and kisses me with everything she’s got. “You don’t know how amazing it is to hear that,” she says between kisses.

“I bet it feels a little something like when I heard you say it this morning.”

“God, you’re such a smartass,” she laughs as I dump her on the edge of my bed and drop to my knees while I rip her shorts off her body.

Dani puts a foot up on my chest, halting my progression, and I take hold of her foot and wait to hear what she needs from me. She pulls her foot from my grasp and sits up on the edge of the bed, placing me right between her thighs and at eye level. She looks at me nervously and bites her lip.

I reach up and free her lip from her teeth. “What is it, Dani?” I ask.

She looks deep into my eyes and scoots herself forward so she falls into my lap. I catch her effortlessly and look down at her. “I love you,” she tells me from the absolute bottom of her heart, the emotion loud and clear in both her voice and eyes.

My chest aches for her as I desperately catch her lips in mine and hold her against me. I raise us off the floor and gently lay her on the bed, taking the utmost care as I worship her body and make love to her. Knowing for the first time in my life, that not only do I love this beautiful woman with everything I am, but she will be my wife. The mother of my children. The only woman that I will ever give myself to for the rest of my life.

Chapter 17

Danielle

SophieandIsitin the grandstand watching our men annihilate the team from New York. They’ve put in one of the best games of the season, and I know there was a scout here somewhere who wanted to check out the Dream Team in action.

They’re down to the last few minutes of the game. Coach Harris is red in the face, screaming from the barrier. We already know we’ve won this one, but he wants them to finish it strong. Who can blame him?

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