Page 8 of Double Pucked

“Nope. But it’s likely you will when you see me play.” Someone is confident.

But Ryker scoffs.

I turn to him, curious. “Does that mean you think you’ll be my favorite instead?”

He scratches his jaw, a little aloof. “I don’t play to make favorites. I play to win,” he says with a careless shrug, but he’s not aloof with his stare, aimed right at me. His dark blue eyes are smoldering with their intensity. With a promise of what’s to come.

In the game? On the ice? Or after when we all play…Ping-Pong?

I’m not sure, but it seems like it’d be fun to wind him up. “Then maybe we should make a bet. If you’re both my favorite players after the game, I’ll buy a round. But it’s going to take a lot of convincing,” I warn, then shrug casually, ready to surprise these guys with this little nugget. I lean in and whisper, “It’s my first time…at a hockey game.”

Chase whistles. “Fuck favorite players. We have a bigger mission now for yourvirgingame,” he says, a little flirty. “We’re gonna make sure hockey is your new favorite sport.”

I arch a doubtful brow then say, “Good luck.”

There’s no way I plan on falling for either team, or for my ex’s favorite game for that matter. Still, I have a full night of revenge gloating ahead of me, and I plan to savor every second here at the arena and with these two guys.

“Drinks are on us when you’re convinced, and you’ll definitely be convinced,” Chase adds, full of athlete bravado.

Ryker rolls his eyes at the other guy. “Dickhead, drinksareon us. It’s part of the VIP package,” he says, and this bearded brute might as well have G-R-U-M-P written on his jersey.

But he’s not wrong. “You make a very good point too,” I say sweetly to Ryker, since grumps don’t scare me.

The man’s brow knits, like he’s taken aback by my comment. That’s fun, his reaction.

“I mean, details matter, right?” I add with a smile.

His forehead gets even tighter. “Yeah. They do,” he grumbles, but his lips twitch, like he’s fighting off a grin.

Ha. I’ve defused the big bad grump some. Yay me.

“Speaking of good points and details, I’ll be expecting a full report over drinks, Trina,” Chase says, cutting in and taking over. “Every detail on howIconvinced you hockey is the best.”

I tap my temple and say, “Don’t worry. I’ll take copious notes for later.”

“And we’ll have a full review then, Trina,” he says, pausing at my name, almost like he’s enjoying the way it tastes on his tongue.

That’s unexpected, the ramp up. And I don’t have a comeback this time. Especially since both men are looking at me with competitive fire in their eyes.

For a few seconds, I feel a little wobbly under the heat of their stares. Like I’m the unexpected object of their desires. But there’s no way they’d both be staring at me like that. I’ve probably read too many books. I’m likely imagining the flames in their irises, mistaking their drive to win for, well, a drive for something else.

Besides, they probably just want to prove their dicks are bigger than the next guy’s. “I can’t wait for the full review,” I say.

“I can’t either,” Chase says, then shakes my hand, sealing our bet. As our palms connect, warmth licks my veins again. I’m not sure what to make of this sensation skimming through me. I’m in an icy arena. I should be shivering.

Instead, I’m borderline sweating.

“The pics look great. You guys nailed the friendly rivals brief,” Gianna says, interrupting my thoughts and my tingles.

I snap my gaze to her and she’s waving, beckoning me over. I let go of Chase’s hand, perhaps a little reluctantly. “See you guys later,” I say to my VIP hosts.

But before I go, Ryker reaches for my hand, only he doesn’t shake it again. He surprises the hell out of me when he drops a whiskery kiss to the top of my knuckles.

“Oh,” I say as he lingers just a little bit, and I’m tingling all over again. What the hell is going on with me?

Then he lets go and holds my gaze once more with those midnight blue eyes that look even darker than they did a few minutes ago.

I do my best to not dwell on that whole interaction that ran the gamut from grumpy to cocky to bossy to flirty.

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