Page 152 of Pucking Wild

I laugh, picturing it in my mind. “Hades? Girl, that’s probably gonna stick.”

“I know. For a sweet puppy he’s got some bark,” she teases. “And a little bite.”

I groan, wiping my tear away with a frustrated flick of my finger. “Fuck, I cannot fall for a Virgo right now. He’s too centered for me, too uncomplicated.”

“He’s perfect for you,” she counters. “You need centered and uncomplicated. Does he call you out on your crap?”

“Yes. All the freaking time. It’s like I can’t get anything past him.”

Her smile widens. “Good. Is the sex any good?”

I glance up, letting her read my expression, and her smile turns into a laugh. Pretty soon we’re both laughing, holding our sides with tears in our eyes.

“Oh, you are in so much trouble,” she says with a slow shake of her head. “These Rays are something else, huh?”

“Says the woman who snagged not one but three,” I reply.

“Right?” She laughs. “You’re talking to the expert.”

“So, what do I do, oh wise one?” I tease. “Teach me the ways of the Rays Whisperer.”

She’s somber for a minute, her smile falling as her tone turns serious. “Don’t worry about Ryan or who you think he wants you to be. If you want to be fun Tess again, be her for yourself. Dance in your underwear, eat whipped cream from the can. Wild Tess is yours before she belongs to anyone else.”

Her words coil deep in my heart, settling in my soul. Wild Tess is mine. Wild Tess is me.

54

Jake and Caleb got a ride home with Doc from the practice arena, meaning I’m alone in the truck with Mars as he drives me back to the bungalow. I’ve never been alone with Mars before. It’s weird. What do you say to a guy who doesn’t talk? I sit in the passenger seat, gazing out the window as the palm trees pass by overhead.

“So uhh…how do you like living in Florida,” I say, trying to break the silence.

“It’s too hot,” he replies, his eyes locked on the road.

“Yeah, it’s hot near the equator,” I mumble, feeling like an epic douche. “I mean, not that we’re that close to the equator here. But like, closer than Finland or—”

“Langley?”

“Hmm?” I say, glancing over at him.

“You don’t have to fill the silence.”

“The awkward silence,” I say under my breath.

“Silence doesn’t have to be awkward. You Americans all think all silence must be an awkward silence. But two people can sit, not speaking, and simply enjoy each other’s company.”

I raise a brow at him. “You enjoy my company?”

He just shrugs, still not looking at me.

“That’s glowing praise coming from you,” I say with a smirk. “You’re gonna make me blush over here.”

The corner of his mouth tips up and, goddamn it, I feel like a puppy wagging his tail. I don’t know why I so desperately want his validation, but I do.

“So, is that what you and Jake do together?” I tease. “You’re telling me you sit in silence with him? That’s like, a thing he does?”

“I don’t discuss my partners or our life together,” he replies.

Well, shit. Now I feel like a puppy who’s just been wapped on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper.

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