Page 112 of Dirty Pucking Player

Tears trickle down her cheeks. “You’re serious.”

I nod. “Dead serious. One of us was going to have to give it up. It would never have worked any other way. And you worked too fucking hard to get where you are for me to be selfish and ask you to quit. I’m doing this for us, Greer, so that we can have a future.”

She shakes her head and swipes at the tears. “B-but…I don’t want you to resent me when you start missing it because you can’t play anymore. When I’m the reason you have to watch all your friends earn a cup while you sit on the damn couch.”

“Jesus, Greer.” I shake my head. “I could never resent you. You’re the best fucking thing that ever happened to me. The only good thing hockey ever did for me.”

She grins at me. “What about the money?”

I bark out a laugh and shrug. “Yeah, well, the money is nice. I can’t lie about that, but money isn’t everything.”

“No. I guess it’s not.” She sighs and stares at me for a moment. “You’re really sure about this.”

“Well, I was…until you started trying to fight me so hard on it.” It never even crossed my mind I might not being doing what she wanted, that this could backfire on me so badly. “Isn’t this what you want?”

When I signed my retirement papers, everything told me I was doing the right thing, but I expected Greer to be a little more excited about this instead of trying to convince me that I’m doing something stupid.

She nods. “Of course, it’s what I want. Anything that would make it possible for us to be together is what I want. You know I love you, Bash. Probably more than I should. Probably more than is healthy. And what you did for me…for us…only makes me love you more.”

The burn of unshed tears stings my eyes.

Fuck. I hate crying.

I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment and try to regain some semblance of control over my emotions. Leave it to Greer to completely unravel me with just a few words. When I open them again, she’s watching me expectantly. “What?”

She shakes her head and laughs, then she winces and laughs again. “God, that hurts.”

“Then stop laughing and shaking your head.”

“I can’t.” She manages the words through her laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“You.” She holds up her hands and waves them. “This. This has to be the least romantic place to have this conversation.”

I grin at her. “I can think of less romantic places.”

She snorts. “I’m sure you can.”

I lean in and kiss her. Slow and sweet this time, the way she deserves to be kissed. I’ve done everything with her so damn hard and fast, and that was a huge mistake. A self-preservation tactic I hadn’t even realized I was relying on until it was almost too late. “I love you, Greer Waterson.”

“I love you, Sebastian Fury.”

I jerk back and narrow my eyes at her.

Her brow furrows, and she brushes her fingers along my arm. “What?”

I grin at her. “You know that’s the first time you ever called me by my real name.”

Her eyebrows shoot up, and she shakes her head. “No way.”

“Yes.” I nod and lean in, stopping a hairsbreadth from her lips. “I kinda like it. You should do it more often.”

Bash Fury was a different man. He was self-centered. He was arrogant. He was brash, and he annihilated anything in his path. Bash Fury would’ve annihilated a problem like Greer, too. He would have made sure she was the one who left the Scorpions, so he could stay on the team.

But Sebastian Fury…he’s something and someone else entirely. He’s the kind of guy who sacrifices what he loves to do to be with who he loves. And he finally gets what he deserves, even though it meant losing a lot along the way and causing and suffering unimaginable pain.

It’s an ending he never saw coming, but it is pucking perfect.

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