Page 128 of Thoroughly Pucked

She’s still exuberant from the touchdown. Her cheeks are pink, her eyes bright. “About what?”

Even though I’m in a suite full of other VIP fans of the city’s most decorated football team, I narrow my brow and ask pointedly, “About thatyes, baby. Are you a bigger football fan than hockey fan?”

Aubrey rolls her eyes. “Seriously?”

Quickly, Ledger gets on board. “It’s a legit question, come to think of it.”

“I didn’t see you cheering this hard at the hockey game you came to,” I say.

She parks her hands on her hips, looking too sassy, too sexy, too just fucking perfect for me as she says, “I didn’t realize you were the jealous types.”

“I didn’t realize you were loyal to the gridiron,” I counter.

“Just seems you’d havedoublethe reasons to like hockey,” Ledger deadpans.

“But football is sooo fun,” she says.

I cough to cover up my shocked laugh. “But it’s not hockey.”

“I thought you had good taste, honey,” Ledger says, waggling his eyebrows so his double meaning is clear.

“Aww, is it hard for you, handsome?” she asks him before setting a hand on my chest. “Does it bother you too, babe?”

Ah, hell.

We’rehandsomeandbabe. I’m so far gone for her. But I try valiantly to give her hell about this. “No, I’m just thinking we need to get you season tickets to the better sport,” I say. “Right, Ledger?”

His nod is decisive. “We sure do.”

“But what if you’re both playing the same night?” Aubrey asks, all flirty and playful.

I lean in close, sweep some of those auburn locks off her ear. “We can share you.”

She shudders under my touch, then nibbles on the corner of her lips, turning her gaze to him. “That work for you?”

“Yes, yes it does,” he says.

She sits down in the tall, leather chair, then lets out a shaky breath. Looking at him, then looking at me. Just as it should be. I sit, too, put a hand on her thigh. Ledger drops down, wraps an arm around her shoulder. Yes, this is us, dating our girl.

But dating her also means surprising her. She does like to be thrown for a loop.

Once the game ends, and the suite clears, the three of us hang back, Ledger and I making small talk about the game before he holds up a finger and says he needs to chat with the suite attendant.

He bounds up the steps, tugs the guy aside. The man smiles and nods, then disappears into the hall.

The door clinks shut right as Aubrey reaches for the knob.

I cover her hand with mine. “Not so fast. You need to understand there are consequences for your actions.”

Her eyes flicker as she lets go. “There are?” Her voice sounds breathy. Just shy of excited.

“We can’t let you get away with that kind of defiance,” Ledger says, then locks the door.

“You can’t?” Her voice pitches higher.

“Nope,” he says, then tosses her over his shoulder and stalks down the steps to the glass of the suite, overlooking the field.

The Renegades have won, and the field is clear, but fans are still trickling out of the stadium. He takes her to the second row of seats, obscured behind the tall backs of the seats in front.

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