Page 71 of Thoroughly Pucked

Aubrey laughs. “That’s not how love lines work.”

“Feels that way,” I grumble.

“I need a little more light,” Aubrey says.

Ledger lowers his phone, the flashlight shining brighter on my wounded hand. “Who knows? You might never be able to jack off again,” Ledger muses.

“I’m right-handed,” I spit out. “Also, a puck to the collarbone hurts less. A puck to the stomach. A puck to the ass.”

“Maybe you should wear pads when you’re doing hero duty.”

“These are nasty little splinters,” Aubrey says sympathetically as she hunts another bastard down. “I have to pull them out slowly so they don’t break off in your hand.”

“That can happen?” I sure hope my voice isn’t as high-pitched as it feels.

Ledger doesn’t chuckle this time. He actually frowns. “That one is jagged and shit,” he says when Aubrey expertly tugs one out.

I stare up at him. “I told you so.”

“They’re so painful and so big,” she says, stopping to squeeze my shoulder.

And that’s nice. All her touches are so nice. She inches closer, straddling my thigh, her hair brushing against my chest as she bends over my hand, searching and plucking.

And that’s not too bad. Her hair tickling my face. The scent of her shampoo is kind of tropical. Not coconut, not pineapple—more like the tropical rainforest.

Tonight, I’m going to dream of tropical rainforests populated by one very hot nurse. “You just have tweezers in your bag?” I ask, circling back to how fast she whipped the tool out a few minutes ago when she’d assessed the damage to my palm.

I can feel her smile as she says, “Yes, I do. Tissues too. Also Tylenol and Advil.”

I look up at Ledger, smiling dopily as I say, “I love women.”

“I do too.”

Then I look to Aubrey again. “You’re a perfect nurse.”

With a teasing grin, she asks, “Are you going to get Florence Nightingale effect because I’m taking out your splinters?”

No. Only because I’m pretty sure I fell for you a while ago.

I don’t answer. I grit my teeth, taking the pain as I let her finish.

“Last one,” she says victoriously as she holds up the final sliver of wood in the sunlight.

I let out the biggest breath. “Thank you.”

Ledger claps my shoulder. “Thanks go to you for saving that kid. That was badass.”

“It really was, Dev,” Aubrey says.

My chest warms from the praise. I do love compliments. But the truth is, I did what anyone would have done. “I was just in the right place at the right time. That’s all.”

Aubrey scoffs. “No. You don’t get to downplay it.”

I roll my eyes. “I swear it was no big deal. Anyone would have done the same.”

“But not anyone did.Youdid,” she points out.

“That was baller,” Ledger says, then he shoots me a cocky grin. “But if you need me to take care of Aubrey tonight so you can rest…”