Page 36 of Not the Puck Bunny

“You guys are idiots. Being on the same team with you is embarrassing.” He curled his lip at us and looked disgusted.

“Feel free to leave then.” Blake grinned and gave him a go away gesture with his fingers. He looked completely unmoved by anything Zack had to say. Like everything else in his life, he let it roll off him like the proverbial water off a duck's back.

If he took anything seriously, Inever saw it. Sometimes I wished I could have a not-give-a-shit attitude like him. I needed to stop letting things get to me.

Zack rolled his eyes, sneered and stomped past. He muttered something that sounded a lot like, “Fucking dickheads,” before stepping out onto the ice.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who took things too seriously. If anyone needed to take the stick out of his ass, it was him. What was his problem anyway? So far, I hadn't managed to figure it out. It was possible he didn't like us, but that was unlikely. We were very likable. Right?

“About that vote,” Blake started. He frowned like he was serious, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, just visible under his beard.

“No,” I said. “No voting on who gets a vote about my love life. Which, for the record, is non-existent. It was just a kiss and it's not going to happen again.”

Only— I couldn't get the way she felt and tasted out of my mind. I wanted more, and I couldn't have it. The best thing, the only thing, I could do right now would be to put her out of my mind. And make sure I was never stuck on a rollercoaster with her again. Because if I was, I might kiss her again, and if I did I might not stop.

“But you want it to,” Flynn said softly.

“It doesn't matter what I want,” I said. “If she needs a friend again, I'll be that for her. That's it. She owns the team. You know what people would say if we got involved.”

They'd spread it all over social media and make it into something that it wasn't. Like they had with Clio. Like they did any time any of the guys got involved with anyone. They circled like a school of piranha, ready to descend on us and rip us apart for their own amusement and profit.

The only regret I ever had in going pro was becoming the target of monetized gossip. If I had my way, it would be illegal.

“They'd say'Lowball Bay Sea Dragons forward has steamy relationship with property development heiress,'" Coach Lampton said. He walked towards us, his eyes on his phone. “That's what it says, right here.” He tapped the screen, then turned his phone around to show me.

On the screen was a photo of Andi and me getting onto the rollercoaster. We were smiling together. The second photo showed us stopped at the top. A third showed us closer together, my fingers in her hair, lips on hers.

All of the photos were grainy, and thelast one could have been anyone, but put all three together like a series of events, it was clearly both of us.

Fuck.

“Fuck.” I closed my eyes, hoping the image would be gone when I opened them again. It wasn't.

“According to this, you were making out and couldn't keep your hands off each other,” Coach said. He looked up at me and raised his eyebrows.

“It was one kiss,” I muttered. “It won't happen again.”

Not after I was the asshat who offended her by suggesting people might see her as a spoiled little rich girl. The only one spoiling anything was me, spoiling the moment with my thoughtless words.

She made quick excuses once we had our feet on the ground and left. It was for the best. I couldn't screw up if she wasn't talking to me.

I hoped like hell she wouldn't insist on me being traded to another team, just to get rid of me. I didn't think she was petty like that, but there was a time when I didn't think Clio was either.

The back of my mind, my cock and my balls all conspired to agree that Andi was nothing like Clio. There might have also been a couple of thuds in my chest that joined that unhelpful chorus. Apparently only the front of my brain was on my side now.

“Tell that to the PR department.” Coach shrugged. “That's their domain. Mine is getting your asses out there on the ice to train.” He nodded to the other guys. “Get out there. North, the PR department wants to see you after training.”

I groaned inwardly. This, right here, was a really good reason not to be spontaneous.

We could have ignored the photos of us spending time together if there wasn't a photograph of our kiss. People would move on from friends hanging out together at the pier. If they thought there was something more juicy going on, they'd be invested. They'd think they were entitled to know everything that went on behind closed doors. If that was nothing, they'd make something up.

It was nothing I couldn't handle if I had to, but my stupid ass hadn't thought about the impact on Andi. I hadn't thought about anything but wanting to taste her mouth. If I'd taken a moment to consider the consequences, I would have stopped myself. If that meant standing up, rocking the carriage and jumping off the side into the ocean, it would have prevented the coming shit storm. Right now that was at category one, but I had the sinking feeling it would pick up momentum.

“It might be time for another one of Blake'snaked runs around the outside of the arena,” Nate deadpanned. “People would forget Cam like that.” He snapped his fingers.

“I'm down for that.” Blake grinned.

As far as I knew, he'd never run naked in public, but if anyone would do it, it would be him. None of us were shy about our bodies, not after sharing locker rooms for so long, but baring everything in public would give the PR department a migraine.

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