Page 50 of Not the Puck Bunny

That wasn't an end to the conversation, but hewasn't going to reel me in. Whatever he had to say, he'd get to it sooner or later. Preferably sooner.

The goalie couldn't resist making a joke out of anything and everything. I'd lost count of how many times I told him he should have been a clown or a comedian. Apparently those options were his backup plans if hockey didn't work out.

Nate would have suggested he had too many pucks to the head. Blake would have been faster to agree with him than I would. He didn't take himself seriously either. Once in a while, I almost envied him. Nothing got to him for long. Everything got to me more than it should.

“No, there is.” He fastened his own seatbelt. “You took off from the ice and came back looking like the donkey that got the carrot.” He squinted. “That's it, isn't it?”

“Yes, I ran off to eat a carrot and now my life is complete,” I said sarcastically.

“I knew there was something weird about you,” he said with a laugh. “If a carrot is all it takes to make you happy, you could have had one years ago.”

“Are you going to be weird the entire flight? Because if you are, go and sit next to someone else. Seattle is too far to deal with whatever happy pills you took.”

He grinned. “I'm not the one who took happy pills. Or a happy carrot. Or are we talking about a carrot top?” His expression became sly.

I suppressed the very strong urge to smile at the thought of Andi and her gorgeous red curls. Nothing would give the game away faster than a silly grin like a kid with a crush.

Instead, I went with playing it casual.

“I think describing someone with red hair as a carrot top might be considered offensive.” I pressed on the screen in front of me, hoping to find a good movie to watch.

Honestly, I would have preferred to spend the flight looking at Andi. After making her come like that, I hadn't been able to get her out of my mind.

She was the first thing I thought of when I woke up in the morning and the last thing on my mind before I went to sleep. And pretty much everything in between. All I wanted to do was see her and talk to her. Wrap my arms around her and bury myself inside her. Taste her until she screamed my name.

We'd barely had time to exchange text messages before the whole team was off to the airport to fly out. Usually, I enjoyed traveling, but this time I would have preferred to stay home.

“Flynn, do you get offended when anyone callsyou carrot top?” Blake shouted out through the plane.

Flynn turned around in his seat, gave Blake a funny look and turned back to his conversation with Nate, who sat beside him.

Blake shrugged and checked his seatbelt. “I guess he doesn't care too much.”

“Flynn isn't easily offended,” I pointed out.

“That's true,” Blake conceded. “That's it though, right? You took off after Andi, and something happened between you.” He looked as though he'd made up his mind, regardless of whatever I told him. I could deny it flat and he'd still be convinced he was right.

“It might have,” I said. This conversation was inevitable, but that didn't mean I had to enjoy it.

“Bro.” Blake held out his fist for a bump.

Sighing reluctantly, I bumped my fist against his.

“Is she okay?” Blake asked.

“Because she's into me?” I frowned. If he was going to start insulting her, we were going to have a problem, even if he was only doing it to tease. No one said anything negative about her in front of me and got away with it.

“Because she almost choked,” he said, clearly amused at my response.

Okay, I'd put two and two together and came up with six. But after the things I'd seen about her online, I couldn't help being protective. Did she need me to be? Maybe not. Was I going to be protective anyway? Yeah, yeah I was. If anyone was going to be a dick to her, they could go through me.

“Right,” I said into my chest. “Yeah, she's okay. A bit shaken, and a lot embarrassed. It's not everyday shit like that happens in front of a bunch of people. Alice said no one wants to run with that footage. Apparently it's too distressing for sensitive viewers.”

It was fucking distressing to me. I doubted Andi wanted to see it either.

“And if you mention anything about sausages or licking cupcakes, I will rearrange your face,” I said.

He held up his hands in surrender. “I wasn't going to say a word. I like Andi, I think she's good for the team. She's clearly good for you.”

---