Page 57 of The Puckable Playbook

His chest heaves, and his sharp words cut like a knife. He’s right. Embarrassment sinks its ugly claws into me. I can’t even get a guy I’m dating to treat me well, and to make matters worse, Zaiah witnessed the whole thing.

I look away. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying that!”

I gulp down some water, willing myself not to cry.

“None of this is your fault,” he says, voice softening.

“You’re being so nice.” I try to smile for him. “Are you sure you’re a hockey player?”

His face morphs to confusion then a slight smile. “Your brain is being funny, sweetie. I’m not sure where you’re connecting some thoughts to others, but if I was your date, no way in hell would I be leaving you outside your place. Alone. In the cold. Freezing, in that dress.”

He sweeps his gaze across me, and goose bumps sprout in its wake. “Well, you wouldn’t have to because we live together.”

“Even if we didn’t.”

Unfortunately, this scenario he’s conjuring in his head would never come to fruition. He doesn’t see me like that. I place the water on the end table. “I need your expert dating advice.”

His shoulders fall forward. “Lenore, I don’t want to be your dating coach anymore.”

My mouth opens in shock. “We had an agreement.” He studies my face, but I don’t give him a chance to back out. “Hedoesn’t want me to meet his parents… But you let me meet your parents.”

“Good, he’s a dick.”

I scoff, meeting his hard stare. “He is not. I wouldn’t be attracted to dicks.”

He presses his lips together, eyes glittering. I watch him until the realization of what I just said hits.

I groan in frustration. “Obviously, not what I meant. Dicks are perfectly fine. I wouldn’t call them cute or beautiful. I saw yours once. It was…”

Magnificent.

Drool-worthy.

Puckable, for sure.

He drops to his knees. Grasping my head between his large palms, he says, “Don’t finish that sentence. I’m wearing thin tonight, sweetie, and the last thing I need is for you to test my scruples.”

The warm and fuzzies swarm my stomach, and my face burns at his touch. “I like when you call me sweetie.”

“You’re killing me,” he groans, his brown eyes staring straight into mine.

A heaviness blankets us, anchoring this moment. My heart slams in my chest, the beat urging me forward. My gaze flicks to his lips. “We should kiss.”

He blinks. “What?”

Yeah, what? My brain fires a red flag, and I pivot from my original thought. If he rejects me, the aftermath would be devastating. I must have misread everything. “You should kiss me to see if I’m a good kisser. Maybe it’s me who’s the problem, you know, with me and Clark. Maybe I kiss like a dead fish. You’ll be honest with me.”

His thumb strokes my cheek. He studies me for so long it feels like he’s read me from cover to cover. Like the book of mylife is in my eyes and he’s just indulged. “I’ll kiss you because I want to, Len, and for no other reason. Do you understand?”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Zaiah

“I don’t thinkI heard you correctly,” she slurs.

I stare into her innocent blue eyes, then track down to her lips. Every fiber in my being wants to kiss her, but not while she’s in this state, and I certainly don’t want to so she can pretend it’s because of that dick. “It’s okay. I’ll explain it some other time. Put your feet up here.” I pat the couch.

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