Page 97 of Puck Love

I’m mauling Stella.I knowthis. I’m aware of the glares I’m getting from the ballbuster, and I don’t give a shit. She can stare all she damn well wants. I wrap my arms tight around country’s waist and “help” her set the table. This basically just means clinging to her tight body like a sloth and covering her face and neck with kisses every chance Iget.

A buzzer rings, and Eli’s face shoots up on the screen. “Oh my god! He’s here,” Stellasays.

Ballbuster pours herself a third glass of wine, finishing the bottle off. She lets out a deep sigh and says, “Ohgoody.”

She hadn’t been happy when she’d shown up at the crack of dawn Christmas morning to celebrate her and Stella’s annual “single girl Christmas,” and I’d been the one to greet her. She doesn’t strike me as the kind of woman who is ever happy though, so I don’t really give a shit if she was pleased to see me or not. I am here for my snuggle bunny. Everyone else can go fuckthemselves.

“Be nice,” Stella warns as she walks by, and I grab her and pull her back towardme.

“Hey, you weren’t this excited when I showed up on yourdoorstep.”

“Yes, I was. I was just internalizing so you wouldn’t have my number.” She laughs. “Now let me go. It’s rude to keep guestswaiting.”

“Eli isn’t guests, more like a stray dog you let in because you feel sorry forhim.”

The holidays are kind of a fucked-up event in hockey. You never really know where you’re going to be. Some years I’m in Calgary at my mom’s after playing a home game, others, I’m in the United States. Sometimes my family fly out, but Em doesn’t like stepping too far out of his comfort zone, so more often than not, it’s just me and my teammates. The ones who choose to stay rather than go home to their families, atleast.

“You be nice, too,” Stella says. “This is my first time hosting a real Christmas, and I want it to bememorable.”

“Oh, it’s bound to be memorable,” the ballbuster says and takes another sip of herwine.

Stella pulls away from me and I roll my eyes at the angry wench leaning up against the breakfast bar who’s guzzling glass after glass of Pinot Gris. Not wanting to be left alone with her, I follow Stella to the door. She pulls it back to reveal Eli, Torres, Rookie, and a fucking puck bunny. Veronica at least has the good grace to look a little sheepish when her eyes meet mine. I clench my jaw so tight I don’t know how my teeth don’t shatter—especially considering half of them arefake.

“Merry Christmas,” Stellasays.

“Merry Christmas,” they all mutter, except for Eli, who holds out two bottles of wine and one huge bottle of whiskey. I yank the hard liquor from his hand, screw off the cap, and take a huge gulp. When I glance back at Stella, she’s frowning atme.

“Stella,” Eli says, handing her the wine and pulling her in for a kiss.On her fucking lips. This asshole is really pushing my buttons today. She pulls back with wide eyes and presses her hand to her lips. Eli continues as if he didn’t just molest my girlfriend, “Nice to see you haven’t broken our man, Van, though if I were you I would have cut off his balls as a keepsake before sending him on his way. I hope you don’t mind that I brought somefriends.”

“No. The more the merrier,right?”

“Get your fucking hands off my girl.” I sneer at my soon-to-be-ex bestfriend.

He releases her with a smirk and turns to my teammates, and Veronica. “Stella, this is Torres, Rookie, andRonnie.”

One look at Stella’s face and I can tell she’s trying to figure out how Ronnie fits into this equation, but she’s as sweet as ever and welcomes the whore into her home without any obvious judgement. “Welcome, come in. Make yourselves athome.”

The three of them file in and follow Stella down the hall. I yank Eli toward me before he can take another step. “You brought a fucking puck bunny to Christmas at my girlfriend’shouse.”

He shrugs. “She wasalone.”

“Oh, well, that changes everything. It’s her damn fault she’s alone; she followed the team here to have sex with them onChristmas.”

Eli raises a brow. “What’s your problem withher?”

“What’s my problem? No problem, only that she’s one of the bunnies who screwed shit up for me by talking on live radio.” I rub the back of my neck and lower my voice. “And she had her lips wrapped around my cock two monthsago.”

“What? I thought you were pining for Stella sinceOctober?”

“Yeah. Remember that time that Stella pretended she didn’t love me and I threw a fucking party at my house to celebrate my misery? Veronica broke into my fucking room and attackedme.”

“So? You and Stella weren’t togetherthen.”

“Jesus, numb nuts.” I pinch the bridge of my nose to stave off the fucking headache this conversation is producing. “You really think Stella’s going to care about that once Veronica opens her fattrap?”

“Well then, I’d suggest you don’t leave the two of them alone for long,” Eli says, and nods in theirdirection.

“Shit.” I walk toward Stella and wrap my arm around her, leading her away from Veronica and into the kitchen. “I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t know he’d be bringingfriends.”

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