Page 30 of Dirty Puck

“Same thing as you, I suspect. Shopping.”

He looked from me to Bree, eyes stopping on her tits a bit too long for my liking and said, “I swear I’ve seen you at”—if he said Slits, I’d rip his larynx out so he couldn’t ever talk again— “the arena,” he fortunately said.

Bree smiled. “I work there.”

“You his assistant?” he asked.

“The fuck kind of question is that?” I barked, taking a step forward. Bree gripped my shirt, pulling me back to her side.

“Sorry,” the dude said, holding his hands up in front of him. A move that wouldn’t provide him a lick of protection if I decided to take a go at him. “She works at the arena. I just figured…”

“It’s fine,” she said. “We met at the arena, but we’re dating now. I know, someone like him should be with an actress or a pop star.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you. You’re gorgeous, if you don’t mind me saying?—”

“Ido.” I cut him off, causing Bree to slap my chest.

“Stop,” she ordered.

“It’s just famous people usually date other famous people.” He had a point. But from what I’d seen over the years, famous people dating famous people rarely ended well for one or both of the parties involved. Though in my experience, getting into a real relationship with anyone, celebrity or not, didn’t end well. No, in my opinion, everyone should try this fake relationship with a lot of fucking arrangement. We both got what we needed. There was no downside.

“Sometimes you meet the one on a red carpet and sometimes you meet her in a locker room.” As soon as the words left my lips, I realized my mistake. I meant to say therightone.The oneimplied a lifetime commitment, marriage… kids, if you were into that. Maybe a dog. Vacations together. Family events. But if she noticed my slip, she let it go, not even blinking an eye.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to it,” the man said.

“Would you like a picture with him?” Bree asked.

He looked between Bree and me, then said, “Better not,” and then turned, scurrying away like a damn rat.

Once he rounded the corner, Bree cocked her hip, arms folded over her chest, and glared at me. “You scared him,” she said, stating the obvious.

“He insulted you.”

“I wasn’t insulted.”

“Okay, well, Iwas.”

“You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, Reece.”

“Why would I want to catch flies at all? You get a bug zapper and never have to deal with the problem again.”

She rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s just finish.”

We found Miss Claudia and Benny. Even though he couldn’t answer back, she talked to him like any grandmotherly type would to a kid, having a whole one-sided conversation.

Thankfully, there weren’t too many customers in the store today, but for Bree’s sake, I made nice with the ones who approached. I ordered Bree and Claudia into the truck while I loaded the bags into the bed.

We had enough time to get back to the apartment to put Bree’s and Miss Claudia’s groceries away. While I was bent over pulling a rack of ribs from the bag, Benny handed me a book. He wanted me to read to him? Shock didn’t begin to cover what I felt, but we’d spent several hours together, so I supposed he felt comfortable enough with me now. I held his hand, leading him over to the sofa. The one I’d eaten out his mother on.Shit—I was going to hell.

I sat first and he climbed up on my lap. I took the book, reading the title. “The Wriggly Caterpillar.” Benny smiled so big. “‘The little, wriggly caterpillar loved to eat all day andthen at night, he curled up tight, to keep the birds away.’” I turned the cardboard page. “‘This went on for weeks and weeks until one day he was gone. But from the branch there hung an object bigger than an acorn.’” I looked at Benny. “This is getting good, bud.” His eyes twinkled as he pressed his little finger to the book. I turned the next page. “‘The object hanging from the branch was something called a ‘cocoon,’ where the little, wriggly caterpillar slept through sun, and stars, and moon.’” Next page. “‘On the day he finally awoke, the cocoon started to crack. The first thing to emerge on that bright sunny day were wings of white and black.’” This time, Benny helped me turn the page. “‘With six fuzzy legs and two antennae, there was no caterpillar in sight. But the moth he’d become leaped to the sky, flapped his wings and then took flight.’” Last page. “‘So if you see a caterpillar wiggling on a branch, sit back and watch him eat and eat, while you have the chance.’”

Benny rested his hand on my scruffy cheek as if to say“thank you”and“that was so cool”all at once.

“You’re a natural,” Bree said and I jerked my head to see her standing, leaning against the wall closest to the kitchen with her feet crossed at the ankles and arms crossed over her chest like she’d been listening the whole time. But it was that carefree smile she gave me, not the sassy or sultry ones she typically used during her interactions with the team. I’d never seen this one before and damn, it felt so good to see it aimed at me.

“Baker Reece can read. Who’d’ve thunk?”

She pushed off the wall still smiling and bent down when she reached us. Dropping her hand to the back of my neck, she kissed my cheek, and then she kissed Benny’s.

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