Page 77 of Dirty Puck

Like I deserved to enjoy it.

The Bellagio fountain was still dancing by the time I headed back up to the room, lights shimmering off the water like the whole damn city was trying to show off. And honestly? It worked. If I hadn’t left Reece alone so long, I’d have stayed to enjoy it a bit longer.

My feet were screaming. My arms ached from holding bags. My face hurt from laughing.

I’d never shopped at stores where they offered you champagne while you browsed. I’d never eaten oysters so fresh, they still tasted like the ocean. And I’d definitely never been tipsy at night in a Valentino dressing room with two hockey wives cheering me on like I was about to walk a runway.

It was decadent. Wild. Unreal. Hockey wives gone wild in all the best ways.

For a first vacation, I couldn’t complain. The only thing that would’ve made it better was to have the rest of my family along. Someday. Someday, I’d take them on a fabulous trip.

I scanned the key and nudged the suite door open with my hip, balancing three shopping bags on one arm and a half-melted macaron box in the other.

“Reece?” I called, my voice low.

He was waiting.

Not just there—butwaiting.

Reece leaned against the far window in a black T-shirt and joggers, Bellagio lights framing him in a damn movie scene. Arms crossed. Jaw tight.

I froze. “Hey. Didn’t expect you to be back yet.”

“I texted.”

I fumbled for my phone, groaning when I saw the missed messages. “Crap. I didn’t hear it. We were at the gondolas. It was loud, and I?—”

He was already crossing the room.

“I’m not mad.”

The sexy goalie lifted the bags out of my hand one by one, gently setting them on the sofa.

“Just horny.”

“Horny, huh?”

He shrugged. “And I missed you.”

Heat bloomed in my chest. I hated the way those words snuck under my skin like a warm current. I was too tired for this. Too soft.

“I was with the girls,” I said lamely. “They’re fun.”

“You had a good time?”

I nodded.

He stepped closer. “You let yourself enjoy something for once?”

Another nod. Barely.

“I found something for Benny, Claudia, your mom, and you.”

“Me?” Reece raised an eyebrow as he reached down to finger the hem of my skirt. “I got what I need. You look like trouble in this.”

“Iamtrouble,” I whispered.

He smiled, like he already knew. “You tired?”

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