Page 14 of Crazy Pucking Love
“Megan, wait.” As subtlety as I could, I followed her. After a quick glance to confirm Beck wasn’t nearby, I grabbed her arm. “You know I remembered your name, right? I was just trying to follow your lead and play it cool.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were on the hockey team the other night?” she asked.
I shrugged. Honestly, I started to, but then Larry interrupted, and I’d decided it was nice she didn’t know. A lot of girls—girls like Misty, who didn’t care so much who I was, but only that I played hockey—approached me because of it. I used to not care, but trying to be a better person shifted my priorities. “I was just enjoying it being about you and me. Then, when you said your last name, I realized I’d screwed up.”
“Ouch,” she said, her expression matching the sentiment, and sending a stab through me.
I held up a placating hand, trying to reverse this whole conversation before it completely went the wrong way. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant…I knew Beck would be pissed. Last semester he said something about you coming, and it was clear that you were off-limits.”
She sighed. “Of course he did. That’s my brother for you. I guess when I decided to escape my old life, I should’ve started over somewhere absolutely no one would know me. Silly me, thinking it’d be nice to have my brother nearby.”
Several questions popped in my head, and theescapedefinitely caught my attention. She mentioned her high school experience was bad, but it seemed like there was more, and I found myself wanting to know it all. That’d only get me deeper, and I was plenty deep in this mess as it was.
I made the mistake of looking at her, though, and then I couldn’t stop looking. Her white shirt had a gold zipper down the front, and my finger itched to hook into the ring and toy with it—just a little. Then I was thinking about her lips, and how soft they’d felt pressed against mine. The way she’d kissed me… Heat wound through my body and my throat went dry.
You’ve got to stop now, before you do something stupid like kiss her again.I did another sweep for her brother, nudging her toward the stairwell when I spotted him and Lyla near the kitchen.
“What I should’ve told you the other night is that I play hockey for the college, and it keeps me crazy busy,” I said.
Her face dropped and I wanted to take it back. “Oh. I get it.”
“I don’t think you do.” I scooted closer, very aware of the mere inch or two between our bodies. “The other night was…”
She flinched. “I don’t think I want you to finish that.”
“Great,” I said, because it was too late to stop it. “Actually, great isn’t strong enough. It was amazing. But I don’t do relationships, and I know that sounds like a crappy cop-out, but it’s true. I don’t have time. And now that I know you’re Beck’s little sister…”
“I get it.” She lifted her chin. “I’m looking for someone who can spend time with me anyway. Guess I should add someone who’s not scared of my brother to that list.”
I frowned. “I’m not scared. I’m trying to be respectful of my teammate. We’re heading into some of the hardest games of the season, and playoffs are coming up. The last thing I need is to get on his bad side.”
“Right,” she said with one sharp nod. Then her gaze lifted to mine and a small smile touched her lips. “It was nice knowing you, Dane Kowalski.”
There was something about the way she said my full name that made me want to take back everything and forget about what Ishoulddo. And while I was letting facts slip from my memory, I might as well forget that ending things before they could start was the right choice; that I’d decided to choose the non-selfish path from now on.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to grab a drink and find Lyla.” Megan walked away, and despite telling myself not to watch her go, I couldn’t help it.
Under my breath, I said, “It was nice knowing you, too, Megan.” I didn’t use her last name, because it’d only remind me that she was Beck’s sister and that I definitely shouldn’t be checking out her ass.
The party had died down, I’d had two more close calls with handsy Misty, and I’d stared at Megan across the room enough that I’d memorized her profile. I stuck to water all night so I wouldn’t do something stupid, not with Megan and not with any other girl—not that I could settle for anyone else now that I’d met Megan. Nope, she was the only one tempting me to throw all my rules out the window, the way I did the other night when I kissed her.
The need to kiss her again filled me, and when a freshman approached her and got a little too friendly, I clenched my fists and started over.
Beck cut it off before I had to, and I took more comfort than I probably should that at least no one else on the team could have her.
But then Beck started toward me, and I quickly looked away from his sister, my senses going on high alert, a thread of guilt mixing in there, too.
“Hey, sorry if I overacted earlier,” he said.
I forced a casualness into my tone I didn’t feel. “No worries, bro.”
He clapped me on the back—a bit harder than ahey buddy ol’ palrequired. “But I trust that I don’t have to mention again that my little sister is off-limits. She’s been through a rough time the past few years, and she’s worked really hard to get here so she can have a fresh start and get away from all that. I don’t need her becoming part of some twisted bet. Just to be crystal clear.”
Guilt—way more than a thread of it now—pressed against my chest. Of course he’d bring up the bet that continued to haunt me. I fought the urge to defend myself. Yes, it was stupid to bet Hudson that he couldn’t sleep with the prickly sports reporter, but I did it because he’d been spiraling, and however misguided, I honestly had been trying to help. Whitney had found it in her to forgive me—probably because she and Hudson had fallen in love—but I didn’t expect Beck to understand, not when he was only trying to protect his little sister.
As an older brother of four sisters, I got it—more than I wanted to. If any of the guys on the team so much as looked at my sisters, I’d tell them to back the hell off. I knew too much about them to trust them, just like Beck knew too much about me.
“No more bets,” I said. “And I hear you loud and clear. Megan’s off-limits, and I respect you for trying to protect her.”
