Page 95 of Of Pucking Course

Sam chuckles before taking a bite. He moans at how good it is.

“I’ll be back in a bit with dessert,” Tyler says.

Once we’ve finished with our main course, Tyler comes back out carrying a small, two-tiered cake covered in rainbow sprinkles with a single pink candle in the middle.

I bite back a smile when he sets it in front of me.

“Sam told me it was your birthday a few months ago, but you didn’t get a chance to celebrate properly, so I whipped up a special little cake for you,” Tyler says.

I thank him, and he walks off. I look at Sam, my heart fluttering in my chest.

“Thank you,” I say.

His mouth curves up in a small smile. “Make a wish.”

I look him in the eyes. “It already came true.”

I blow out the candle and dig into the cake with my fork. It’s a delicious vanilla cake with fresh berries in the middle and cream cheese frosting.

“All this carb loading you’re doing is going to make you so fast on your next run,” Sam jokes before taking a forkful of cake.

“Actually, I was thinking of signing up for a half-marathon. Is that a terrible idea? Maybe it’s silly,” I sayquickly before he can say anything. “I mean, only just today I was able to run five miles without stopping, but if I keep it up, I think I can do a half-marathon. Maybe in the fall.”

Sam beams, looking so excited. “Hell yeah. Do it. You’re gonna kick ass, Dakota. And I’ll be there to cheer you on.”

Warmth blooms inside of me. This guy. The way he believes in me, the way he builds me up…it means everything.

We finish eating. Tyler packs up the cake leftovers for us, and we thank him for the delicious meal. Sam pays, and we hop in his car.

When we walk into his place, I head into the kitchen, set the leftover cake on the counter, and then turn to Sam. I grab him by his waistband of his jeans and pull him against me.

I gaze up at him. “That meal was incredible. But I’m still starving.”

As I undo his belt, a wicked smile pulls at his lips. “You want more, beautiful?”

I bite my lip and nod. Then I sink to my knees and show him just how hungry I am for him.

Chapter 34

Sam

Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” blasts in the locker room as we finish suiting up for game one of the playoffs.

I glance over at Xander, who’s singing along to the lyrics as he laces up his skates.

“This song is on your playlist?” I ask.

“Hell yeah,” he says without even looking up at me. “Best pump-up song ever.”

I laugh and catch Del rolling his eyes at Xander. Their lockers are right next to each other. A second later, Del starts to bob his head along with the beat.

Xander breaks into a massive grin as he looks at Del. “Aww, even Dirty Del loves this song,” he teases.

“Yeah. I do,” Del mumbles.

Xander reaches over and smacks him on the shoulder. Del looks at me. “This fucking guy, huh?”

I chuckle, despite that guilty feeling that’s set up camp in the pit of my gut. Every time I look at him, I think about how I’m betraying my best friend by hooking up with his little sister.

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