Page 13 of Forbidden Puck
Sure, I was a little disappointed to say goodbye to his sizzling bare chest. That was the price I had to pay, once he caught me staring at his abs—oh, to run my fingers through that chiseled six-pack—but I knew it was probably for the best.
But then he returned in a crisp white t-shirt. It was a fit so perfect that his shirt was just as distracting as his bare chest, with biceps bulging from the sleeves and rounded pecs jutting upward and pushing his shirt high into the air.
Yow.
This Radar guy was seriously smoking hot.
But.But!Before you get carried away thinking I might have a crush on this guy, I don't. Like I told Radar, I grew up surrounded by these hockey playing dopes, thanks to Lance. I know them. I understand the way they think. Sure, they might be hot, they might be cute or charming, and they might evenseeminnocent, but you should never trust one of these guys any further than you can throw them.
Those were some of the thoughts that ran through my mind when Radar accidentally let it slip: “So, I guess you've got your work cut out for you, huh?”
I knew immediately what he meant, I just couldn't believe it.
Lance!I cursed my brother's name internally.So that's why you invited me out here!
He wanted me to decorate his place. And instead of justaskingme to do it (which I gladly would have, by the way!), he had to manipulate the situation to get what he wanted.
My brother is justawful!
Radar, though? He seemed like an honest guy. For one, the way his handsome face got all flushed and nervous after he realized he'd slipped up wasultracute. Poor guy. But it wasn't his fault. It was Lance's.
Second, I appreciated the way that Radar didn't ogle me or leer at me like the rest of Lance's teammates always did. That was an especially bad problem if I were ever left alone with one of those creeps … ugh. Hockey players always talked a big game about how family was 'off-limits,' but as soon as they were alone with me, forget about it. You know they'd do something if they thought they could get away with it.
But Radar seemed like a good friend, atruefriend. I wasn't mad at him, not at all.
In fact, I sort of liked Radar, more and more, with each passing second. Was I seriously flirting with him? No … not exactly … but I did enjoy the way he got so flustered when Ipretendedlike I was flirting with him.
“Why don't you give me the full tour?” I asked.
“Sure,” he answered, and I noticed his Adam's apple plunge down his muscular neck.
Oh, he's too cute.
***
Radar gave me a brief tour of the rest of the house, starting with the bathroom, which had an elegant stone tile shower. It was surprisingly clean, especially for a boy's bathroom, and it smelled nice, thanks to a grapefruit-scented candle that flickered on top of the vanity.
Lance's bedroom was our next stop, which was precisely the disgusting pig-sty I'd expected, with dirty laundry strewn ankle-deep around the floor.
“Gross,” I mumbled. “I just had a flashback. I shared a bedroom with him all throughout school, you know. This mess used to be my life.”
And a big reason why I never even tried to bring any boys home…
Radar laughed. “I'm sorry.”
And then Radar showed me his room—or rather gave me a glimpse into it from the doorway, as if he were afraid to let me in. His room was neat and simple, without much (or any) decoration, and only the necessities: a bed, a nightstand, a dresser. His bed was neatly made. Unlike Lance, he picked up after himself.
I looked up at him. “I guess you're the one who does all the cleaning around here, mm?”
His chuckle confirmed my suspicions.
Then my eye was drawn to a beautiful box that sat atop his dresser.
“Ooh, what's that? It's a lovely chest.” I hoped he'd let me take a closer look at it.
“Oh, um, nothing,” he mumbled shyly. “Anyway. That's our place.”
And with that, he shut the door.
