Page 38 of Good Vibes Only
“Maybe,” Connor said.
“But maybe we aren’t supposed to say,” Brock said.
“Come on, boys. What’d she say? I gotta know.”
“Sorry. We were sworn to secrecy,” Brock said.
“But wemighthave heard you made a move already,” Connor said. “And despite acting like a jerk ninety percent of the time, you were a surprisingly good kisser.”
Yes,I thought, my heart leaping. I hadn’t been excited to hear a girl liked kissing me since I was a teenager back in Junior. I felt like a friggin’ kid again.
Brock palmed his forehead, or the part of his helmet where his forehead is, anyway. “Dude. You’re completely hopeless, Con.”
“Hey,youbrought it up first.”
“It’s all good, boys,” I said cockily. “I already knew she likes me.”
“Well, I wouldn’t gothatfar,” Connor retorted.
“Yeah, you’ve still got a ways to go to win her over,” Brock said.
“Can’t be that far, because I’m taking her out to lunch after practice,” I replied smugly.
“You are?” Brock asked, surprised. “She didn’t say a word about that.”
Connor laughed. “You asked her out to lunchtoday?Dude, haven’t you heard of the three-day rule What are you, a nerd?”
“But if it’s not today, it’d have to be next week,” I mumbled, because we were leaving later tonight on a week-long road trip.
“Then make her wait until next week,” Connor said. “No wonder she didn’t tell us. Hahaha.”
Okay, I won’t lie, that might have taken a little air out of my sails.
But Brock waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t listen to him. There are no rules. Only thing that matters is that you do what feels right.”
“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right,” I said, feeling better—until Dakota coasted past and joined the conversation a second later.
“McKayla’s a tease, bro,” Dakota said as he arranged some orange hockey cones for a slalom drill. “You’d think she’d be DTF because she owns a sex store, right? But nah. It’s all an act. Because deep down, that girl’s just a giant cock tease. She was in high school and she still is.”
“What happened between you two, anyway?” I asked.
“Nothin’ much. I was trying to hook up with her, but she wanted to act like we were dating first or something, I guess.” He pushed off and started stickhandling through the cones as fast as he could—which wasn’t very fast under normal circumstances and, after the night he had yesterday, was even slower. But at least the man was still breathing. “Then she got all mad because she heard I was talking to another girl. But can ya blame me? The other girl wasn’t nearly as hot, but hell, she actually put out.”
“So … is McKayla a tease?” Brock wondered aloud. “Ordid she get mad because you were leading her on, and she found out you were fucking around with other girls?”
Dakota tutted. “Bro. C’mon. I was sixteen. I wasn’t going to marry some girl in high school when I had a future in the National Hockey League—and an unlimited supply of girls across North America wanting to fuck my brains out.”
“And that’s your right,” Brock reasoned. “Just as it’s her right to find someone who doesn’t mess around.”
“Whatever. I don’t have the energy to argue this.” Dakota yawned. “All I’m saying is, Showtime, you’re wasting your time if you think you’re going to get anywhere with McKayla.”
“You aren’t gonna get all pissed at me if I do, though, right?” I asked.
He laughed. “Nah. But I hopeshewon’t get pissed when I’m the best man at your wedding. Because that’s the onlyway you’re getting anywhere with her.”
I chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m not proposing any time soon.”
“Good. Because the smart puck bunnies? They don’t fuck us the minute they meet us like all the other girls do. No—thesmartones, the ones who actually are after your money,theyplay hard to get. They string you along, making you think they aren’t blinded by your fame, that they’re above it, until you start thinking they’re truly different from all the other girls. Then one day, you’re dumb enough to bust out the ring. Thenbam.” He took off his glove so he could snap his fingers. “They got ya. And it’s all over.”
