Page 153 of Hockey Halloween
I nod slowly. I’m not a guy who makes snap decisions, but I liked Maya a lot before. And now that I understand what really happened, I like her again. “You need to do whatever works for you around school. But it would be great if you came here.”
We’re at Eden’s house now. I watch her dodge Bergy’s make-out manoeuvres. Strike three. Poor sap.
Maya circles her arms around my neck. “I’m so happy we saw each other tonight.”
I capture her with my arms. “Yeah. Me too.”
Then she goes up on tiptoe and kisses me. I like it all—the feel of her curvy body next to mine, the softness of her lips, the taste of beef gravy and sweetness. Something about Maya feels soright.
She pulls away, and I reluctantly release her. She walks away, the silly snakes bobbling. But I have those snakes to thank for keeping the other guys away from Maya, except that stupid Batman.
Even though this is the right thing for now, I don’t want to leave things so unsettled.
“Hey, do I have your number?” I call after her.
“Same as always,” she says over her shoulder, following Eden up the front steps.
“I’ll call you when I’m home for the summer.” Although I’m sure we’ll talk or message before then. And we could see each other at Christmas too. So many possibilities.
Maya turns and flashes me her beautiful smile. “You better.”
They disappear into the house. Bergy and I head back home. He’s wondering what went wrong with Eden, but I’m not really listening. I’m too busy remembering everything that happened tonight. Now I have another reason to make Halloween my favourite holiday.
The End
About the Author
Melanie Ting writes, eats potato chips, and hikes short mountains, in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia.
If you enjoyedSnakebitten, please check out her latest hockey romance,Hockey 101. You’ll get to read all about shark-loving Jack and his big crush, Andy. It all starts in her dorm room when poor Jack arrives—missing all his clothing!
All Melanie’s books are hockey romance, so you can check them out on her website. www.melanieting.com
Unmasking the Enforcer by Lasairiona McMaster
Unmasking the Enforcer
LASAIRIONA MCMASTER
Copyright © 2025 Lasairiona McMaster
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage, A.I. programs and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Trope: Beauty and the Beast
Costume: Pennywise
Everyone fears Mason “Mac” McGuffin—the Cedar Rapids Raccoons’ enforcer, built to hit hard and stay untouchable. But when the gruff defenseman shows up at the team’s Halloween bash dressed as the Beast, he meets his match: Lilith Radcliffe, the tempting new charity coordinator, rocking Pennywise makeup and plenty of bite.
Lilith
What the fuck was I thinking?
I’m standing at the door to my new boss’s home. I say home, but it’s the biggest and grandest house I’ve ever seen. Towering and sprawling through well-tended gardens.
