Page 287 of Playing the Pucking Game
“Yeah,” Linc says, holding me tighter and turning to kiss my forehead. “And she’s perfect in every way.”
My eyes burn as tears flood them.
“Fuck,” Rett breathes, looking between the two of us with the same confused look on his face. “I…uh…” he mutters, combing his fingers through his hair. His knuckles are red and angry, but I can’t find myself to care all that much. He shouldn’t have been throwing them around in the first place.
Linc’s face, however, is what I am concerned about. He needs ice, and I need to make sure his nose isn’t broken.
“I need to get out of here. Promised Coach I’d be at the hotel when the rest of them arrived.”
When neither of us says anything, he begins backing toward the door, his eyes still darting between us.
We let him go without saying another word. He closes the door behind himself, and the second it clicks, I exhale.
“Holy shit,” Linc mutters, lifting the bloody tissues in his hand to wipe his nose before turning to face me. “Are you okay?”
“I…uh…I don’t…you love me?” I ask, my brows pinching.
A wide, hopeful smile spreads across his swelling face.
“Yeah, babe. I do.” He cups my face in his giant hands and closes the space between us until our noses brush. “I think I always have. I just…I didn’t understand it before.”
I try to swallow the huge lump that crawls up my throat, but it’s pointless.
I blink up at him, trying to find some words to respond with, but I can’t get any.
“It’s okay,” he soothes, sensing my anxiety levels rising. “I’m not expecting you to say it back. Maybe one day, but not yet.”
I nod. It’s all I’m capable of right now.
“Rett is right, though. I need to get moving as well.”
He gives me the briefest of kisses before stepping away. The second I lick my lips, the coppery taste of blood hits me.
“No, wait,” I cry, stopping him from going too far. “I need to check you over. Your nose. It could be?—”
“It’s not broken, babe,” he says with the kind of confidence only a hockey player who’s experienced his fair share of broken noses can.
“Then you need ice for your eye. You won’t be able to play later if you can’t see out of it.”
He wants to fight it, but the longer he stares into my determined eyes, the more it drains from him.
“Okay, I can give you fifteen minutes to play doctor and nurse.”
“This isn’t some kinky roleplay,” I chastise.
“Oh, what? So you don’t have a slutty little nurse’s uniform hidden in here somewhere?”
“Behave,” I warn, as I move around the room. “Lie on the bed. I’ll be back.” I rush toward the door and pull it open. “And don’t get blood on the sheets,” I shoot over my shoulder before darting down the hallway.
It isn’t until I get to the kitchen that I think of Rett. Nerves rattle through me that he’s about to appear and tell me what he really thinks of what just played out in my bedroom.
Suddenly, I’ve hyper-aware of the fact I’m still not wearing any panties.
Not wanting to flash my brother should he appear, I bend over gingerly to pull an ice pack from Linc’s freezer.
But as I make my way back to the bedroom, there’s no sign of him. I can only assume he’s already left.
Regret tugs at my insides. We should have been more considerate. We should have spoken to him before we did anything reckless.
