Page 25 of Knot Your Pucking Mate
“Do your brothers still play?” she asks, not noticing as I slowly loosen my grip on her waist.
“No. Neither of them went pro like I did. They both played as a hobby, but I fell in love with it, and it became my whole life.”
Slowly, I drop my arm to my side and let my body drift away from her. We circle the small indoor rink a few more in comfortable silence before she notices.
“Hey! You let me go! I’m going to fall. Axel!”
“No, you’re not. You’ve got this, Mandy.”
“I-I’m doing it. Oh my god. I’m doing it.”
Her speed slows a little at the realization she’s skating by herself, but she keeps going. I move ahead, spinning around and skating backwards so I can watch as she completes another lap.
Mandy wobbles but catches her balance, saving herself from a potential fall. When she’s comfortable, she looks up at me with an ear-splitting grin on her face. Her cheeks are flushed, her baby blue eyes sparkling with childlike joy.
Her expression reminds me of the day I fell in love with the ice and the puck. The day I realized hockey was my life.
Slowing down, I come to a stop in front of her, opening my arms. She skates into them, and I steady us on the ice.
A lock of her short pink hair falls across her eyes as she looks up at me and smiles softly. I gently tuck it behind her ear and press a soft kiss to her forehead. Hockey has always been my life, but it was lonely for a time. Finding Chase and deciding to pack with him eased that to a degree. But there has always been something missing. Something soft and warm.
That something is Mandy. I’m sure of it.
“I love you, Mally,” I say as I cup her cheek, my thumb stroking along her jaw. “I might have loved you from the moment we met.”
Her pink lips part in a soft ‘o’ as her eyelashes flutter quickly. Her eyes well with tears, and I wipe one away before it has a chance to fall.
“I love you too, Axel.”
Those might be the sweetest words I’ve heard, and ones I’ll cherish forever. My heart swells in my chest as I kiss the love of my life right there in the center of the ice.
A bright flash interrupts our moment and I glance around, spotting a lone reporter on the benches outside the rink.
“Hey,” I shout, waving at him. “Get out of here.”
Mandy giggles.
“Being on the front page sure comes with some interesting perks.”
“Perks?” I ask, confused.
“Yeah. I think our first ‘I love you’s’ being captured in a photo is a bit of a perk.”
“When you put it like that, I’d have to agree.”
Chapter Fifteen
Mandy
He buried his head between her thighs, devouring her like he was starving and only her slick could nourish him. It was almost as if he didn’t need to breathe…
Shuffling in my beanbag, I try to get comfortable enough to continue writing. I’ve never had this much trouble focusing while trying to write my stories before. But right now, I can’t stop thinking about the way Axel absolutely consumed me yesterday.
His scent is throughout my nest-slash-office combination room, and it’s highly distracting.
Placing my laptop on my side table, I pull out my phone and message Vae.
Mandy
