Page 28 of Absolutely Pucked (Punk as Puck #3)

“Everywhere. Why are we talking about peaches?” I complained. I glanced up at the clock. Two minutes to go, though I knew Hugo was going to drag it out until the next shift change.

Tucker grinned wider. “I’m just happy you’re feeling better. You’ve seemed a little…weird lately.”

Oh fuck. Oh fuck .

“I know the C thing is getting to you.”

I deflated. “Nah. I mean, okay, a little, but mostly because I’m pissed off you two fuckers are leaving me?—”

“Dude, the place I’m getting with Deo is closer to you. Like, you could literally walk over and have dinner with us. Stop being a little bitch?—”

“Can you two shut the fuck up?” Cooper demanded. “Talk about your weird fuck-fest later.”

I glared and smacked him upside the head. “Rookies keep their mouths shut. Unless you want shrimp in your locker all next season.”

His eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare?—”

“He put canned herring in Mike’s two seasons ago,” Tucker said, shaking his head back and forth. “He gets that weird, really pungent import shit at work. Don’t test him.”

Cooper paled, making his freckles stand out. “I…fine. But your love-fest is disgusting.”

“Don’t be pissed off because the only person willing to love your ass is your sister and your…wife?” Tucker said with a frown. “Are you married yet? If not, we better get a goddamn invite, and there better be an open bar.”

He flipped Tucker off, then the bodies appeared. Shift change. Tucker was back on the ice before I could say anything. I moved to get in my sled, but Hugo appeared like some kind of disapproving Catholic school nun and shook his head.

“Dude, you just said?—”

“Next shift change,” he told me. “I can see how bad your breathing is right now. You know if you take another hit, it’s going to make it worse.”

There were still three games left before the end of the season, I reminded myself. And it wasn’t like Boden and Tucker were actually going anywhere. Missing them was going to suck so much ass, but they weren’t the only important people to me on this team.

“Yeah. Okay. I’m done.”

Hugo’s shoulders deflated. “Thank you.” He walked over and sat down next to me, giving me a look. “How bad is it?”

“Probably a cracked rib. I’ll have Bode run me to the ER for an X-ray.”

Hugo mouthed something that looked like a French swear word, and then he leaned in and said, “Tell me you’ll take the C. I don’t want to stage another intervention on another member of this team.”

I blew out a puff of air, then met his gaze. “Okay, but why me?”

“Because I think eventually Coop is going to take it from you when you accept the job as coach.”

I felt like I was going to choke on my own tongue. “Uh. When I do what now?”

“The salary isn’t amazing, but I know it’s more than what you make at the supermarket.

Besides, you know that you can get Jacob and Journey to approve a salary raise.

” He folded his hands between his knees.

“I never planned on making this a long-term goal. I want to travel with Boden when he lets me.”

Fuck, I hadn’t realized they were, like, serious serious. But me ? A coach ? The man had to be joking. “I will fuck this team up.”

“You and I both know you won’t. I’m staying on one more season while Boden gets established, and then I’m gone. I don’t know anyone better than you, Ford. You know these people. You know what they need.”

I swallowed heavily. “I can think about it, right?”

He smiled at me. “For a season.”

Why did that feel so goddamn ominous?

The benefit to a small town was that when you were a hockey player like me, the ER tended to get you in and out.

At least, as fast as any ER might get anyone in and out of anything.

It only took two and a half hours, which meant by the time I got a panicked text from Killian, I was just waiting on my discharge papers.

I was right about the cracked rib and grateful I’d already decided to sit out a couple games because I was benched on doctor’s orders.

Boden was sitting in a chair, looking irritated, but when he caught me smiling at my phone, his gaze narrowed. “What the fuck is going on with you?”

“What? Me? Who said I’m being weird.”

“No one.” His eyes narrowed further. “Ford?”

I swallowed heavily. “It’s nothing.”

“You’re so fucking full of shit. Hugo told me he saw a guy on your phone with Nugget. He didn’t get a good look at him, but he said the guy seemed familiar.”

That goddamn traitor. I was so done hanging out with people who could see things. Micah and Jonah were going to be my new favorites from now on .

“Uh-huh,” Boden said, pointing his finger at my face. “I fucking knew it. You’re hiding something.”

“So are you!”

He blinked at me.

“So were you,” I clarified. “It’s just…I’m still dealing with my thing, okay? And I will talk about it, but not right now.”

He looked like he was going to stand up and beat me with his crutches until I confessed, but luckily, the nurse appeared with the stack of paperwork I had to sign and the bag of scripts she’d filled for me since the pharmacy was on the ass-end of the hospital, and Boden and I were both pretty beat up from the game.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” she said as she handed me everything.

I grinned at her and flipped my hair, which was a frizzy mess from all the game sweat. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Boden groaned loudly as I finished signing everything, then tucked my things into my messenger bag, grabbed my crutches, and did my best not to put too much weight on my broken rib. Boden was behind me, slower than I was but keeping pace since I couldn’t move as quickly as I wanted.

“Is it someone we know?” he asked just as we made it to the exit.

I sighed and stopped, turning so he could see my lips. “No.” That wasn’t a total lie. Up to the night at the bar, Killian was someone we knew of. Boden had never met him. “I’m probably making a giant mistake, but I really fucking like him. Like, he literally makes my toes curl when I kiss him. ”

“So what’s the big deal?” He froze. “Crisse, is it Journey? No. Oh my God, is it Jordan? Is he fucking cheating?—”

“It’s not Journey or Jordan,” I said quickly. “It’s not anyone from any of the teams. And it’s not my boss,” I added when he sucked in a breath. “Just…please, for the love of God, let me handle everything first.”

Boden hesitated, then sagged forward, letting his crutches take most of his weight. “I can’t argue with that. I fucked up pretty bad with Hugo for a while. Just promise me you’re alright.”

“I’m alright.” For now. God only knew how things would get once the cat was out of the bag.

“Then I’ll let it go. But Ford, if he’s someone bad…if he’s someone who might hurt you?—”

“No. He won’t hurt me,” I said. But he had hurt someone I cared about. A lot. Probably too much. My stomach clenched.

“Just promise you’ll come to me if you need me,” Boden said quietly.

I nodded, then leaned in and swooped a kiss to his cheek before turning and heading for the doors. The only thing I could do was escape.