Page 3 of Breaking the Pucking Rules (LA Vipers #1)

CASEY

I walk on unsteady legs toward the main room where the food is about to be served.

My breather in the bathroom did absolutely nothing for my nerves.I almost talked myself out of coming a million times as I was getting ready. I picked up my cell more times than I can count to call my best friend, Parker, so she could either encourage me or talk me out of it.

But I didn’t.

No one knows I’m here tonight. No one knows my intentions, and that is how I intend for it to stay.

I was already a wreck just being here, but the second I collided with Kodie…I’m pretty sure my entire nervous system shattered all over the expensive carpet beneath my feet.

Sure, I’ve spoken to him before. But I’m just his coach’s daughter. There’s a line that’s been drawn between us.

Tonight is different.

I’m no longer off-limits.

Instead, I’m the brunette in the green dress who made him do a double take.

That was an accident, of course.

Of course, I totally didn’t see him coming, distracted by his own thoughts, and just…kept going in the hope we’d crash. Nope. Not at all.

Sucking in a deep breath, I step into the main room where all the tables are arranged for tonight’s meal.

Almost everyone has found their seats already. There are just a handful of vacant chairs. One of which is mine.

And guess who it’s next to…

Also not entirely a coincidence. Not that I’d ever confess to it.

My stomach flutters wildly and I force myself to put one foot in front of the other.

Everyone around the table is locked in conversation. All but one person.

I can’t say I’m surprised. He’s not known for his friendly, chatty nature.

He seemed to be a lot more lighthearted when he was in college. But over the last few years, he’s become more closed-off, more pensive. I can understand why, after everything he’s been through.

I might not have all the details, or even all of the correct ones, but they’re enough to know that the events of the past have changed him.

Mustering as much courage and confidence as I can, I reach for the back of the empty chair and pull it out. “Is this seat taken?” I ask lightly, knowing full well that it isn’t, and slowly lower myself down.

It takes him a moment to look over, but the second he does, recognition sparks in his eyes.

“Hello,” he rasps, a small, endearing grin pulling at the corners of his lips.

He’s pleased to see you.

I fight my smile, not wanting to scare him off only seconds after I’ve taken my seat.

“We meet again,” I say coyly.

“So it seems,” he muses, glancing toward where my name tag should be.

Yeah, I’m smarter than sitting at a place setting with my father’s name on it. I removed that baby long ago.

“So, are you enjoying your evening?” I ask in an attempt to avoid any awkward conversation about our names.

His eyes bounce between mine for a few seconds, forcing me to wait for whatever it is he wants to say.

“Honestly?” he finally asks.

“Stranger to stranger? Sure. Be as honest as you like.”

His brows lift. I’m not sure if it’s in surprise or shock, but he leans forward a little, allowing his masculine scent to flood my nose and make my attraction hit all-new heights.

He smells really fucking good.

“This isn’t really my kind of thing,” he confesses.

“So why are you here?” I ask innocently.

He shrugs one shoulder, forcing my eyes down to admire just how well his shirt fits his muscular body.

He’s lost his jacket since we collided by the bathrooms, and he only looks hotter because of it.

The soft fabric of his shirt wraps around his solid upper arms, shoulders, and chest like it’s a second skin.

Without thinking, my teeth sink into my bottom lip as I continue to let my eyes wander, imagining just what it might be like to unwrap that shirt from his body. Quickly followed by his slacks…

“It’s a good cause,” he finally says, dragging my eyes up to his.

Despite the mask that covers half of his face, I see something in his expression that has never been there before.

Intrigue.

Heat blooms between my thighs at the thought of him wanting me.

Is this actually going to work?

Am I going to manage to flirt my way to ticking off the very top item on my bucket list?

“That it is,” I agree. “So, what do you do when you’re not enjoying one of these wonderful events?”

He shakes his head, a grin still on his lips.

“How about we keep the serious stuff out of the conversation tonight?”

“That sounds like my ideal kind of night. So, stranger, tell me something... unimportant about yourself.”

“Uh…” He pauses for a beat as servers begin to place entrees on our table. “I have a scar here,” he finally says, tapping on the side of his mask, letting me know it’s hidden beneath.

“Yeah?” I’m beyond curious as I reach for my knife and fork.

“From an ex. Threw her shoe at me when I told her we were done.”

“What?” I blurt, almost choking on the Parma ham and goat cheese tartlet I’d taken a bite of.

Kodie shrugs like it’s no big deal.

“And don’t tell me…you picked her up at an event like this. That would explain why you hate them. You think all the women here are crazy.”

He laughs.

“No, she wasn’t the kind of woman who’d be here tonight. Too...”

“Hot-headed?” I offer.

“Something like that,” he agrees as he cuts the corner of his tartlet off and pushes it past his full, kissable lips.

My tongue sneaks out to lick a crumb from my mouth—or at least, that’s what I hope he thinks I’m doing as I watch him chew.

“So, what about you?”

“What about me?” I echo. “A woman has never thrown a shoe at my head.”

“What crazy shit has a man done when you’ve broken his heart?”

I shake my head. “I haven’t broken anyone’s heart.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” he assures me as he demolishes his entree in record time. Proving he was subjected to Dad’s intense preseason training schedule today.

“Trust me, it is. No one has ever cared enough about me to throw anything. We can’t all be special like you,” I mock.

He freezes for a beat, and I mentally kick myself. Strangers, remember?

Thankfully, they spread the team throughout the tables.

Whether it’s to allow everyone to mingle or to prevent any questionable behavior from them, I don’t know.

I’ve heard many, many stories about the players’ nights out.

I’ve longed to join them for years, but it’s just another thing that the coach’s daughter isn’t allowed to do.

Kodie is the only Viper at this table. I recognize a couple of others, but I can’t place who they are. Hopefully, that can be said for them, too.

If anyone knows who I am and screws this up for me…

My stomach knots. Not only would Kodie run as fast as possible, but my father would find out, and that can’t happen.

My biggest fear is disappointing the man who has given me everything.

Being here? It’s the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my life.

But sometimes…sometimes you just have to follow your gut. And right now, mine seems to be leading me right into Kodie Rivers, a place I’ve wanted to be forever.

“Come on, you must have a story,” he urges.

I do have a couple of stories. Mostly of being caught doing things I shouldn’t be by my father. Probably the reason he threatens bodily harm on his team should he discover they’ve come anywhere near me. But I can’t risk confessing to those.

“Since we’re being honest, I’m the one who’s usually left with a battered heart.” He frowns. “I don’t have very good taste in men. Or I didn't before I made my oath.”

“Your oath?” he asks, falling for my trap.

“Yep. I no longer do anything that lasts more than a night.”

“One night?”

I nod.“Exactly. That way, everyone has fun—or at least they should—and no one gets hurt.”

“That’s very?—”

“Unladylike?” I offer, giving him an out if he wants to be sexist about this.

He shakes his head, smiling. “Not at all. I was thinking more…safe.”

“That’s what I’m going for. Hit it and quit it.”

Kodie snorts, barely stopping himself from spraying the entire table with the sip of water he’d just taken.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever met a woman like you before,” he finally confesses once he’s managed to swallow his water and take a breath.

“Well,” I start, shamelessly shifting a little closer so that our thighs press together beneath the table. “Maybe tonight is your lucky night.”

As if I timed it, the server returns to take my plate, giving me an excuse to lean even closer.

“What do you say, stranger? Wanna make tonight an experience you’ll never forget?”

My heart slams against my ribs as the question rolls off my tongue.

Never before have I been so forward. But this might be my one and only chance, so I figure I have nothing to lose.

If he says no, then I can take my lonely ass up to my hotel room and sulk with room service and a cheesy rom-com.

If he says yes, then…well, who the hell knows where this night could go?

A laugh of disbelief erupts from him, his eyes flitting around my face—or more so my mask—as if he’s searching for something.

My heart jumps into my throat in fear that he’s going to figure it out.

He’s seen me in person more times than I can count. But has he ever really seen me?

Is he one of those people who pays attention to anyone who is in the room, or does he only focus on what’s important, happily letting everything else go?

It stings a little that I might be so insignificant that he forgets me the second I turn my back, but it would be naive of me to believe it’s any other way.

“You’re making a lot of assumptions there. ”

Shit.

He’s right.

If I truly have no idea who he is, then I have no reason to know he’s single.

I make a show of glancing down at his ring finger. “You’re at an event like this by yourself, talking with a stranger instead of having a beautiful woman on your arm. ”

“What if I’m craving a beautiful man?”

“U-uh—” I stutter, unsure what I should say to that.

“I’m joking.” And just to prove his point, as he twists slightly in my direction, he shifts his arm behind me and rests it on the back of my chair, making our position look even more intimate.

My temperature spikes as I gaze up at him. His simple black mask might cover half of his face, but he’s still devastatingly beautiful with a thick layer of scruff covering his jaw. I’m incredibly glad he didn’t shave that off.

I could hardly blame that woman at the bar earlier when she pounced on him mere seconds after he arrived.

There was a moment when I thought he was going to go for it. She was stunning; he had every right to. But if the media is anything to be believed, then he would do exactly what he did.

That leaves me with a huge question, though…why hasn’t he already shot me down?