Page 4 of Breaking the Pucking Rules (LA Vipers #1)

KODIE

“ W ho’s the woman? She’s smoking,” Linc asks the second he comes to stand beside me at the bar.Although, his attention is focused on the woman I’ve left sitting alone so I can get us drinks.

A grin curls up one side of my mouth as the bartender passes over a glass of scotch for me and champagne for her.

He’s not wrong.

She is the best-looking woman I’ve seen in quite some time, and that’s saying something, considering she’s hiding her face. But it’s more than just her pretty eyes and smile, or her banging body. She’s…different.

Sure, I’m used to forward women, but she isn’t like the desperate puck bunnies.

She’s…mesmerizing, and I’m nowhere close to ending our night.

Not that I think that’s an option after what she said earlier.

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

Fuck. Do I?

If I’d followed my own plan for the night, I’d already be at home and in bed. But as it is, I’m still here getting her another drink, hoping that there are many more to come.

“Jealous?” I ask, not willing to go into any details with him. Not that I really have any.

I have no idea who she is. And that’s fine.

No, it’s more than fine.

It’s perfect.

Excitement and nerves collide within me.

It’s been so long since I’ve done this. In all honestly, I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.

That last time I dated…

This isn’t a date.It’s a hook-up, I tell myself. Just one night, and where it leads is up to us.

“Fuck, yeah. Did you see who I was seated next to?”

I shake my head.

“Of course you didn’t; you were too busy being lured in by the beauty in green. I can’t blame you though, man. It’s about time you succumbed to your baser instincts and proved to us all that you’re not actually a robot without any needs.”

My brow wrinkles, my expression hardening. “That’s not?—”

“I’m joking. Enjoy her.” He winks before leaning a little closer to the bartender to place his order.

With our drinks in hand, I return to the seats we secured after the meal in the secluded back corner of the room.

She was the one to choose them, and I was more than happy to oblige.

The fewer people who come over and talk to me, the higher chance I’ve got of ending this night anonymously.

“Hey,” she says with a wide smile as I place her glass of champagne in front of her and lower myself to the seat.

As I do, my thigh brushes against hers, sending a potent shot of adrenaline and lust straight through me.

We weren’t sitting this close before…

“So, what do you think about those two?” she asks, picking up her drink and tilting it toward an older couple on the dance floor set up in the middle of the room.

“They’re an old married couple,” I guess.

“Really?” she asks, sounding skeptical.“See, I’ve been watching them while you’ve been gone, and the little touches and naughty whispers…I think they’re lovers.”

In our quest to withhold any information about ourselves, we’ve turned our attention to those around us, trying to predict what their lives are like.

Of course, I know many of them, and it’s given me great pleasure to make up bullshit stories about their lives. My favorite has been that Linc is secretly gay and using all the women he’s hitting on as a cover.

“What’s funny?” she asks, noticing my smirk.

“You,” I say, my smile growing. I’m pretty sure it’s the most genuine one I’ve given anyone aside from Sutton and my mom in a very, very long time.

“Well, I’m glad I amuse you.”

“You more than amuse me, stranger.”

She sucks her red-stained bottom lip into her mouth, and a powerful urge to steal it for myself hits me out of nowhere.

“Is that right?” she breathes, her voice taking on this sexy rasp that hits me right in the balls.

“Yeah.”

“So where do you see our story going, s tranger ?” she asks, tilting her head to the side and looking entirely too tempting.

“Well,” I muse before swallowing down my scotch in one mouthful. “I’m hoping it continues outside this room.”

“Maybe…in my hotel room?” she offers as she takes a sip of her champagne and looks up at me coyly through her lashes.

“You really are serious about tonight, huh?”

“Once I’ve made a decision about something, I always see it through. Nothing worse than living with regrets.”

Reaching up to rub the back of my neck, I mutter, “You got that right.”

In a flash, the champagne in her glass vanishes, and she hops to her feet.

“Dance with me,” she says, holding her hand out.

“Uh…” I hesitate. “I’m not really a dancer.”

“Bullshit. I bet you’ve got all the moves,” she assures me, moving her hand closer .

Shit.

“Does anyone ever say no to you?” I ask as I reluctantly slide my palm against hers.

Heat rushes up my arm the second we connect.

She waits until I’m on my feet and staring down at her much smaller frame before responding.

“More than you’d think.”

I narrow my eyes at her, not believing it for a second.

“Come on, stranger. Show me what you’ve got.”

The dance floor is pretty busy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t gain the attention of several of my teammates. I have no idea what Linc has said to them, but they look intrigued.

Refusing to hold eye contact with any of them, I focus on the woman leading me right into the center of the crowd.

Her sparkling green dress hugs every single one of her curves, showcasing her slim waist, full hips, and killer ass.

The thought of running my hands over her, opening the zipper that runs the length of her back, and discovering what’s beneath makes my dick jerk in excitement.

As if dancing in front of all these fuckers isn’t going to be bad enough already. I really don’t need to do it while rocking a semi.

Finally, she comes to a stop and spins around.

I swear to God, the second her eyes collide with mine and her hands land on my chest, everything around me ceases to exist.

Was it like this with women before? Or has it just been so long that I’ve forgotten the thrill of it? No wonder all the guys think I’m a freak of nature for not indulging at every opportunity.

Her tiny hands slide higher before she attempts to wrap her arms around my neck. I’m too tall for her to get anywhere close, but points for effort.

Unable to keep my hands off her, I press them against the small of her back and gently drag her closer, ensuring that our bodies are fully pressed together as we begin to move to the music.

It’s the most intimate I’ve been with a woman in years, and I’m in public, yet…I don’t care.

“See,” she says, smiling up at me. “You’re a great dancer. ”

“And you’re not a very good liar.”

She freezes at my words, and I kick myself for such a stupid comment.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean?—”

“It’s okay. I’m not lying, though. Best dance partner I’ve had in quite a while.”

“I’ll take that,” I say as the song changes to something a little more upbeat. Although, neither of us speeds up. Instead, we remain moving to the song that only we can hear for a few more minutes.

But as the next song begins, my little troublemaker decides to up the ante. She spins around in my arms, sticks her ass out, and finally begins moving in time with the music.

Well, okay then.

Pushing aside my usual fears and insecurities, I allow myself to let go and dance with her. It’s something I haven’t done since college, but two songs in, I can’t deny that it feels good.

All my stress, the pressure that is constantly pressing down on my shoulders, all the expectations of me just vanish.

And as each song melds into the next one, I become more addicted to both the feeling and the woman in my arms.

I’m too lost in her to notice that another guy approaches through the crowd.

My brows pinch and my lips purse as he approaches my stranger, his eyes studying her with interest.

The second she notices him, her movements slow. She stares at him as he silently makes it known that he wants his turn next. Without realizing it, my grip on her hips tightens as a wave of something I’m not sure I’ve ever felt before floods through my veins.

Mine .

He steps closer, and I fear my possessive grip gets so tight that she’ll have bruises in the morning.

She shifts in my hold, and for a horrifying second, I think she’s going to slip away from me and join him. But just before I have to decide whether I’ll back away and run off to lick my wounds or fight for the night I thought we’d planned, she makes the decision for me.

Spinning in my arms, she gives him her back, making it more than obvious where her interests lie tonight.

I want to say I take the victory privately, but that would be a lie. When I look up and meet the guy’s gaze, I’ve got a smug-as-fuck grin on my lips.

Irritated by the blatant rejection, he slips back into the crowd, probably on the hunt for his second pick for the night.

Rising on her toes, she whispers in my ear, “You don’t need to look so pleased with yourself, you know.”

“Why not? I just won gold.”

Half of her face might be hidden, but that doesn’t stop me from seeing the way it transforms with her wide smile.

“And to think, I was expecting tonight to be boring.”

“Same,” I agree.

“I only booked a room so I could leave when it got dull and go and watch movies in bed with room service.”

“So you didn’t plan on seducing a stranger tonight?” I ask, raising a brow.

“Well, I mean…if the opportunity presented itself, it would have been rude to waste it.”

She drags her fingertip along the line of my jaw, making my stomach knot, and my semi becomes…well, not so much a semi.

Her smirk tells me that she can feel it pressing against her.

And the second her delicate touch gets to my bottom lip, the situation becomes even more urgent.

“You really are a troublemaker.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but her smile turns even more wicked as she continues to drag her fingertip across my bottom lip, observing me closely.

Her tongue licks across her own as if she’s imagining tasting me just like I am her.

“I think I’m done here,” she finally says once her eyes jump back up to mine.

Removing one hand from my waist, she dips her fingers into the top of her dress and pulls out a small, black card.

Without saying anything, she slips it into my shirt pocket.

“Give me ten minutes,” she says before taking a step back.

I let her go, my excitement and nerves stopping me from reacting. But just before she slips away, I reach for her.

My fingers wrap around her wrist, and I gently pull her back so I can whisper in her ear.

“I’ll follow your rules for now. But once I get up there, I’ll be the one in charge.”