Page 41 of Breaking the Pucking Rules (LA Vipers #1)

KODIE

Casey Watson: Is Sutton okay?

“ W ho is that?” Sutton asks, peeking over my shoulder.

“No one,” I snap before putting my cell to sleep and placing it screen down on the counter. “How’s your head?”

“Daddy, it’s fine,” she sighs. “I barely even hit it. Miss White was totally overreacting. I’m so annoyed they called you.”

Folding her little arms over her chest, she rolls her eyes, looking the epitome of a drama queen.

“Peanut, you hit your head. They have to call; it’s their job.”

She shakes her head, her eyes going again. “It’s just ridiculous. I take harder hits on the ice right in front of you. No one goes crying to you then.”

“You have a helmet on,” I counter.

“Oh yeah, because that stops it from hurting,” she deadpans.

I mean, she’s got a point.

“Sutton,” I sigh.

“Sorry, Daddy,” she says with the sweetest smile. “But I promise, I’m okay. Hopefully, Adrian has a nice bruise forming though.”

“Oh my god,” I mutter, dragging my hand down my face.

“He deserved it. He was being mean.”

“That doesn’t mean you should be fighting, Sutton.”

“If I were a boy, I’d have waited until we were on the ice," she informs me. “Every time I look at him, I picture slamming him into the boards.”

I just about manage to smother my laugh.

I’m raising a savage.

If they ever have the opportunity to play a game against each other, it’s going to be a bloodbath.

“Remember, Sutton, a good sportsperson?—”

“I know, I know,” she says, interrupting me. “I promise I’ll do my best not to let it happen again.”

I stare at her, unable to do anything but accept that.

“Just focus on being better than him. Don’t stoop to his level.”

“You got it, Daddy,” she says, smiling up at me, her eyes glinting wickedly.

There is no way this is the end of this rivalry. Something tells me that it’s going to haunt us for years.

Getting Sutton away from Adrian and his family would probably be the only benefit to me getting traded if Coach finds out about everything.

The only problem is that no matter where we are, there will always be Adrians.

Sutton will always be a girl in what is predominantly a male sport.

It’s getting better, but there is still a long way to go for female hockey players to get the recognition they deserve.

“Go and get ready for bed, Peanut,” I say, watching as she skips out of the room.

Once she’s out of sight, I drop my head into my heads and suck in a few calming breaths.

Parenting is really fucking hard.

Picking up my cell, I look at Casey’s message again. My heart swells at her concern about Sutton.

I’m about to respond when, “Daddy,” echoes down to me. “I can’t find Vincent.”

With a huff, I put my cell in my pocket and go in search of her bear.

I find him abandoned on the couch where we were watching ESPN earlier, and after tucking him under my shirt, I head up to see her.

“Did you find him?” I ask.

“No,” she mumbles around her toothbrush.

“Damn,” I muse, my eyes taking in her green and white bedroom.

She may have supported me at my old team, but she wasn’t all in like this. One of her conditions for moving to LA was that she wanted a Vipers bedroom. Obviously, I agreed, and no sooner had I secured the house than I instructed a designer and decorators to make her dream come true.

One wall is covered in lockers, which she uses for her clothes, instead of drawers. There’s a huge Vipers logo on the opposite wall and two jerseys in frames above her bed. One is mine, and one is hers. Every time I look at them, I swear my heart will explode.

She runs the faucet, finishing up before her light footsteps move in my direction.

“We need to find him, Daddy. I can’t sleep without—” Her words cut off and a smile pulls at her lips when she rounds the corner and finds me standing there with a bear-shaped lump under my T-shirt. “Daddy,” she laughs.

“What?” I ask innocently as she reaches for her beloved bear and wraps him in her arms, hugging him tightly. “Into bed, Peanut.”

She does as she’s told, and I perch myself on the edge and read her story.

Mom and I spend hours searching for books for her.

Most girls want princesses and unicorn books, but my daughter is all about sports.

We’ve found some good ones, but we read through them faster than the authors can write them.

Sutton keeps talking about writing her own.

I have no doubt that’ll happen at some point.

I can’t help but smile at my daughter’s tenacity. Fuck, I love her.

“Sweet dreams, Peanut,” I say once we’ve finished a chapter.

“Night-night, Daddy. Sweet dreams. ”

Dropping a kiss on her head, I put her book away, turn on her nightlight and quietly walk toward her door.

“I love you. See you in the morning.”

“I love you too.”

Her words ring in my ears as I make my way down to my own bedroom.

After changing into athletic clothes, I grab my EarPods and make my way to my home gym to burn off some energy.

The whole time I’m working out, my cell taunts me from my pocket.

I should reply to let Casey know that Sutton is okay. But if I do, I’m not going to be able to stop. She’s too fucking addictive.

I push myself until my muscles are trembling before staggering back up the stairs to my bedroom so I can shower.

It’s been hours since that message came through when I finally fall into bed and open the thread again.

Kodie Rivers: Sutton is fine; thank you for asking. The hit didn’t knock the sass out of her.

My message shows as read immediately, and my heart lurches.

Was she waiting for me?

Casey Watson: Glad to hear it. Scott Jr is hurting, though, right?

I can’t help but laugh. Of course, Casey has the same thoughts as Sutton.

Kodie Rivers: According to Sutton, his bruise should be glowing by now.

Casey Watson: Good girl. Can’t let these boys win.

Kodie Rivers: Is that right?

My eyes are glued to my screen, and my pulse increases as I wait for a reply like a teenage boy with a crush.

I’m a grown-ass man; I shouldn’t be this excited about receiving a reply from a girl.

No. A woman.

Casey might be younger than me, but that doesn’t mean she’s not all woman.

God. A groan rumbles deep in my throat as I think about just how much of a woman she really is. Those sinful curves, full tits, perfect pussy.

And now, I’m hard again.

Casey Watson: Yep. It’s important that boys know not to mess with us. It’s not their fault that they won’t understand our superpower until they’re a little older.

Kodie Rivers: Superpower?

Casey Watson: Yep. What are you doing right now?

A smirk pulls at my lips.

You want to play, baby?

Kodie Rivers: Just finished working out. Fresh from the shower and naked in bed. You?

Her response doesn’t come as fast this time, and I start to wonder if I’ve pushed her too hard.

She only messaged to check on Sutton. Maybe she doesn’t want to dive headfirst into flirting.

Christ. Could it be any more obvious that I’ve been out of the game for a long time?

Casey Watson: Same. Although not the working out part. I was eating pizza and drinking beer with Parker. She wanted me to tell you you’re welcome, by the way.

I frown for a moment before realization slams into me.

Kodie Rivers: Are you naked, too ?

Delete.

Kodie Rivers: What are you wearing?

Delete.

Kodie Rivers: She played a dangerous game.

Casey Watson: Worth it, though. No?

My dick jerks just thinking back to last night.

Casey Watson: I’m still a little sore.

“Fucking hell,” I moan. “Don’t tell me things like that, baby girl.”

Kodie Rivers: I’m sorry. I lost control a little.

Casey Watson: NEVER apologize for that. EVER.

Kodie Rivers: I guess it’s a good job I’m away for the next two weeks, then. Give you a rest.

Casey Watson: I’d rather you weren’t…

Kodie Rivers: Fucking hell, Trouble. What are you doing to me?

Casey Watson: Hopefully making you hard and desperate…

My groan ripples through the air.

Kodie Rivers: You have no idea.

Unable to ignore it any longer, I wrap my hand around myself, stroking slowly.

Casey Watson: It gets me so hot, knowing I’m turning you on.

Kodie Rivers: Touch yourself. Imagine it’s me.

Kodie Rivers: Tell me exactly what you’re doing.

Every time I come with Casey’s name on my lips, I crave the next time more than the last.

It’s turning into an addiction I’m not sure I’m going to be able to kick.

It doesn’t matter that she’s not physically with me; I’m fucking dying for her.

The last thing I want to do right now is leave town for two weeks.

Leaving Sutton is always hard. But now, it’s not just her I’m leaving.

Fucking hell. Me and Casey. We’re not even a thing.

It shouldn’t be bothering me that I’m putting hundreds of miles between us, but it is. I’m really un-fucking-happy about it.

Maybe it’s for the best.

Time apart might give us both the space to do the right thing.

Instead of seeing her, I’ll be spending every day with her dad—the perfect reminder to stay away.

But those thoughts are shattered to smithereens every time I see her name flash up on my phone.

Before I went to sleep last night, I made what might have been the monumental mistake of sending her my phone number. I don’t know why it feels like such a big deal. Maybe I’m a bit old-school, but having it feels huge—like we’ve taken another big step into a place we really shouldn’t be.

My cell dings as I say my final goodbye to Sutton at the school gates. I ignore it, focusing on my daughter and fighting my emotions. She’s struggling, too, but being the stubborn little girl she is, she fights it and tries to hide it from me.

I both love and hate that she does.

Seeing her fall apart is really fucking hard. But I really wish she didn’t feel like she had to be strong all the time. I hate that she’ll spend the next two weeks missing me, worrying about me.

She knows to take the media with a pinch of salt, but if anything comes out about me, whether it be an injury or that I’m not starting for whatever reason, she’ll freak out.

I love that hockey is such a huge part of her life, but at times, it’s also a curse, because she knows it all. She also knows the risk I put myself in every time I step on the ice.

I don’t pull my cell free until she’s slipped into her classroom. Then, I welcome the distraction from the pain in my chest.

Trouble: Safe travels today. I hope Sutton is okay x

I blow out a long, slow breath as my eyes linger on that little kiss.

“Fuck.”

This woman has got me all tangled up in knots, and something tells me that this road stretch is going to be one of the hardest I’ve ever experienced.

Kodie: Have a good day. Speak later?

Trouble: Try and stop me