Page 54 of Breaking the Pucking Rules (LA Vipers #1)

KODIE

“ I t’s good to have you home,” Mom muses as I pull her in for a hug when Sutton runs upstairs to finish getting ready for school.

“It’s good to be home,” I confess as we part. “How has everything been?” I ask, aware that no matter how bad things get while I’m on the road, she’ll lie and tell me it’s all good.

I appreciate the fuck out of her for it, even if it drives me crazy, not really knowing what’s going on with my own family.

I get it—she’s trying to protect me and ensure I’m fully focused on the task at hand, but also, I just want to know.

She stares at me. “I think you and I have bigger things to discuss right now, don’t we?” One of her brows lifts, and I instantly feel like a little boy who’s been caught stealing food from the kitchen.

“Uh…do we?” I ask, wracking my brain for clues.

“We do.”

Our stare holds as she stands there with her hands on her hips, trying to glare a confession from my lips.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I finally say, utterly confused.

This is what happens when I don’t get any sleep. Or was it the orgasms that frazzled my head ?

Mom smirks, her eyes dropping to my neck. On instinct, my hand lifts to cover whatever she’s looking at.

“You smell like women’s perfume and s-e-x ,” she sounds out the final word, as if that makes it better.

Fuck.

“Something you need to tell me?”

“Uh…”

“I’m assuming you picked those up after your flight.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

I rub my scruffy jaw as I attempt to come up with a response.

“Is she…is she someone?” she asks with so much hope in her eyes that it makes my chest ache.

“Uh…” Fuck’s sake, Kodie. Find some fucking words . “No?”

“No?” Mom asks skeptically.

“Shit,” I hiss, entwining my fingers behind my neck and tugging. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

Mom doesn’t react for a beat, but then the most incredible smile spreads across her mouth.

“Oh gosh, really?”

“Mom,” I warn. “Don’t get excited.”

I swear, she’s practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. “I’m not.” I give her a look, and she attempts to wipe the smile off her face. “I promise I’m not.”

I shake my head, because she’s doing a really good fucking job of looking indifferent right now.

“I’m going to have a quick shower,” I say, backing away from her.

I should have known that I’d smell of Casey, but I was too up in my head to really think about it.

Showering before I left her place would have been the most sensible thing to do, but it’s a bit late now.

“Good idea,” Mom agrees, still trying to hide her smile.

Ripping my eyes from her twinkling ones, I grab my luggage before jogging up the stairs.

“Aren’t you taking me to school, Daddy?” Sutton asks with a frown as I pass her on the way out of her room.

“Of course. I’m just going to shower quick, and I’ll be right there.”

Her expression brightens before she sings, “Okay,” and runs down the stairs to find Mom.

Dumping my stuff onto my bed, I strip out of my suit for the second time this morning and step naked into my bathroom.

I step up to the mirror and instantly see what Mom clocked.

“Fuck’s sake, Casey,” I laugh as I stare at the mark she left on my neck.

Of course, it’s only fair. Her chest was littered with my own. But she’s still in bed, or at least she should be. She isn’t gracing others with her presence and pretending everything is fine.

With a contented sigh, I step into the shower and turn it on, letting myself get blasted with cold water. If the thought of returning to Casey and spending the day with her isn’t enough to perk me up, then the chill will do it.

In only a few minutes, I sadly no longer smell like Casey and sex, and I’m dressed in jeans and a Vipers t-shirt, ready to take Sutton to school.

Checking my cell before I drop it into my pocket, I find a message that makes my heart flutter in my chest.

Calm down, Rivers. She’s just a girl.

I close my eyes for a beat.

All the air comes rushing from my lungs when the photo loads on my phone. It’s her twisted up in the sheet, looking all sexy and well-fucked.

Trouble: Being a good girl and waiting for my man to return.

My man.

I am so fucking screwed.

“ H ave things with Adrian been okay?” I ask as I take the final turn to Sutton’s school.

I don’t look over, but I know she rolled her eyes the second his name left my tongue.

“He’s…his normal self.”

“Look on the bright side. While he’s being his normal self, he’s not being worse,” I offer.

“I guess. His team also won on Sunday. He’s been telling anyone who will listen that he scored the final goal. It doesn’t sound like it was very impressive. I heard one of the boys in the other class saying that the goalie wasn’t even paying attention.”

“Let him get his praise where he can and remember how freaking awesome your own winning goal was,” I tell him.

When she called me on Sunday after the game to tell me what she’d done, she was buzzing. I was devastated not to be there and see her make that winning goal. But it is what it is.

She told me that her new coach was super stoked about it, and that helped. Of course, Mom was there in the crowd as well, cheering her on in my place.

“Don’t worry, I won’t forget that. You’re going to be at my game on Sunday, right?”

“As long as you’re at my game on Saturday,” I counter.

“Try and stop me,” she says with a smile.

“Come here, Peanut,” I say, holding my arms out for a hug before we’re forced to part again.

While I might hate leaving her, I drive away from school after watching her safely slip inside her classroom in a much better mindset than the last time I was here.

With nowhere else to be today until pick up other than in Casey’s bed, I head that way, only pausing to grab coffee and breakfast for Casey.

Only, as I pull up, I realize I have a problem.

Opening my contacts on the screen, I find the person I called in the middle of the night for a little bit more help.

“Ah, good, you came up for air,” is Parker’s way of saying hello.

“How do you know I’m not ringing for life support?” I counter.

“Lucky for you, I’ve already spoken to Casey, and she’s given me the delicious details of your sordid night, sparing you the job, so I’ll just say…you are welcome.”

“I appreciate it. But?—”

“Ahhh,” she laughs. “There it is.”

I blow out a frustrated breath.

“Trust me, if I didn’t have to call you, I wouldn’t.”

“Fine. She’s a thirty-two D and/or a size six.”

“What?” I splutter, my head spinning.

“What? You’re calling because you want to buy her slutty lingerie, aren’t you?”

“No, Parker.”

“Shit, my bad.”

“If I wanted to do that, I’d just look at the sizes she wears.”

“Okay, so…what did you want?”

“I need her coffee order.” I cringe as I say the words. It seems so stupid now, but I didn’t want to guess and get it wrong.

“Oh,” Parker laughs. “I mean, it’s coffee; you can’t exactly go wrong.”

“Okay, but what’s her favorite? Her treat?”

“Aw, Kodie. Don’t make me think for even a moment that I could be wrong about hockey players.”

I chuckle. “We’re not all bad.”

“Diamond in the rough, huh?”

“Casey doesn’t seem to have any complaints.”

“Not from what I’ve heard, no. Good job, Big D.”

I shake my head, scrubbing my hand down my face. “So, coffee order?”

“Are you ready?” she warns, making me frown. How bad could it be?

“Always.”

“Venti iced caramel macchiato with an extra shot made with oat milk, extra caramel sauce, half the ice and sprinkled with a little salt. ”

I narrow my eyes as I attempt to remember that blur of words.

“Got it?”

“Umm…”

“Kodie?”

“Yeah,” I ask, my head spinning.

“The fact you called and asked makes you better than any other guy Casey has been with before.” My fists clench at the thought of any man being near my troublemaker.

I don’t respond. How can I?

“I know this might not be a big deal to you, but I promise you, being with you is a huge fucking deal to Casey. Please, don’t hurt her.”

“Parker—”

“No, listen for a moment,” she says firmly. “If this is just a bit of fun, then that’s fine, just make sure she knows that. Don’t allow her to think it could be more if you know it can’t be.”

“Yeah,” I agree, although I’m not entirely sure what I’m agreeing to.

Do I want this to be just a bit of fun that I can walk away from in a few days, weeks, or months? No, I really fucking don’t. But equally, do I want this to turn into something serious?

I sink lower in my seat as that question sits heavy on my shoulders.

I don’t think it’s about whether I want it to or not; it’s about whether it can be possible.

This isn’t as simple as boy and girl finding something with each other. I come with a whole truckload of baggage that no woman deserves to deal with.

“Kodie?”

“Yeah,” I breathe.

Silence fills the line as Parker battles with what to say.

“Be honest with her and yourself. The only way this will end badly is if you’re not.”

My lips part to respond, but Parker cuts the call, obviously wanting to have the final word.

“Fucking hell,” I mutter, dragging my hand down my face before I push the door open and head inside to order her…fuck. What was her drink again?

I get into Casey’s building with the codes Parker gave me just as easily as I did under the cover of darkness—but everything is different this time.

Casey knows I’m coming. Hell, if she’s done as she was told, she should be waiting for me.

Desire stirs low in my gut. I’m already sporting a semi and I’m not even in the same room as her yet.

I’ve had her twice this morning. Shouldn’t this incessant need lessen? Shouldn’t my itch be scratched already? But if anything, I’m just as desperate as I was in the middle of the night with only one thing on my mind.

The control panel flashes green, and the lock disengages, allowing me entry into her apartment.

I slip inside and listen for a moment. It’s silent.

Assuming she’s followed orders, I step deeper into the apartment, but the second I round the corner, I discover I’m wrong.

Casey isn’t lying in bed naked and waiting for me like I demanded.

She’s standing in the kitchen, sipping on a cup of coffee, wearing my jersey and another pair of those fucking green panties.

My jaw tics as I take her in, my cock going full mast, pressing against the unforgiving fabric of my jeans.

“What are you doing?” I demand, my voice deep with desire.

She smirks, looking up at me through her lashes as I approach with our breakfast.

“I needed a drink.”

“You’re not in bed.”

“I know, but?— ”

“No buts, Casey. You defied me.”

She bites down on her bottom lip, and my cock jerks.

“Sorry, Daddy,” she whispers. “Are you going to punish me?”