Page 80 of Breaking the Pucking Rules (LA Vipers #1)

CASEY

I look down the street, watching as the cars pass, waiting for the one I want.

The game finished a little over an hour ago, and after one drink with Parker, I excused myself for an “early night.”

After getting caught by Linc on my escape to the parking garage last time, we decided it might be safer if I left. It’s only for a little longer. We’re going to tell Dad soon, and then there will be no more secrets or sneaking around.

My foot taps against the ground as my impatience gets the better of me.

This seemed like a good idea at first, but I forgot about the logistics of hanging around, waiting for him.

He’s left. He messaged me ten minutes ago.

So why isn’t he here?

A horn startles me, and I narrow my eyes at the huge black truck it came from.

I swear to God, if some asshole tries to pick me up, I’ll?—

“Kodie?”

He pulls obnoxiously onto the sidewalk and waves me over.

Oh my god.

I take off running before pulling the passenger door open and climbing up.

“What the hell is this?” I ask, my eyes raking over him as he sits with a backward cap hiding his curly hair, which I suspect is still damp from his post-game shower.

Aviators cover his eyes, he’s sporting a few days’ worth of stubble, and he’s still in his game-day suit. The image as a whole is delicious.

“Our date night transport. What does it look like?” he says, his voice deep and gravelly as he finally uncurls his fingers from the wheel, instead wrapping them around the back of my neck and dragging me over the massive center console.

“Missed you,” he confesses before kissing me the way I’ve been dreaming of since walking away from him yesterday afternoon.

“Kodie,” I moan, gripping his tie as I lose myself in his kiss.

A horn from a car behind us finally forces us apart.

“Get moving before someone looks too hard,” I say breathlessly, sitting back in my seat.

“Fucking hell,” Kodie groans, tugging at his tight slacks.

“Problem?” I ask innocently as he pulls away, his grip so tight on the wheel that his knuckles are white.

“Tease me and you’ll end up bent over with it in your mouth, Trouble.”

“Do you hear me complaining?”

He gives me a double take.

“Fuck. You’re serious, aren’t you?”

I smile at him.

"Christ.”

“Good game tonight,” I say, changing the subject before I do end up ass up, sucking him off as he drives.

As wet as my panties are from just thinking about it, we can’t risk it.

Would be a hell of a way to announce our relationship, though…

“Yeah, everything lined up for us tonight,” he says, playing off their solid win like it’s nothing.

“Sutton was hyper when I saw her after.”

I can’t help but laugh. “She was hyper the whole time. She reminds me so much of me. I remember leaving Dad’s games with a sore throat and no voice. ”

“You were his number one fan, huh?”

“Just like Sutton is yours.”

He smirks as he briefly glances over.

“I thought you were fighting it out for the position?”

“She’s your number one. I’m your longest and most obsessed.”

“You’re both number one to me. Sutton because she doesn’t have a choice, and you because I want you to be.”

I smile, my heart fluttering in my chest. I love it so much when he says these things. He makes me feel so treasured and important.

I’ve always been loved. Mom and Dad always did a fantastic job on ensuring I was. Dad especially, as he was forced to take on the role of both parents. But that kind of affirmation hits different when it’s from someone who has chosen you.

And out of all the women on the planet, for some reason, Kodie Rivers has chosen me.

“I’ll be whatever you want me to be,” I tease as he takes a left at an intersection that’ll take us out of town.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?”

“Nope. But you might want to get comfortable. We’ve got a while to go yet.”

“Hmm…interesting.”

I glance at the screen, but despite it showing a map, there’s no navigation on. Wherever we’re going, Kodie knows the directions without instructions.

“Sutton wanted to know if you were staying the night again,” he says after we drive for a few minutes in a comfortable silence.

“Glad she wasn’t too traumatized by finding me in her house yesterday morning.”

“Traumatized? She was elated. You were all she talked about for the rest of the day.”

“She’s awesome.”

“So?” Kodie asks.

“So what?”

“Are you staying tonight?”

When he asked me on this date, he didn’t mention anything about that, so I’d assumed this was an evening-only thing.

“I-I don’t know. I didn’t realize it was an option.”

“Having you in my bed is always an option.”

“You’re always welcome in mine too.”

“I like your place. But seeing you in my bed Thursday night…fuck, Casey.” He wrings the wheel as if he’s trying to contain himself. And when I look down, I find that he’s hard all over again. “If I had my way, you’d be in it every night.”

“Taking it slow, remember?”

“I know. Fuck, I know. It’s just…”

“Hard?” I offer.

“Yeah. Really fucking hard.”

“If you’re happy for me to stay tonight, I’d love to. I’m just aware that I’m intruding on a family, on a little girl’s life. We’ve got a game tomorrow, though, so I’ll need to leave early.”

“Maybe we actually set an alarm this time,” he suggests.

Pulling my cell from my pocket, I open my clock app and set one right here and now.

“Done.”

“I love your eagerness.”

And I love you…

“ K odie?” I question when he pulls up into some woods and puts the truck in park. “Where are we?”

“Somewhere no one will find us.” My brows lift as I stare at him. “Okay, that sounded creepier than it was meant to.”

“So, you’re not going to kill me and leave me here for no one to find?” I confirm.

“Hell no. I need someone to have phone sex with when I’m on the road next week.”

“Glad I come in useful for something,” I tease. “So, what are we doing here?”

“It’s a surprise,” he says, pushing the door open and climbing out.

“Well, okay then. ”

I pull the handle to follow him, but it doesn’t do anything.

Twisting around, I try to look out of the window behind me, but it’s too dark, only flickers of moonlight peeking through the trees.

“Kodie?” I cry.

Not two seconds later, my cell vibrates in my pocket.

55: Trust me, baby.

Casey: You’d better not be getting your axe out…

55: Not sure if that was a euphemism or not.

I chuckle. I’m not sure if it was either.

The sound of the tailgate cover rolling back catches my attention before the vehicle dips. He moves about doing…something...before the entire thing bounces, I assume when he jumps off.

“What are you doing, Kodie Rivers?” I ask myself.

A couple more minutes pass before a shadow moves outside my window.

The locks disengage and the door opens, letting in a rush of cool evening air.

A shiver runs down my spine and my nipples pebble, but it’s not from the cold. It’s from the man standing before me.

He’s lost the suit, now dressed in sweats and a hoodie, his hat sadly missing.

What is it about a backward cap?

“Hey, are you ready for your date?” he asks as he holds his hand out to help me down.

“So ready. And curious.”

A stream of moonlight hits the side of his face, allowing me to see his smirk.

“Come on then.”

I barely take a step when I see the lights.

“Kodie, what have you done?” I whisper as he leads me around the back of his truck to reveal his handiwork.

He’s turned his tailgate into the perfect date.

There are lights strung up everywhere, giving the space a warm glow. There are blankets and pillows and a picnic basket.

Tears sting my eyes as I take it all in.

“You did all this?”

Glancing over, I find him rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

How the hell could he possibly be nervous? This is the thing romance books are made of.

“Well, my number one fan helped out a little. She chose the blankets and pillows.”

I sniffle and he steps in front of me, ducking down so he can look into my eyes.

“Casey,” he says softly.

“I’m sorry. I’m just…a little emotional.”

“You like it, though?” he asks, a slight frown marring his brow.

“I love it. It’s perfect. Thank you.”

Wrapping my hand around the back of his neck, I pull him down for a kiss.

“I’m kinda pissed about this, though,” I confess, tugging at his hoodie as I pull back.

“You prefer me in the suit?”

“I’ll take you in either. I was more talking about you changing without letting me watch.”

“If you’re lucky, I’ll give you a repeat later.” Stepping around me, his huge hands wrap around my waist before he says, “Up you go,” and effortlessly lifts me.

I crawl toward the stack of pillows and lie back, waiting for him to do the same.

“This is the best date I’ve ever been on,” I confess, rolling onto my side so I can see him. “Thank you.”

“It’s the only date I’ve ever been on,” he counters.

“W-what? How is that possible?”

Copying my position, he reaches out, wraps his arm around my waist and tugs me closer.

“You already know I don’t date, baby.”

“I don’t believe everything I’ve read online about you. ”

“Does that mean I can try to convince you that I wasn’t a fuckboy before Sutton came along?”

A laugh bursts out of me.

“You can try if you want, but no one needed words to learn that. A picture paints a thousand words, after all.”

His eyes darken before he looks down for a beat.

“I’m not that person anymore. I haven’t been for a long time.”

“Kodie?” I cup his cheek and force him to look at me. “I don’t care about the past, or all the things you did in your rookie year that you’d rather forget.” One side of his mouth twitches as I’m sure more than a few memories fill his head. “What I care about is the man before me now.”

“We all have a past that’s full of bad decisions and regrets. But they’re nothing to be ashamed of, because they’re what makes us the person we are today. And, I for one, think you’re an incredible person.

“In fact, I might go as far as to say that you’re my favorite.”

“You’re my favorite too,” he whispers, leaning forward and brushing his nose against mine.

“Don’t let Sutton hear you say that.”

“It’s okay, I think you might have overtaken me as her favorite person.”

“Never. You’re her hero.”

“Can I be yours too?” he asks, kissing the corner of my mouth.

“Always have been.”

He rolls me onto my back, deepening the kiss as the sound of the wind rustling through the trees surrounds us.

I shiver as his hand slides from my hip and under my jersey—with his name and number on, of course.

“Can’t get enough of you, Casey,” he groans as his lips trail across my jaw and down my throat.

“Same.”

He shifts so he’s between my legs and I hook one around his back, allowing him to grind against me where I need him most.

“You drive me crazy,” he continues, building me higher with his words as well as the movements of his body. “You’ve changed my life in a way I never thought I’d experience.”

“Kodie,” I gasp as he pulls back and gazes down at me.

His eyes are dark and full of desire. His lips are glistening and swollen from our kisses.

“Casey,” he rasps, his eyes searching mine. “I’m…I’m falling in love with you.”