Page 23 of Just my Puck (Love & Laughter #1)
JASON
S eeing Lucy in the kitchen, hurriedly getting a to-go cup of coffee, I watch her frenzied motions.
She is disheveled and in last night’s clothes.
I didn’t know she’d stayed the night, but it’s clear from the confidence in her movements, that she and Steele had sex last night.
She is more comfortable here and with herself.
The pang in my heart isn’t something I can stop, even if I wanted to.
“Hey, princess,” I say, stopping her in her tracks.
Turning toward me, she smiles. “Morning. I’ll be out of your way in a sec.”
“Good night?”
Narrowing her eyes, she shakes her head. “Not exactly.”
“Did Steele speak to you about me?”
“He did.”
Waiting for her to continue, I’m disappointed when she doesn’t.
“What did he say?” She forces me to ask after a few moments of deep silence.
“Steele wanted to know if I would be open to the idea of dating both him and you.”
“And what did you say?” It’s like pulling teeth.
“I said I needed to talk to you first.”
“We are talking now.”
“I’m late for work.”
“Can I meet you after?” I jump on the chance to take her on a date, even if it is to discuss something bizarre and possibly gut-wrenching if she rejects me.
She smiles. It’s slow and sweet, but there is no hesitation or force to it. “Sure. I finish at five.”
“I’ll be there to pick you up.”
She nods.
“Ready, little one?” Steele asks, freshly showered and sauntering into the kitchen like a god who had the best sex of his life while winning the Stanley Cup and gaining a unanimous vote for MVP.
She beams at him in a way I wish was directed at me. “Yep.”
“I’ll come too,” I say, not wanting my time with Lucy to come to an end. It’s so strange. Since I admitted how I felt to myself, I’ve fallen pretty hard for her, which is crazy. I don’t even know her. But I will rectify that later.
“Jason is picking me up later,” Lucy says as Steele takes her free hand, the other filled with a coffee cup. “We’re going to talk then.”
Steele nods, accepting that without a word, and leads us outside to his Jeep.
“You coming?” he asks me as he opens the door for Lucy to climb in.
“Yeah,” I say, not missing the opportunity to spend more time with her.
As we set off, Lucy turns sideways in her seat and peers at me, taking in every inch of my face. “Do you think fate threw us together?” she asks, startling me with the question.
“Maybe. What do you think?”
“I think fate has it out for me.”
“Ouch.”
She giggles. “I meant what I said last night. I’m cursed.”
“Don’t believe in curses.”
Our gaze fills with intensity. She is weighing up if I mean it or not, but I couldn’t be more serious if I tried.
“I’ll see if I can change your mind,” she says eventually, turning back to face the front.
“What does that mean?”
“It means, when Unlucky Lucy strikes, people get hurt.”
Leaning forward between the seats, I whisper, “Bring it.”
She slowly turns her head, her lips parted. “We’ll see,” she murmurs.
“If you’re trying to scare me off, you’ll have to do way better than that.” Sitting back in the seat, I stare at her, even more curious than I’ve ever been. “And I meant what I said.”
“What’s that then?”
“I don’t do blowies on the first date.”
She snorts into her hand. “Well, that’s good because I don’t give them on the first date.”
“Maybe later I can change your mind.”
“You’re a confident one, aren’t you?”
“Have you seen me?”
The sexy confidence has returned. I was on uneven ground with her before this conversation, not knowing where I stood, but the playing field has leveled.
She’s thrown down the gauntlet, and she clearly doesn’t know that the Storm is a force to be reckoned with.
I grew up bouncing from foster home to foster home after my mom left, and my dad didn’t care enough to look after me.
It toughened me up, gave me a strong character, and no one gets the better of me.
She looks over her shoulder and gives me a once-over with a raised eyebrow. “You’re okay.”
Spluttering in shock at the reply, while Steele lets out a bark of a laugh, I know I’ve just met my match. This woman is fierce. She may appear timid and sweet but don’t be fooled.
Pulling up to the library a few minutes later, she leans over to kiss Steele goodbye. It’s short and sweet, and the blush tinging her cheeks is adorable. She has pulled back into her shell a little bit, which is her safe space.
“See you at five, princess.”
Her eyes meet mine, dancing with enjoyment. She likes the nickname.
“Fine. You can drive me home so I can change first.”
“You got it,” I reply to the demand with a smile.
She giggles and waves, hurrying across the sidewalk toward the steps of the library.
“That went well.”
Steele turns to look at me over his shoulder with a skeptical expression. “You think so?”
“How was the sex?”
“Perfect.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s all you get.”
“Dammit. I’ll ask her later as well. See if she tells me more.”
“You looking for tips, Storm?” he asks, turning back around and pulling back into the stream of traffic to head home.
“Fuck you. I can out-screw you anytime.”
He doesn’t rise to it, which is fine. It’s not a competition. He may have managed to get Lucy in his bed first, but he won’t be the last man to take her when she agrees to be with me too.
The thrill of the chase hits me, and I realize it’s been a long time since I felt excited about seeing a woman. Settling back for the short drive home, I plan my date with Lucy, knowing it will be perfect.