Page 25 of Just my Puck (Love & Laughter #1)

CARTER

T aking my shirt off, I dive into the pool.

The cool water washes over me like a welcome embrace, having dived to avoid Jason and Steele as they came back from dropping Lucy off.

I knew she’d stayed the night. I was aware of her presence, but I’m not sure what happened between the three of them, and I don’t think I want to know.

So, I try to ignore them, focusing instead on the powerful strokes as I swim laps under the mid-morning sun.

I don’t want to think about Lucy, the girl who has stolen my heart and who belongs to… well, that’s up for debate right now.

The minutes pass as I swim, but soon, the hunger that can only come from swimming for so long takes over.

As a pro athlete, I need to keep on top of my diet, and so far, I’ve skipped breakfast because Lucy was in the kitchen when I came down.

I avoided her like an idiot, but only because seeing her in my kitchen, making coffee, and smiling to herself was a shot to the heart.

Not being able to place my finger on why this woman has captivated me so much is nagging me but knowing I can’t even explore a deeper relationship with her is something that will take me a while to get over, especially if she is going to be around here a lot.

Eventually, I drag myself out of the pool, my stomach growling and demanding sustenance.

Wrapping a towel around my waist, enjoying the heat of the sun beating down on me, I cast my gaze over the bay.

The sea is an azure blue that matches the sky.

The beach is busy already, which gives me a pang of longing.

I’d love to go out there and surf or just chill on the beach, but duty calls.

During the season, duty always calls. We have two more home games, and then we’re on the road for a set of away games, which is always a major pain in the ass.

I like the comforts of my home and living in hotels out of a suitcase is not my idea of fun.

Slowly making my way back to the house. When I step into the cool sitting room, I’m surprised to see Jason and Steele already seated. Steele flicks through a magazine while Jase stares at a game on the TV.

Jason looks content, which tells me that he is making progress with Lucy. I don’t think for a second she has agreed to this plan of theirs, but maybe, she will. Who knows?

Taking a deep breath, I force myself to relax so I don’t get bombarded with questions about why I’m brooding and pissed off. I allow myself a moment to be thankful for my great friends who know my moods well enough by now but then turn my attention back to my stomach.

“Food?”

“Always,” Jase replies absently. “Hey, did you think I fucked up there?” He rewinds it, and Steele looks up to examine the play.

Jason is a perfectionist. He is obsessed with being top, so this slump we’re in the middle of is killing him.

Pausing to look as well, I frown. “No. There was no way you were getting out of Gray’s way. He targeted you, for sure.”

“Fucker!”

“He is a fucker. But it’s his job.”

Jason gives me the finger, and I chuckle as I make my way into the kitchen to cook scrambled eggs and toast with ham to appease the hunger gnawing at me.

“Steele had sex last night!” Jason shouts out a few moments later.

Pausing as that news hits me square in the chest, I force a grin. “Awesome. You rock her world?”

“He doesn’t kiss and tell, the soft asshole.”

Steele scowls, but I can see the twinkle in his eye.

His world got rocked hard, but then I’m not surprised.

Lucy is besotted with him, and vice versa.

I wish that she would look at me the way she looked at him last night, but that is to be forgotten, pushed deep down, so I continue to make breakfast quickly, trying to sound cheerful despite the ache in my chest. My phone rings on the counter where I’d left it earlier, so I answer it, knowing who it is.

“Hey, Mom,” I greet her with false enthusiasm, hoping to distract myself from the thoughts of Lucy and Steele together.

“Hey, honey. You didn’t forget about our lunch date today, did you?” she asks.

Feeling a twinge of guilt in my stomach, as I had completely forgotten about it, I lie smoothly. “No, no, of course not. Just finishing up some breakfast here.”

“Okay, good. I can’t wait to see you,” she chides me gently, seeing as I haven’t been home for a while. “I’ll see you at the café at two.”

As I hang up the phone and sigh heavily, the guys look up at me curiously. I force a smile and try to act nonchalant.

“Meeting mom for lunch,” I explain as I dish the food onto plates. “I totally forgot about it.”

“Dude, you’re such a mama’s boy,” Jason teases me.

Steele snickers, but he’s one to talk. He calls his mother after every game.

Shrugging, I take a bite of my eggs, trying not to show how anxious I am about spending time with my mother.

She means well, but sometimes her over-nurturing nature can be suffocating.

Plus, she has been pushing me to settle down with a nice girl and start a family for months now.

If only she knew that the only girl I want is someone who is completely off-limits.