Page 28 of Just my Puck (Love & Laughter #1)

LUCY

A fter my date with Jason ended last night with another heated kiss on my doorstep, I smile as I arrive at Embargo on time for my lunch with Mae.

I have no idea what to expect from this, but I’m sure whatever it is has to do with her and not me.

Taking a seat at the corner table where I can see the street, I order a glass of water and wait for Mae.

Fifteen minutes past our agreed-on meeting time, she walks in through the front door.

She looks unruffled and cool as usual. I stare down into my drink to avoid looking like I am waiting anxiously for her to arrive.

Striding towards the table full of confidence, I don’t even give her a chance to apologize for her tardiness.

“What is this about?” I ask brusquely.

She stops in her tracks, the expression on her face giving away her surprise at my harsh tone.

“Well, okay, then,” she murmurs, sitting down and dropping her bag on the floor. “Guess we’re doing this your way. You and Jason, what’s the situation? I mean, it’s all over town,” she adds. “So, out with it. Tell me all about how you managed to get onto his cock?”

The gossip wheels are grinding in her head; I can almost hear them.

This is all about first-hand gossip. She’s just after the details, desperate for something to talk about with her friends.

The thought makes my skin crawl. Ignoring the insulting way she insinuated it was only about sex when she knows I’m not like that, I make a snap decision.

Standing up, I grab my purse, feeling hurt over the obvious incredulity in her tone but shoving it aside as the anger over her attitude for the past few years catches up with me.

“I think I’m done here,” I say. “Why don’t you mind your own business, Mae?”

She stares at me, her mouth gaping open that I dared to talk to her that way. Not giving her a chance to respond, I walk away, leaving her alone at the table, staring after me in shock.

As I make my way out of the café, my mind is racing.

The rumors about me and Jason have spread quickly, like wildfire.

It’s astounding how a city as big as Coe Bay can be so vicious when it comes to gossip.

I know Jason’s reputation as a womanizer doesn’t help matters, but that’s not who he is with me.

Having woken up to pictures of me and Jason lip-locked last night wasn’t unexpected, but I didn’t expect it to be so crazy.

The questions about what he is doing with a girl like me are plentiful.

I get it; I do. He’s the hot superstar Captain of the hockey team. I’m just a librarian, plain and boring.

It does hurt to be faced with how everyone thinks this is just some sort of fling or that I’m just another notch on his bedpost.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I walk down the street, lost in my thoughts. That’s when I feel someone grab me from behind. Startled, I turn around to see Jason standing there with a mischievous grin.

“Hey there,” he says, pulling me in for a kiss in the middle of the street on a busy weekday. “Hope you don’t mind me dropping by?”

“How did you know where I’d be?” I ask, eyes wide, but a smile is curving my lips.

“You’ll learn, princess. You will have no privacy now.” His intense gaze gives me thrilling shivers. “Besides, I told you Steele was a possessive asshole when he wants to be.” He turns his head slightly to look at the Jeep parked a little way up the road.

Letting out a soft giggle as Steele waves at me, I purse my lips. “He tracked me?”

“Does it bother you?”

“No.”

“You sure? He wants to protect you.”

“I get it,” I say slowly, wondering how he managed to do that, but then Mae storms up to us on the sidewalk and parks her ass next to me, staring up at Jason with doe eyes and a flirty pout.

“Introduce me, Lucy,” she demands.

I roll my eyes and let out a small huff. Here we go again.

“This is Jason; this is Mae,” I force out the introduction, my voice flat.

Jason nods politely at Mae, still holding onto my waist with one arm. Mae’s expression falls when she realizes that he’s really not interested in her at all.

“So you are banging,” she spits out, her anger shocking me.

What is it to her?

Jason raises his eyebrow at her attitude but then chuckles softly, his grip on me tightening. “Yes, we are,” he lies easily, his gaze flickering between us.

I open my mouth to correct him but then decide against it. So what if everyone thinks we’re only fucking. Maybe we will be left alone to develop a real relationship?

“You’re always so quiet about your love life, Lucy,” Mae prods, trying to get some juicy details out of me again.

I grit my teeth and take a step away from Jason. “My love life is none of your business. And if that’s all you wanted to talk about, then I think it’s time for you to leave.”

Mae opens her mouth to respond but stops when Jason steps forward, his hand resting on my lower back.

“Lucy’s right. It’s none of your business,” he says firmly. “Now, why don’t you run along and find someone else to harass?”

Affronted, Mae looks like she is about to argue when a giant shadow appears over us, and I look up with a small smile.

“Hey,” I murmur as Steele leans down to kiss the top of my head affectionately.

“Everything okay here?” he growls, glaring at Mae, knowing she is being a pain in the ass.

Taking a deep breath, feeling protected and cared for with the two of them around me, I see Mae scowl at Steele briefly, taking in his massive size and menacing expression, but then her eyes lighten, and she turns flirtatious again, her gaze flicking back to me with a wicked gleam.

“Aren’t you lucky, Lucy?” she sneers. “Getting all this attention from the hockey team. Guess you’re putting it out all over the place. Who knew you were such a slut?” She laughs loudly, not even bothered by how hurtful her words are.

Jason tenses beside me, and I feel his grip on my waist tighten even further.

“Watch yourself, Mae ,” he says in a low voice.

Mae’s expression drops as she takes in his warning, knowing she’s crossed a line. Not with me, mind you, but with Jason and Steele. Me, she doesn’t give a shit about, clearly.

“Fine,” she mutters, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll see you around, Lucy.”

Without another word to any of us, she storms off down the street, leaving the three of us staring after her on the sidewalk.

Steele takes my hand and pulls me toward him, leading me to the Jeep. I let out a sigh of relief that Mae has gone for now, but what must they think of me after what she said?

Slut.

It’s a horrible word, and no one in their right mind could ever call me that.

Except now, maybe they can. A dark cloud falls over me as I take in the two men on either side of me.

Jason looks at me with a small smile on his lips. “We’ve got your back, princess,” he says.

But even as he says those words, doubt creeps into my mind. How long will they stick around? How long until they get tired of this little librarian and move on to someone more exciting, someone who can take care of themselves?

My self-doubt, which has been strangely absent these past couple of days, reappears with force, and I feel myself withdraw further into my shell as Mae’s words resound through my head over and over again.