Page 3 of Pucking Tangled

THREE

Mia

The front door opened and closed. Then opened and closed another five or six times before a bunch of loud and unfamiliar voices echoed through the house.

Skeeter took off from Mia’s room to greet their guests while she got up to shut her door as the music started.

“I guess the boys are having a party.” Mia sighed and tossed the contract she was studying onto the desk she’d been sitting at for the last two hours.

Not that they didn’t deserve to celebrate.

She watched the whole thing on TV, putting her studying on pause to watch the Barn Raisers win their last regular-season game.

Mia searched for her noise-canceling earbuds and plopped them in her ears.

She had a mock negotiation coming up, and she needed to be prepared. That meant no more distractions tonight. No parties. And no mingling with the 23-man roster that seemed to be living it up downstairs .

The earbuds helped, but they didn’t stop the vibration from the loud music that shook the whole place. She did her best to focus and tune it all out, but the later it got, the more overstimulated she felt.

She pulled the earbuds out of her ears and rolled her shoulders. Grabbing her favorite Barn Raisers hoodie (one she’d taken from Casey and smelled like his citrus cologne), she tossed it on and allowed herself to sink into its familiar comfort before stepping out of her room.

The sound of Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us , echoed up the stairs as Mia debated on braving the party for a bottle of water and a snack.

The smell of beer, pizza, and something burnt assaulted her senses as she nearly collided with Luca coming out of the hall bathroom.

“Oh! Sorry. I didn’t expect traffic up here.”

“I’m pretty sure it is quieter on the freeway during rush hour than it is downstairs,” Luca chuckled.

Mia glanced toward the stairs.

Someone yelled “CHUG!” and then there was a loud crash.

“Ugh. Is that normal around here?” she asked, questioning her decision to move in without a little more recon.

“Sometimes. Casey figures it's better if we’re all here than out at some bar getting into trouble. Last game of the regular season, so they wanted to celebrate, ya know?” He paused and rubbed the back of his neck like he was nervous. “You hiding out?”

“Guilty as charged.”

“So, are you a night owl or are they keeping you awake? I’ll go down there and tell them to keep it down if you want me to. ”

Mia leaned back against the wall and studied him for a moment.

She could almost picture calm, collected, and sweet Luca trying to put an end to the party.

“A little of both. Law school kind of rewires your brain. I’ve trained myself to get excited about contracts and copyright disputes.”

“Badass. I like it. You’re studying entertainment law, right?”

“You remembered that?”

Luca shrugged. “I remember a lot of things. Especially when someone talks about billion-dollar lawsuits.”

“And what about you, Luca Blackford? When you’re not slaying it on the ice, what do you like to do?” With the Barn Raisers’ busy season, even when she was around, she didn’t have much of a chance to get to know the team’s rookie.

“Well, you already know I love to read. Anything from non-fiction to spicy romance. And I like to bake sourdough.”

“You’re kidding.” Mia raised a brow in amusement.

“Not really. I prefer quiet nights and slow mornings.”

“You can’t be real.” She smiled at the defenseman.

Luca pinched himself. “Ouch.”

Mia laughed and quickly covered her mouth.

“Pretty real. Doesn’t look like I’m dreaming. Should I check to make sure you’re not either?” he teased, his fingers ready to pinch her.

“No. I trust you,” she giggled. “Thanks for…not being loud or drunk right now, Luca.”

“You know, the best people always hide out upstairs.”

Their gaze lingered on each other for a beat longer, until Mia cleared her throat. “I should probably get back to studying. Or at least pretending to. ”

“Yeah. I’ll go pretend that I care about the next round of beer bong before I make some equally lame excuse to go to bed.”

Mia smiled. “Oh. Pretending to study is lame, huh?”

Luca bashfully shrugged his shoulders, but neither of them rushed to make a move.

“Hey, Mia?’

“Yeah, Luca?”

“If you ever need anything. A good book recommendation, someone to talk to, anything…I’m right across the hall.”

“Thanks.” Mia nodded. “I appreciate it. Good night, Luca.”

This time, Mia turned and went back to her room, abandoning her earlier mission.

Luca

Luca closed his door behind him to drown out the noise from downstairs. He thought about returning and almost did, but it wasn’t worth it.

Instead, he leaned back against the door for a beat before blowing out a breath.

He was used to the house being loud and messy from time to time, especially after being in a frat house for three out of four years in college. But just existing in the hallway with Mia in her oversized hoodie that he knew she stole from Casey…everything felt different.

Quieter.

Calmer .

Like someone pressed pause on all the sounds going on around them.

He walked across the room, pulled a bottle of water from his mini fridge, and took a sip as his gaze drifted toward the bookshelf on the opposite wall.

Lined with some of his favorite books: The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins, Atomic Habits by James Clear, Stop Overthinking by Nick Trenton, and a wide collection of fiction titles across genres.

Yes, even including some of his favorite romances by Rebecca Norinne, Mignon Mykel, and Lauren Helms.

He picked up one of Rebecca’s titles and flipped it over in his hand. Scrum and Get It was one of the most relatable romances he’d read in a while. Liam didn’t play rugby, but he sure had a whole lot in common with Donel, the hooker.

What are you even doing, man?

Mia was just being friendly.

Nothing more.

She probably wasn’t interested in his book collection, or anything else for that matter.

Still, the sound of her laughter—sharp and unexpected—when he’d made a fool of himself by pinching his arm lingered in his mind, like she hadn’t let herself laugh like that in a while. And the way she looked at him—curious but cautious—like maybe he wasn’t what she expected.

Luca put the book back on the shelf and finished his water before he crawled into bed. He stared up at the ceiling, watching the fan spin around and around while he tried to shift his focus to anything but his new roommate down the hall.

It didn’t matter how hard he tried, though, his thoughts kept drifting back to the sound of her voice. The way she leaned so casually against the wall with her shy smile. How she looked at him like she saw him for who he was. Appreciated it even. And the sweet thank you on her lips.

She didn’t belong in the middle of a circus. But she was here now. And maybe, just maybe, she deserved someone in the house who wasn’t trying to impress her or annoy her.

He closed his eyes and exhaled.

How could a woman he barely knew get under his skin the way Mia did? In a way that had him craving things that shouldn’t even be on his radar?

From the moment he met her for the first time, he felt captivated by her. Now that she was living under the same roof? Luca had no idea what to do with himself.

He didn’t come all the way to Lancaster to catch feelings. He came to play professional hockey. For the chance of a lifetime.

Besides, there was no way she could be interested in a guy like him. With no experience and hardly any time for a relationship.

So he should probably just put all thoughts of anything more than friendship with Mia out of his head.