Page 8 of Pucking Tangled

EIGHT

Mia

“Mia?” Owen called her name with concern in his voice.

“Huh?” She looked up at him, her coffee cup wrapped in both hands.

Had she been staring off into space again?

After the guys left, she really needed to take a nap before she dived back into studying.

She planned to sleep in but something woke her. A twinge of excitement for the guys as they headed out of town for Game 1 of the playoffs? Or maybe even a hint of sadness because she knew the house would feel different…empty…without them around for the next week?

“You okay over there?”

“Oh. Yeah. I’m good. I was just…”

“Thinking about how much you’d miss us?” Casey wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her forehead like he liked to .

As he did, Mia noticed the awkward look that passed between Casey and Owen, and Owen’s raised brow.

“What? Did I miss something?” she asked.

Owen smirked and shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

“Oooookay. Whatever you say.”

Owen gave her a quick hug goodbye. “Call us if you need anything at all while we’re gone.”

Mia took a deep breath and nodded.

“I don’t get a good luck hug?” Luca came jogging down the stairs with his bag slung over his shoulder.

Thank God for Luca and his calming presence whenever he walked into a room.

She shook her head and smiled. “Come here, you nerd.”

Luca grinned and gave her a hug. “I left a book on your bed for you. I hope you don’t mind. Your door was open. I thought you might enjoy it.” He winked.

“Thanks, Luca.”

Mia was convinced he was really the sweetest of the bunch.

She’d already made up her mind that during the off-season, she was going to work on bringing him out of his shell and get him to let people in.

But first, they had a Cup to win.

“Morning.” Waylon joined them, his backpack on his shoulders and a duffle bag in one hand. He stole Mia’s coffee cup with the other and took a long drink. “Ah. Perfect.” He handed it back to her.

“Ugh. Thanks, Waylon. I made that just for you.” She rolled her eyes.

“All set?” Owen asked. “Car service is waiting. We should get going so we don’t miss the bus.”

A chorus of ‘yes’ replied and the guys started out the front door .

Without thinking, Mia gently reached for Waylon’s forearm. “Good luck.”

He smiled back at her. “Thanks, we’ll need it.” He paused. “It’ll be quiet without us around.”

“It’ll be like a dream come true,” she teased. “No noise. No rules. No smelly boys.”

“You’ll miss us.”

“Maybe.”

Waylon adjusted the straps on his backpack and nodded. “Try not to burn the place down.”

“I was thinking of throwing a massive party instead.” She winked.

His grin widened. “Later, Mia. See ya when we get back.”

“I’ll be here,” she whispered as the door shut behind him.

Mia headed to the kitchen and let Skeeter in from the backyard. He did his cursory sweep to look for the guys then returned to her side while she finished off her coffee and cleaned the coffee pot before heading back to her room.

Scrum and Get It by Rebecca Norinne lay on her pillow, as promised. Along with a note from Luca.

I still say hockey players do it better, but their story intrigued me. Donal was relatable and real. Maybe you’ll connect with Lauren? Can’t wait to hear your thoughts when we get back.

- L

Mia flipped it over and read the blurb.

A (sort of) desperate heroine who takes the only opportunity available to her.

A virgin rugby player.

She paused… a virgin … Donal was relatable and real…

Of course, the characters’ relationship is supposed to be casual, but Lauren begins to realize it’s not.

Was Luca trying to tell her something?

As she flipped through the pages briefly she noticed he highlighted and annotated a lot of things. Interesting.

She’d have to read the book and see if she could figure out the little mystery.

The next morning, Mia woke to the sound of the alarm clock she set on her phone.

Skeeter was laying at the foot of her bed. He lifted his head and yawned. Clearly she wasn’t the only one not ready to get her day started.

“I know, boy. I’d like to sleep in a little later, too,” she said, scratching his head. “But, I’ve got a class to get to.” She swung her feet over the side of the bed and stuffed her feet into her slippers. “Come on. You can go potty and I’ll make your breakfast while I have my coffee.”

Mia padded downstairs noting the silence that surrounded her.

It was odd not having the guys around.

The house felt big.

Empty.

Lonely, even.

She opened the back door for Skeeter to go out and left it open to let a little fresh air while she made coffee and poured Skeeter’s breakfast into his bowl.

“I should eat something for breakfast too,” Mia said to herself.

She searched the pantry and found a chocolate chip protein oatmeal cup. Picking it up, she read the label and the instructions. “Sounds simple enough.”

Mia poured a little almond milk into the oatmeal and popped it in the microwave. In a few short minutes it was done, and so was her coffee.

Skeeter let himself back inside and was crunching on his kibble while she fixed up her cup of coffee.

“Why don’t we go sit out front, buddy? Snag a little sunshine and watch the cows in the pasture next door.”

Skeeter wagged his tale and followed her to the front door.

While she sat on the porch, enjoying her breakfast, he played and ran around the front yard.

Eventually, he found his favorite ball and brought it to her to play catch.

“Okay, but just for a few minutes, then I’ve got to get ready for class,” she said, checking her watch.

Mia stood and moved out into the yard, tossing the ball several times while Skeeter chased it and barked excitedly.

Her phone pinged in the pocket of her hoodie.

She checked the messages, expecting it to be Luca or even Owen again because they’d both messaged her a few times since they left the day before but it was an unknown number.

Unknown: You do know that we all can see you on that fancy doorbell camera Casey has. Are your shorts short enough? I’m pretty sure I can see cheek .

Her thumbs flew across the screen as she replied.

Mia: Ew, creepy much, Waylon? Which one of the guys gave you my number?

Waylon: Ohhhhh. She guessed it on the first try. I wondered if you would play dumb or not.

Mia: Why are you like this? Were you dropped on your head as a baby? Didn’t get enough hugs? Or do you just love to annoy me?

Waylon: You know, Mia, If you were mine, I’d spank your ass for the way you talk to me. Make your skin a pretty pink with my hand. Maybe then you’d lose just a little bit of that sass. Or maybe it would be better to make you choke on my cock so you couldn’t cuss me out or talk back.

Her cheeks heated, and she let out a gasp.

What the hell prompted him to take their verbal sparring to that level? Since when did Waylon think about her like that?

Of all the flirting he did, he’d never been that bold with her before.

And why the hell did his words turn her on?

Mia: Oh. Really? That’s interesting. Because if any man of mine spoke to me like you do, I’d shove a ball gag in his mouth and bend him over *my* knee until he learned a little respect.

She didn’t know where the words or the confidence came from, but Mia hit send before she could change her mind or lose her courage .

Almost instantly she regretted that decision.

Ball gags and bending Waylon over her knee? She would never .

“Fuck,” she muttered to herself.

Living with all four of the guys was going to drive her mad. She was beginning to think they were all messing with her. Tempting her to cross a line that could never be uncrossed.