Page 84 of Pucking the Team

“Good.” He nodded and seemed to let out a breath.

“Did you get your mother flowers?”

He huffed. “No, these were on the doorstep. They’ve got your name on the card.”

I couldn’t contain my surprise. I’d presumed he’d bought them for me. “Oh, I…okay.” The bouquet was enormous, and I clutched it to my chest and I opened and read the card. Perhaps Trevor or Aunt Mary had sent them…but I hadn’t given them my temporary address.

“I should have guessed.” I laughed. “Eduardo.Ma choue,don’t let the bastards get you down, you have us in your corner now.” I shook my head. “He must have a florist on speed dial, this is the second bunch.”

“Ah, he always wins first place; when it comes to romance, we have no chance against a Frenchman. Shall I take those again? They are nearly as big as you. I think you’re going to drop them.”

“Yes, please.” They were heavy with the big ceramic vase they were displayed in.

Dylan wandered into the kitchen, and unlike him, I did let my gaze roam his body. His beige shorts hugged his tight ass perfectly, and his black t-shirt stretched over his shoulders, creating two straight lines in the material.

“Practice shouldn’t finish late tomorrow,” he said, putting the flowers on the island. “Wanna go for lunch? Promise we won’t get papped.”

“Ah, that would be lovely.” I took two cans of cola from the fridge and a pink donut I’d picked up from the mall. “But I’m going with Theo to the hospital.”

“Ah, you know about that.”

“He told me, well, they both did. I had no idea they’d been through such an ordeal.”

“It was a rough time for them, before I knew the brothers, but still, sounds like a close call. Can’t blame Theo for making the most of every day or for Ben being protective of his younger bro.”

“Is he on the ice? Protective, that is?”

“Yeah, if someone starts on him, Ben is there in an instant, doubling the number of fists Theo has.”

“Starts on him?”

“Yeah, a fight.”

“And do they happen often?” Wasn’t it supposed to be a contactless sport? Maybe I was mistaken. I was hardly a hockey expert.

“Fights, on the ice? Yeah, Pip, they happen often.” He kind of chuckled and popped the ring on the cola. “All that testosterone, all those egos, points to score, old rivalry, yeah, shit is gonna hit the fan from time to time.” He drank deep. “A lot of the time.”

I nodded and bit into the donut, the glaze cracking and some tapping onto the counter.

“So another time,” he said. “Lunch?”

“I’d love that.”

He stepped up to me, close, so I could feel his body heat on my bare flesh.

“But we have our date night first, yeah?”

My body reacted to his, my nipples tightening and a fluttery feeling attacking my stomach. “We have that.”

With the tip of his finger he caught a tiny square of sugar from the corner of my mouth. He popped it into his own, seeming to enjoy it dissolving there.

What was it about Dylan? All the players were tall and broad, but he seemed to take up more space in a room,his presence was more than physical. I couldn’t deny that he fascinated me. Keen to peel back a few layers and discover more. I was also very pleased to have him in my life while all this crap was playing out. He was strong and solid and said things how they were.

“I have to go,” he said, jerking his head to the right. “You mentioned my mother, and actually, it’s her birthday. I’m meeting my family for dinner about an hour’s drive from here.”

“That’s nice.”

“She’s a great mom, always supportive, I owe her a lot. I wouldn’t want to miss her birthday.”