Page 46 of Trick Shot (Bainbridge Hockey #4)

Huh. Maybe that’s why she was gone for the last period of the game.

And did Kaden sneak back here with her? He didn’t play in the game, but I think he still had to sit on the bench.

Or maybe she was back here waiting for him.

Maybe they’re behind one of the locked doors in this hall?

That doesn’t explain why her shirt and underwear are here, but that’s nothing I can worry about.

I set her things back down, figuring she’ll find them when she and Kaden are done.

Since this hallway was a bust, I head back in the direction of the locker room and that’s when I see Liza handing out regional championship t-shirts. Thank freaking god.

“Could I grab one of those?” I ask, sidling up next to her.

“Yep,” she says, “What size do you—oh my god, you’re soaked!”

“You should have seen me five minutes ago,” I say, laughing. “I got a little water cooler love, but now I’m shivering, so if you’ve got an XL handy, I’ll take it.”

She hands it over with a warm smile. “Pro tip: there’s a bathroom on the other side of that office if you want to change.”

“Thank you!” I say, taking the t-shirt and the tip. I’m freezing and the quicker I change, the quicker I can get back to the celebration.

A bus full of college hockey players is just as noisy as I imagined it would be.

Even though I wasn’t officially the team photographer for Regionals, I still get the transportation perks.

In this case, that means sharing a seat with my very handsome boyfriend.

It’s a total win because the man doubles as the world’s greatest body pillow.

It’s getting dark and I thought I might catch some sleep, but this bus is a hive of activity, and I’m a born observer .

“What are you thinking about?” Pete asks. “You’ve got a look on your face that I can’t figure out.”

“It’s hard to focus with all these conversations,” I admit. “But the main topic bouncing around my brain is what it feels like to have sex with a hockey champion. I wonder if I’ll ever know the answer.”

Pete laughs. “You do realize we won this round last year, so technically you’ve been having sex with a champion for months now.”

“In that case, I know exactly how it feels, and I want more. Lots more. But unlike some of your teammates, I’m willing to wait until we get back to campus.”

He doesn’t even flinch. “You caught Ollie having sex? Happens to all of us eventually.”

“No,” I say, swatting him playfully in the arm. “And I didn’t actually catch anyone. But I did find Sophie’s jersey, bra, and underwear in a pile in an empty conference room. I’m not sure why they didn’t take their stuff with her, but maybe it was some Hansel and Gretel roleplay thing.”

The look on Pete’s face is undecipherable.

“You know, the kids in the woods? With the breadcrumbs. I think they were brother and sister, though, so let’s hope it’s just inspired by and not an exact retelling.”

Pete’s quiet, and I can’t figure out what I said that was so wrong. So of course, I keep talking to try and make it better. “I mean, what they do is their business. It wasn’t like I was trying to catch Kersey and Sophie having sex, but?—”

Without warning, Mickey’s head pops up from the seat back in front of me. “Don’t even bother trying,” he says, like a tall, athletic whack-a-mole. “Sophie and Kersey don’t have sex.”

“Um, what?” I blink, wondering if that will magically transport me out of this bizarre parallel universe I’ve somehow landed in. Maybe I did fall asleep and now I’m dreaming.

Pete’s still quiet next to me, but Mickey is the exact opposite. “Hey, Kersey,” he yells. “Did Sophie lift the ban yet?”

That question makes the whole bus go silent, except for Kersey’s groan. “Nope. I’m gonna die from blueballs, guys. She won’t even let me jack off.”

Okay, parallel universe confirmed. There’s no way this grown ass man is taking directions like that. Unless maybe she’s his Domme? And that’s more than I want to think about right now.

But Mickey opened this can of worms and they’re all just slithering out.

“Woah, say what?” Will’s voice cracks on the last word. “I missed something. Back up and start at the beginning.”

Kersey sighs. “Sophie and I have been celibate since Christmas. I wanted to do it for New Years, like one last hurrah, but Soph insisted we wait. That way, when we finally have sex on our wedding night this summer, it’ll be like losing our virginity to each other all over again.”

“You’re telling me you haven’t done anything ?” Dean asks. “Like you haven’t stroked your own sausage, not even once?”

“Nope,” Kaden says. “This means a lot to her, and she means everything to me, so I have to honor that. Plus, our wedding night will be epic.”

“Or it’ll be over in three minutes,” Dean mutters.

The guys keep talking, but I chance a look at Pete.

His expression is wrecked because he’s drawn the same conclusion I have.

If Sophie and Kaden are re-virginizing themselves, then how the hell did her shirt, bra, and underwear end up on a random floor in a random room at the arena. And what about her pants ?

Something isn’t adding up, but the look on Pete’s face says he doesn’t want to do the math.