There’s no one else in the hallway, so when Mack envelops me in a brotherly hug, I don’t pull away. “Are you guys going to the dining hall? The cheerleaders’ lunch shift doesn’t end for another forty minutes.”
They explain that Vaughn is making lunch for the whole team.
“Is Tucker not coming?”
Colsen rolls his eyes with a chuckle. “No. He’s been acting very strange today. He’s been quiet and a little antisocial.”
I lower my gaze, feeling responsible for Tucker’s odd mood.
“I came here looking for him. Do you guys mind letting me in?”
Nash swipes his key card to open the front door for me. “Sure. Hopefully, seeing you will get him out of his funk.” He closes his hand over my shoulder as I walk past him and brushes my temple with his lips. “I missed you, Trouble.” He whispers.
“I missed you too.” I smile.
His dark green eyes are intense, and I know he must be thinking about our last night together.
“Hey pretty girl,” Colsen’s lips curl into a smile as he slaps Nash on the back. “I missed you too. See if you can cheer up Tucker. We’ll be back in about one hour.”
I enter the guys’ apartment. Everything is quiet and there’s no sign of Tucker, so I head to his room and knock on the door.
“Tucker? Can I come in?”
His deep voice responds shortly after. “Yeah, come on in.”
TUCKER
My eyes skim over Taryn’s body as she steps into my room in her practice uniform. The way the spandex crop top pushes her perfect tits together and the tiny shorts hug her hips does nothing to calm down the situation in my pants.
For a second I’m almost embarrassed, but then I realize that she’s seen me hard enough times that trying to hide the bulge in my shorts is totally pointless.
“Hey baby.” I greet her as she stops at the foot of the bed. “What brings you here? Shouldn’t you be having lunch?”
She checks me out the same way I just did with her before explaining. “I’ve been up all night and had a disastrous rehearsal. Lexi told me to go rest before tonight’s performance. I was about to go eat, but then you texted me and I decided that a nap sounded better than lunch. Especially a nap with you. If you’ll have me.”
The last bit comes out a little uncertain.
I reassured Taryn dozens of times last night that I’m not mad at her for washing my lucky pants. But the hesitation in her voice tells me that she didn’t totally believe me.
“Of course I’ll have you.” I smile, patting the empty spot by my side. “Truth be told, I was struggling to fall asleep.”
The second she climbs onto the bed, I pull her to my side.
Her eyes travel the length of my body again, more slowly this time. “Yeah, I guess I can see you’re wide awake.”
I can practically feel the heat of her gaze where my cock is straining against my shorts.
“Yeah, well.” I whisper, tracing the shell of her ear as I tuck away a strand of hair that has escaped her ponytail. “I was thinking about you, and that’s the result.”
Taryn’s hand lands on my chest, and my heart immediately picks up its pace under her palm. “I couldn’t sleep because I was feeling terrible about what happened yesterday.”
“Baby,” I sigh. “I told you I’m not mad at you. Look, hockey players are a superstitious bunch. You really don’t need to worry about me. I’ll find something else to bring me good luck.” If I say it enough times, I’ll eventually convince myself.
“I know.” She doesn’t sound very convinced. “But I was thinking about possible ways to make it up to you. When you said that you wanted to take a nap, it hit me. Losing your good luck charm has made you tense. And I think I can help you with that.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
Taryn nods. “Yeah. I could help you relax, and that will put you in a winning state of mind.”
