Page 55 of Risking the Pucking Defense

“All romance?”

“Mostly. We’ve dabbled with other genres, but we always end up back with romance. Rylee never really got the chance to date or all that stuff, so she lived vicariously through the stories.”

“And what about you?”

“What about me?” I ask.

“With the dating. And stuff.”

Silence falls between us.

“I…uh…I’ve been on a few dates. But I was always too busy with hockey or hanging out with Rylee. And…”

“And what?”

“Rylee was always my best friend. We did everything together and supported each other through everything. I think…that gave me an insight to girls that most other guys didn’t have, and I was always friend-zoned pretty fast. Which is hilarious, because whenever you hear a woman say what they want out of their partner, they pretty much always want a man who understands. But in reality, they want the bad boy who doesn’t give a fuck.”

“That’s not true,” Hailee argues.

“Isn’t it? Well, if you find a woman who wants understanding instead of the bad boy, you send her my way.”

Hailee bites down on the inside of her lip as if she’s holding back from saying something. But as much as I want to hear the words, I side-step her and walk toward the door.

That is, until her hand darts out, her fingers wrapping around my forearm. I freeze and look down at her, waiting for what she needs to say.

“As someone who’s experienced the asshole who doesn’t care…”

My heart slams against my ribs, and my fists curl with the need to hurt anyone who’s treated this incredible woman badly.

“I just…there are a lot of women out there who want a partner who listens, who understands, and who treats us right.”

“Hopefully, one will find me sometime.”

“Hopefully,” she echoes, her warmth dropping from my arm, leaving me cold.

I force my legs to carry me toward the door. I have my fingers around the handle when she calls my name.

Hope surges inside me that she’s going to stop me from leaving, but that’s not what happens.

“Your T-shirt,” she says, and when I turn back, I find her grabbing it from where I left it hanging over the lounger.

I take it from her, letting my fingers brush hers again, craving that connection from earlier.

“Thanks,” I mutter. “Probably for the best I don’t go out there like this. I’ll have women chasing me down.”

A smile twitches on one side of her mouth. “You absolutely would.”

“Shame I’m not interested in any of them, huh?”

16

HAILEE

“Is everything okay?” Bea asks as she sips on her decaf latte.

My heart rate picks up as I swallow my own, thankfully non-decaf coffee, and lower my mug.

“Yeah, of course,” I say, forcing a smile on my face.