Page 91 of Puck Me Back to Life

I think I might have found my match made in heaven. No pun intended.

People at work haven’t noticed my infatuation with Kai Hayes just yet. They think we’ve just become fast friends. Maybe except Dante; it’s hard to hide the obvious heart eyes I have for the sexy blonde across from my stall.

Practice today was no different. Coffee. Locker room. Ignoring Dante when he gets the zoomies. Unfortunately, the last part rarely works.

By the time I finish tying my hair back, the locker room is beginning to fill with players. Music blasts from somebody's speaker while equipment bags accumulate across the floor. Trainers move in and out carrying tablets and water bottles, and the familiar chaos of an NHL morning settles around us. It's normal, comfortable, and predictable.

Dante is already talking at full volume despite the fact that it's barely eight in the morning. Some people wake up gradually. Dante appears to wake up at maximum capacity.

I take a drink of coffee and glance toward the entrance just as Hayes walks through the door. Immediately, every other thought in my head becomes significantly less important.

The earrings catch my attention first. Small silver hoops glint beneath the locker room lights as he moves toward his stall. They're the same ones he wore to the bar a few weeks ago and the same ones I told him he should wear more often. Apparently, he listened.

The realization sends an embarrassingly satisfying rush through me.

I immediately tell myself it doesn't mean anything. Plenty of people wear the same jewelry every day. It's not like he put them in because of me. Unfortunately, that argument loses most of its credibility when I remember he wasn't wearing them before the bar.

Now they're back.

And I like them far more than I should.

The silver draws attention to the sharp line of his jaw and the pale gray of his eyes. His hair is still slightly damp from his shower, and the oversized hoodie he's wearing hangs loosely from his shoulders. For a moment I simply watch him move through the room. Which has become a habit. An increasingly concerning one.

Kai catches me staring.

His expression immediately flattens.

I grin.

His eyes narrow.

Perfect. The day is already improving.

“You're staring.” Dante's voice appears beside me like a horror movie villain.

I don't even look at him. “Leave me to my creepy hobbies.”

Dante follows my line of sight, and the grin arrives exactly when I knew it would.

“Oh wow.” His grin widens. “You've got it bad.”

I briefly consider murdering him. The only thing stopping me is the paperwork and jail.

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

I hate him.

Across the room, Kai pulls his hoodie over his head. The motion lifts his sleeves just enough for me to catch sight of something around his wrists, and my attention sharpens immediately. The marks are already fading. Not gone, just faint enough that most people wouldn't notice them.

Heat crawls slowly up the back of my neck as memory arrives without invitation. Kai tied up in my bed. Kai coming all over himself because of my cock. Kai wearing my fucking clothes.

Mine.

The thought appears so naturally that it takes me a second to recognize how ridiculous it is. Kai isn't mine. We're not dating. We're not exclusive. Hell, I'm not entirely sure either of us knows what this thing between us actually is.

Even so, the sight of those fading marks sparks a primitive satisfaction I can't completely suppress.

Unfortunately, Dante also notices the marks before I can stop him.