Suck My Puck (Denver Bashers Series #3)

28. Bella

Chapter 28

Bella

M y eyes go wide as I watch Braden make an incredible dive save in front of the net.

I’m watching the highlights of the Bashers game against the Phoenix Fireballs on my phone during my break at the coffee shop, and I’m in awe.

He’s incredible.

Actually, incredible doesn’t even feel like the right word. Mindblowing is more like it. He’s got the reflexes of a cat. It’s like he can anticipate where the puck goes before it even gets there.

It’s the second period of the game, and he’s managed to only let in a single goal, which is crazy considering how many shots the Fireballs have managed to get past the Bashers defense.

A Fireballs player takes off with the puck, weaving around a Bashers player and making his way to Denver’s net. Braden moves backward, crowding the front of the net. His helmet moves back and forth as he tracks the movement of the puck .

The Fireballs player shoots. It’s so fast that I lose sight of it, but then I see Braden move into the splits. The puck ricochets off his foot and goes flying into the boards, where his teammate Theo takes it and speeds across the ice.

I smile wide, excitement surging through me at just how badass that save was.

“What are you watching?”

I whip my head up, shove my phone in my apron pocket, and look up at Lauren, who’s taking out a bag of trash.

“Nothing,” I say quickly. I grab the bag from her hand and walk over to the dumpster, which is at the end of the alley behind the coffee shop.

“You shouldn’t be lifting heavy things when you’re this far into your pregnancy,” I say to her when I walk back to her.

She tilts her head at me. “It’s the small bag of trash from the bathroom. I think I can handle that.”

“What a save by Braden Blomdahl!” the announcer’s voice booms from my apron pocket. “Incredible! Just incredible!”

I still as Lauren frowns at my apron pocket. “What was that?”

I pull my phone out and darken the screen, annoyed that I forgot to do that in the first place.

It’s a second before recognition flashes across her face. “Wait, are you watching a hockey game?”

I tug at my ponytail. “Um, maybe.”

Lauren’s eyebrow quirks up. “But you swore off hockey. You said you’d never watch another hockey game again after you broke up with Matt.”

I stammer for a few seconds. “Uh, yeah. You’re right. I did say that… ”

The corner of her mouth lifts in a teasing smile. “You’re watching your hot goalie, aren’t you?”

I sigh and cross my arms. “Maybe.”

“Wow.” She shakes her head like she’s in disbelief. “I thought hell would freeze over before you ever watched a hockey game again. But I was wrong.” She grins. “Is my bestie catching feelings for a hockey player?”

My cheeks flush as my best friend teases me. “No.”

The second I say it, I get a gnawing feeling in my gut. It feels so wrong to say that. And that realization catches me off guard.

Because the truth is that Lauren is right. I like Braden.

Braden and I haven’t even had full-on sex yet. I’ve only had full-on sex with guys I’ve been in a relationship with. Guys I’m committed to, emotionally and physically.

But every time Braden and I have been together has been so good. Mind-blowingly good. Better than any other hookup I’ve ever had. Better than any of the sex I’ve had in my life.

I think about last night when we fooled around on FaceTime together. I’ve never done that with any guy I’ve ever been with. Even when I was with Matt, he’d ask me to FaceTime him so we could fool around, but I always told him no. When he’d ask me why, I’d tell him it wasn’t my thing. But that wasn’t entirely true. I always had this uneasy feeling about it because I knew he was flirting with girls while he was away from me, and I just couldn’t get in the mood to be intimate with him in that way. I never felt comfortable enough with him.

But with Braden, it’s different. He made me feel safe and wanted. He told me I could stop at any point. He told me over and over again how sexy I was, how much he wanted me, how much I was turning him on .

He made me feel like the sexiest woman on the planet—like I was the only woman for him.

Tingles spread through my chest. Braden is so different from any guy I’ve ever been with before. He prioritizes my pleasure. He makes sure every time we’re together, it goes exactly how I want it to. He makes sure I come every single time. He showers me in praise.

But the reason I like him isn’t just because of the insanely good time we have in bed.

I think about how often he texts me to ask me about how my day is going. How excited he was to hear about my new side gig roasting and delivering coffee. How he checks in with me when he’s away. How he asks me to call him so he can talk to me while I walk to my car after a shift at Spanky’s when it’s late and he’s out of town for hockey and can’t be with me.

He cares about me too.

That tingling feeling inside of me intensifies.

This is why I’ve broken my rules for him. Because he’s different from any guy I’ve ever been with.

He’s worth breaking my rules for.

My tummy flips as the thought bounces around in my head.

Lauren wags her eyebrow at me. “You sure you’re not feeling anything for him?”

I start to open my mouth to tell her yes, I’m positive. But nothing comes out. Because that would be a lie. And I would never lie to my best friend.

I sigh. “Okay, you’re right. I’m starting to feel…things for him.”

Lauren laughs. “Bella, why do you sound so sad?”

I’m quiet as I glance down at my feet. “I don’t want to get hurt again. ”

Lauren grabs my hand. “Hey. I get it. I don’t want you to get hurt either. But if this thing with Braden is going well and if he’s treating you well, it’s okay to let your guard down.”

I look at my best friend and think about what she’s said.

“I guess you’re right.” I’m quiet for a moment. “He’s so sweet, Lauren.”

She grins. “How sweet?”

“When I told him about my new side gig roasting and delivering coffee beans, he sent me this huge bouquet of flowers the next day congratulating me.”

Her brow lifts. “That’s so thoughtful.”

“And he makes me call him after I get done with a shift from Spanky’s so I can talk to him while I walk out to my car. Even if he’s sleeping, he’ll wake up to talk to me, just to make sure I make it home safely.”

Her hand falls to her chest. “This guy sounds amazing.”

I smile so wide my cheeks hurt. “He is.”

My phone buzzes in my apron pocket. I pull it out and see a text from Braden.

Hey. Can you bring your vibrator when you come over tomorrow? I wanna use it when I’m going down on you. I’m aching for you to come hard on my tongue.

My eyes go wide for a split second before I’m able to rein in my expression.

Lauren giggles. I look up and see her right as she looks away from my screen.

“This guy is a sweetheart and he’s filthy in bed? Jackpot.”

She pats my shoulder and walks back inside. I silently admit that my best friend is right.

My clit pulses thinking about all the dirty things Braden and I will get up to tomorrow when he’s back from Phoenix .

Just then, a naughty idea pops into my head.

I quickly text him my reply before heading back to finish my shift at the coffee shop. The whole rest of the afternoon, I’m giddy, wondering how Braden will respond to the message I just sent him.