Page 29 of Pucking Bad Boys

“Ok.” I chuckle. “How can I resist that pout? I’ll get a drink downtown another time.”

She pulls me to her for a hug. “Yay. You’re the best. I promise you won’t regret it.”

I know I won’t. I understand why Gen is nervous about being at the same party as Mack. He dumped her totally out of the blue after almost four years together. And from what I’ve heard in the past few days in the locker room, Mack hooked up with anything with a pulse and a pair of tits. Our parents are furious that hetreated their best friends’ daughter that way. Mom won’t shut up about how Mack has been refusing to even discuss his decision to end things with Genevieve.

The least I can do is to support one of my oldest friends. I know Gen doesn’t mean being her date in the literal sense of the term, or she wouldn’t have offered to introduce me to her hot, single sisters. She just wants someone to lean on when Mack inevitably acts like an asshole.

For a second, I wonder if offering my support to my brother’s ex is wise. Mack isn’t gonna know that we’re going to the party together as friends. He’s going to think I’m breaking every rule of bro-code in existence by going out with his ex.

That could be the last nail in the coffin of our relationship. But at the end of the day, I wasn’t the one who acted like a total jerk and dumped Gen without a reason or explanation. All he has to do is ask, and I’ll explain that Gen and I are just friends. I might have had a crush on her when we were in high school, but those days are long gone.

And besides, he was the one who broke up with Gen. So technically, even if that was a real date, while it wouldn’t be totally kosher to go out with her without his blessing, it wouldn’t be as bad as if she had dumped him.

Mack needs to learn that his hockey superstar status doesn’t give him a pass to treat others like trash.

Maybe I can stay at the party for a while and then take a cab downtown to see if Talia has a closing shift at Joe’s. I’m not trying to be creepy. It’s just that the thing I want the most, aside from a decent NHL contract, is to see the cute bartender again.

But you know how they say be careful what you wish?

The universe must have a strange sense of humor because when people start trickling into the classroom, I see her coming in with two of my teammates.

I blink as for a second I think she’s a figment of my imagination in a white sundress that pops in contrast with her golden tan.

The guys she’s with are Colsen and Tucker, two of the seniors on the Cove Knights’ roster and alternate captains. They look really cozy together. I wonder if there’s something between her and one of them. The night we met, she said she didn’t have a boyfriend. Could that have changed in the space of a weekend? I guess stranger things could have happened. Talia is beautiful and a total catch. Tucker’s hand lands on her shoulder, and his touch looks possessive. What if they aren’t dating, but they’re hooking up?

They stop for a second to peruse the available seats, and her blue eyes scan the room.

Our eyes meet just as Mack enters the classroom, too.

“Why don’t you wave Mack over?” Gen chooses that moment to lean in and whisper into my ear.

I don’t even hear whatever she just said when Mack’s gaze lands on us. My brother, however, doesn’t react to seeing me next to his ex. He spots Talia, Tucker, and Colsen and heads their way.

I regret coming to class early as I watch powerless as Talia sits between Colsen and Tucker with Mack right next to our goalie.

I’m sure she recognized me. Maybe I can speak to her after class.

Chapter 8

Hot Syllabus

TALIA

He’s the first person I notice when I set foot in the classroom.

I’ve been hoping to bump into Becks again once classes started.

But the excitement I feel at the thought of seeing him again is immediately dampened by the fact that he’s sitting next to Genevieve. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. Becks told me he was new in Star Cove, so I doubt he’s had time to meet that many people.

My hopes are shattered the second she leans to whisper something into his ear. Gen’s long, perfectly manicured nailsgrip Becks’s corded forearm in a way that suggests more familiarity than a touch between two people who just met.

“Tal, what are we waiting for? Let’s take a seat.” My brother’s hand lands on my shoulder. “I want to sit next to you so I can copy your notes if the professor talks too fast.”

I roll my eyes at Tucker. “Or I could just send you a copy of my notes. Weirdo.”

He shakes his head. “You know I learn better if I write things down myself. Typed notes don’t do it for me, and besides, I’m slow at typing. If I bring my laptop, there’s no chance in hell I’ll keep up with the lecture.”

“But Cantucci is ok. She doesn’t go too fast and gives you plenty of opportunities to take notes. You should know since you’ve already taken this class.”