Page 33 of Pucking Bad Boys

The useless small talk isn’t distracting enough for me to miss the fact that Becks was sitting with my ex.

But another thing I can’t help but notice is that since the second Gen and Becks approached us, Talia and my brother have been staring at each other.

What is that about?

“I’m surprised to see you here, dude.” I say to Becks. “I didn’t know you were interested in history or art.”

He doesn’t take his eyes off Talia when he responds to my veiled provocation. “Yeah, me neither. Thing is, I had no idea I would attend school here rather than in Bridgeport a month ago. And by the time all my paperwork was done, a lot of classes were full. So here I am. The class sounds interesting, though, so I’m not too mad about it. Besides, it’s nice to see some familiar faces.”

Now, he could be referring to me, Colsen, and Tucker. And he could definitely be talking about Genevieve. But his eyes skim over Talia like he’s checking her out.

“And it was a nice surprise to see you again, Talia. I realized I forgot to exchange numbers the other night.”

So I was right, he was talking about her. I have a million questions about how they know each other and what Becks meant by “the other night.” Countless scenarios are playing in my head—in a similar way to how I assess the situation on the ice to decide my next move—and I don’t like any of the things that are popping into my head.

“The other night? How do you know each other?” Tucker asks with a frown.

A second ago, I was annoyed by Tucker’s overprotective behavior around Talia. Right now, I could kiss him for asking the million dollar question so I don’t have to.

“Talia was my bartender on my first night in town. We got talking, and I ended up walking her home since she was left alone to close down the bar,” Becks offers.

Tucker’s eyes narrow into slits as he looks down the length of my brother’s body. “You walked her home, huh?”

Oh, boy. I brace myself for Tucker’s reaction. I remember how he warned me off Talia right before our first post game party freshman year. It was scary.

“Thanks, man.” Tucker slaps my brother on the back. “I told Talia a thousand times to call me when she’s alone at closing time. Star Cove isn’t a dangerous place, but you never know what or who you might bump into at night. I’m glad someone was looking out for her.”

Wait, what?

Why isn’t Tucker yelling at Becker the same way he did with me and every other guy on the team? Fuck, if he scared me, I thought he was gonna kill Vaughn Heston.

“It was my pleasure.” Becks is practically preening under Tucker’s praise.

“Our team is like a big family,” Tucker continues. “And Talia is like a little sister to all my teammates.”

Ah, there it is. The warning. But for some reason, it isn’t as threatening as I’ve seen before.

Maybe Tucker doesn’t want to cause a scene since a few other students are still lingering in the classroom.

“Whatever, Tuck.” Talia doesn’t hide her irritation. “I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself. So much so that I’m trusted with closing the bar. I don’t need a man to escort me home. Beavis was just being nice.”

“Beavis?” I snort, realizing she’s referring to Becks.

When Talia explains, her eyes are intent on my brother. “That’s what his fake ID said. Beavis Rawbottom.”

My laugh comes out more like a snort. “Beavis Rawbottom?” I snicker. “What kind of stupid name is that for a fake ID? I can’t believe anyone would serve you.”

“That’s exactly what I told him when I didn’t serve him.” Talia giggles.

Becks rubs the back of his neck, but there’s a tick in his jaw when he looks at me. “Yeah, well, it was my frat brothers’ bright idea. No surprise, I ended up not accepting the pledge bid they offered me. No offense, but the Bridgeport chapter of Gamma Delta Tau was a bunch of idiots. No one will miss them now that they’re gone.”

“No offense taken.” Tucker agrees. “As the newly elected president of our chapter of Gamma Delta Tau, I can attest that the Bridgeport guys were morons. But that can be said for pretty much anyone who attended that trashy school. Present people excluded since you’re now one of us.”

His opinion of Bridgeport is shared by pretty much everyone on campus. Being the closest Division One college in the state,there was always a harsh rivalry between our two schools. Especially on the ice.

“Our chapter is different.” Tucker continues. “We’re great, for the most part. And it’s mostly teammates. You should rush. I guarantee you’re going to get a bid. I happen to be pretty tight with the president.” He wiggles his eyebrows at the joke.

“No, thanks.” My brother turns him down, the same way he did with me when I suggested it. “I don’t think I want to go that way. It’s not like we aren’t already gonna spend most of our days together with two practices a day.”