Page 59 of Pucking Bad Boys

But, like I said, I’m an idiot. I’m so absorbed in my plan to make Talia mine that I forget about one of the biggest obstacles on our path.

And when I say biggest obstacle, I mean it in the literal sense.

“You’re a dead motherfucker, Shayba!”

All of six feet five inches, two hundred and thirty plus pounds of fury jump me the second I come through my bedroom door.

Tucker slams me against the wall, one huge, beefy hand pinning me by my neck as his other fist is ready to hit my face.

I came back home to drop off my books and do some homework before practice, but I didn’t think that changing our relationship status on social media meant that Tucker would know. I guess if I was hoping that he wouldn’t be mad about me dating his sister, I was fooling myself.

“What the fuck did I tell you?” he yells. “What do I say to every asshole who joins the team? Stay the fuck away from my sister!”

I’ve been slammed against the boards thousands of times and I’ve been in my fair share of fights on the ice. But Tucker’s ambush caught me by surprise, and the wind got knocked out of me when I got slammed against the wall.

“Tucker—” I sputter.

He doesn’t loosen the hold on my throat, pressing harder as he continues to yell at me. “I’ve been your friend for two years. I’ve had your back on the ice, I would bail you out of jail. I’d give you the shirt off my back. I’d even give you a fucking kidney if you needed one. The only thing I asked you is to stay away from Talia. You’re not good enough for her. None of you man-whores losers is.”

I grab his hand with both of mine, struggling to get him to let me go. “Fake.” I sputter. “It’s fake.”

Tucker blinks, clearly confused by my words. “What?”

I take advantage of his momentary confusion to pry that hand off my neck. “Talia and I. It’s fake. We aren’t really dating.” I rush out before he can try to kill me again.

Thank fuck my words have the desired effect of stopping Tucker from killing me.

At least for now. I can see it clearly written all over his face that he’s still trying to decide whether I’m telling the truth.

“I was going to talk to you about it, man. Talia is just doing me a solid as a friend.”

I tell him about our deal. Or at least, a very redacted version of it. I don’t mention anything about Becks.

“Gen has been a nightmare, and her constant stalking is messing with me, and it’s starting to affect my game. Talia will help me send Gen a clear message that there is no way back together for us. And I’ll be Talia’s dating coach.”

That isn’t enough to convince Tucker.

“Why does she need your help? My sister is a catch. And besides, she doesn’t have time for dating. She has a crazy course load this year.”

I should keep my mouth shut, but maybe I have a death wish. “She’s well aware of her course load. And if you’re wondering why she needs help, maybe you should take a good look in the mirror.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” His eyes are narrowed.

“She’s twenty-one, dude!” I snap with total disregard for my own safety. “I get it that she’s your little sister and you want to protect her, but you’re scaring every eligible single guy on campus, and she can’t get a date.”

Tucker crosses his arms over his chest. “And do you fucking blame me if the second I get distracted she decides to date you?”

I take offense, but I insist on explaining to him the impossible situation he put his sister in. “The point is that Talia wants to date. And men are too scared you’ll kill them if they ask her out. She hopes that being seen with me will send the message that asking her out isn’t a guaranteed death sentence. But that will only work if you don’t insist on putting me in a full body cast.”

Tucker’s lips twitch as he struggles not to laugh. “Don’t tempt me. You’d look funny in a full body cast.”

“Yeah? You might land yourself in one too if you hurt me. What would Coach say if you injured his starting left winger?”

He rolls his eyes, but he knows I’m right. “That’s true. But I still don’t like this idea you guys came up with. I’m not being funny, but your ex is a psycho bitch. What if she comes after Talia?”

“I’ll make sure I keep an eye on Gen. And you can help me too. Besides, by making it official, all eyes on campus will be on us. Not to sound arrogant, but I’m one of this school’s biggest assets, and people love me. Gen knows that she has to be careful. If she comes after me or my girlfriend, she’ll destroy her image. She can’t afford to look bad. Especially now that she’s Zeta president.”

He considers my words. “Ok. I guess this isn’t all bad. Actually, a fake relationship with you will keep the rest of those assholes we play hockey with away from Talia. And we can make sure she doesn’t date an idiot once your deal is over.”