Page 14 of Pucking Good Girl

I love how much he cares for his teammates and how he tries his best to lead them by example.

I trust him. And I think he trusts me.

That’s why I’m terrified of the moment he’s going to call it quits on our deal.

If things between me and Becks keep going well, he’ll have fulfilled his end of our deal. I don’t know how long he’s going to indulge my requests to teach me how to be confident in bed.

I never thought I would say this, but right now Genevieve’s stubborn refusal to accept that their relationship is over is my saving grace.

Isn’t it crazy that Gen is the cause of most of my problems, but that I also owe it to her that Macklin offered me that deal?

The Gamma House is bustling with activity when I arrive after my last class.

The guys are all back from their afternoon practice, and they’re getting ready for the weekend.

Judging by the noises coming from the living room, a group of them are playing video games.

The kitchen is also pretty crowded. I’m betting that everyone is hungry after practice and everyone will want to eat before they head off to whatever party is happening on campus.

“Hey Little T.,” Vaughn calls out from the kitchen. “To what do we owe the pleasure of seeing you here?”

He’s holding a tray full of grilled hot dogs, and he has on one of those aprons that look like a naked torso with a six-pack of abs.

That makes me smile. I’ve seen Vaughn shirtless plenty of times over the years at pool parties and strolling around the pier after spending time on the beach. The chest and abs printed on his apron don’t hold a candle to his real ones.

“I’m here to see…”

“Your brother is in his room. If you want to see him, you better hurry. I think he has a date with Taryn, so he’ll be heading out soon.”

Heat rises to my face, and I look away. “Thanks. I’m not here to see Tucker, though.”

Vaughn’s smile widens, his blond eyebrows shooting up as understanding dawns on him. “Ooh, I see. You’re here to see your man.”

My face feels so hot that I’m pretty sure I’m full-on blushing. “Yeah, I’m here to see Macklin if he’s around.”

“I think he’s in his room, too.” Vaughn offers.

“Cool. He knew I’d be coming by, so…” I point to the stairs at the end of the hallway.

“Hey Little T.,” Vaughn’s smile doesn’t falter. “For what it’s worth, I’ve never seen our captain more happy since he started going out with you. I guess it doesn’t take much to be a better girlfriend than Gen, but I mean it. You ground him. He has a different attitude. More mature, more open to listen, more emotionally available.”

Hearing a big, muscular hockey player talk about emotional availability should surprise me, but I’m beginning to see a different side to some of these men.

“I’m glad Macklin is a great captain.” I smile. “But I doubt I have anything to do with it.”

Because we aren’t even dating for real.

“I beg to differ,” Vaughn insists. “When he was with Gen, he was always on edge. He changed when he started dating you. And I have to admit I’m a little jealous.”

The gorgeous blue of Vaughn’s eyes darkens when he says that he’s jealous. The green and golden flecks in his irises disappear as he locks his gaze on me. “If I had known that Tucker wasn’t going to kill any teammate who dated you and bury their body in an unmarked grave, I would have asked you out months ago.”

I can’t help the giggle that escapes me. “Shut up. You don’t need to mock me.”

If Macklin had a wild summer that earned him a man-whore reputation, Vaughn has never even tried to hide how much he enjoys female company.

There’s nothing wrong with it, because he doesn’t make a mystery of the fact that he’s all about partying and having a good time. But he’s the last guy I would expect to want to date exclusively.

“Who’s mocking you?” His voice drops and his smile vanishes.