Page 78 of Pucking Good Girl

We freeze. All three of us. For one terrifying second, no one moves a muscle as I hope I imagined Tucker’s furious voice.

Spoiler alert, I didn’t imagine it.

As Talia squeals, curling up against me to hide her face in the crook of my neck, her brother comes into better focus.

Tucker is on the sand at the bottom of our deck in a pair of athletic shorts. I’m not sure if his face is red because of the exertion, since he was obviously out on a run, or because he’s furious. Vaughn Heston is right behind him in the same Cove Knights shorts.

Tucker climbs the four steps up to the deck at lightning speed. “Shayba, you’re fucking dead.”

I don’t know which one of us he’s threatening, but it’s safe to assume he wants to kill us both.

“Tuck,” Mack turns around, more preoccupied with shielding Talia than protecting himself. “Calm down.”

“CALM DOWN?” Tucker yells, as a vein throbs dangerously on his neck. “I fucking knew it. I knew that you dating my sister was a bad idea. Fake or real, I knew that you would corrupt her. I told you that Talia isn’t one of your puck bunnies and you fucking promised. You promised you’d treat her right. I should have known that you’re incapable of that after I saw you fuck your way through an entire cheerleading team and several townies and tourists last summer. But you,”

Tucker’s eyes shoot daggers at me. “I thought you were a good one. My bad, I guess. But you both should have known better than to mess with my baby sister. I’ve always been clear about that. I have your backs on and off the ice as long as you leave Talia alone. But you couldn’t do that. So now I’m gonna break every single bone in your bodies.”

He brings his arm back, his hand balled into a tight fist, ready to strike.

“Tucker, wait.” Vaughn grabs him in an attempt to hold him back, but Tucker struggles to get free.

“Stop trying to delay the inevitable,” our goalie grunts, fighting Vaughn’s hold. “These two motherfuckers are dead.”

“Tucker, this isn’t what you think it is,” Mack pleads.

He stops struggling for a second, his hand wrapped around Vaughn’s neck to keep him at bay and get to his real targets. “Oh, yeah? So I didn’t walk in on you and your brother about to tag team my fucking sister?”

“We—”

“Just like I thought. I’m going to kill you both.”

“You aren’t going to kill anyone.” Talia, who had climbed off my lap to fix her shirt and compose herself, steps between us and her brother. “You’re going to stop acting like an overprotective caveman and apologize to my boyfriends for your ridiculous death threats. Right now!”

CHAPTER 19

WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER

Talia

“Apologize, Tucker.” My voice is low and menacing. “I mean it.”

After the first few seconds of shock and the embarrassment of being caught by my brother during a very intimate moment, I decided that enough is enough.

“Excuse me?” Tucker stops fighting Vaughn to glare at me. “Why would I apologize to them? I was clear from the day each of these dipshits set foot on campus that you were off fucking limits. They could have messed around with anyone else. They had literally one rule.”

I’m over this. “Oh, really?” I glare at Tucker, my hands pinned on my hips. “And who made you the boss of me, Tucker? Last time I checked, I’m an adult. A fully fledged, grown-ass woman entitled and more than capable of making her own damn choices.”

Of course he doesn’t apologize.

“Well, fuck, obviously not. If you were as mature and grown up as you claim to be, you wouldn’t have gotten involved with the biggest player in town. And honestly, Talia, what the fuck do you think you’re doing? Messing around with not just one, but two of my teammates? Wait until Dad hears about this. If I’m mad, he’s gonna⁠—”

“He,” I bite out. “Isn’t going to hear about this. Because you aren’t going to tell him.”

“Ha,” my brother snorts. “Fat chance. Do you think I’m going to watch you demean yourself and not step in to stop you?”

God, give me strength. This overprotective shit has gone on long enough—my whole life to be precise—and it needs to end right now.

“Demean myself?” I shake my head. “First off, I wanted what was about to happen between us. Secondly, that’s the most hypocritical thing I’ve ever heard you say.”