Page 82 of Pucking Bad Boys
“Can someone tell me what in the ever loving fuck is going on?” I point at Tucker and Baety. “What was Baety doing on the vacuum robot?”
“You should ask those two dumbasses.” Tucker’s scowl is directed at Davis and Jayden, two of the sophomores. “I cameback with Colsen and Nash from the dining hall and imagine my fucking surprise when I walked into a fucked up race against the stupid vacuum robot and my duck.”
I’m not sure I heard him right. “A race?”
“Yeah,” Jayden intervenes. “I’m sorry, it’s kinda my fault.”
“Do I even wanna know?” I sigh.
Jayden is redder than a tomato as he explains. “I’m an engineering major, as you know. Mechanical engineering, to be precise. Some of the guys had been complaining that the vacuum takes forever to clean the floors and gets in everyone’s way. It also can’t clean the entire house on one charge since this is such a big house. So I decided to see if I could fix it.”
“When you say fix it, you mean?”
“I ordered a new, more powerful battery and installed it.” Jayden offers sheepishly. “Then I tricked out the engine, so it goes faster.”
Davis chimed in. “He supercharged it.”
“When I came home, the guys were trying it.” Vaughn adds. “And the second Baety saw the robot, she started chasing it.”
“So naturally,” Davis continues. “We wondered who would be faster, Baety or the robot? So we came outside to organize a proper race.”
For fuck’s sake. “You did, huh?”
“He,” Tucker accuses, glaring at Davis. “Was taking bets. On my baby. I found them mid-race.”
Davis shrugs. “We were just having some fun. Baety was totally safe.”
That statement does nothing to calm Tucker’s temper. “Totally safe?” He raises his voice. “Baety wasridingthe fucking robot. Like the duck version of one of those mechanical bulls some bars have.”
I do my best to calm them down. We’re hockey players and fights are our bread and butter. It’s just better when we focusthat aggression against our opponents rather than against each other. “Tucker, thank fuck Baety is ok. I’m sure Jayden and Davis didn’t mean to cause her any harm. Right guys?”
“That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell him. Things were going fine until Tucker got home and started yelling at everyone and scared Baety. That’s why she climbed on the robot, to get away fromyou.”
Oh, no. I wonder if between me, Nash, and Colsen we could stop Tucker from committing first degree murder in broad daylight.
“Hold Baety,” he hands me the duck. “While I kick the shit out of these two idiots—hold on a second.” He stops his rant to look at me and Talia.
His jaw ticks as he looks me up and down and then does the same thing with his sister. His gaze pauses on our joined hands.
“Is anything the matter?” I ask him, confused.
Tucker’s eyes narrow, his tone suspicious when he speaks next. “What are you two doing here? Weren’t you going to take Talia out to lunch?”
“We got lunch.” Talia intervenes before I can answer.
Tucker points a finger at me. At my torso, to be precise. “Likethat? You went to lunch shirtless? And did you come to change into sweatpants to go out? You had jeans on this morning.”
“I don’t understand what your problem is.” Talia glares at him. “We were both tired, and we got a pizza delivered here.”
“The same large pizza that’s sitting on the kitchen table, untouched?” He spits out.
Talia doesn’t back down. “Like I said, we were tired. We took a nap and woke up to Macklin’s alarm. He was going to give me some pizza to eat before work.”
“Is that why your top is inside out?” Tucker growls. “You can’t nap with your fucking clothes on?”
Talia releases my hand, crossing her arms over her chest, mimicking her brother’s stance. “Do you sleep with your fucking clothes on? I took a nap with my boyfriend, Tucker. Not that it’s any of your business.”
The look on Tucker’s face doesn’t promise anything good. I’ve never understood the saying “If a look could kill” until now. The only thing that makes me hopeful that Tucker isn’t going to murder me on the spot for getting naked with his sister is that right now his beloved duck is in my arms.
