Chapter 31. Pride, Prejudice And A Pair Of Skates

Lila’s POV

“This is it,” Ryder said, thrusting the book at me like a hot potato.

I took Pride and Prejudice with its suspiciously immaculate cover from his gloved hand. I had allowed this hockey god to borrow my favorite book for three whole days and I knew without a doubt that his eyes had not been on those pages.

“ Thanks,” I said, trying to sound casual. My inner bookworm gave a dramatic eye-roll — the kind Mr. Darcy might have replaced with a cold stare.

Honestly, what was I expecting? A deep talk about old English manners with a guy who says things like “gnarly cell” and “sick mitts”?

As the last players left, the sound of skates echoed. Ryder was still in his gear, sweaty but still kind of pulling off the hero vibe

Me? I was simply Lila, the girl who had inadvertently enrolled herself in this absurd fake dating scam in an attempt to improve his reputation.

And from my end, I guess it would take a whole lot of convincing for the