Page 59 of Pucking the Team

I bite my lip, considering the delicious possibility laid out before me. Dating three gorgeous, incredible men at the same time? It seems too good to be true.

“I’m not going to lie, I’m intrigued,” I admit, looking around at their handsome faces. “And I care about all of you so much already. But I do have some concerns.”

“Like what?” Alex prompts gently, taking my hand.

“Well, for one, I have been dating Ryan as well,” I point out. “And I have feelings for him. Are you asking me to see you three exclusively?”

Lukas’s face darkens, and Alex appears to be mulling over his response.

But Slade jumps right in. “It would be really bad for team dynamics if Ryan thought we had taken you away from him or something. And you know he’s my oldest friend. I don’t want to speak for Alex or Lukas, but I don’t feel comfortable asking you to stop seeing him. I couldn’t do that to him, or to you.”

Alex nods slowly. “This kind of relationship we’re talking about requires a lot of trust, communication, and time. But right now, we’re in the exploratory phases. If any of us felt, after seeing each other for a bit, that we wanted to become serious or exclusive, we could have that conversation. I wouldn’t be comfortable with you seeing more people other than Ryan, though.”

Lukas sighs and runs a hand through his tousled blond hair. “I’m not thrilled about the idea of sharing you with Ryan, to be honest. There’s history between him and me that complicates things, as you know. But I also really want to see where this thing between all of us can go. So if continuing to date Ryan is important to you, Emma, then I’ll find a way to be okay with it. For now.”

I squeeze Lukas’s hand gratefully, my heart warmed by his willingness to compromise, even if the situation with Ryan clearly makes him uncomfortable.

“Thank you, I appreciate you saying that,” I tell him sincerely. “I care about Ryan, and I’m not ready to end things with him. But I also have strong feelings for each of you, and I really want to explore this…unique connection between the four of us,” I continue, looking around at Slade, Alex, and Lukas meaningfully. “I’m curious, though. Are you guys seeing each other, too? How does this work?”

Slade buries his head in his hands, laughing. “Oh god, because of what happened with me and Lukas?”

I shrug. “Yeah, I was surprised by that. I didn’t know your relationship was like that. I liked it, to be clear. It was insanely hot.”

Lukas grins. “I was surprised by that, too. Okay, since we haven’t had this talk, you should know that I’m bi, but Slade and I have never had a romantic or sexual relationship before. Although, Slade, buddy, if I’d known you were interested, we could’ve done something about that sooner!”

Slade is officially turning red. I’ve never seen our captain so flustered before. “I-I’m not! Or at least, I never have been. But it felt right in the moment. I think…I mean…I’d like to keep having an open mind, sexually, if we’re doing this.”

Alex leans toward me, his gaze intense. “And what about you, Emma? Have you ever been with multiple people before?”

I feel my cheeks flush as I meet Alex’s probing gaze. “No, this is new territory for me, too,” I admit. “I’ve never been in any kind of polyamorous relationship before. But I can’t deny that the idea excites me.”

I think back to the incredible, mind-blowing pleasure I experienced this morning with these three men. The way they each took me apart so thoroughly, making me come undone again and again. And the thrill of watching them together, Slade and Lukas’s unexpected hookup. It awakened something primal inside me.

“I want to explore this,” I tell them decisively. “I know it will be complicated at times, figuring out the dynamics between all of us. But I’m willing to put in the work, to communicate openly, if it means I get to be with the three of you.”

I just hope I don’t totally fuck up my career along the way.

CHAPTER 27

EMMA

The icy wind nips at my cheeks as I hurry across the parking lot, my breath puffing out in little clouds. Winter has Chicago in its frosty grip but I’m practically skipping, my heart light and giddy despite the cold. Things with the guys have been amazing lately—on and off the ice.

I slip into the arena, savoring the familiar smells of fresh ice and sweaty jerseys. The team is on a hot streak, their blades slicing across the rink in perfect synchronicity. But my mind keeps drifting to what happens after the final buzzer sounds.

With Ryan, it’s been all lingering glances and soft caresses, the promise of something deep and real building between us. He took the news about my trio of hockey boyfriends surprisingly well.

“I’m not giving up on you, Em,” he murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “What we have…it’s special. I can be patient.” My stomach flipped at the sincerity in his brown eyes.

Things are decidedly less chaste with Slade, Alex, and Lukas. Movie nights turn into wandering hands, kisses that leave me breathless and aching for more. It’s exhilarating and terrifying, trying to balance all these intense feelings.

I’m rustling through some paperwork when familiar voices drift down the hall.

“…telling you, she’s into it,” Lukas is saying, his tone gleeful.

“You better not pressure her,” Slade warns. “We go at Emma’s pace, yeah?”

“Always so protective, captain!” Lukas teases.

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