Page 7 of Puck the Halls

"Is that so?" The stern look in Cooper's eyes makes me scoot back until Sam and Tate reach for my hands and help me stand.

"Thank you." I lower my head and drop my hands from theirs, hoping to hide my embarrassment warming my face.

"Jolie, these three are taking over for Coach Davis now that he's retired. I want to introduce you to Coach Davis's sons, Cooper, our new head coach, and Sam and Tate, his assistant coaches."

Brothers?How did I not notice that they were brothers?

My gaze snaps from brother to brother, and I see the resemblance, but that doesn't stop my brain from blurting out, "You're brothers?"

"Yes, Jolie," Tate says my name like a caress, and I almost melt into a puddle, remembering the way he said my name while he was deep inside me that night. "We're brothers—very close brothers. We tend to do a lot of things together." He smirks causing me to choke on my spit.

Three sets of hands are on me in a flash, each of my fantasy men asking me if I'm okay. I nod and try to answer, only to make the coughing worse.

"Someone grab her a bottle of water," Cooper yells at Colt, Jensen, and Beck, causing them to dash out of the room in search of water.

"I think she needs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."

"Did you fail basic CPR, Tate? She's still passing air. Her throat isn't completely occluded."

My breathing begins to go back to normal as I gaze from brother to brother, wondering if they're remembering the last time they witnessed my throat being occluded by their big cocks.

By the fire in their eyes, I would have to say yes, they're remembering that night.

"Here!" Colt hands me an opened bottle of water. "I took off the lid so it would be easier." Jensen and Beck are close behind him with just as concerned looks on their faces.

"Why don't you come with me to the women's locker room, and I'll help you freshen up." Gemma's kind face replaces Colt's as she steps in front of him, holding her hand out to me.

Gemma is the head ice girl for the Norse hockey team and the girlfriend of all three owners. Which isn't that surprising, considering most of the players, owners, and a few referees are in groups of four, with the guys each sharing the same girl.

It would be so easy and acceptable for the four of us to continue down that path, but Cooper, Sam, and Tate proved all they wanted was one night—maybe more now that we work for thesame team. But as far as a relationship, I don't foresee that in our future. Besides, I have to concentrate on my career. I don't have a full-time job with the Norse yet. I can't risk losing that opportunity because I fucked around with the coaches.

No matter how much Colt, Beck, Jensen, and Gemma like me, the owners will always side with the coaches when the co-workers with benefits end.

I take Gemma's hand and let her lead me out of the trainer's room, down the hallway, and into the women's locker room.

"So, how long have you, Cooper, Sam, and Tate been in a relationship?"

"I, um." I clear my throat. "We aren't in a relationship." Which is the truth—it was only one night.

Gemma pins me with a stare, and I fight the urge to squirm under her gaze. "If you say so." She finally says. "It's just that I've seen that look before on every man in love with a woman that I saw on Cooper, Sam, and Tate's face when they look at you." She takes a clean towel from the linen cart, runs cold water over it, and wrings out the excess water before handing it to me. "You have the same look on your face when you gaze at them."

She's right, but I'm not ready to unpack all my baggage with her, so I reply, "We can't act on our attraction. It would make working together too messy."

She eyes me thoughtfully, "I think you already acted on that attraction." I open my mouth to deny her claim, but she holds upher hand to stop me. "It's not my love story, but I can tell you my love story."

She takes a seat on one of the locker room benches, motioning me to sit down beside her, "When I first started as an ice girl for the Minnesota Norse, I tried to lay low and hide my feelings for Colt, Jensen, and Beck, thinking it was unnatural to fall for three guys at the same time. I let that fear push them away. But my Alpha males pursued me until I finally realized they were worth the risk. By the look on your face, I would say your guys are worth the risk, too." She stands and pats my shoulder before leaving me alone with my thoughts.

eight

Sam

"Do you think weshould go after her?" My eyes never leave Jolie as she retreats from the room with Colt, Jensen, and Beck's girlfriend Gemma.

Gemma's the head ice girl for the team. We met her earlier, along with the rest of the Ladies of the Norse, as they call themselves.As the girlfriends of the players they're planning a Christmas party for the team, all but Teagan, she was getting ready for practice.

I can't get over how accepting this job and community are of group relationships. We only officially moved here a couple of days ago, but at that time, we learned that the rumors about guys sharing one woman were true. Maybe it's not such a fantasy as Jolie thought it was—it's a reality for this team.

Shit, it's been six months since we've seen her. Maybe she's already hooking up with guys on the team. That doesn't sit well with me, but I can't fault her for moving on after that night. We never said it was anything more than one night.

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