Cold as Ice (5 page)

Her house was less than five minutes away, so she didn’t have too much time to ponder the question. Fortunately she was able to get inside, shower quickly, and change before the guys arrived. When the knock on her front door came, she put a hand over her fluttering belly.

Just talk…

Eva opened the door and it seemed like all the oxygen got sucked out of her lungs at once. She was really doing this. That first time with her ex and his roommate, she hadn’t had time to get nervous, time to reconsider. Now she felt a mix of anticipation and anxiety.

“Come in.” She stepped aside, and Luc walked over the threshold of her house, dropping another kiss on her lips just like he had yesterday. Carter and then Jake followed, both also kissing her. As she closed the door behind them, she felt her lips tingle. All they’d done was give her a chaste kiss. What would it be like when they really got down to business, so to speak? She shuddered involuntarily and jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Shhh. Don’t be nervous, honey.” It was Jake, and he squeezed briefly before moving away.

She turned and faced the guys. “Have a seat.”

They did and Luc spoke. “Dinner will be here soon.”

“Oh, good.” Food was the farthest thing from her mind, despite the fact she’d only eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some chips for lunch, and that had been hours ago. She wet her suddenly dry lips and said, “Would anyone like a drink?”

“Water is fine, but you don’t have to wait on us, baby,” Luc answered, and the other two parroted him.

“That’s okay, it’s no big deal. I can fetch a couple of waters.”

They let her go, and as she went into the kitchen to get their drinks, Eva wondered, was Luc the de facto leader of the group? He was the top center on the team and the captain, so it made sense. Then she giggled. It was kind of funny thinking about the guys deferring to Luc even when they weren’t on the ice, like he was their king or something.

She returned and placed the glasses on coasters on her coffee table. Luc was on the couch, right in the middle, with Jake and Carter on each side of the couch in chairs. That meant she’d have to sit on one end of the couch or the other. Either way she’d be nestled right into Luc, who took up more than his fair share of her small sofa.

The doorbell rang and Eva scurried to the door to open it, the guys appearing behind her though she hadn’t even registered them moving. How did they do that?

As the man began handing off various containers to her, she passed them to the guys. Then he gave her the check and Luc snatched it out of her hands, handing it back to the delivery guy with what Eva assumed was a generous tip, given the way the man’s eyes widened. Or perhaps he’d just noticed the guys were Intimidators. Eva thanked him and closed the door, then went to the kitchen for napkins, plates, and forks. By the time she returned the guys had opened the containers and set out the offerings.

“We weren’t sure what you liked, so we got a little bit of everything,” Carter told her with a sheepish grin.

“You’re not kidding. You must’ve ordered everything on the menu! Look at all this food. There’s no way we’ll be able to eat all this.” All three men grinned then, and she laughed. “Of course, you guys all have huge appetites. I should’ve figured.”

“Yes, we all have huge appetites, and not just for food,” Carter told her, his blue eyes sparkling.

Luc patted the couch cushion next to him. “Come sit. Eat.”

She sat down and Luc served her, asking her preferences and then spooning each dish onto her plate. They’d ordered from one of the best Chinese restaurants in the area, and the fragrant scents of garlic, soy sauce, vegetables, and succulent meats filled the air. Leaning back, she picked up her lap desk and set her plate on top before diving in. Conversation came to a halt as they all tucked into their food. Eva was surprised at how hungry she was, considering her nerves, but she polished off the entire plate of food Luc had prepared.

“Want more?” Luc asked, inclining his head toward her empty plate.

“No, I’m stuffed.”

He took her plate and stacked it on top of his and then moved into her kitchen, leaving her with Carter and Jake.

“So how was practice?”

“Okay,” Carter replied. “Afterward we had our monthly meetings with the team doctor. We meet with him privately once a month to discuss any health concerns, our diets, the supplements we take, that sort of thing.”

“What kind of supplements do they have you taking?”

“He just started the whole team on something new today. It’s called—” He looked over at Jake. “Help me out here.”

“
TestoXtreme,
” Jake supplied, still shoveling food into his mouth.

“That’s it. Anyway, it’s supposed to build muscle.” He shrugged. “We’ll see.”

Eva bit her lip. She’d heard of the supplement he’d named, and there was a lot of controversy surrounding it. She was surprised they’d put even a few players on it, much less the entire team. Should she say anything? In the end, her professional ethics forced her to.

“Um, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, chica.”

“Do you guys question your doctor at all about these supplements? Does he give you any paperwork when he prescribes something?”

Luc had just walked back into the room. “Paperwork like what?”

“Like drug interactions, possible side effects…”

“Nah. I’m sure he does his research before giving us stuff,” Luc answered, sitting on the couch once more. His warm thigh slid along hers, but she tried not to let it distract her. This was important.

“Well, it’s just that—” She paused, not sure how much to say or where to begin. The three guys looked at her with expectant expressions. Eva chewed the inside of her cheek briefly, and then said, “I’ve read about
TestoXtreme
. There’s tons of controversy about it. Some people have reported that their blood pressure shot through the roof while they were taking it, for instance. Another reported liver problems. And I would think both would be a bad thing for a hockey player.” The guys glanced at each other and she put up a hand. “Look, I’m not telling you not to take it. But read up on it. Be an informed consumer.”

“Okay, we promise to look it up,” Jake told her. “But right now we have some other things to discuss.” Eva nodded and he chuckled, reaching out to take her suddenly chilled hand in his large, warm one. “Don’t look like you’re being led to the execution chamber, honey.”

“I–I’m trying not to. I’m just a little nervous.”

Jake smiled, and the best word she could think of to describe the expression was indulgent. “Of course you are. We’d be worried if you weren’t. But we’re gonna take care of you.”

Eva nodded again, swallowing thickly. It was now or never.

Chapter Four

Luc looked at the woman he was hoping desperately to take to bed soon. Tonight she was wearing a loose-fitting, long-sleeved T-shirt with a cut-out neck over a ribbed tank top. Glancing at her small breasts, he wasn’t even sure she was wearing a bra.

I want to know for sure.

Reaching out, he ran his hand down her back in what he hoped seemed like a comforting motion.

No bra. Interesting. Trying to make it easier or just to torture us?

His cock hardened as he thought about her tits, unencumbered by anything and only separated from his gaze by two thin layers of clothing. He wondered if the other guys had noticed her lack of undergarments. Jake was currently speaking to her in hushed tones and seemed oblivious to anything, but Carter was shifting in his chair, and Luc would bet money he’d noticed. He moved a little closer to Eva, pressing the length of his body to hers. He couldn’t wait to get inside her and wondered idly how much experience she’d actually had with ménages. She’d mentioned she’d had threesomes, but there were a lot of ways to have a threesome. His gaze drifted to her mouth. What would it feel like wrapped around his dick? He hoped against hope he wouldn’t have to wait too long, but Jake had been adamant. They couldn’t rush her.

He pulled himself back to the conversation with difficulty, and heard her ask, “So how would this work?”

Luc leaned forward. “You would be free to have sex with just one, or two, or all three of us at any time. We don’t want you to feel like you have to stay away if all three of us aren’t available.”

“But won’t that bring up all sorts of jealousy issues? I don’t want to get in the way of your friendship.”

He ran the pad of his finger down the slim column of her neck, stopping just short of dipping between her breasts. “You let us worry about that, baby. Part of being in a ménage relationship is managing our jealousy. We’re all aware of that.”

She looked doubtful and Luc watched as Jake squeezed her hand. “Luc is right. Don’t worry about a thing, honey. We’ll work out any issues that come up.”

“And what about the relationship itself? How do we define it?”

“Do we have to define it?” Carter asked. “It doesn’t have to be anything heavy, it can be whatever we want it to be. It’s no one’s business but ours anyway.”

“Okay, I can do that,” Eva answered. “As you’ll find out as you get to know me better, I’m not really one to worry about what other people think of me. My mom wasn’t happy when I quit my supposedly cushy job in Corporate America to go to massage school. But she loves me and she got over it. Now when she visits from Florida she comes in to have me work on her. And hey, my best friend Louisa told me to go for it, so she won’t be a problem.”

Luc knew the surprise must’ve registered on his face. “You talked to your friend about us?”

“She’s my best friend. One of my only friends, actually. I talk to her about a lot of things. I just wanted to have someone else tell me what I already knew.”

“And what was that?” Jake asked.

“That I can do whatever I want. I’m young and single. Why shouldn’t I do this?” Now Eva looked at each of them in turn, sitting back and folding her arms over her chest. Her pink tongue darted out of her mouth to wet her bottom lip and Luc had to hold back the groan. “So…can we start now?”

Carter, apparently taken aback by Eva’s question, launched into a coughing fit. Eva jumped from the couch and rubbed his back. “Little cheater,” Luc mumbled as Carter leaned into her touch. Once he was under control, Jake pulled her away from his teammate and plunked her on his lap.

“You wanna start now, honey? Let’s go.” Luc watched as Jake took possession of her mouth. Her arms wound around his neck as she pulled him closer and Luc’s cock hardened further inside his jeans. He’d been half-hard all day thinking about this, and it looked like it was finally gonna happen.

Jake broke the kiss and Luc stood up. “Bedroom.”

Her eyes glazed over, Eva pointed down the hall. Luc picked her up from Jake’s lap and started in that direction, the other two guys trailing behind. He found what was obviously her bedroom, since the only other doors led to a bathroom and a home office, and lowered her onto the bed, following her down onto the mattress and pressing his body into hers. Plunging his hands into her hair like he’d dreamt of doing countless times before, he kissed her. As his tongue sank into her mouth, his cock threatened to strangle him, his balls feeling like they were being twisted in a vise. He pulled back and Carter leaned down, turning her head for his kiss.