Page 151 of Pucking Around

I shake my head, my frustration rising. A lot of traumatic shit I keep bottled up tight is threatening to come out and now is not the time or the place. I take a deep breath. “Man, you gotta tell us shit like that. I get not telling coach, but you gotta tell me. I’m your D.”

“I know,” he mutters, his gaze dropping to the bottle of water in his hands.

“I’m protecting you out there. I would have changed my game to hold back, guard your right side better—”

“No,” he growls. “You shouldn’t have to compensate for me. We play our own positions.”

“We play as ateam, asshole,” I reply, sensing Caleb tense next to me. “You’re hurting, you tell your D-line, and we protect you with everything we’ve got. That’s how it works. You’re not alone, Mars. Not on that ice, and not in this house. You don’t get to work alone anymore.”

“It’s a difficult habit to break,” he admits.

“Yeah well…our Rays shit will work itself out on the ice,” I reply. “But if you’re with Rachel now, you’re withustoo. Me and Cay. You gotta trust us. No more secrets. You’re gonna tell us when you’re injured, and you gotta let us help you. Agreed?”

Slowly, he nods.

“Decide here and now, Mars. Get all in with us or get all the way out.” My speech over, I point over my shoulder towards my front door.

He glances sharply at Rachel before looking back at me. “What does ‘all in’ mean to you, Compton?”

Next to me, Caleb shifts. I can’t help but smirk. “Well, for starters, you gotta let me sleep with my thumb in your ass. And you know about Naked Thursdays, right?”

“Ohmygod,” Rachel mutters as Caleb snorts.

“This is a joke, yes?” Mars glances to Rachel, one brow raised. “He’s joking?”

“Yeah, Mars. I’m just fucking with you. Well…I mean, that’ll be up to you,” I add with a wink. “Say the word, and we’ll commence with the fucking right here, right now. Cay and I can’t wait to see you make use of that torpedo between your legs. Are you sore, Seattle?” I add, throwing her a teasing grin. “Not gonna lie, it gets me hard picturing the two of you together. I really hope you’re into sharing, Mars. Cause Cay and I flipped a coin, and I get to tag-team her with you first.”

Rachel groans again as Mars looks at me like I’ve grown a second head.

“You’re serious?” he asks again.

And now I’m laughing. I slip off the couch, giving Poseidon a pat as he trots at my side around Caleb’s end of the couch. “Actually, yeah. About the coin flipping thing. We got bored last night watchingGreat British Bake Off. But I don’t think you’re really up for a tag-team right now,” I add, sizing him up. “And if I know my Seattle Girl, she didn’t stop until your dick all but killed her last night. Am I right, baby girl? Does your sweet pussy need time to recover before we double-team you again?”

She just rolls her eyes at me, letting me lean over the back of the couch to kiss her upside down. “Are you having fun?” she murmurs.

“Hey, if he can’t take it, he can leave,” I say loud enough for him to hear.

“How about we ease into the chaos a little,” she replies, her fingers brushing lightly down my arm. “Start with something a little more casual than a four-way.”

“How about we start with dinner?” I look over at the giant Finn. “Mars, you’re staying for dinner.”

68

Mars Kinnunen is still here. He’s standing at the sink with Rachel while they clean up from dinner. Jake is outside taking care of his precious grill. He’s a total snob when it comes to his grills. I don’t care so long as I get to enjoy the meats of his labor. Tonight, it was steaks and grilled shrimp. Inside, Rachel prepped wild rice and a salad. Since the guys are in season, they also ate their weight in broccoli.

Now Mars is washing plates as she sets them aside. Her music plays over the surround system, something soft and girly. It’s been on all evening. They murmur to each other as she takes a sip of wine. She says something, her dark eyes glancing up towards him and he smiles. She bumps him with her hip, laughing as he nearly drops a dish. It plops back into the soapy water.

Watching them in this moment I know the truth: she’s worked her magic on him too.

Fuck, he’s not going anywhere.

Not that I thought he would. I’ve watched this building between them for weeks. The explosive sexual tension between them may be gone, but the simmering need remains. He’s crazy about her. And she’s crazy about him. It’s new. It’s exciting.

But this isn’t going to work for all of us if he thinks he gets to keep his relationship with her totally separate from ours. Jake may have been joking about the sharing thing, but I’m not. I’m not going to hide away just to make him more comfortable. This is my house too. My girl. My life.

Setting my ice water down on the island, I snatch up the breadbasket and the butter dish from the table, bringing them around to the sink.

“Thanks, babe,” Rachel says, flashing me a smile.