Page 58 of Pucking Around

She takes his hand, letting him pull her up off my lap, and I exhale. Fair enough. He’s the better choice. Hell, I’d choose him too. Hotshot NHL star. Rich, handsome, shining in his golden spotlight. I’m just the guy with a limp who changes his blades.

But then she surprises the hell out of me as she immediately turns, offering out her other hand. “Come on, Snuffy,” she says with a smile. “Come dance with us.”

My eyes flash to Jake. He’s just as surprised as I am. He glares down at me, his emotions roiling. He’s always been so easy to read. He wears everything right there on his damn sleeve. Frustration, hunger, jealousy, need. I see it all.

Slowly, his shoulders relax, and he huffs a laugh. “Snuffy…that’s the kind of shit that sticks.”

Rachel laughs too. Snatching my hand off my knee, she gives it a pull, bringing me to my feet. One hand on Jake’s shoulder, her other linked with mine, Rachel calls out to Novy, “Hey! Keep an eye on Poppy! Switch her to Shirley Temple’s at midnight!”

Novy nods, his eagle eyes already on the PR manager cutting loose down on the dance floor.

Jake leads the way towards the stairs and Rachel brings me along behind them. My heart is racing. I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing. I don’t dance. Iespeciallydon’t dance with Jake fucking Compton. I may be queer, but I’m more of a blowjobs-in-the-bathroom queer. Secretly-pines-after-his-best-friend-but-will-never-admit-it queer.

But Hurricane has me by the hand, and there’s no way in hell I’m letting go.

“Bust a move, Sanford!” Morrow calls after us.

“Have fun, Snuffy!” Langley adds.

The other guys all laugh.

And that’s fine. I’ll give them tonight to laugh it up. But I swear to fuck, the first guy to call me ‘Snuffy’ tomorrow is gonna get his bag conveniently ‘lost’ on every flight for the rest of the season.

29

What the heck am I doing?I’ve got my hand on Jake’s shoulder as he leads us to the stairs and I’m pulling Caleb along behind us. Am I seriously about to be the ham in a hockey player sandwich?

They both look so gorgeous tonight. Caleb may not play anymore, but damn is he still fit. Jake is like my angel in charcoal and white while Caleb is my devil rocking all black in a fitted polo and cuffed dress pants.

Jake turns the corner, grabbing my hand off his shoulder and pulling me forward into the dark stairwell. He doesn’t get four steps down before he’s turning. I hardly have time to catch myself before he’s cupping my face and kissing me senseless. Two steps separate us, so I’m practically level with his face. My hands go to his shoulders, and I hold tight as he spins me, coming up a step to press me against the wall.

I sigh into his fevered kisses, chasing him with abandon, as his hands slide up my jaw and into my hair. His hips press in, and then I feel him.Allof him. His need, his hunger, the power he’s keeping in check. He wants to unleash himself on me. I’ve been teasing him all night. For weeks this has been building. This is Jake at the edge of his limit.

I break our kiss, sucking in air. The side of his face glows purple pink in the flashing lights from the dance floor below, reflecting along the line of his jaw. His lips are wet with my kisses.

His gaze darts to the right and I turn too. Caleb is there, mere inches away. He watched us kiss. His expression is impossible to read.

My body is buzzing like I’m drunk, but I’ve only had half a mojito. It’s them. Their strength, their presence. They consume me. Even when Caleb is being a grumpy asshole, I’m pulled to him. At the practice rink I’m always looking for him, waiting for him to give me his cool guy nod of acceptance. He’s flawless in his work—organized and efficient. You wouldn’t think there’d be a lot of grace in sharpening blades and handling broken sticks, but everything about Caleb is graceful.

I want to ruffle his feathers. I want to shake him up. I want to be his Hurricane. Grabbing him by the front of his polo, I pull him down a step. At the same time, I step up. He’s not going to make the first move. It has to be me. Whatever this energy is between us—between thethreeof us—I’m letting it sweep me under.

Our lips collide and his mouth opens on a soft groan. The music pulses as we stand in the dark, pouring our pent-up need into each other. His tatted arm goes around my waist as he cups my face, bending me back with the force of his eager kiss.

Jake’s kisses are like molten lava, melting me from the inside out. The passion I feel for him is white-hot and uncontrollable. Kissing Caleb is electric. My skin crackles with energy as he teases with his tongue, flicking and owning before he bites down on my bottom lip.

I gasp, pulling away, and raise a shaky hand to my lips, brushing over them as I glance from Caleb to Jake. They’re standing shoulder to shoulder, boxing me in, Jake two steps lower. Both men look like they’re going to eat me alive. If Jake is angry at me for kissing Caleb, he’s not letting on. In fact, all I sense from him is that he’sturnedon.

Fuck it. I’m calling an audible. I fist the front of his white button-down, one hand holding onto each of them, claiming them. My angel and my devil. Let’s see how well they share. I pull him forward with a smile, my lips parting to meet his in another fierce kiss. Jake grabs me by the hair, fisting tight enough to make we wince. The sharp pain shoots straight to my core. I moan like a desperate creature, melting against him.

But then I give my devil a little tug. Is he willing to play? We haven’t talked about this. He can always walk away—

Boom.

Fireworks go off inside my chest as he presses in, flicking my hair off my shoulder, and sinking his mouth onto my neck. I arch into him, lifting up on my toes as they both crowd me. The heat of Caleb’s mouth on my pulse point zaps straight to my clit, and now I’m humming with need. I want this. I want them both.

I break my kiss with Jake. Digging my fingers into Caleb’s hair, I jerk him off me and bury my tongue in his mouth, my lips still wet from Jake’s kisses. He chases me, his hand slipping inside the back of my low-cut jumpsuit to palm my ass cheek.

“God,” I gasp, breaking for air. “Oh, god—”