Ice Cold Hearts: A Single Mom, Hockey, Reverse Harem Romance (Forbidden Fantasies)

26. Oliver

We play hockey a few times a week. We practice hockey on days we don’t play. Even when we’re not practicing or playing, we’re doing daily workouts for, you guessed it, hockey. So after being oversaturated with hockey all this week, what does Alexei turn on while Emily gives Audrey a bath?

Hockey.

I’d even be willing to watch that princess movie we put on for Audrey over and over again instead of this, but I’m too tired to even complain.

I’m not even sure Alexei and Ian are watching it, either. Alexei’s eyes keep drooping shut, and Ian keeps glancing at the stairs looking for Emily.

They filled me in on the bare-bones details of what happened in the parking lot. Alexei gave me his version, and Ian filled us in on what Emily told him in the bathroom. It’s not rational, but it made me want to lock her up in a tower somewhere to keep her safe. The press has always been an annoyance, an unfortunate consequence of getting to play the sport I love on such a large scale, but now I’m starting to feel resentful.

“Can we agree that if she gets ambushed again we’re going to make her accept a security detail?” I ask wearily.

“I wanted her to have one from the beginning. You’ll get no complaints from me,” Ian says.

Alexei looks between the two of us. “Agreed, but it might be a fight to get her on board.”

I smile. “She is stubborn.”

“Audrey should have one too while she’s at school,” Ian says firmly, “although I don’t see why we’re waiting.”

“We have to respect her wishes even if we don”t see eye to eye,” Alexei says grumpily. “It”s perfectly reasonable for her not to want to increase security yet. Hank has been able to evade anyone who follows, so right now, the status quo remains.” He sighs. “But I think we should revisit the issue if they ambush us like that again, and honestly, with how bad they were this time, I think we should consider security for ourselves for day-to-day stuff.”

I wasn”t expecting that.

“Was it really that bad?” I ask.

He takes a deep breath. “They were more aggressive than I”d ever seen them. I think if it happens again, we should all think about having a security detail for a while. I was embarrassed to admit it earlier, but there were so many of them I had a hard time forcing my way through the crowd. If there had been any more of them, I’m not sure I would have been able to manage it alone.”

“She”ll probably be more receptive to it if it isn”t just her getting security, so that”s something, at least.” Ian shrugs. “But I”m hoping they get bored of us soon.”

“I”m sure they eventually will,” says Alexei, but the tight set of his shoulders tells me he doesn”t think it will be anytime soon.

We”re saved from sinking further into that depressing topic by a pajama-clad criminal sneaking into the living room.

Audrey is on her tiptoes creeping across the middle of the living room and glancing around furtively.

“Shh. Shh,” she tells herself every few steps.

“What do we have here?” I ask. “Shouldn”t you be in bed?”

She freezes dead in her tracks as if my vision might be based on movement.

“Audrey, you know we can see you even when you stay still, right?” Alexei says dryly.

I swear she pouts just like her mother. One day, I”m sure it won”t be adorable, but today is not that day.

“But I was on my tippy toes and everything,” she says, planting her hands on her hips.

I shrug. “I guess we must have magic eyes that can see invisible children.”

She gasps, horrified, and her eyes nearly pop out of her head.

I”m desperately trying to hold in a laugh, and a glance over at the other two men in the room tells me I”m not alone in my struggle.

How does Emily manage to do this with a straight face?

My immediate next thought is that I should never play poker with her under any circumstances. She”d mop the floor with me.

I grab Audrey before she can run and flip her upside down. She giggles and squirms with glee.

“Now, what should we do with this criminal? Throw her in the trash bins outside?” I suggest, taking two steps toward the door.

“No!” she squeals.

I flip her right side up. “Well, I”m all out of ideas. Alexei?”

I wait until he holds his hands out to toss her to him. He takes an exaggerated sniff of her hair.

“I thought she was supposed to have had a bath,” he says gruffly. “She stinks like a barnyard animal. Maybe we should take her back to the zoo and put her in with the goats.”

“No, Uncle Alexei! I”m a girl, not a goat,” she protests.

“I”ve got nothing, then. Ian?”

Ian catches her effortlessly and tosses her in the air a few times, much to her delight.

“Hmm…” he says thoughtfully. “She”s quite short. Are we sure she”s not a doll? I think it would be best if we return her to the toy store for some nice little girl to buy.”

“But I am a nice little girl,” Audrey says.

“Are you sure?” Ian asks. “I”ve heard they”re making the dolls very realistic nowadays. How do I know you”re not trying to trick me?”

“No. I”m a for-real-life girl.” She giggles.

“I”m not sure I believe you. Oliver, can you double-check and tell me if this is a little girl or a doll?” he asks, turning toward me.

As soon as I catch her, I blow a raspberry on her cheek and tickle her until she”s red in the face.

“They do make dolls that laugh now. I think I need a second opinion,” I insist.

We toss her between us a few more times, coming up with sillier and sillier things that she might be.

“Audrey.” Emily”s voice carries from upstairs. “I believe I asked you to wait in bed while Mama brushed her teeth. Would you like to come and explain to me why you”re not there?”

We all freeze at the sound of Emily”s voice.

“I hope you’re not down there roughhousing with your uncles because they would know better than to wind you up like that before bedtime,” Emily says warningly.

“Uh-oh,” Audrey says, eyes bugging out of her face.

“Uh-oh is right, Little Pea,” I say. “We’re all in big trouble.”

“You gots to hide me from her magic grown-up eyes. Please!” she begs.

“She did say please.” Alexei shrugs. “We’re already in it, might as well finish strong.”

I swear this man doesn’t know how not to be a team captain. It’s one of the things that both amuse and annoy me depending on the day.

Today, however, it’s useful. He snatches Audrey out of my arms, burritos her in a blanket, and dumps her unceremoniously on the couch.

“Stay quiet, Little Pea,” he orders the giggling blanket.

“That’s not going to be enough.” I shake my head. “We need pillows or something. Didn’t we have couch pillows?”

“You’re thinking of Emily’s house. We’re not domesticated enough to have couch pillows. We’re half feral and barely housebroken,” Ian says frantically.

“Speak for yourself,” Alexei says gruffly.

The top stair creaks in warning.

“Shit, she’s coming.” Ian panics. “Now what?”

“We could turn her in and save ourselves,” Alexei suggests.

“We’re in too deep for that, especially after your blanket burrito antics,” I say.

Time is running out quickly.

“Let’s just sit in front of her,” I say, then to Audrey, “Stop giggling.”

We perch ourselves at the edge of the couch, in front of her but not sitting on her. The outsides of our thighs are touching, we’re sitting so close.

“Yes,” Alexei says dryly. “This is very natural.”

“What on earth are you doing?” Emily asks, planting her hands on her hips.

“We’re, uh, watching TV,” Ian says.

The blanket giggles behind us.

“Uh-huh.” She raises an eyebrow. “And you’re sitting so close because?”

“Male bonding,” I say quickly.

Ian snorts, and Emily tries to hide her smile.

“It helps us become better hockey players. We’re attuning,” Alexei says completely seriously.

He grabs my hand. Now, I’m stuck. I have to either grab Ian’s hand or back down. I’ve never been one to quit, so I grab his hand.

I don’t normally hold hands with men, but I’ve had worse experiences. At least neither of them is sweaty. I hate sweaty hands. There was actually an agent who tried to bring me on at the same time as Liza, and one of the major reasons I didn’t go with him was because his handshake was always moist.

“I see.” She smiles in spite of herself. “And what, exactly, are you attuning to?”

“Our souls,” Alexei deadpans. “We’re synchronizing our vibes so we can sense each other out on the ice. It’s very cutting edge.”

Emily completely loses it. She folds almost completely in half cackling and snorting. Her face is red and splotchy. Her hair is a damp, tangled pile of noodles. There are tears in her eyes and dried toothpaste by the corner of her mouth.

I’ve seen this woman in mom jeans and a tank top without a stitch of makeup on and chasing Audrey around our yard. I’ve seen her in scrubs that bring out the gold flecks in her brown eyes on her way to and from work. I’ve seen her look heartbreakingly beautiful in a form-fitting navy dress dancing at our favorite nightclub. I’ve seen her stretched out on my bed wearing only the marks we’ve left on her, begging me to fuck her. She’s shown me so many captivating sides of her, and yet, it’s right now when she looks like an absolute mess that I realize I’m madly in love with her.

Emily addresses the wriggling blanket behind us. “The jig is up. Time for bed, Audrey.”

“Aww, man,” grumbles the blanket.

We scoot over so Emily can talk to Audrey more easily.

“All right,” she says, crouching down, “How do you want to go to bed? I can carry you like a suitcase. Or you can hop to bed.”

Audrey pokes her face out of the blanket.

“Hop,” she answers.

“Okay, little bunny, hop upstairs and pick a story. I’ll be right behind you,” she promises.

Audrey wriggles out of the blanket and takes two experimental hops before stopping and looking back at us.

“Will you come and read me stories too? I can’t fall asleep without my bestest uncles in the whole wide world,” she asks forlornly.

I know she’s stalling the same way I know when Alexei is about to pass the puck in a game before he even makes a move. It’s like I can smell it. Still, I’m suckered in by her big brown eyes and quivering lip, so I stand up and tell her I’ll be right behind her. Once she’s secured Ian and Alexei, she hops contentedly upstairs.

“You’re hopeless. She’s going to become an absolute monster if we ever live together if you guys keep going on like this,” Emily says shaking her head.

The three of us freeze and just stare at her.

“What?”

“You want to live with us?” I ask.

“Well, not anytime soon. I’d like to be dating you all at least a year before we start figuring that out.” Emily flushes beet red.

“So you’re saying you’re starting to see us as something permanent in your life,” Alexei says with a hint of a smile.

“I… well, there’s still a lot to… what I mean is…” She growls, frustrated. “Yes, damn it. I do. Are you satisfied? Now will you all stop looking so smug and help me put Audrey to bed before she runs down here again?”

Ian and Alexei head upstairs, but I grab her wrist and stop her before she can follow. Before she can protest, I pull her to me and steal a kiss from her.

I smile. “I’m not.”

“Not what?” she asks, scrunching her nose.

“You asked me if I was satisfied,” I say, grabbing her ass. “I’m not even close to it, Kitten, but don’t worry, as soon as we get that little gal to bed, you’re going to help me with that.”