Chapter 2
TWO
MILO
The Landmark brims with energy after our win. I feed off it as much as I do when the crowd's cheering in a packed arena while I'm with my boys on the ice. It's exhilarating.
"Go! Go Go!" A bunch of teammates chant in unison for two of our D-men racing each other through a basket of the best wings in Heston Lake.
Ryan's one of the spectators. He grows more animated as they close in on the last few bites, then slumps against me with a groan of defeat when Trey loses to Jon by two bites of the last wing.
The still-damp tendrils of his hair tickle my chin.
I chuckle into my glass, knocking back the last of my drink.
Scanning the bar, I cruise for a girl who will be a good match for him. I'm ready to play his wingman when I spot the blonde from the game. Ryan said her name was Darci.
I jostle him. "Your girl's here."
"She is?" My best friend's eyes light up as he searches for her.
"Let's go say hi." I steer him by the shoulders, massaging him to get him to loosen up. "I’ll make sure you get laid tonight."
We weave through the crowd, doling out high fives and fist bumps to students and townies congratulating us on our win.
A regular at the bar stops us to recount the sick play we made, stealing the puck, moving it up the ice with fluid passes that are second nature to us, my deke to Ryan, and his beauty of a shot in the net.
"Keep it up, boys," he says. "Hell of a season ahead of you."
"Thanks. We will." I pull Ryan away.
When we reach Darci, she's leaning against the end of the bar watching us with a sassy grin.
"Hey," Ryan says.
I'm proud of him for sounding more confident in himself. When we first started hanging out, the guy was so shy he'd stay at the edge of the action and wouldn't approach anyone that caught his eye unless they talked to him first.
"Hi." Darci bites her lip and gushes. "Great game tonight. Oh my god, I was losing it the whole third period."
"I take it you're a fan?" I nod to her jersey from the store on campus.
"Duh." She twirls to show it off. Rhinestones make up Ryan's last name on the back. "I added my own flair. I go to every home game. Big HU fan."
"That's some dedication." Ryan's gaze is glued to his name on her back.
She giggles and peers over her shoulder. "I have to give my support. Must be nice to have hundreds of fangirls fawning over you all the time."
"I, uh—I mean, that's not why I play," Ryan stammers.
I snort. She looks to me for my answer. Shrugging, I offer a lopsided grin.
"I love the attention, personally."
"Dude," Ryan mutters in amusement.
"What?" I drag my fingers through my mop of hair. "I work hard and enjoy being praised for it."
"Fair," Darci agrees.
The song playing ends, and she gasps when the next one starts. She sways in place, singing the lyrics under her breath.
"You like this song?" Ryan asks.
"Love it.”
He holds out a hand. "Want to go dance?"
That's my boy.
Darci makes a giddy noise and nods. “I was planning to flirt with the pretty girl that I had my eye on over there until you guys found me, but you know what? Yeah, let’s dance.”
It's my cue to leave them to it and go find my own fun for the night. Except Darci's dainty hand snags the front of my shirt to stop me. My brow quirks.
"Not so fast. The party's this way," she insists. "You come dance with us, too."
My gaze flicks to Ryan to check if he's cool with that. I don't want to throw him off. He shrugs, inviting me with a toss of his head.
"Alright, I'm in."
I follow them, allowing Darci to tug me along by my shirt. We hit the dance floor, squeezing into an unoccupied spot.
Our trio forms a circle. Ryan grins at Darci as she sings the lyrics while flitting around him.
Damn, she's captivating. Her energy is infectious, drawing me in when I should keep my distance.
One song becomes three before I know it. They’re flirting with each other, but she keeps having these little instances of tension with me. I’m swept up in the moment.
Ryan gets bolder, spinning Darci by the hips. She laughs in delight, pressing her back against him while pulling me in. She plays with my hair at the back of my neck and catches my eye with a sultry gaze.
I forget that I'm not trying to take this girl home for myself. The heavy beat of the music hypnotizes me along with her mouth as she rolls her body between me and my best friend.
People in the vicinity bump into us, driving the three of us closer together. Darci switches position to face Ryan, winding her arms around his shoulders. I fit my hands to her waist, kneading the jersey with a groan when she backs her ass up on my dick. He leans in, mouth against her ear.
Whatever he asks her, she nods.
Once the song ends, he guides her off the dance floor. I figure that's it, they're heading out.
But she slips her hand in mine and pulls me with her.
I blow out an unsteady breath when we're outside the bar. "That was a fun way to end the night."
“It’s only getting started." Darci looks between me and my teammate. "We're going back to my place. You'll come too, right?"
I falter. It's not like I don't want to. She's hot, and I know from dancing with her it would be a damn good time. My mouth goes dry when my gaze moves to Ryan. I’ve played his wingman countless times because he’s my friend, but the opportunity for a threesome has never occurred before.
"Both of us?" I clarify. "Are you sure?"
I leave the question hanging in the air for both of them to decide.
She tosses her hair with a playful smirk. "I thought all hockey players did it. Have you never shared a woman before?"
"No," Ryan says.
I’m certain that's the end of it, ready to go back inside.
But Ryan throws me off for once, surprising the hell out of me.
"If you want both of us..." He grasps her hips and crowds her until her back hits my chest. "That's what you get. Lead the way, sweetheart."