61. Dylan
DYLAN
My hand slides down the soft silk fabric of my dress. Smoothing out the nonexistent creases. The mid-season annual benefit dinner is everything I expect it to be—overly formal, painfully slow, and so full of ego I feel like I’m drowning in it.
I’m plenty used to grinning and bearing my way through such events, but thankfully, being surrounded by the guys, all dressed up in their sharp suits, makes it bearable.
It’s been several weeks since we won against Valehurst, and we have been undefeated since.
In fact, we are heading into the break and have only lost one game so far this season.
The Steelhawks have never looked stronger.
Word is spreading—scouts are talking, articles are being written, and my inbox has been filling with interview requests and sports features.
I’ve gained a small but loyal group of fans online.
Most days, I still can’t believe this is real.
I sit nestled at the round table between Jax and Ethan, with Griffin and Finn across from me. I’ve sat at plenty of fancy dinner tables on behalf of my dad and his career, his success, but this is the first I’ve attended that revolved around me— my team .
Wren worked some kind of magic with my hair and makeup, and the dress she picked for me…it’s daring. Red, backless, clinging to every curve. Paired with strappy heels and a dash of perfume, I feel like another version of myself—sleek and devastating.
The version I caught reflected in their eyes the moment I descended the stairs tonight.
Griffin didn’t even try to hide his reaction.
His jaw clenched, his hands curled into fists at his sides like it physically pained him not to touch me.
Jax cursed under his breath and muttered something about how I was going to be the death of him.
Ethan blinked once, then twice, and murmured, “Christ, Thorn.” Finn whistled low and told me he was seconds from saying to hell with it and dragging me back up the stairs to see if the dress was equally as devastating on my bedroom floor.
All night, they haven’t been able to keep their hands off me. Light brushes of fingers down my arm. Warm palms pressed to my thigh. Jax’s hand is currently resting on the small of my back, while Griffin’s foot nudges mine beneath the table.
Onstage, the head of the college—President something-or-other; I forget—drags on about funding and alumni donations. The usual fluff. I tap my finger against the table, nerves building. I haven’t told the guys about what’s coming. I wanted it to be a surprise.
Of course, Ethan notices my fidgeting. He threads his fingers through mine and pulls my hand into his lap, grounding me with just a look.
“And now,” the president says, voice booming over the mic.
“I want to take a moment to acknowledge our talented players, without whom we would have no one to cheer on every weekend. The team we have amassed this year is spectacular, as our record demonstrates. However, there is one player in particular I would like to recognize. A new addition this year who has already made a significant impact. I’ll admit, I was skeptical when Coach Fitz selected this player for the team, but they have more than proved their worth in the short time they have been here.
” He lifts his hand, the champagne glass glinting beneath the sparkling lights of the chandelier.
“Please join me in recognizing the raw talent and gritty determination of one of our own. Not only has she inherited her father’s God-given talents, but she brings her own flair and hard work to the ice. Raise your glasses to Dylan Callahan.”
Silence swells.
Then the room erupts into hushed murmurs and wide-eyed stares.
Players, staff, and donors alike putting the pieces together. Connecting the dots.
Whispers of Patrick Callahan’s daughter float around the room.
The guys all look at me. Stunned.
“Did you know he was going to do that?” Jax leans in, his voice low. There’s an edge to it, like if I say no, he’s going to go over there and give the head of the college a piece of his mind—or his fist.
I reach over and squeeze his arm, nodding. “Bear told me. He asked what name I wanted him to use in his speech. I told him Callahan.”
“Why now?” Ethan asks, head tilted in curiosity.
“I always wanted to be known for my own accomplishments. To build a name without riding my dad’s coattails. But…I think I’ve done that. I might not have gotten into the NHL yet, but I’ve proven my worth. They all know what I’m capable of now.”
“Hell, yeah they do, baby.” Finn winks at me, his grin infectious .
“It feels right,” I continue. “To carry his name. To honor him.”
One by one, they reach out. Ethan squeezes my thigh. Finn grabs my hand. Jax leans his shoulder into mine, and Griffin’s gaze burns into me from across the table. Their support wraps around me like a second skin.
When the speeches end and the music starts, I’m pulled into their orbit.
We dance. Laugh. Spin beneath the soft golden light. I share a slow dance with each of them—Griffin’s hand possessive on my lower back, Ethan’s touch reverent, Jax pressing a kiss to my temple, Finn twirling me so fast that I fall into his arms, giggling.
With sore feet and a full bladder, I excuse myself to the bathroom.
Staring at myself in the mirror, my cheeks are flushed and my eyes dance.
The grief is still there, but it’s nothing like what it used to be.
I’m…happy. I’m…a girl in love. A girl who has the world at her feet.
And four strong men to see through every challenge with, every win, every loss.
Four men who have my back…no matter what is thrown at us.
With a smile on my face, I head back toward the ballroom.
Thick, muscular, familiar arms grab me around the waist, sweeping me off my feet and pulling me into the shadows.
My back hits the wall, and I barely have the chance to take a breath before Finn’s lips crash into mine, hungry and urgent, like he’s been waiting all night for this.
I clutch his jacket, melting into his kiss.
“You in that dress, Hellion,” he groans against my lips, like a man dying. “Trouble with a capital T.”
“You’re going to smear my lipstick,” I chastise, but there’s no heat behind it. I’d readily fix my lipstick a hundred times if it means his lips are on mine.
“Maybe that would matter if there was any chance you’d be making it back to the party.” A new voice joins us, dark like chocolate as Jax comes into view beside Finn. “I see you started the real party early,” he directs at Finn.
Unapologetic, Finn simply shrugs. “Couldn’t help it.”
Two sets of searing hot eyes bore into me.
“Mm.” The sound rumbles through Jax’s chest. They are both so close that I can feel the heat coming off them in waves.
The chemistry between us crackles in the air, and my breaths are shallow, my nipples peeking through the thin fabric of my dress.
Jax reaches up to brush his thumb over my swollen lips. “Can’t say I blame you.”
I flick my tongue over his skin, and another rumble vibrates through him.
“Unless you want to get fucked in a hotel corridor, Menace, you better put that tongue away.”
It’s a warning and a promise, and the thought of anyone walking in and seeing us only sends my pulse skittering higher. He must see what his threat does to me, as his fingers slide down my arm before linking with mine and he tugs me away from the wall.
His voice is deeper, thicker, when he rasps, “Message the others. We’re leaving now.”
Without waiting for Finn’s confirmation, he drags me down the corridor and out of the hotel without bothering to say goodbye to anyone.
The car journey home is unbearable and seems to last a lifetime. Tension fizzles in the air, hot and heady. Hands are everywhere, and I can feel Ethan’s gaze like a lightning rod on me through the rearview mirror.
By the time we get home, we barely make it through the front door before they are on me, like birds of prey descending on their dinner.
“You’ve ruined me in this dress,” Griffin growls into my neck. “All I’ve been able to think about all night is bending you over the nearest flat surface and taking you in it.”
“You and me both,” Finn mutters, nibbling my ear.
They share a look, heat flashing in their eyes, possession, need, before Griffin whisks me over to the sofa. I’m bent over the armrest, my ass in the air as he lifts my dress and kicks my legs apart.
Groans go up from all of them when they discover the strip of red lace I’m wearing underneath.
“Did you wear this just for us, Little Menace?” Jax purrs, fingering the edge of my thong.
“Yes.”
“Such a dirty girl.” His words are a praise that heats my blood. He squeezes my ass before coming to kneel at the edge of the sofa beside me. “You wanted us to fuck you, didn’t you?”
The words are stolen from my lips when Griffin drags the scrap of fabric down my legs, baring me to him. “So wet already,” he coos, his hands gliding over my bare skin. His fingers slip between my slick folds, and I shiver.
With his pants unbuckled, and hair disheveled, like he’s spent all night running his fingers through it to stop himself from reaching for me instead, Finn moves to kneel in front of me.
He kisses me slow and deep, and I groan into his mouth as Griffin’s fingers slide inside me.
I feel Ethan and Jax’s hands on my skin, the four of them setting me alight.
I gasp into Finn’s mouth when Griffin pushes into me from behind, groans falling from our lips.
“Think you can take more, baby,” Finn asks, his words caked in need and darkness.
“Please.”
Leaning back on his heels, he takes his cock out of his pants. I flick my tongue out, swiping it over the tip and smirking when he shivers at the simple touch. “Fuck, Hellion. I’m not going to last long in that mouth of yours.”
Parting my lips, he slides into my mouth, and I fall into the heady pleasure of the two of them taking me, the feel of Ethan’s hands on my skin, Jax’s encouraging, filthy words in my ears.
The three of us come together in a symphony of moans and grunts and ecstasy. I’m still catching my breath when Ethan hauls me up. My legs are shaking, but he holds me close as Jax steps up to my back. His fingers trail over my skin as he lowers the zipper of my dress.
“While these Neanderthals wanted to fuck you in this, all I’ve wanted is to strip it off you,” he whispers seductively in my ear.
He peels the fabric down slowly, reverently, kissing his way down my back until it falls into a puddle at my feet.
Then they switch places. Jax takes me into my arms while Ethan falls to his knees at my feet.
With care, he unbuckles the straps of my heels, slipping them off my feet one at a time.
“Mmm,” he groans, lifting his head and licking his lips. “I can smell you from here.”
My cheeks pink. Griffin’s cum coats my inner thighs, but Ethan doesn’t seem to care as he pushes my legs apart and buries his face in my apex. I cry out as he swipes his tongue between my folds, flicking it over my sensitive clit. He moans into me.
While Jax’s hands are a vise around my waist, Finn stalks over, his pants still undone and cock already growing hard once more. Bending at the waist, he takes a pert nipple into his mouth, sucking on the flesh until I’m arching into him, my hips bucking against Ethan’s face.
“That’s it, Little Steelhawk,” Griffin encourages, joining us. “Be a good girl and come for Ethan.”
My body reacts on impulse to the command, and I come with a cry. Boneless, Jax collapses onto the sofa, bringing me with him so I’m straddling him backward. His erect cock prods at my entrance, before he pulls me down with a firm grip on my hips.
I groan as he fills me, the aftershocks of my previous orgasms still skittering through me and heightening every sense.
“Think you can take both of us?” Jax’s voice is strained, his breathing heavy as he fucks into me. I blink my eyes open, finding Ethan standing in front of us, fisting his hard cock. Images of when Griffin and Jax shared me flash before my eyes, and I nod, eager.
“Such a good girl for us,” Ethan praises, leaning forward to tug at my lip with his thumb.
“A filthy dirty girl,” Griffin adds.
Ethan hums his agreement.
“Yeah, but she’s all ours.” Finn flashes a possessive grin, his freckles glinting beneath the lights in the room.
“Damn straight, she is,” Ethan agrees. “Our girl.”
“Ours,” the others repeat.
Jax shifts with me on his lap so we’re sideways on the sofa. “Can’t wait to take this tight little ass of yours, Menace. Been dreaming about it since Griffin had you.”
He shifts me on his lap, lifting me so he can slip out, and instead pushes his tip against my back hole. I force myself to breathe, to relax, but Ethan is there, in front of me, his cock sliding into my soaking wet pussy and his fingers playing with my clit.
They both fill me, and it’s as foreign and intoxicating as it was before.
Pressure on my chin has me opening my eyes. Griffin has a hold of me, his eyes alight with shadows and desire. “Think you can take two more, Hurricane?”
I nod, and amongst the pleasure inflicted by Ethan and Jax, I wind up with my hand around Finn’s cock while Griffin fists the back of my hair and drives his dick into my mouth. It’s filthy. It’s hot. It’s mesmerizing. It’s a joining and a fragmenting all at once.
We collide.
Four big, strong hockey players and the girl who made the ice her kingdom—and claimed them as hers.