3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Emily
“Big Daddy’s going away for the night.” I slid the overstuffed folder under the end table and curled up on the couch next to Bash.
His eyes darkened, a smirk curling his beautiful mouth. “I have another Big Daddy you could—”
I swatted at him and reached for my water, laughing as he nipped my neck.
We lucked out that our second-choice venue was available, but the stress surrounding the wedding was growing every day and I needed a break. I needed my two men and my best friend.
Right on cue, Mac opened the door, stepping aside for Roxie to enter. Both were loaded down with cartons of food. And both motioned for the two of us to stay seated.
“You’re always cooking for everyone. Let me have a turn.” Roxie set her load on the counter and wagged her finger at Bash when he tried to help. “Sit.”
Mac’s mouth ticked up in a delicious smile as he watched Bash get scolded—and take the scolding like a champ. If it was one of us telling him what to do, there’d be a lot more grumbling—and a hundred percent more spanking—than Roxie was getting.
I locked eyes with Mac, and his smile turned feral. Heat flooded my body and for the briefest second, I wondered how rude it would be to ask Roxie to come back in like an hour.
Who was I kidding? It wouldn’t take an hour. We were in a schedule-induced slump and could probably bust out a quick session in the bathroom. I pressed my legs together and Mac’s grin widened.
He knew exactly what I was thinking.
I walked the long way around the kitchen and grabbed the plates out of the cupboard before he could sneak up.
If he touched me at that moment, I couldn’t be strong.
He looked fresh and revitalized from being out on the ice. His blonde curls were slicked back, still damp from the shower, like he toweled off, jammed himself into his clothes, and rushed home.
But where he was rejuvenated, I was tired from running around filming and interviewing at the same arena.
Tired and proud.
I was so unbelievably proud of our team for making it all the way. After a whirlwind season that took me on more rollercoasters than I thought hockey could ever take me, they made it to the finals. With only two games to go, our life revolved around hockey.
Hockey and wedding planning.
It might have been easier if we worked at three different places and sometimes, I dreamed about what it would be like to have a job somewhere else, but I loved working with Mac and Bash and I was finally at a point where I could say I loved being the Evergreens’ social media manager.
When I first joined the team, I had no idea what I was doing, and it was hard convincing all the guys to get on board with the latest trends. A few of them butted heads with me from day one, questioning every dance, every lip sync, every quirky transition. But they eventually came around, thanks to Mac. He played a huge part in rallying the troops and I was so thankful for that as we headed into the last part of the season.
After seeing the success of going viral a few times, Coach Locke came up with a rigorous posting schedule that had me recording nearly every practice, every match, every team meal, and even a couple of birthday parties. Roman helped to get the rest of the team on board and kept them there despite the added work. We built a solid following in a short amount of time and Julie, Coach Locke’s wife and my boss, predicted we would sell out the arena
We were in Vancouver, but Washington instead of Canada. Selling hockey to this area was hard at first, but next year would have a lot of new fans thanks to the following I had built. We were doing so well, we were bolstering Vancouver’s AA league team, the Instigators. They were an older team than us but hadn’t thought of doing too much PR until the Evergreens started building momentum.
They made it to their finals as well, and for the first time in my life, Vancouver was flooded with hockey watch parties and celebrations.
So even though sometimes I contemplated what would happen if I found another job, I was happy where I was.
Finals would be over before I knew it and we would have a big chunk of vacation before the wedding. Most jobs wouldn’t be that flexible and I was grateful for that time. Practically salivating at the thought of it.
Or maybe at the scent of Roxie’s food.
I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply. A whiff of curry swirled around me and I groaned. “I’m starving.”
“Me too,” Mac breathed against my neck.
I whirled around, caught up in an even more appealing scent of body wash and clean sweat that consumed my thoughts. He had snuck up on me in the briefest second, apparently not at all worn out from practice.
“Coach should’ve worked you harder,” I grumbled as he took the plates from me and kissed my cheek.
The kiss on the cheek told me everything I needed to know, and I shared a secret smile with Bash. Mac hadn’t kissed him on the lips either, and I knew I was right.
He was barely holding it together better than I was. A kiss on the lips and he would’ve hauled me—or Bash—or both of us—over his shoulder and I wasn’t sure he would feel a single bit of guilt about leaving Roxie out here to eat on her own.
“Let’s get this dished up.” Roxie opened the first container and the spicy curry aroma filled the kitchen even stronger.
Mac moaned and passed the plates out as Bash handed me the silverware.
Within minutes, our plates were overflowing, and we dug in, barely coming up for air in between bites.
“Now that your bellies are fully, how did wedding planning go today?”
The three of us groaned and Roxie threw her hands up. “That bad? Again?”
“The venue was double-booked. How does that even happen?” Mac shook his head and slid his foot to mine.
The simple gesture sent heat through my body and I imagined crawling under the table and wiggling him out of the dark green joggers hiding his cock from me. He wouldn’t be so cool and collected if I slid his pants down and put my mouth over him.
I smirked at the thought of him jumping from the surprise, and he caught my look. Tilting his head, he mouthed, Are you okay? I coughed and drank the rest of my water. Anything to cool me off.
Our first few months had been endless passion, and that hadn’t died out, but our schedules were not being kind to our sex life. With wedding planning, playoffs, finals, creating videos, and making meals to Coach Locke’s standards—Sebastian—we were stretched too thin.
Tonight, though.
I couldn’t go another night without one—preferably both—of them inside me.
You’d think living in the same house, sleeping in the same bed, waking up in a sweaty tangle of limbs would lead to a lot more sex, but it had been—I counted back and sighed. It had been two weeks since we had anything more than a brief session in the shower. I was crawling out of my skin over the shortest dry spell of my life.
And it wasn’t even technically a dry spell, but it wasn’t enough. I was greedy and needy and tired of waiting.
Bash was filling Roxie in on the change in the venue as I regained my composure. I’m sure she would have understood if I snuck off to the bathroom with Mac, but she had obviously put a lot into this meal and I was insatiable, but I wasn’t an awful friend. I could keep it in my pants until she left. Not a moment longer, though.
“Well, shit. I’m glad the other place turned out. Here’s to a smooth summer with no more hitches. Just getting hitched.” She held up her glass, and we toasted, enthusiastically repeating her.
“That was incredible, Roxie.” Bash sopped up the remaining red sauce on his plate with the last bite of naan and ate it while I shamelessly watched his perfect mouth move.
The four of us settled into an easy conversation as Bash passed out rice pudding for dessert. I dove in, but was no match for Mac’s speed. He had a bowl finished before I was even halfway through.
He caught me staring and froze.
“I’m burning calories like crazy with all the training and back-to-back games,” he said, his mouth twisting into a sheepish smile that tugged at my heart.
There was so much love in the room that I fought the urge to cry. These were my men. And I had the world’s best friend. I was lucky.
And I was tired.
I hid a yawn, but the energy of the yawn had to go somewhere, and Roxie captured it.
“I have to get up early tomorrow, guys.” Roxie got to her feet, but Bash blocked her from the kitchen.
“I’ll have those containers washed and back to you tomorrow.”
“You’re such a doll.” She patted his cheek, and he blushed, too shy to grumble at the compliment.
I smirked and shared a look with Mac. “Thanks, Roxie. That was—” I patted my stomach and yawned.
“The best compliment,” she said, winking as she grabbed the doorknob. “Get some sleep. The three of you look exhausted.” She stopped and studied Mac. “I take that back. Two of you look exhausted.”
“I’m running on fumes,” Mac said, laughing. “As soon as my head hits the pillow, lights out for me.”
I frowned, and he smoothed my forehead with his thumb. A move that did absolutely nothing to cool me down.
We watched Roxie get into her car and waved until she turned onto the next street.
As soon as the door shut behind us, I grasped Mac’s hand and leaned against Bash. “I have needs.”
“Shamelessly asking for dick?” Mac grinned.
“Yes.” I yawned. “We need to make it quick, though.”
Bash matched my yawn, his eyes watering. He scrubbed his face with his palm and shook his head. “I think we need sleep.”
“I need both of you ,” Mac said, the ache in his voice ripping through my chest.
“She can’t keep her eyes open and you need to get as much rest as you can.” Bash’s stern voice reverberated through me and I clutched his shirt.
“Please?”
“Em—” He hesitated, and I knew I found a weak spot.
I slid my hand up his shirt, feeling his hot, hard abs. His muscles tightened at my touch and I skimmed upwards, finding the firm peak of his nipple.
He moaned and leaned closer. Mac closed in on his other side and slipped his hand up to mine. Bash closed his eyes and leaned against the doorframe.
And I thought we had him.
I pressed my legs together, doing my best to relieve the ache. Mac watched me, his eyes hungry. He shifted, moving his hand, but he only made it to the hem of my shirt before Bash’s eyes flew open.
“You two need to go to sleep.” The firmness in his voice left no room for argument, but I had to push.
“No. I can stay awa—” A yawn tore through me, stealing my words.
Bash kissed the top of my head and warmth flooded my face, gluing my eyes shut tight.
“Maybe we’ll wake up early. I’ll ravage both of you before you’ve even had breakfast,” Mac promised.
But we didn’t.
I slept through my alarm and woke up to Mac kissing me. “I’ve got to get to the arena. See you when you get there. I love you, Pink.”
I reached for him, but he was gone by the time I sat up.