Page 50 of Three Hockey Hotties

I freeze.

Not only because Kane’s touch flips my stomach upside down but because Karina and Patsy are watching us with naked curiosity.

“Oh, you’ve spoken to Abby?” Karina asks. There’s an edge to her voice.

“Of course. She’s my girlfriend,” Kane says. He leans over and kisses me on the temple.

My entire work team seems to let out a collective gasp.

For a second, I’m actually offended. Is it so impossible to believe that a hockey player would want to date me?

“She never said a word,” Karina marvels.

I realize then it’s not meant as an insult to me. They would all be shouting it from the rooftops if they were in my shoes. Little do they know I just met Kane yesterday. He’s making it sound like we’ve been together for a while.

“Oh. My. God,” Rosie breathes. She’s a year younger than me and she seems a little star-struck.

“You make a delightful couple,” is Patsy’s opinion.

For once her words are spoken with crystal clarity.

I wonder how she can possibly conclude we make a good couple but I’m not going to question her on it.

“She didn’t want it to be any sort of conflict of interest.” Kane cocks his head when the coach roars his name from the other side of the rink. “Gotta go. Nice to meet you all. See you after practice, Lollipop.” He runs his finger down my forearm and then skates away.

“Lollipop?” Thomas asks, with a wide grin.

“It’s a nickname,” I say, pointing out the obvious. I’m just not sure what else to say in a moment like this. I’m not even exactly sure where the nickname came from, but I can take a stab in the dark.

Lickable is the word that comes to mind.

Kane thinks I’m lickable.

I really want that to happen.

But I’m still very unsure how a relationship—or even just sex— with these men could actually work in reality.

“Here comes another one,” Rosie comments, smoothing her hand down over her braids and discreetly pointing to the right.

It’s Dash.

He’s going to say something as well. I know it. He can’t let Kane publicly stake a claim without also staking his own. They don’t seem to be jealous of each other. They just aren’t going to let the other get a leg up on them.

It’s incredibly hot and flattering.

When I’m not standing with my boss.

Now I’m just holding my breath and praying I get through this without melting into a puddle on the ice.

Or getting fired.

I widen my eyes and shake my head ever so slightly when Dash skates up to us.

I hope he gets the message that he needs to play it cool. Or at least cooler than Kane did.

Karina would suddenly decide this is a conflict of interest if I’m dating two players. Or just messy. While I doubt she would actually fire me, she might remove me from the team for this event, and I would be devastated if she did.

Dash smiles at me. It’s a slow, subtle, devastating smile, where the corner of his mouth lifts as his eyebrows go up and down.