Puck One Night Stands: a grumpy-sunshine, best friend’s brother hockey rom com (Chicago Racketeers Book 1)

My office. 2pm today. Be there.

THE UNEXPECTED TEXT had arrived just ten minutes before two from Nathan. I knock on the door at the designated time, curious what’s on our team owner’s mind. Armstrong is an efficient guy, but this is cryptic and clipped even for him.

“Come in,” Nathan barks out, sounding more like a drill sergeant than a businessman.

The minute I open the door and spot McNeill in a chair with his hands laced behind his head, I realize exactly what—or rather, who— is the reason for this unexpected meeting.

Dani.

This should be interesting.

“Hey, Doc, what’s up?” Crew asks me, flashing his dimples. “You got the summons too, huh?”

“Crew.” I nod. I look at Nathan, who is standing behind his desk, his hands jammed deep into his suit pants pockets. His expression is stormy, determined.

“Yes, I did. Nathan, what’s going on?”

“Danielle spent the night with me last night.”

Okay, then. Definitely not a meeting about hockey.

And for having spent the night with sexy little Dani, he doesn’t exactly look relaxed with a post-sex satisfied smirk. He looks wound even tighter than ever.

Armstrong has it even worse than I thought. The man’s jealousy is off the fucking charts right now. I almost feel sorry for him. He looks like he’s forming an ulcer right in front of our eyes.

“Is that what this is about?” Crew asks, sounding astonished as he drops his hands. He tugs on the strings of his Racketeers hoodie. “You already told me that this morning. Good for you, bro. I hope you had fun.” He shrugs.

My thoughts exactly. Who Dani has sex with isn’t really any of my business unless it’s with me, which it will be soon. She’s obviously enjoying all this sudden male attention and given her choice of reading material, she has a sexy side that she wants to explore. I just can’t get the visual out of my head of going down on my knees in front of her and eating that sweet little pussy while her back is propped against a bookrack.

I spent an hour last night reading the romance novel she’d given me and I absolutely, one hundred percent, need to implement chapter twenty-two on her sexy little ass.

“It was…more than fun,” Nathan says stubbornly. “For both of us, damn it.”

I can’t help it. My eyebrows shoot up. Whoa, this is really out of character for Nathan. It sounds like he has feelings for Dani. Actual, legitimate feelings.

To be honest, I’m proud of the guy. He needs someone to come in and knock down one or two of his walls. It has to be lonely as hell to be this guy, with no family other than his grandfather. It would be great for Armstrong to have someone in his corner, caring about him and putting up with his grumpy attitude.

Crew grins. “Look, I need to hit the gym. If this is going to take any longer, tell me you at least ordered us some Panera. Isn’t that like standard meeting protocol? I wouldn’t say no to a cherry pastry right now.”

Nathan glares at him. “Is that some kind of sexual taunt? Talking about cherries? Are you trying to say you were actually there first because that’s not what Danielle told me.”

“What?” McNeill’s face reveals he is genuinely astonished. “No. Don’t get your dick in a wad. I just like pastries, Jesus. Who doesn’t like a cherry pastry?”

He looks to me for confirmation.

“I do love a cherry pastry,” I agree. “Though I prefer eclairs.”

I smile at the memory of watching Dani flick her tongue through the cream of an eclair. I clear my throat, shifting a little as my dick hardens. None of these guys have that visual. That’s my own private moment with Dani, and I’m not sharing it because I don’t need to brag and stake a claim on her the way these assholes do.

Crew nods in satisfaction and turns back to Nathan. “See? Doc agrees. Pastries rock. Nate, you don’t sound like you had fun last night at all. You seem like you were blue balled if I’m being totally honest with you.”

“I had a fucking amazing time,” Nathan snaps, pulling his hand out of his pocket and pointing a finger at first Crew then at me. “Danielle did not blue ball me. We had sex all night. Five times.”

Damn, he’s trying to prove his point hard. Maybe he has a girlfriend in Canada too. I’m fighting the urge to laugh. I do believe Nathan, but he sounds ridiculous and desperate. Which would make his head explode if he knew that.

“Do you want a round of applause?” Crew claps his hands in front of Nathan in a circle. “There you go. Can I go now?” He starts to stand up.

“Sit your ass down. I’ve been thinking about this all day.”

Of course, he had. If he’d seen Dani this morning with Crew, I’m stunned he waited this long to call us into his office.

“I’ve decided that I want to be with Danielle. That means the two of you need to back the fuck off.”

Is that so?

I could use Panera now too. I need coffee to navigate this alpha male mating crap. Nathan is wound tight and this conversation is now taxing my pretty impressive patience. He sounds like we’re fighting over a toy in the sandbox. And he’s the only one fighting.

“I don’t think you get to decide that, Nathan,” I say, determined to stay calm. Sometimes I wonder if the man even hears the shit that comes out of his mouth. “Dani is a grown woman. She makes her own decisions.”

“I took her out first,” he says. “You both moved too slow.”

“You licked her first so she’s yours?” Crew asks. “Or gave her a thigh hickey? Is that how it is?”

The way he says it makes me a little concerned where this is going. If I have to step in between these two, forget a cup of coffee. I’m heading straight to the pub around the corner.

“That’s how it is. Don’t touch her. The only one having sex with Danielle is me.” Nathan is glowering at us both.

Crew leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Well, damn, I wish I had known that was the rule before I fucked her this morning. Saw your little mark and added my own.”

And there it is.

I actually appreciate the guy’s willingness to put Armstrong in his place. A grin slips out before I can stop it.

What I don’t appreciate is that now Nathan has come around the side of his desk as if he’s going to take a swing at McNeill. His top player. Who’s damn near half his age.

Today is clearly a hard day in the life of a billionaire.

“McNeill,” Nathan growls.

“Sorry, not sorry,” Crew adds. “Guess Dani didn’t get the rules either because she eagerly pulled down those little panties for me.”

Nathan’s jaw drops. “You little shit.”

Crew looks left and right over his shoulder. “Who are you talking to?” he asks.

McNeill is truly a savant at irritating the hell out of Nathan. I’m starting to get concerned Armstrong might actually have a stroke.

“Now, just calm down,” I say, sticking my hand up in front of Nathan before he strangles Crew. “This needs to be discussed like rational adults.”

“Why? Did you fuck Danielle too?” Nathan looks at me in outrage.

Rubbing my chin, I sigh. “No. But if I had that is none of your business. It’s Dani’s business.”

“I want to be with her,” Nathan says.

“No one’s saying you can’t be. But you don’t get to decide who else is.” I clap Nathan on the shoulder and give it a reassuring squeeze. “I get it. You caught feelings. That’s understandable. She’s adorable.”

He flinches.

“But Dani picks who she dates and whether or not she wants to be exclusive,” Crew chimes in. “You don’t get to be all caveman and decide she’s only with you because you said so.”

“I’m the caveman?” Nathan scoffs.

“Yes. You’re the one trying to drag her off to your cave.”

“He’s not wrong,” I agree.

“What if she doesn’t want to be exclusive?” Nathan demands. “You’re both going to be okay with that?”

“Yes,” Crew says with zero hesitation. “I want what she wants. I want her to be happy. I intend to date her. Long term boyfriend-girlfriend stuff. I’ve been crazy about her for years. But I think right now she’s enjoying the attention and she deserves that. She deserves more sexual experiences. She deserves to feel special.”

Nathan snorts. “You’re a liar.”

I trust McNeill. He looks sincere. He’s an easy-going guy off the ice.

I need to back him up on this. “Crew is right. This is about Dani. Her pleasure, her happiness. She’s calling the shots. She can choose any of the three of us, or she doesn’t have to choose at all.”

“We’re just all supposed to date her around each other?” Nathan starts pacing back and forth. “No. No way. I’ll lose my mind if I have to sit at home picturing she’s out with one of you two or worse, at home with you.”

It’s a risk to say what I’m about to say.

But Dani is worth it.

“Or we could share her.” I let it drop like a missile out of a bomber jet. “Give her that option.”

“Bingo,” Crew says, sitting up straight. He points at me. “You’re a motherfucking genius Doc. I’m in. Completely.”

“Thanks, man.” We fist bump.

Nathan shakes his head. “I just told you I don’t want to do that. It will kill me to know she’s in bed with either of you.”

“By share, I mean share,” I say. “Sure, we’ll each have a little bit of alone time with her but mostly we’ll all be together.”

His face is still blank.

I spell it out. “Having sex with her at the same time. A foursome, where we all focus on her.” The very thought of our sweet little Dani all spread out naked for us to worship from tip to toe makes me hot and hard. I want this for her so fucking bad because she should be showered with attention.

Crew is nodding. He looks absolutely delighted. “Exactly.”

Nathan’s jaw is working but he seems to have been rendered speechless.

“Listen, there are only a few options here,”I point out. “A, we all walk away from her. B, we let her pick who she wants to date. C, we all casually date her separately. Or D. We share her, together.”

“Always pick option D,” Crew says with a smirk.

“What makes you think Danielle would want a foursome?” Nathan asks.

“Because she gave me her favorite spicy book to read and there’s a reason it’s her favorite, right?” I ask. “In the book this girl has guys coming at her from all directions. It’s a damn dickfest. Two and three guys at once. She’s taking it every way a woman can take it, and some I’m not even sure are actually possible, even though the heroine is a gymnast.” I’m going to have to read pages forty-three to forty-five again to confirm.

I have Nathan’s attention.

“Really?” he asks, and he sounds thoughtful, not furious.

“Yes. The point is, Dani loves this book. There is something about it that is appealing to her and while the plot is solid, I would assume it has more to do with the fact that the men all focus their attention on the female character. There is a heavy emphasis on double penetration.” For some random reason, I bring both my hands down into a karate chop facing each other, as if that’s a realistic visual aid. It isn’t.

Crew whistles. “The ladies love the DP. Been there, done that.”

“You have?” Nathan looks at Crew as if he thinks the younger guy is just screwing around.

“A few times for fun, but my last serious relationship was a threesome. Lasted six months. It was awesome. I’d absolutely do it again if Dani is in.”

I’m glad to hear McNeill has experience with at least a threesome. So do I, though it was only once and a number of years ago. At any rate, I’m willing to jump from three to four to give Dani everything she wants.

“She told me that she gets herself off thinking about being fucked by three guys,” Nathan says slowly.

I’m not surprised she’d say that given what she likes to read and write but Nathan clearly is. His brow is so furrowed there is no chance he’s getting Botox. The space between his eyes is like a map of the Grand Canyon right now.

“See?” I tell him. “She admitted it to you. Right out loud. She wants three men taking her to the next level.”

“I already took her to the next level,” he grumbles, starting to pace again, arms crossed over his chest.

“I’m sure that was great,” Crew says, moving closer to Nathan. “Every level feels amazing when you’re conquering it. But there’s always another level up a ladder or through a cave. Usually when you level up it comes with a treasure chest filled with coins.” He claps Nathan on each shoulder and gives him a shake. “Let Dani have the treasure chest and find gold, Nate.”

“We’ve got the keys to unlock the treasure chest for her,” I add. “She can’t do it herself.”

Nathan shakes off Crew and goes to the window and stares out.

Long moments tick by.

McNeill and I eye each other.

He shrugs. He opens his mouth like he’s going to pitch the idea again.

I hold up a hand to stop him, shaking my head.

Then suddenly Nathan turns. He squares his shoulders, and gives us a grim look.

“I’m in.”

Crew gives a whoop.

“You sure?” I ask him, not sold on his response. He looks more like he’s agreeing to a colonoscopy instead of group sex.

He nods curtly. “If this is what Danielle wants, I’m in. Don’t fucking ask me again.”

I hold my hands out to placate him. “Got it. So we all agree we’ll run this by Dani and let her decide what she wants?” I give them both a stern look. “With no one pressuring her.”

Crew already has his phone in his hand and is tapping out a text. He looks up at me, guilt all over his face. “What does that mean, specifically?”

“It means delete that text you’re writing.” I put my hands on my hips, determined if we’re going to present this idea to Dani we can’t overwhelm her with a bunch of egos competing for her attention. “Rule number one. Dani is the most important thing here, not you competing with Nathan or your dick or anything else.”

“I’m not a fan of rules,” Crew says, mildly. “But I get it. Focus on Dani. I totally agree.”

“The other important thing here is the Racketeers,” Nathan said. “I’m not suggesting you two sign an NDA, but you have to agree to keep any sort of arrangement we make with Danielle a secret. This won’t be good for the team or anyone’s career if it gets out publicly.”

I nod, because he’s right. “Of course. You have my word. We have to protect both Dani and the team.”

“Can you keep your mouth shut?” Nathan asks Crew.

McNeill nods. “I know you think I’m a fuck up, but hockey is my life. I love this sport and I love playing for the Racketeers. I would never do anything to jeopardize the team’s reputation or distract from the fact that we’re going to have an amazing season.”

Nathan looks reassured. “I respect that. I want a championship this year. That’s why you’re here and I expect you to make that happen.”

“I will,” Crew says, with a confidence that gives him an edge on the ice.

It’s also irritating off the ice.

“We’re all on the road tomorrow for the game in Texas,” I say. “Does anyone have plans with Dani tonight?”

Nathan and Crew both look at each other. Nathan is practically snarling. Crew has stiffened in his chair.

But he says, “No.”

Nathan relaxes. “I don’t either.” Though he looks like that admission cost him a huge chunk of his soul.

“Keep it that way. We can ask to see Dani together when we all get back in town. In the meantime, just stay cool. Keep talking to her the way you’ve been and don’t pressure her or get competitive.”

It’s completely pointless to say. These two can’t stop themselves. I wouldn’t be surprised if Crew actually sent the text he was composing. Or if Nathan calls Dani the second we step out of this office. But I don’t want this to descend into chaos where Dani is overwhelmed.

“Don’t make her regret this before it even starts,” I say.

They both give me nods.

But then Nathan says, “If we go forward with this, no one is touching my dick but Danielle. Just so we’re clear on that.”

I appreciate that he wants clarity. “No problem. Likewise, Armstrong. It’s smart that we talk through expectations beforehand.”

“I don’t care if either of you touches my dick,” Crew says. “It’s all about how you’re feeling in the moment. But I will respect your personal boundaries.”

“Then we all understand each other.”

Nathan looks like he doesn’t understand us, himself, or anything about this. It makes me appreciate how much he really likes Dani if he’s willing to subject himself to Crew on a regular basis.

“Can I go?” Crew asks, standing up. “I need to work out and go pick up the new suit I ordered. I look hot as fuck in silver.”

“Yes, you can go.”

Crew heads to the door and waves. The door slams shut behind him.

“I have regrets already,” Nathan says, rubbing his chest like he has heartburn.

I shrug. “Dani likes McNeill. They have friendship and a connection because of Luna. Either put up with him or bow out.”

“I’m not bowing out.” His voice is steely.

“Neither is McNeill,” I say mildly.

My phone buzzes.

I smile when I glance at the screen. It’s a text from Dani.

Hi! Would you want to read my latest scene before I upload it to Habanero?

I meet Nathan’s gaze. “I’m not bowing out either.”