1. One

One

Ollie

" I s everything ready for the hockey dudes?" Maddie asked as she approached me behind the counter in the cosy entrance hall. Her large red poodle, who followed her like a shadow, trotted over to get scratches. I hadn't been over the moon over the idea of having a dog on the estate—the dirt, barking, and poop!—but it was impossible not to fall in love with Madigan.

"We are ready, boss." Winking at her, I bent over to pat the dog's head.

"You know I don't like—"

"When I call you boss, but you are, Mrs Hall." I straightened up, winking at her as I righted my jacket. Maddie knew I was just teasing. She had taken the position at Lone Fox Distillery only a few months ago, and was doing an amazing job.

Why not call her my boss if that's what she is?

She bit her lip to stifle a grin. "God, this will never get old."

Before I could answer, a bus pulled up in front of our restaurant.

Let the games begin.

A man in his late forties exited it, followed by about two dozen hunky guys. They crowded around the guy who I supposed was their coach, then marched over to the guest house.

"I'll take Madigan to Fitz. I'll be back soon!" Slapping a hand to her thigh, she led the dog out of the foyer to the back door. And I braced myself for the oncoming flood of beefy men.

"Hello and welcome to Lone Fox Distillery. My name is Oliver Bright. I am the manager, and here to assist you in any way possible," I greeted them, a professional smile on my face.

"Hello, my name is Eduard Jerke." Oh . I'd wondered how to pronounce his name properly. Yer-kay. Glad to know it wasn't Jerky, and that I hadn't addressed him first.

"It's our pleasure, sir, to welcome you and the Veitsreuth Pumas at Hall estate. We hope you will enjoy your stay with us."

"Oh, we will." An American guy with tousled dark hair, who stood beside his coach, smiled at me. "Nate Decker, good to meet you." He held out a broad hand for me to shake.

"And you, Mr Decker."

"Just call me Decks, everybody does."

"Liar. Vee calls you frat boy, doesn't he?" They all laughed, even the good looking American before me. I turned my head to see who had spoken, and my gaze landed on…

Wow .

A green-skinned Mount Everest of a man with the thickest biceps I had ever seen, long blond hair, and a brutish but attractive face approached the counter.

"Hi, I'm Bo." Grinning widely and exposing bright white fangs. He held out his massive hand, and I shook it automatically.

"Ollie," I replied, completely fucking stunned.

Bo August Persson. I'd learned all their names by heart but hadn't expected…this gorgeous specimen.

"Right." Trying to clear my head, I reached for the list I'd printed out. This, too, I knew by heart, but I couldn't afford to make mistakes.

I was halfway through handing out the keys when it was Decks' turn. They all thanked me, trotted out to grab their bags the bus driver had unloaded in the meantime, then made their way upstairs.

Mister Jerky has his boys well trained.

Bo Persson was one of the last to collect his key.

"Thank you, Ollie," he rumbled with a smile on his bloody perfect lips. It surely was illegal in at least fifty countries on the planet to be this stunning.

When he returned, everyone else had left already. Bo slowly made his way over to the counter, leaned against it, and looked out of one of the tall windows framed with green velvet curtains.

"It's really pretty here," he said. His English was almost perfect, with the cutest tiny Scandinavian lilt.

So rude.

In my thirty-two years, I'd never caught feelings like that before. Instantaneous. Intense. Igniting. This was much more Noah's style than mine, and yet I stared at this Scandinavian hockey god like a darned teenager.

"It is." But bloody hell if you aren't the prettiest thing around here. I gave him a hopefully professional smile.

"We have a few days off during our camp. I can't wait to explore the area."

The area? Like, my bed?

"If you need an overview of POIs, maps, or any information, I'll be delighted to help you."

"POIs?" He cocked his eyebrows at me.

"Points of interest," I explained.

"Oh yes, I'm definitely interested in detailed information on the points of interest." His eyes dragged down my body, and he had the audacity to bite his lip. "Thank you, Ollie." With a tiny wink, he pushed away from the counter, took his bag in hand, and left for the stairs.