6. Britt

Britt

six

The last of the hockey players leave the arena, all except Teagan, Fin, Royal, and Coulter. I roll my eyes, imagining what could be taking the four of them so long, already knowing the answer. One of the ice girls rushes by, and I realize it's Gemma. From what I've seen, she seems nice—unlike Tiffany.

Since I'll be waiting for who knows how long for Teagan to finish whatever they're doing in the locker room, now's my chance to talk to Gemma about being featured in our campaign. I might as well get some work done while I'm waiting on my friend. I never should have agreed to go to the new sports bar, Valhalla, with her tonight. She obviously has her hands full, literally and figuratively.

"Hey, Gemma, isn't it?" I call to the petite blonde gripping her duffle bag close to her body.

She comes to an abrupt halt, jerking her head in my direction. Her eyes are round with surprise. A hint of caution lurks in their depths. "Yeah, I mean, yes, I'm Gemma." She squeezes the duffle bag closer to her body.

I take a cautious step toward her, not wanting to make any sudden movements. I'm not sure what's gotten her so spooked, but I don't want to cause her any more stress. "I'm Britt. I'm in charge of social media for the Minnesota Norse. Mr. Hayes wants me to interview a few of the Valkyrie for publicity. I was wondering if you would be interested."

"I-I don't know."

"How about this? Teagan and I are going out for drinks at the new sports bar. Why don't you join us?" I can tell by the hopeful look in her eyes that she wants to say yes, but something is holding her back, so I add, "It's on Teagan. She just signed a multimillion-dollar deal with an athletic wear company." I try to make my smile as welcoming as I can.

Gemma scans the arena as if looking for someone before finally saying, "As long as you're sure Teagan will be okay with me tagging along."

"Of course, I'm fine with you tagging along."

Gemma and I both jump at the sound of Teagan's voice.

"Where in the hell did you come from?" I say, my pulse racing from the shock of her appearing out of nowhere like a ninja. She's always been the stealthy one, but this was a little unnerving how close she got before either one of us noticed her.

Gemma looks worse than I feel, with her blue eyes blinking back the shock of coming face to face with a stealthy Teagan.

"What? You know I have to be sneaky, especially living with my three brothers for all those years. Pretty soon, you'll be just as sneaky now that you live with them." Teagan nods in my direction.

Her words cause me to think about creeping into her brothers' rooms while they're sleeping and waking each one up with my mouth on their cocks. The thought causes my panties to dampen.

"You still scared us to death." I shift my eyes to Gemma, who's silently watching our conversation.

Teagan's eyes follow mine to Gemma. "Sorry." She apologizes, holding out her hand to introduce herself. "I'm Teagan. I didn't mean to scare you."

Gemma takes the offered hand, shaking it up and down before releasing it. "I'm Gemma. Nice to meet you."

"Sorry, I'm late." Teagan gives me a sheepish grin. "We, ah, kind of lost track of time in the shower." A rare blush creeps up Teagan's chest and into her cheeks as her eyes shift to her three boyfriends across the ice waving goodbye to her.

I raise an eyebrow at her.

"What? You know how much I love locker room showers." A huge smile breaks across her face as she waves to Fin, Royal, and Coulter.

"So, it's true. You're dating all three of them," Gemma says. The sound of awe in her voice isn't lost on Teagan.

"Yup. Why don't I tell you all about it at the bar." Teagan links one arm through Gemma's and one through mine as we stroll to the parking lot.

It's a short drive to the bar. We probably could have walked, but Teagan wanted to show us her new purple Jeep. Most rookie athletes spend outrageous amounts of money on an expensive luxury car after they sign their pro contract, but not Teagan and her guys. They stuck to the more durable trucks and, of course, Teagan's Jeep.

The bar is busier than I expected for a Tuesday night. Luckily, we find a larger high-top table in the back of the room, which seems to be quieter than the rest of the bar.

"Finally, a girls' night out." Teagan signals for the server, ordering four different kinds of appetizers and three ice waters. Ice water for them because they're both in training and ice water for me since I don't drink alcohol.

We make small talk as we wait for our food and drinks to arrive. Gemma gives limited information about herself, so we don't press her for more. Our food and drinks arrive, and instead of diving into the cheeseballs like she normally does, Teagan glances over my shoulder.

"What are you guys doing here?"

I follow Teagan's gaze, turning my head to look behind me.

Torin, Talen, and Tarek approach our table as stealthy as Teagan was in the arena. They come to a stop, positioning themselves behind me.

"Fin told us about the bar. We thought we'd check it out." Tarek leans down, grazing my shoulder with his arm as he sets his drink on the table.

His breath caresses my cheek with his answer. I hold back a shiver from his closeness as a flood of moisture destroys my panties. This is a common occurrence now that I'm living and working with my crushes.

It's supposed to be girls' night out, but I wouldn't put it past Fin, Royal, and Coulter to show up, making sure to keep guys away from Teagan. But I never expected Torin, Talen, and Tarek to show up, too.

Before I can finish my thought, Fin, Royal, and Coulter appear behind Teagan like clockwork, each taking turns kissing her cheek. I look away, not wanting to get caught staring at their show of public affection.

I hate that I'm jealous of my best friend's happiness. It must be being so close to my crushes that's making me testy today. I sigh, wishing I had done things differently that fateful night, but it's too late now.

"Is everything okay, Britt?"

I jump at the sound of Colt's voice.

Damn, the whole Hayes family should be trained assassins instead of hockey players. My head swings to Colt, finding him standing behind Gemma, with his two business partners, Mr. Thorson and Mr. James, flanking his sides.

"Everything's fine," I squeak out, feeling the heat of Torin's, Talen's, and Tarek's bodies on my back.

Colt wrinkles his brow and inhales sharply, his eyes darting behind Teagan.

"Why do you all smell like Teagan?"

Gemma chokes on the water she was sipping as Tarek says, "I know! Let me answer that one for you."

"Put your hand down, Tarek, and get your mind out of the gutter," Torin hisses, and I fight the urge to giggle at their banter.

"What? Uncle Colt asked. I was just trying to be polite and answer him."

I take a peek at Colt standing behind Gemma. He looks concerned as he watches her regain her normal breathing. My eyes shift to his two business partners, and they both have the same concerned look on their faces.

"Stop worrying about who smells like me." Teagan slaps at Tarek's still-up-stretched arm. "We need to find Gemma and Britt some hot guys for the night."

Our private circle erupts in a chorus of angry growls, and my heart drops when I realize all the guys except Royal, Fin, and Coulter want Gemma. Why else would they all respond to Teagan's words like that?

I blink back the tears. I knew that this day would come. The day Torin, Talen, and Tarek would find someone who would be a part of our little circle of friends—having to watch as they attend all their hockey games and family functions. I'll become an outsider, slowly slipping into the background. The worst part is I really like Gemma. I think the two of us could have become great friends.

Of course, all the guys would want Gemma, with her long blonde hair, blue eyes, and curvy body; who wouldn't want her? And, of course, she will fall for Torin, Talen, or Tarek. Or heaven forbid she falls for all of them as I did. Maybe she will be strong enough to hold on to all of them and not hide behind a mask.

"Whoa, back down. What's gotten into the six of you?" I follow Teagan's eyes as they move from Colt to Mr. James to Mr. Thorson to Torin, Talen, and finally Tarek.

"Nothing," one of them replies, but I'm lost in my own little self-pity party to care which one.

I lift my glass of ice water to my lips, trying to rinse the sour taste of jealousy out of my mouth, when Teagan grabs my arm, causing some of the water from the glass to splash out and soak through my top.

"Let's dance." Teagan reaches for Gemma's arm and pulls us both to the dance floor, leaving the guys behind at the table.

The music changes from a fast, upbeat tune to a slow, sultry song.

"Alright, new girl, show us your moves." Teagan bumps her hip into Gemma's in a playful manner, causing a genuine smile to cross Gemma's face.

"Okay, but you have to follow my lead." Gemma starts to sway her hips from side to side, letting the music wash over her.

She lifts her hands, placing them under her hair and letting it fall against her back like a lover's caress. She closes her eyes and throws her head back, almost like she's in the throes of passion.

I'm so captivated by her sensual dance that I miss Teagan's almost identical movements. There is no way I can come close to dancing like them, but I give it my best shot, letting the music take control.

My eyes drift shut, and my mind takes me back to that night with Torin, Talen, and Tarek. I imagine it's their hands running up and down my body instead of my own.

A pair of strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling my ass against a hard cock. "You're so fucking hot. I bet I could fuck you right here on the dance floor, and you'd let me," a voice I don't recognize whispers against my ear.

Before I have a chance to register what's happening, his arms are ripped away from my body and he's being thrown across the dance floor by Talen, who's flanked by an angry Torin and Tarek.

"Did those fuckers hurt you guys?" I hear Royal say, causing me to turn to look at Teagan and Gemma. Royal, Fin, and Coulter circled around Teagan, and Colt, Jensen, and Beck circled around Gemma.

"No, we're fine. They were just some creeps who thought that because we were dancing sexy, we were free game." The fire in Teagan's eyes matches her tone.

"I think it's time to call it a night," Colt says, his gaze never leaving Gemma. "We'll give Gemma a ride home."

Jensen and Beck grunt their agreement as they follow Colt and Gemma out of the bar. Colt, with his hand in the middle of Gemma's back, guides her outside. Almost like he did to me earlier today; the only difference is Colt's hand barely made contact with my back while his hand possessively touches the middle of Gemma's back.

"We got Teagan." Fin tucks Teagan under his arm and guides her outside while Coulter and Royal follow close behind.

It's nice to see this side of Teagan, the side that lets her men take care of her instead of thinking she has to take care of herself.

The jealousy hits me hard, and I'm ashamed of myself. To make matters worse, Tarek declares that since we live together, they're taking me home. Instead of feeling a loving arm around my shoulders or a possessive hand on my back, I'm left with no human contact, surrounded by three guys who only think of me as a little sister. Reluctantly, I leave the bar with them, foolishly wishing for something I can't have.