7. Sydney

CHAPTER 7

SYDNEY

Saying yes to drinks with Tyler is seeming more and more like it was a bad idea.

It must have been my travel-addled brain that convinced me we could just keep things friendly. Because this date has been anything but.

I've been thinking nonstop about Selena's implication the other week that I wasn't opening myself up to love. I don't want to let things with Paul impact my future happiness, she's right. So when Tyler asked me out, I ignored the voice inside that shouted, "unprofessional!"

If a man this hot and nice asks you out, you say agree. But god, I was not expecting this instantaneous and easy chemistry.

I tune back into the conversation as Tyler leans in close, those chiseled features softened by his smile. He rests his warm hand on my knee, his piercing eyes sparkling with boyish charm.

"I've never met anyone like you, Sydney. You just...get me, y'know?"

My breath catches. The weight of his touch, the timbre of his voice, sends tingles racing up my thigh. I fight the urge to squirm.

"I feel the same way," I say honestly, pulse quickening as I meet his open gaze. "Like I can tell you anything." Anything except how badly I want to climb into your lap right now and grind against those rock-hard hockey thighs...

I mentally slap myself. I can't let my hormones hijack my brain, not when Tyler is being so real with me. Especially when it seems like he needs a friend more than a hookup.

But lord, the way he's looking at me, gaze dipping to my lips—is he feeling this too? This magnetic tug, this need simmering just under the surface?

I lick my lips, trying to corral my wild imagination. "So, um, you were saying? About the pre-game rituals?"

"Right, yeah." He blinks, shaking his head slightly as if emerging from a trance. "It's just, with all the pressure lately, I dunno...I'm in my head too much. Psyching myself out."

"That's understandable." I squeeze his hand, enjoying the solid warmth, the slight calluses. "You've got a lot on your plate. New starting position, your brother, figuring out...things..."

I trail off delicately, not wanting to put him on the spot about his sexuality or what's going on with DJ. He's never come out and said anything about it to me, but it's pretty obvious. Tyler seems to catch my meaning, swallowing hard.

"I just...I've never..." He huffs out a breath, shoulders sagging. "I don't know how to make sense of it all. What I'm feeling, what I want..."

His thumb strokes absently over my knuckles and I suppress a shiver, my skin tingling at the gentle touch. I know we're not talking about us— or are we ? I'm losing track of everything, consumed with the heat pooling low in my belly.

But I can't pounce on him when he's lost. Can't take advantage or risk scaring him off with my own selfish desires.

So I simply lean into him, resting my head on his broad shoulder, savoring the spicy scent of his cologne.

"You'll figure it out, Ty. I know you will. And I'll be right here while you do."

He lets out a shaky exhale and drops a kiss on my hair, his scruff grazing my temple. "Thanks, Syd. You're a good...friend."

Friend . I try not to wince at the word, reminding myself that maintaining boundaries is for the best.

"You have no idea how nice it is to just talk like this," he says, his hand grazing mine and sending traitorous electric tingles up my arm. "I can really open up to you, Syd."

My heart flutters at the huskiness in his voice, the emotion shining in those mesmerizing eyes. It would be so easy to throw professionalism to the wind and kiss him. But Tyler's struggling and I can't do that to him, not when it seems like he and DJ are on the verge of figuring out…something.

"So, tell me more about DJ," I say, trying to steer the conversation away from the two of us. "You guys seem really...close."

Tyler fidgets with his drink, suddenly tense. "Oh, uh, yeah...DJ's my bro, you know?" He looks away and forces a laugh. "God, I could tell you some insane stories about him."

Curiosity officially piqued . I raise an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

"I mean, the man is a fucking legend—literally. I'm talking like, hooked up with an entire cheerleading team. In the penalty box." He clears his throat, "Got caught by the janitor, all of them just…"

He trails off, a slight flush rising on his cheeks, and suddenly I wonder if we're imagining the same scene: a naked, muscular DJ surrounded by writhing bodies, sweat dripping on the ice...

My eyes lock with Tyler's and I see a flash of heated jealousy that takes me straight back to the confrontation in my office, to the palpable tension between the two men.

And just like that the scene in my mind shifts.

Now it's DJ and Tyler together, all hard muscles and hungry mouths as they give in to the explosive attraction that crackles between them. DJ pinning Tyler against the locker room wall, kissing him hard, big hands roaming possessively over all those sculpted contours...

I gulp my drink to cool my overheated brain.

Jesus, Syd! These are practically your patients. You cannot be fantasizing about them ripping each other's clothes off, no matter how insanely sexy that mental image is. Focus on being a supportive friend .

I take a steadying breath and meet Tyler's smoldering gaze. Damn, it should be illegal for a man to have eyes that knee-weakeningly blue .

"Well, it definitely sounds like you and DJ have an interesting relationship," I say, attempting a light chuckle.

"You could say that," he replies slowly. His fingers brush my knee under the table and I nearly combust on the spot. This charming, sensitive man is going to be the death of me. But oh, what a way to go...

We wrap up the evening and the cool night air hits my flushed skin as Tyler and I step out of the bar.

My body is still buzzing from his closeness all night, every accidental brush of his arm sending sparks through me. I can hardly breathe as he turns to face me, his deep blue eyes intense on mine.

He leans in, achingly slow. "I had a great time tonight, Syd."

His husky voice is barely above a whisper. My heart pounds wildly as his face draws nearer, those full, sensuous lips just inches from mine...

I can almost taste him already...

A jolt of panic suddenly clears the fog of lust. I jerk back, stumbling slightly in my heeled boots. "Tyler, wait. We can't..."

Hurt and confusion flash across his strong features. God, he's gorgeous, a marble statue come to life. But there are so many reasons why we can't do this. I'm his team's counselor, first and foremost. And I know that he needs to deal with whatever's going on between him and DJ.

Talk about unethical.

Never mind that he makes me weak in the knees.

"I...I'm sorry," I stammer, cheeks blazing. "I shouldn't have let things get this far. You're not technically my patient but still..."

I take another step back, needing distance before I change my mind and let my heart—and other areas—make my choices for me.

"No, I get it. My bad." He runs a hand through his tousled hair, flashing a self-deprecating smirk that doesn't reach his eyes. "You're just so damn beautiful, I got carried away."

"I should go," I blurt out. "Goodnight, Tyler." I spin on my heel and hurry around the corner to my car without looking back, pulse thundering in my ears.

Safe in the driver's seat, I sink back against the leather and squeeze my eyes shut, trying to steady my racing heart. But behind my eyelids, tantalizing images of Tyler and DJ dance through my mind.

Tyler's broad, muscular chest pressed against DJ's lean, tattooed torso. Their strong hands roaming demandingly over each other's bodies.

I imagine myself sandwiched between them, their calloused fingers gliding over my heated skin, tracing the curves of my breasts, my hips, my thighs. Soft lips and hot breath trailing kisses down my neck as they take turns tasting me.

A shiver races down my spine, and I suddenly have an almost unbearable urge to touch myself.

Glancing up at the rearview mirror, I confirm that Tyler's car is gone. I'm parked on a side street behind the bar, dark and residential. There's no one else around and all the buildings in the immediate vicinity are dark.

Perfect .

I'm not comfortable touching myself at home, not with Selena's room a thin wall away. I know just how thin, thanks to several late-night sleepovers she's had lately with Tinder guys.

What am I thinking?

I really shouldn't indulge these fantasies, not when I'm parked on a public street, where someone could see.

But the ache between my legs is insistent, demanding attention, and I know I won't find satisfaction at home. I glance around my dark surroundings, a dizzying sense of danger and excitement coursing through me.

Biting my lip, I slip a hand between my thighs, brushing over the damp lace of my panties. I stifle a gasp as my fingers find my sensitive clit.

Closing my eyes again, I lose myself in the delicious daydream of Tyler and DJ.

Tyler's deep, rumbling groans vibrating against my throat as he suckles my pulse point. DJ's wicked tongue flicking over my nipples before drawing one into his hot mouth.

Both of them whispering dirty promises of all the filthy things they want to do to me.

I rub desperate circles over my clit, hips rocking against my hand, chasing release.

In my mind, it's their fingers stroking me, Tyler's blunt and thick, DJ's long and clever, taking turns plunging into my wet heat. Their hard cocks prodding against my thighs, aching to be buried inside me... each wanting to claim me as their own.

I imagine them fighting over who is allowed to take me first, taking turns pushing inside of me, pounding me.

My breath catches in my throat as the fantasy spirals, my mind spinning with the vivid images of their bodies intertwined with mine, all three of us pushed against each other in a hot tangle of limbs.

I bite down on my lower lip, stifling the moans that threaten to escape. Sensation builds and crests. Waves of ecstasy crash over me, leaving me trembling and breathless in the aftermath.

Clarity seeps back in as my body quiets. Shame wars with satisfaction.

What the hell am I doing, getting myself off in public to completely inappropriate fantasies, like some sex-crazed degenerate?

But even as I straighten my clothes with shaky hands, I can't deny how right it felt to surrender to those sinful fantasies, if only for a stolen moment. With a sigh, I turn the key in the ignition.

Time to head home, where a cold shower should set me right.

Hopefully I'll be able to meet Tyler and DJ's eyes at work tomorrow…

I step into the apartment, hoping against hope that Selena is already asleep so I can avoid rehashing every detail of my date. But as luck would have it, there she is on the couch with Emma, munching popcorn and sipping white wine like the night is still young.

"Well look what the cat dragged in!" Selena calls out with a grin. "How was your hot date, sis? We want all the juicy details!"

I groan, kicking off my boots. "Can't a girl get some rest around here? I'm beat."

But they're having none of it. Emma pats the cushion between them. "Oh no you don't! Park that booty and spill, girl. How was Tyler? What was he like off the rink?"

With a sigh, I flop down on the couch and snag a handful of popcorn. The buttery scent makes my stomach rumble. "It was...nice," I say carefully. "He took me to that bar that all the guys like, Finnegan's."

"And?" Selena probes, eyes gleaming. "Did you two hit it off? Any sparks flying?"

I shrug, trying to play it cool even as memories of Tyler's strong hands and smoldering eyes flash through my mind, making my cheeks heat.

"I mean, the conversation flowed well. He's easy to talk to. But it's too soon to tell if there's anything...more there yet." I shake my head in frustration. "There shouldn't be anything anyway—even if he isn't technically one of my three patients, he's still, you know, a client of sorts."

"Uh huh, sure," Emma says knowingly. "You just keep playing coy then. But I think you'd be crazy not to go for it, that man is fine !"

"Enough about my love life," I say, eager to change the subject before they weasel anything else out of me. "What's new with you, Em? How are things with your boys?"

That does the trick. Emma happily launches into a story about Slade and Alex and some hilarious miscommunication between the three of them recently.

I try to listen, but my mind keeps circling back to her unique relationship dynamic. Emma always seems so content, so fulfilled, balancing four incredible men who support each other just as much as they adore her.

I can't help but wonder—could something like that ever work for me? The thought of being with both DJ and Tyler, of all of us together, like the illicit fantasy I indulged in before heading home…

It sends a naughty thrill through me.

Shit, I think I have a crush. On Tyler… and on DJ.