Chapter Eleven

"You all live here?" I stepped from Eduardo's SUV and looked around. "On this cul-de-sac?" I gestured at the five enormous modern houses that circled the wide end of the street.

"Yeah, three were for sale when we were looking to buy. Made sense. We can carpool." Ben laughed and gestured to the yellow painted house to the right. "That's mine and Theo's."

It had a huge garage, vast double front door, and a pitched roof. The windows were dark and the lawn a glossy green. Two white cars sat on the drive. One Porsche and one Jeep.

"And that's Dylan's." Ben nodded to the one next door. The walls were white, and the huge bay window had palms planted in front of it that swayed in the gentle breeze. There was no car on the drive.

"And mine." Eduardo waved his hand at the house we'd just parked in front of. "Mine has the biggest pool." He shrugged. "So you might want to stay with me, ma choue, you will have the most fun." He winked.

I laughed. "You think so?"

"I know so." He took my hand and kissed my knuckles.

"She'll stay with us," Ben said. He jerked his head toward their house. "It makes sense."

"Why does that make sense?" Eduardo frowned.

"Because there's two of us," Ben said stiffly. "Two of us to help her settle in and watch out for that creep, Steven."

"Plus you guys spend most of your time lounging on our sofa and drinking our beer," Theo added, then, "You did turn off any location stuff on your iPhone, right?"

I nodded. "Perhaps I should get a hotel," I said, raising my eyebrows. "If it is going to cause problems."

"It is no problem." Dylan reached for my case from the back of the car. "The matter is decided. You are staying with me."

"I don't think so." Eduardo snatched my case from him. "You cannot be trusted, Dylan, she will stay with me. So she is safe from you and your hard-on."

"I can be trusted." Dylan yanked the suitcase back. "You are the Casanova of the team."

"Huh, and it was me who woke up naked with her, espece de joueur ruse ."

"I don't know what you just said but I take offence." Dylan's face darkened, and he again grabbed my case.

"Give that back." Eduardo balled his fist. "Now."

"Make me!" Dylan straightened.

"Hey, hey, guys." I placed myself between them. "Stop."

Dylan was glowering. Eduardo appeared ready for a brawl.

"I like each of you, equally, okay, and last night…well, I needed a fuck. I told Dylan that, and he was up for it." I shrugged and looked between them all. "I felt safe with him the way I feel safe with you all. Please, don't argue over me, because I really will go and get a hotel."

"Forgive us." Eduardo's expression changed in an instant, and a smile lit his face. "We just want the best for you and we all think we can give you the best."

"I know, and you can. It's so kind of you when you've already done so much." I smiled at him then turned to Dylan and set my hand on his chest, right in the center. "And I appreciate every little thing and every big thing you have given me."

A flash of amusement crossed his eyes. "Yeah, you know it, Pip."

I winked at him. "So now that's settled, I have no favorites. I'm going to stay with Ben and Theo, because as they said, there's two of them."

Ben and Theo shared at triumphant glance at each other.

"What…you can't just…" Dylan said gruffly. "Because there's two of them!"

"I can." I began to walk toward their house. "Because as Eduardo told Steven last night, I'm an independent woman and I can make up my own mind about things."

"Fuck," Eduardo muttered. "She's right. That is what I said."

Dylan said something I didn't catch. Why was he so mad? Had he expected me to jump into bed with him again as soon as his front door had closed?

I wasn't completely opposed to round two, but I was still bruised, my emotions raw, from the events of the last couple of days, and on top of that, I was exhausted—a trip to the US always threw my body clock completely off.

"I'll pull that." Theo dragged my case up the path along with his.

"Want me to take that?" Ben pointed to my travel bag.

"No, I'm good, thanks." I paused. "You sure you're okay with me staying?"

"More than okay, and seeing the look on Dylan's and Eduardo's faces right now makes it doubly worth it." He chuckled.

"Don't gloat." I nudged him. "'Cause you think you won."

"Didn't we?"

"Depends what you think the prize is. I'm messy, you know. Hate washing the dishes, so I hope you have a dishwasher, and I've been known to have a floordrobe rather than a wardrobe."

He chuckled in that lovely deep way of his. "Sure, we've got a dishwasher, and be messy, as long as you're doing okay, that's all we want."

I stepped into their home. It reminded me of something off a TV show. The entrance hall was spacious with a teal chaise longue and a chandelier dripping with crystals. A huge mirror sat above a mahogany side table crammed with family photographs.

The living area had an enormous L-shaped gray sofa and a big shiny TV screen. In the corner a display cabinet sparkled with hockey trophies.

"Wow, you guys spend much time here? It's spotless."

"We haven't lately, obviously, but usually we do. Guess our mother brought us up to know everything has a place." Theo fiddled with the AC, and it came to life.

"Did I just see a photograph of her? Back there?" I nodded at the hall.

"With the blonde hair and glasses." Theo nodded. "Yes, that's her. You'd like her, and she'd like you."

"Thank you, that's nice of you to say." I abandoned my bag and wandered into an open-plan kitchen and dining area. It was an ocean of white surfaces with stainless-steel appliances dotted about. The table was big enough for ten with a black surface and curled silver legs, and the teal chairs matched the chaise. "I like this." I nodded at a photograph on the wall. It was of three hockey players all tussling for the black puck. Two wore Viper shirts, the other shirt I didn't recognize.

Theo stood next to me, his shoulder just brushing mine. "Can you see who it is?"

I peered closer, studying the faces behind the helmet cages. "Ah, it's you and Ben, though it's hard to tell who is who, and I don't know the middle player. The one you're battling with."

"Well done." He nudged me gently. "That's me," he pointed to the left, "and that's Ben. The middle player is Todd Carty, and this is the moment we stole the puck from him and passed it to Phoenix to score the winning goal against the New York Rangers at the end of last season."

"Wow, a real action shot with a story. It's great."

"I guess you like photography, huh, being in your line of work?" Ben asked, also pausing in front of the picture.

"Yes I suppose I do, but my work is very orchestrated. This is a real action shot, you're not doing this for the camera, the lens is secondary. And that I really like."

"It's true, we forget the cameras are there." Theo wandered off. "Do you wanna drink?"

"Just water, please. I need to hit the sack, I didn't get much sleep on the plane." I smiled. "If you could just show me…"

"Of course, the guest room is this way. It has an en suite so you don't have to share."

I followed Ben up the stairs and found myself in a large bright room with lemony walls. The bed was a king and the teal headboard studded with large glass gems that sparkled in the sunshine.

"It doesn't get used much," Ben said and tapped a tall white dresser. "Mom stays here occasionally. There's some of her stuff in the top drawer, but the rest are empty, so make yourself at home. The same with the wardrobe, oh, and there's fresh towels in there, too."

"It's lovely. You're so kind." I looked longingly at the bed, my eyelids suddenly heavy. "Thank you."

"Hey." He stepped up to me and rested his hand lightly on my shoulder. He was close, so close I could see the delicate soft stubble now coating his top lip. "Stop saying thank you, we're happy to help." He paused. "It'll be good to have you stay, gets a bit testosterone heavy around here."

I rested my hand over his, absorbing the warmth of his skin. "Okay, but if I'm not saying thank you, please remember that I do appreciate it, and I'll figure something else out soon."

"There's no rush to do that."

I turned as Theo came into the room holding a tall glass of water. He set it beside the bed.

"Are you guys going to rest, too?" I asked.

"Nah, we'll stick it out until bedtime, take the jetlag hit in one fell swoop." Theo walked to the window and pressed a white button.

Shutters came down, rendering the room in near blackness.

Ben turned the light on. "We'll see you in a few hours, and be hungry, it's takeout night."

I fell into a dark black sleep. No preamble, no dreams, and I don't think I moved.

When I woke I checked my phone. It was six-thirty in the evening. I'd had four hours. That should take the edge off.

I stretched then got up, showered, and spent twenty minutes sorting out my suitcase, packing things into drawers and being careful not to disturb Mrs. Evans' few possessions.

With my hair piled up and wearing cream-colored shorts and a t-shirt with a turtle on it—that I'd thought perfect for the Maldives—I wandered down the stairs.

The first thing I noticed was the sports on the TV. It was loud, the crowd cheering. The second thing was the scent of chlorine.

I was drawn to the back doors which were slid open. The brothers had a large kidney-shaped pool complete with fake rocks and a waterfall splashing down onto them. The edge was lush with tropical plants, and a table sat next to a long BBQ and food prep area. The entire space was enclosed in fine mesh, presumably to keep out the bugs.

"Hey, you're awake." Theo stood from a lounger and wandered over to me holding a beer.

Fuck.

His swim shorts sat low on his hips, exposing the angles of his lower abs. And his abs, jeez, the guy was ripped, not in the way the runway models were, slender and sinewy, but heavy with muscle. His thighs were wide and powerful, and his shoulders equally so. He had two hockey sticks tattooed beneath his right nipple, crossed, a puck between them.

I swallowed and forced my attention up to his face. That view had been muscle overload to my jetlagged brain.

"Yes, I figured that sleep was long enough." I cleared my throat.

"Wanna a beer?" He nodded at a tall chrome fridge.

"Sure." Beer, I never drank beer. "Thanks."

He popped the lid on a Budweiser and passed it to me.

"Where's Ben?" I asked.

"He's organizing food. Dylan and Eduardo will join us."

"Ah, okay." My attention drifted to beyond the mesh toward a large lake and the lavish homes opposite. I had to do something else with my eyes. It was a long time…if ever…I'd seen such a gorgeous male body in the broad light of day. And unlike Dylan, he was hairless, practically, only a small coating of soft blond hair down near the waistband of his shorts.

Pressing the cool bottle of beer to my forehead, I let out a sigh.

"You okay, honey?"

"Yes, fine." I gestured to the table. "Might sit, it's hot out here."

"Always is."

We sat, and I found myself staring so intensely at his tattoo that I had to mention it to not feel weird. "That suits you."

"Thanks." He ran his hand over it. "We both got one done after…"

"After?"

"Just, you know, a brother thing." He shrugged and looked away.

I nodded and took a sip of the sweet malty liquid. It wasn't so bad.

"The house is gorgeous, and this pool, I mean, it's really something. We don't get this in London."

"Wouldn't want it, with the weather, like."

I laughed. "It's not that bad."

"But seriously." He leaned forward, elbows on the table, top lip damp with beer. "You must have a nice place. You have a great career, not that I've Googled you."

"You haven't?"

"No, not my style. But I can tell from that one picture, in the magazine, and the flight attendant's reaction that you're a big deal in your world."

"Like you are in yours."

"True." He shrugged; modesty wasn't his thing. "We are." He paused. "Googled us?"

"What? No. That's not my style either. You tell me or show me what you want me to know about you and Ben. Same goes for Eduardo and Dylan."

"Got yourself quite a fan club of hockey players, haven't you?" He took a long drink, eyeing me over the bottle.

"What does that mean?"

He tipped his head. "It means I'm going to have to keep my cool if I want you to myself for some of the time at least."

"I'm here now, aren't I?" I couldn't help a flirty little tip of my eyebrows. Theo was one hell of a sexy guy, that couldn't be denied.

"We settled on takeout, pizza." Ben appeared, also wearing nothing but swim shorts and every bit as drop-dead gorgeous as his brother. He also wore a Vipers cap and held his phone. "You're awake." He grinned at me.

"And starving." I smiled.

"I ordered a bunch of different toppings, figured you'd like something."

"I eat practically anything," I said. "Within reason."

Ben grabbed a beer then came and sat in the shade, next to me. His wide thigh brushed mine when he pulled in his chair. A fizz of awareness went through me. Was I dreaming? How the heck had I ended up in Florida with two hockey players who could have their own pin-up calendar? I could feel totally down on my luck after what Steven and Cheryl had done to me, but actually I was pretty good…who the hell wouldn't be?

"Pippa likes the tat," Theo said, resting back on his chair and rubbing his hand over his ink.

"Good." Ben reached for a chip and popped it in his mouth.

"Has it got a story?" I asked, also dipping into the crisps. "Like the picture on the wall?"

"Yeah." Ben nodded.

"You gonna tell me?" I asked.

"Maybe sometime."

A ring chimed through the house.

"That'll be the guys." Theo stood. "I must have locked the door. I'll let them in."

Two hours later, the sun had slipped below the horizon and the cicadas were belting out their music. The pizzas, piles of garlic bread, and salads had long since been demolished, and I was sitting listening to tales of bravery, drama, and victory on the ice. Each guy seemed to try and impress me more with each story told.

"It's a wild game," I said. "I never would have thought it." I remembered back to the game I'd witnessed in Cardiff. "When is your next one?"

"We have six weeks of practice," Dylan said, his eyes sparkling through the darkness. "And then a game in Chicago, a warm-up, preseason."

"And you said you practice every day."

"Yep." He took a slug of beer.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yep, no rest for the wicked." The right side of his mouth tilted in a decidedly carnal smile.

My stomach did a little flip, and my pussy clenched, remembering how he'd driven us both to hard fast orgasms. Perhaps we had been wicked to fall into bed so quickly, but who cared, I'd needed it and I felt a whole lot better for it.

"I can…" I pulled in a breath, trying to get rid of images of Dylan naked when I was sitting opposite and beside practically naked Evans brothers.

"You can what?" Eduardo asked.

"I can cook." I gestured to the empty boxes. "I'll cook for you all tomorrow night. Earn my keep."

"You can cook?" Eduardo leaned forward, his eyes wide. "What do you cook, ma choue?"

"Whatever you want." I held up a hand. "I love to eat so I learned to cook when I was at uni."

"Uni? Is that college?" Ben asked.

"Yes, I guess so."

"What did you study?" Ben appeared very curious, as did the others.

"English literature. Not just a pretty face, you know." I shrugged.

"Good for you," Dylan said.

"You wanted a plan B," Eduardo said. "I understand that."

"Yes, looks fade, and back then, I had no idea if the modelling was going to take off."

"But it did." Theo said, "and in a big way."

"I guess that aspect of my life is a great success, my love life, not so much."

"Had you been with Steven long?"

"Not quite a year." My jaw tensed, and so did my shoulders. "We were crazy about each other, or so I thought, so it made sense to get married. Why wait?"

"And he was in a rush because he thought it could add to his bank balance. Boost his image and exposure."

I squeezed the bridge of my nose. His ulterior motives hurt, they really did. "And I can't understand why he needed to do that. He's so in demand he's turning down jobs that could make him four figures in an afternoon."

"Some people crave fame." Dylan reached across the table and rested his hand over mine. "And when that's their hunger, their drug, they become twisted, desperate, cruel to get it."

"Cruel, yes, that's what his affair with Cheryl was. He should have ended it with me and then hooked up with her."

"He sure should have." Dylan nodded seriously.

I looked from his face to Theo's then Eduardo's and then Ben's. Each of their attention was set firmly on me. They were all so kind, so easy to talk to, so damn sexy.

What the heck was I going to do? I fancied them all like crazy.

Yep, my brain really had been fried.