Double Bear Trouble: Werebear BBW Menage Romance (Hockey Bear Season Book 1)

by Anya Nowlan

  Somewhere down the road Dante had become skeptical of love, and Dominic wasn’t exactly sure why.

  “I actually met someone, too.”

  This is getting interesting.

  “Whoa. Really? Who?”

  “Her name’s Chloe and I think she works for TP. Or worked. I met her at the farewell party you so graciously avoided.”

  “Wait, you don’t know if she still works there or not?”

  “We kind of got stuck in an elevator together and after that she avoided me.”

  “Forgot to wear deodorant?” Dominic sneered, wagging his brows at his brother. “Or did your sparkling personality turn her off?”

  Dante merely rolled his eyes at Dominic, but evidently it wasn’t enough to keep him from carrying on talking about his mystery woman.

  “I don’t know… But there was something about her I can’t shake. And I was entirely impolite, the things I said to her, I sounded more like you than myself. Something must have come over me.”

  “I think you have forgotten your youth, brother. I seem to remember a time when you were even more incorrigible than me,” Dominic teased.

  “That was before I knew what I wanted.”

  “That was before you got that stick stuck up your ass, you mean. She must be some woman if she was able to get you to stop being so stuffy.”

  Dominic watched his brother’s expression curiously. He’d never seen Dante this perplexed by a woman. Or that interested.

  “She was… electric.”

  “Okay, dude. I don’t know what that means, but I bet my girl is way more awesome than yours.”

  “What is this, grade school?” Dante scoffed.

  “I’m just saying, you don’t have to talk up elevator girl because you’re jealous I found my mate and you didn’t.”

  Crossing his arms, Dante looked pissed and offended at the same time.

  “At least Chloe gave me her name,” he shot back.

  Oh, it’s on now.

  “You met her at a party, a social gathering where people talk and mingle, and you still couldn’t seal the deal.”

  “You know I’m about this close to throwing you out of my house, right?” Dante said, narrowing his eyes at him.

  “No need to get your panties in a bunch. I’m sure Chloe talked to you because she liked you, not just because you were trapped in an elevator together and she had no choice.”

  Dominic ducked just as a pillow flew at his head, laughing his ass off. He liked pushing his brother’s buttons. At least he showed some emotion, then. Dante continued grumbling to himself as Dominic set up the Xbox and threw him a controller, the minor spat casually forgotten.

  Yet even as he tried to focus on kicking his brother’s ass in Call of Duty, Peaches, as he liked to call her in his head, crawled into his thoughts.

  I have to see her again.

  So it might have also had a little something to do with the challenge that had just been thrown. Dominic had always been a sore loser.

  Nine

  Chloe

  Chloe stood nervously outside the ice arena, waiting for her boss to show up.

  This is where I’m supposed to be, right? she wondered, double-checking the e-mail Janice had sent her.

  Her boss’ instructions had been somewhat cryptic. They were supposed to catch a hockey game together, but Chloe had no idea why. It probably wasn’t because Janice wanted to spend quality time with her. She was sure the woman saw her as nothing more than a lowly employee, and one that still needed to prove herself, at that.

  This has to have something to do with work.

  People were already pushing their way inside in droves, anxious to see their favorite players put on a show for charity. With the playoffs over and the new season a ways away, the fans were eager to see an All-Star team-up of shifter players have fun on the ice. Though ‘fun’ usually meant a few cracked skulls.

  Chloe had to admit, she wasn’t all that excited. Hockey wasn’t her favorite sport by a long shot, but she couldn’t exactly say that out loud in Minnesota. At least this particular game had promise to be somewhat interesting.

  With both fan favorites and long-time superstars from all the top shifter teams in attendance, the energy of the crowd alone stopped her from being too annoyed at having to spend her evening in a cold ice rink instead of curled up on her couch with a glass of wine and something to distract her from her day-to-day existence.

  And the proceeds from the game were going towards helping build a new wing at a local children’s hospital, so there was that.

  “There you are. Let’s get inside,” Janice’s voice came from behind her, making her jump a little.

  That woman moves around like a cat.

  Janice led the way, her heels clicking smartly along the floor. People instinctively got out of her way, and Chloe scrambled to keep up. As they got to the bleachers, Chloe was mesmerized by the sea of colorful jerseys, every fan repping their favorite player or team. Their seats were close to the ice, giving them a perfect view of the coming spectacle.

  The announcer came on, filling everyone in on how the teams were randomly drawn and reiterating where the proceeds were going. The players would all be in the gear they chose, not representing any particular team at this time. The jerseys they were wearing would be auctioned off later, also to benefit the hospital.

  “Thank you for inviting me,” Chloe tried to say to Janice, but the crowd was already going wild, drowning out her words.

  Janice didn’t really seem to care anyway.

  The players began to skate on to the ice, waving to the fans. She recognized one or two of the players, but some of them were wearing full face gear, making them impossible to identify. It was just as well for Chloe, she was mostly familiar with the older legends anyway, not with the newer players.

  The teams lined up for the opening face-off, accompanied by cheers. Janice was sitting silently beside her, following the action closely but showing no signs of preferring one team over the other.

  As the puck was dropped and the game started, Chloe found herself more engrossed in it than she would have thought. The strength and speed the players showed, flying over the ice, was impressive. And seeing it all in person only added to the thrill.

  Two players in particular caught her eye, working together to steal the puck as a perfect team. She couldn’t see their faces, and the names called out by the announcer meant little to her, so she didn’t even know who exactly she was rooting for. One thing was for sure, though, the two guys were like a well-oiled machine, picking up where the other left off and breezing by the opposing team’s defenses.

  “Can’t anyone stop them?” the announcer called out, barely audible over the chanting fans.

  The game seemed to fly by as her two favorites cleaned house, keeping her attention squarely on them. Before she even knew it, the final whistle was blown, sending people flying out of their seats. Even Chloe got to her feet, clapping wildly when her double trouble guys lifted their arms, celebrating being part of the winning team.

  “I didn’t know you were such a fan,” Janice remarked when she sat back down.

  “I didn’t, either,” she replied breathlessly, surprised by how she’d been swept along in all the excitement, feeling a blush on her cheeks and her heart beating faster in her chest.

  “I have some calls I need to return,” Janice said, thumbing the screen of her phone. “Wait for me in the meeting room near the locker rooms. My assistant will show you the way.”

  Before Chloe could even reply, Janice had already turned her back to her and was walking along the row of seats. Letting herself be carried out by the crowd of people, Chloe was flagged down by a young man in a sweater vest, gesturing towards the opposite side of where the fans were going.

  “Miss Marks. I’m Miss Lance’s assistant, David. This way.”

  With the buzz from all the spectators waning, she followed David through the mostly empty stadium, hearing her steps echo off the walls. D
avid kept glancing at his phone, his fingers tapping on the screen, until they reached large double-doors in the belly of the building. He pushed the doors open for her while remaining outside.

  “Miss Lance will be right with you,” was all he said as Chloe stepped inside.

  Chloe couldn’t help but feel for the man as he disappeared from sight. Working for Janice was no easy feat, but being her assistant? That had to be a fresh kind of hell.

  I wonder what this is all about, she thought, hesitantly sitting down on one of the chairs surrounding a large desk in the middle of the room.

  There was a door on the other side of the room, as well, and she could hear laughter and conversation echoing out from what had to be the locker room just on the other side. She couldn’t make out the voices, and most of them were growing more distant. But at least one person was walking towards the meeting room, and not away.

  The doors opposite her were suddenly pushed open, the laughter of two men filling the quiet room. With their hair still wet and their shirts mostly unbuttoned, they looked like they were coming from a beach photo shoot. Or maybe Chloe had fallen asleep and being pursued by two hot men in as many days was making her dreams both very vivid and sexual.

  Getting stuck in that thought, it took her a second until her brain could figure out this was definitely happening for real. Snapping her eyes to the men’s face, she realized they were both staring at her. And looking at them, she couldn’t help but gape back.

  “Dominic? Dante?” she said, her eyes widening as she recognized them both in an instant.

  She had been thinking about them a lot lately, after all. Yet seeing them here, now, sent her reeling.

  Oh no. This can’t be good.

  Ten

  Dante

  “Chloe?” Dante asked.

  “Peaches?” Dominic echoed, sounding as surprised as Dante felt.

  Chloe had shot up from her seat, looking from him to Dominic with her cheeks growing increasingly red. Fumbling with the chairs on either side of her, she almost fell in an attempt to get farther away from them.

  “Peaches?” Dante queried, throwing Dominic a confused look. “Did you have a stroke or something?”

  Dominic met his gaze with equal confusion, but also growing excitement.

  “No, man. This is the girl I was telling you about. The one that ran into me. Wait…” Dominic’s eyes narrowed as he glanced from Dante, to Chloe, to Dante again. “This is Chloe, the elevator girl?”

  Dante resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands and groan. This could not possibly be happening. Were he and his brother actually interested in the same girl? That had never happened before. And the fact that it was happening with Chloe of all people made him more than uneasy.

  She was still silently staring at them as she stumbled, back first, towards the door. Obviously seeing the brothers had been as much of a shock to her as it was to them.

  “What are you doing here?” Dante asked, trying to approach her without spooking her further.

  “I’m waiting for my boss. What are you doing here?” she countered, straightening her spine and seemingly regaining some of her composure.

  “So, your name is Chloe, huh. I think I’ll still call you Peaches,” Dominic winked, obviously unconcerned with figuring the situation out.

  “You can call me Miss Marks, thank you very much,” she replied, smoothing her blouse with her palms and clearing her throat.

  She was even more gorgeous than Dante remembered, if that was even possible. Her long hair was gathered into a bun on top of her head, leaving all the focus on her face. Even under the bright lights of the meeting room, she was all flawless skin and bright, green eyes.

  Dante let his duffel bag sink to the floor and placed his helmet on the desk, knowing someone would be by to pick it up for the auction, later. Dominic followed suit, before sitting on the edge of the desk and throwing Chloe a look that made Dante all too jealous.

  Chloe’s eyes fixed on the gear, something like recognition flashing across her face.

  “It was you,” she whispered, more to herself than anything.

  “Did you see the game? We were on fire,” Dominic said proudly, continuing his trend of totally off-topic comments.

  “We were,” Dante couldn’t help but agree.

  He had been careful not to injure his shoulder further, and Dom had done a great job of watching his back. Although his shoulder was still a bit more sore than usual, and taped up to the nines, he was happy about putting on a good show for the fans and doing some good at the same time.

  Both Dom and he had always thought it important to give back, and they were involved in several charities, mostly those helping kids stay out of trouble by picking up sports instead. It had kept them on the straight and narrow, so there had to be something to the concept.

  If Douglas hadn’t have put a hockey stick in his and Dom’s hands when they were young, who knows where they would have ended up. The rebellious years tended to come earlier and with a vengeance when it came to bears. Some never really grew out of them.

  It was something they didn’t feel the need to publicize, though.

  “You still owe me that drink, Chloe. Don’t think I’ve forgotten,” Dante said, letting the pull he felt towards her echo in his voice.

  “Don’t listen to him, Peaches. I’ll show you a good time,” Dominic winked, not one to let the attention fall away from himself for too long.

  “I don’t really want to spend time with either of you,” Chloe huffed, looking anywhere but at them.

  The way she squirmed a little at the notion made him think she wasn’t quite as adamant about it as she would have liked to be.

  “That’s not the impression I got when I had you in my arms,” Dante teased.

  “Or when you were straddling me,” Dominic quickly added, as they both scowled at each other.

  “Those were both accidents!” Chloe demanded, her voice rising.

  “I have to say, I didn’t think our taste in women was all that similar. But Peaches here is proof we really are brothers. I can finally stop pestering dad into admitting you were adopted,” Dominic said with a wink and a smile.

  “She really is something, isn’t she?” Dante all but sighed, watching Chloe stare daggers at the both of them.

  “Finally, something we can agree on. Now we have to figure out which one of us gets to take her home.”

  Dante was opening his mouth, ready to launch into an argument with Dominic, when Chloe cut in.

  “That’s it, I’m leaving. I don’t have to listen to any more of this,” Chloe huffed, her face flushed as she stomped over to the door and opened it, only to come face to face with Janice.

  “Good, you’re all here,” the woman said, brushing past Chloe and slipping her phone into her purse. “I see you’ve already met Dante and Dominic Kenner.”

  Chloe’s eyes grew wide as she remained standing still at the door.

  “These are the Kenner twins? Sally’s former clients?” she asked, flabbergasted.

  Dante cocked a brow and crossed his arms across his chest. He got a feeling he knew where this was going… and he didn’t mind one bit.

  Janice had always had their backs, but this time, she was really giving them more than she knew.

  I have to remember to send her a basket for Christmas or something.

  “This is Chloe Marks, one of our newer agents,” Janice said to Dom and him, mostly ignoring Chloe. “She’ll be taking care of you from now on.”

  “I’ll be what?” Chloe exclaimed, her voice a full octave higher now.

  Janice turned around to fix Chloe with a glare and a quirked brow.

  “Will that be a problem?” Janice asked, and edge to her tone that made even him and Dom straighten up.

  Chloe twitched visibly, shaking her head.

  “No, Miss Lance. No problem,” Chloe quickly answered.

  “Good,” Janice said, sitting down at the table, throwing one leg over the other
.

  The woman always looked so put together that you couldn’t help but feel a little inadequate around her. Pair that with the hawkish features and that presence that could fill a room almost as well as he and Dominic could, Janice definitely had Dante’s respect.

  Everyone followed suit, with Chloe staring at the desk and Dante staring at her. Dominic was grinning from ear to ear, kicking Dante’s foot under the table.

  “Dude, she’s our agent now,” his brother whispered, giddy as a schoolboy.

  Dante rolled his eyes, despite his gut twisting with the same excitement painted all over Dom’s face.

  “I know, I was here.”

  Getting out some papers from her purse, Janice put on a pair of glasses, clucking her tongue at whatever information she had in front of her. Probably a collection of the e-mails Dante had been exchanging with Sally up to her getting fired.

  “So, you want to get in on the Shifter Grove team. It’s a fine choice, but there are some things to consider.”

  “Like what?” Dante asked, pulling his eyes away from Chloe.

  “Like the fact that Dominic’s public image is a nightmare. Shifter Grove is a small, community-driven place, they don’t like strangers and they certainly don’t like trouble. Most of the guys live there all year long, and most of them are married or have serious girlfriends. Are you sure you two would be a good fit?” Janice queried, looking at them over the rim of her glasses.

  It made Dante feel like he was getting chided by the headmistress.

  “I can clean up my act. I just need the right touch. I think Miss Marks here can keep me in check,” Dominic grinned, prompting an angry glare from Chloe.

  Dante stomped on his brother’s toes with his heavy boot, holding back a laugh as Dominic yelped and twitched. Chloe only rolled her eyes as her boss carried on, not letting anything disrupt her, apparently. Least of all their childish antics.

  Hearing that Chloe had been the woman Dom had hinted at being his mate annoyed him beyond bounds, and having him make moves on her while he was sitting right next to him only added to that feeling. He barely even knew Chloe, but he was already feeling possessive.