by Anya Nowlan
What the hell am I even doing?
Tyler was looking at her like he wasn’t all the way sure she wasn’t having a stroke of some kind. Dante on the other hand just chuckled and shook his head at her, probably knowing exactly what she was attempting to do.
Luckily, she was saved by the actual whistle, and one of the assistant coaches yelling for the players to get back on the ice. Trent gave her a wink before skating back to the center of the rink, which did not go unnoticed by either Dominic or Dante. Of course, the coach decided this would be a great time for one-on-one drills, with passes and backchecks and other exercises she didn’t know the names of.
What the hell is a MacLeod? She wondered, listening to Coach bark out orders.
Chloe prayed the two sets of twins wouldn’t go up against each other, but it seemed no one was listening. And the men were all too eager to settle their differences on the ice. So, she was left to helplessly watch as the Solomons and Kenners kept slamming into each other, their snarls making it clear it went beyond mere training.
She winced when Tyler barreled into Dante’s injured shoulder, her hands tightening around the cell phone she was holding in her lap. No one else was probably studying Dante closely enough to see the brief shadow of pain flit across his face, but she noticed.
“You can come stay at our cabin once you’re done with these boys and are ready for some real men,” Tyler called out to her while Dante was getting back on his feet.
Trent whooped in agreement and Chloe could only struggle to keep her expression neutral. There was nothing she would like less than spending time with Tyler and Trent, but she couldn’t exactly tell them that. Having the Solomons represented by TP would be a great win for the company, and if she wanted to keep her job, she would have to make sure she did everything she could to entice the twins over to their side.
If that meant putting up with their attempts at flirting, that’s how it had to be.
Dante and Dominic didn’t let the Solomon twins celebrate for long, however. They all but obliterated Tyler and Trent in the corner battles, leaving their respective opponents struggling to catch their breath.
Chloe suppressed the grin forming on her face and decided it would be safer to concentrate on her work, instead. Dom and Dante had some prospective promo deals coming up, and she’d have to work out which ones worked best with the image TP was trying to carve out for the twins.
Somewhat surprisingly, the twins had stayed out of trouble so far. Save that first night at the bar, all they did was work out, train and make her blush with their innuendos and flat out propositions. It might have had something to do with the fact that she was providing to be some sort of a distraction for them. She couldn’t say she minded.
Doing her best to stay out of the twin-on-twin rivalry, she kept her eyes off the ice as best she could, but it seemed Tyler and Trent were having none of that. Seeing Dominic and Dante act so possessive of her only spurred them on. She wasn’t sure if they just wanted to show off their genuine interest in her, or if they were doing it to get under Dominic and Dante’s skin.
Either way, it was distracting. To her, the other players, and even the coach.
“How do you like my stick, sweetheart?” Trent asked, whizzing by a Canadian hopeful doing his best to steal his puck.
“Less talking and more playing, unless you want me to stick that thing up your ass,” Coach called out, his brow even more furrowed than usual.
After that, things seemed to calm down a little. The Solomons didn’t say anything, and Chloe was careful not to even look their way. She was relieved when the final whistle was eventually blown and everyone filed into the locker rooms.
Quickly gathering up her stuff, she rushed outside to wait for Dominic and Dante by the truck they’d rented. It was far enough from the small bus shuttling the other players fighting for a spot on the team to their housing that she was relatively sure she wouldn’t be bumping into Trent or Tyler.
Waiting around on the rink, she was sure to see them again, and that didn’t sound at all appealing. Dom and Dante were already clearly unhappy with how the Solomons were hitting on her, and she didn’t want to cause more trouble. It would be easier if they all just stayed out of each other’s way until the camp was over.
Buttoning up her coat, she walked briskly to the truck, knowing all too well it was locked and the brothers had the key. Hopping from one foot to the other, she tried to stay warm as she kept her eyes on the stadium building, waiting for her boys to come out.
It seemed everything was falling into place all on its own. The whole ‘you are our mate’ thing aside, giving in to her feelings felt so easy, and so right. She had never thought she could feel this way about two people at the same time, but then again, life was full of surprises.
Without even meaning to, she was opening up her heart to them. It was still a little scary, but more so it was freeing. She had been shutting people, especially men, out for so long, her heart was swelling under the prospect of finally sharing something real with two men she cared more and more for with each passing day.
Chloe wasn’t at the point yet where she was totally buying into the whole soul mates thing, but with how quickly and completely the brothers had won her over, and how her body seemed to instinctively guide her towards them, she wasn’t exactly writing the notion off, either.
She was so lost in her own thoughts, she hadn’t even noticed the two figures approaching her until they were only a couple of feet away, their strong scent hitting her nose first. It only took a second for her to recognize Trent and Tyler, smiling at her as they walked her way.
They must have taken the world’s fastest shower, because none of the other players were outside yet. Which she realized was probably intentional. The twins wanted a moment alone with her, and she suppressed a sigh at that thought.
Putting on her most neutral, professional smile, she greeted the men.
“Trent. Tyler. Can I help you with something?”
“You haven’t called,” Tyler said, his tone overly sweet. “Is TP not interested in having us as clients?”
“Of course, we are very interested. I’ve just been very busy, as I assume you are as well,” she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.
“Good. So we can discuss details over dinner,” Trent asked, running a hand through his damp hair and smiling at her.
“I wouldn’t want to waste your time like that. I can e-mail you our preliminary proposition, and we can talk it over once you’ve had a chance to look at it.”
“You could never waste our time, Chloe,” Tyler said, leaning on the truck. “We want to get to know you better.”
The tone of his voice and the way the twins were looking at her, the underlying message of their words was clear. This was about more than changing agencies, the way they were measuring her up from head to toe left little doubt about that.
“So how about it? We can show you a good time,” Trent smirked, arching a brow at her.
They weren’t exactly being aggressive, but they were crowding her personal space and that made her uncomfortable. Adding to that the pressure of Janice being set on wanting them as clients, Chloe felt more powerless than she would have liked. Which is why she felt momentarily glad when a familiar voice shouted out from behind Tyler and Trent.
“Get away from her,” Dominic snarled.
Her relief at seeing him and Dante approaching was short-lived, as they both looked like they were an inch away from ripping the Solomons to shreds.
Shit. What am I going to do now?
Twenty-Three
Dante
Dante had gotten suspicious the moment Tyler and Trent rushed out of the locker room, and now here they were. Harassing his mate. He was not going to let that stand, that was for damn sure. Those assholes had already pushed their luck by calling out to her on the ice, and this was the final straw.
“The lady can make up her own mind on who she wants to talk to,” Trent
sneered.
A nasty smile was stretching his thin face wide, and all Dante wanted to do was wipe that stupid grin off the man’s face. His shoulder ached more than it had ever before, but that was little more than an afterthought right now.
“Guys…” Chloe interjected, but was mostly ignored.
“And she’s got such a pretty mouth, talking is probably not all she’s good at,” Tyler added, and Dante just lost it.
Without even thinking, he lunged at Tyler and grabbed him by the throat, slamming the man against the truck at his back. From the corner of his eye he could see Trent trying to intervene, but he was stopped by Dominic, growling as he grabbed Trent’s shoulder and yanked him away.
The air was full of predatory sounds now, his own skin growing hot and tight with the bear thrashing close to the surface. Tyler bared his teeth as he struggled against Dante’s grip. His fingers curled around Dante’s wrist, trying to pry his hand away from his throat, but Dante only squeezed harder.
“What did you say?” Dante demanded, rage taking over.
“You heard me,” Tyler wheezed, pushing himself off the truck in an attempt to make Dante lose his balance.
“You wouldn’t even know what to do with a woman like her,” Trent said from somewhere behind him.
The other Solomon was quickly silenced, however, as Dante heard a fleshy thud and the sound of someone stumbling and falling, accompanied by Dominic’s growl.
“Stay down,” his brother commanded.
“Please, stop,” Chloe whispered, a moment before footsteps erupted by the stadium.
“What the hell is going on here?” Coach’s voice drifted over to them.
Reluctantly, Dante released his hold on Tyler’s throat, leaving the man unsteady on his feet, gasping for air. The coach, along with some of the other candidates were rushing over, staring at the scene in front of them.
“I would have showered quicker if I had known there was going to be a fight,” Priestley, a defender from Alaska chuckled.
“Everyone shut up and get on the bus,” Coach bellowed, looking like he was on his last nerve. “That means you, too,” he added, glaring at the pair of twins, and motioning for Trent to get himself off the ground.
Chloe was busy studying her feet by the back of the truck, barely even looking up when she stepped closer and reached out her hand.
“The keys,” she said softly.
Tyler stepped away to help his brother back on his feet, his teeth bared in a snarl as he pulled Trent up from the dirt. Dominic looked like he wasn’t done pummeling Trent into the ground, but he walked over to the truck nonetheless, fishing the keys out of his pocket and placing them on Chloe’s open palm.
Dante took a deep breath, trying to force his bear back down, the blue of his eyes solidly replaced by the dark brown of his bear. Coach was standing between the Solomon brothers and them, looking like he was about to whoop all their asses.
“Go home, all of you. Any more trouble from you four, and I’m sending you all packing, you hear?”
“Yes, sir,” Dante replied through gritted teeth, with Dominic huffing in agreement beside him.
“It won’t happen again,” Chloe interjected.
The Solomons nodded and headed to the bus, the rest of the players already on board and watching on from the small windows. Their truck groaned to life behind them with Chloe at the wheel, and her gesturing for the brothers to get in was what finally made him and Dominic turn around and stomp to the vehicle.
Coach shook his head and walked away, muttering something under his breath. It seemed Chloe’s attempts to keep him and Dominic out of trouble had hit a roadbump. Dante just hoped it didn’t affect their shot to get on the team.
Then again, if it kept those Solomon asshats at bay, it might have been worth it.
“I can’t encourage that kind of behavior,” Chloe said, as Dante closed the door after her.
The drive home had been silent, save for a few growling grumbles here and there when Dante or Dominic’s bears acted up.
All three of them walked into the living room, Dominic looking as carefree as ever while Dante tried not to let on how much his shoulder was hurting. Chloe seemed more preoccupied than angry, but something was definitely bothering her.
“They were being total jackasses,” Dominic replied with a wave of his hand.
“That may be, but you can’t think with your fists. Hopefully this will stay under the media radar, but Coach saw pretty much everything. He can’t have people starting fights on his team. And what if you had gotten hurt?”
“By those guys?” Dominic scoffed. “They’re lucky they walked away.”
“I don’t need your protection,” Chloe protested, before sighing and sinking into an armchair near the window. “I appreciate the gesture,” she said, lifting up a finger when Dominic’s face took on a victorious grin, “but it can’t happen again,” she ended sternly.
“We’ll work harder to control ourselves, okay?” Dante said, sensing an argument coming from Dominic.
He didn’t want to fight right now. Truth was, he could use an ice pack and some rest, and he didn’t want to worry Chloe. She already looked like she was blaming herself for the earlier confrontation, and she didn’t need the extra stress.
He threw Dominic a look that said he better keep his mouth shut. Dom got the message, having been on the receiving end of that particular facial expression enough times before.
“Fine,” Dominic ground out, crossing his arms.
“Good,” Chloe nodded, eyeing them with mild suspicion. “I have some stuff to take care of. You two cool off and then we can have dinner. Dante, how’s your shoulder?”
“It’s fine. Why do you ask?” Dante said, keeping his expression neutral.
“Tyler knocked into you pretty hard…” she trailed off, looking closely at his movements.
“That was nothing,” Dante shrugged, hoping he looked nonchalant.
“Alright.”
With that, she got up and sauntered over to the staircase, the way her hips swayed mesmerizing both Dante and Dominic. It even made Dante forget to wince when he relaxed from that definitely not casual shrug.
For a second, Dante thought about following her upstairs, and from the look of Dom, he was thinking the same thing. And while throwing Chloe down on the bed would usually be his first priority, there were some things they had to discuss.
“Dom,” he said quietly, gesturing for his brother to join him in the living room.
Brow furrowing at his serious tone, Dominic sat down on the couch with Dante settling into the armchair opposite him.
“What’s up?” Dominic asked.
“It’s my shoulder. It’s been giving me trouble since Tyler slammed into it.”
“I thought you were holding back,” his brother clucked his tongue. “How bad is it?”
“I don’t know, I’m not a doctor,” Dante shot back, growing more annoyed by the second.
The scuffle with the Solomons was the last thing he needed, especially with his thoughts already crowded with Chloe and what being with her meant for him. Just her presence rounded out his rough edges, while merely knowing she was watching made him give it his all on the ice.
And then there was the way kissing and touching her made him feel, like no other woman could ever satisfy him ever again.
“Hey, no need to bite my head off,” Dominic said, throwing a pillow at him. “What do you want to do?”
Dante didn’t bother ducking. He didn’t trust his own body enough. At least the thud against his forehead was soft. With a sigh, he grabbed the pillow and tucked it behind his shoulder as he leaned back.
“I don’t want to worry Chloe, that’s for sure.”
“You want to keep her in the dark about this? She’s our agent.”
“She’s more than our agent, and we didn’t exactly make her job easy today.”
“So what? You need to see a doctor.”
“We call Janice and have her s
et it up, discreetly.”
“Okay, if that’s how you want to play it. But you better hope Chloe doesn’t find out.”
“Yeah. Me, too.”
How the hell did things keep getting so complicated lately?
Twenty-Four
Dominic
Driving back from the doctor’s office far, far away from Shifter Grove, Dante was visibly in a better mood. He had reinjured his shoulder somewhat, but it wasn’t anything major. Doctor Smith had prescribed Dante some painkillers and rest, and that was that.
Dominic would have to watch his brother’s back tomorrow, make sure Dante didn’t get too roughed up. He would probably already feel better tomorrow. Shifters healed faster than humans, and the process was only accelerated with having their mate and their kin close by. And since they were sharing a house with Chloe…
Dominic still didn’t like that they had to go behind Chloe’s back, and lying when they told her they were going into town for groceries. He wasn’t sure yet how they were going to explain the fact they were gone for six hours, but that was the least of his problems. In the end, he had conceded his brother was right. There was no need to worry her with this, and as it turned out, there was no need to panic, anyway.
Dante would be fine, they’d keep their noses clean the rest of the week in training, and everything would work itself out. Involving Chloe would have been unnecessary.
“Do you think she’s waiting for us to get back?” Dominic grinned, gripping the steering wheel and turning onto the small road leading to their house.
“Pretty sure she is. Did you notice how she smelled when we left?”
“Like she was thinking about last night.”
“Yup,” Dante replied, not needing to say anything else.
Chloe’s desire had been clear in her scent, and it had been all Dominic had been able to think about while they were out. Dante had been the one who had gotten to kiss her, and Dominic wanted to know what she tasted like. Not that he didn’t appreciate having her tight, wet pussy on his cock, but there was so much more he wanted to do to her.