Carr, Cassandra - Cold as Ice [Buffalo Intimidators 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Cassandra Carr

  “Wow. That sounds pretty cool.”

  “I hope you like it. You guys are sort of my guinea pigs. I’ve only ever done it for Leo and Scott, and they wouldn’t criticize much of anything.” She slanted a look to Eva and then to the guys. “I want you to be honest. If it’s weird, if there’s something you don’t like, whatever, make sure you tell me. I’d rather have you tell me so I can fix it than to offer the Chef’s Table to a wider audience and get killed for something I could’ve prevented.” She stopped in front of a stainless steel table already set with four places. “Here we are. Have a seat, and Bonnie, my sous chef, will be right over.”

  Soon after, a petite woman who looked to be in her forties came over and smiled. “I’m Bonnie. I’m the sous chef here, and I’m going to be bringing you all the wonderful food Kelly’s preparing for you tonight. Can I get some drinks? We don’t serve mixed drinks, but we have beer or wine if you’d like that. There’s a wine list in front of you.” She pointed it out. “You might want to start with a white and then order a red with your entrées. But that’s just a suggestion. If you guys are anything like Leo and Scott, you’ll do whatever you want to anyway.” Bonnie winked and Eva laughed, instantly liking the woman.

  “We’re not as stubborn as they are,” Jake said. Eva snorted and Bonnie snickered. He sent Eva a mock glare before adding, “We’ll take a bottle of whatever you think will go best.”

  Bonnie patted him on the shoulder. “Smart man.”

  She left and Jake puffed his chest out. “The ladies, they love me.”

  “Yeah, that must be it,” Carter replied with a smirk. He then turned to Eva. “So, chica, tell us about what you’ve been up to since we were away. Have you been behaving yourself?”

  “I haven’t had time to misbehave. I had to do laundry, get groceries, clean the house, go the gym, all the stuff I don’t have time for during the week when my schedule is packed with clients. I haven’t gone out at all. At night I vegged on the couch with a frozen meal or popcorn.” She made a face, glancing around the kitchen, noting the various pots and pans bubbling away on the stove several feet away. “I’m really looking forward to this meal.”

  Kelly came over, dropping off a steaming basket of breads and rolls. “Did I hear you say you’ve been eating frozen meals and popcorn for dinner?”

  “I’m too tired to make anything when I get home. Besides, it’s just me.”

  “That’s no excuse for eating poorly. I’ll send you home with plenty of leftovers. These guys can fend for themselves.”

  Eva smiled. “I knew I was gonna like you.”

  “Ditto. Your appetizer will be ready in a bit.”

  Bonnie returned and opened the wine, pouring some for each of them. Eva picked up her glass, swirling the contents. As she’d been taught on one of her many trips to the wineries in the Finger Lakes, she stuck her nose right into the glass and sniffed.

  “Nice, huh?” Bonnie asked.

  “What is that I smell?”

  Bonnie grinned. “You tell me.”

  The men swirled their wine and then brought them up to their noses. “I smell grapes,” Carter said.

  Both Eva and Bonnie shook their heads, laughing. Eva spoke. “I smell apples, I think.”

  “Good,” Bonnie replied, nodding. “What else?”

  “I’m not sure. It smells sort of, I’m not sure…flowery?”

  “That’s right. It’s a sauvignon blanc, which is known for its flowery notes.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Take a sip.”

  Eva brought the glass to her lips as the guys did the same. “Mmmm, that’s really good. Nice and dry and crisp.”

  “Do you know wine?” Bonnie asked.

  “Not really. But I’ve been to the wineries in the Finger Lakes a bunch of times.”

  “Ah. You didn’t sound like a total neophyte.” Bonnie backed away. “I think your appetizer is probably ready. Settle back and enjoy your wine while Kelly and I plate it. We’re going to serve everything family style. We figured that might be easier for you guys and be fewer plates on the table.”

  “Sounds great.” Eva took another sip of her wine and turned her attention back to the guys. “So did anything interesting happen on the road, besides the obvious?”

  “You mean that we lost?” Jake asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Besides that, no. Did you expect us to say we’d had a wild time at a strip club or something?”

  Eva shrugged. “I don’t know what you guys do on the road to entertain yourselves.” She hoped they didn’t go out to strip clubs all the time, but she really didn’t have that much of a say over what they did or didn’t do.

  “Strip clubs lose their allure pretty quickly,” Jake answered.

  Bonnie returned, setting a large platter in front of them. “Shrimp Sambuca, which is jumbo shrimp sautéed with spring onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and creminis, finished in a Pernod mascarpone cream sauce over garlic grilled baguettes.”

  “Come again?” Luc said.

  Bonnie chuckled. “Basically, sautéed shrimp with a bunch of other stuff on top of pieces of bread.”

  “Caveman,” Jake mumbled. He picked up the small spatula that was resting on the side of the tray. “Can I serve you one, Eva?”

  “I’d be delighted, thank you.”

  Luc glowered at Jake. “Since when did you become Mr. Culinary?”

  “Since it gets me brownie points with our woman,” Jake replied with a half smile. “Besides, you know I like to cook. I actually understood a lot of Bonnie’s explanation of this dish.”

  “Big whoop,” Luc grumbled.

  They ate the delicious appetizer and then conversed about everyday topics until Bonnie came back to clear their plates. “Forgot to ask. No one has any food allergies, right?”

  The men all said no, and Eva replied, “No allergies, but I’m not a big fan of artichokes. I hope that’s okay.”

  “No artichokes tonight,” Bonnie assured her. “I’ll be back with your entrée in a minute, and I’ll have one of the servers bring your bottle of red over.”

  Jake declined more wine, since he was driving, but Eva allowed the young server to fill her glass. She went through the routine of smelling it before taking a sip of the garnet liquid. Jake smiled. “Maybe we can get her drunk and take advantage of her.”

  Eva sputtered. “Cough, baby,” Luc told her, and she did, beginning to recover.

  “Or maybe not,” Jake continued.

  She regarded him with narrowed eyes. “You’d better not leave me high and dry,” she threatened.

  “Oh, we won’t. You may not be high, but I can guarantee you won’t be dry,” Luc replied with an evil gleam in his eye.

  Eva coughed again, and he chuckled.

  Bonnie set a large platter on the table. “This is steak marsala. Scott said you guys eat so much chicken and pasta that you’d appreciate a beef dish.”

  “We’ll have to thank Scott for the suggestion. This smells wonderful,” Carter answered.

  “I’ll tell Kelly you said so. Right now she’s wrestling with the dryer.”

  “Wrestling with it? Why?”

  “Oh, it’s ridiculously temperamental.”

  “Want one of us to take a look at it?” Carter asked.

  “Nah. Scott’s on his way here, actually. He seems pretty handy from what I’ve seen, which is good because stuff breaks down constantly.” The guys all started to laugh and Bonnie waggled her finger at them. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Anyway, the steak marsala is peppercorn-rubbed Angus New York strip topped with sautéed spinach, onions, and mushrooms in a sweet marsala demi-glace and then baked with provolone. Kelly’s chosen to pair it with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Do you guys need anything else?”

  “This looks and smells fabulous,” Eva replied. “I think we’re all set.”

  “Then I’ll leave you to it.”

  Bonnie departed and they dug into their meals. After they’
d been eating for a few moments, Jake cleared his throat and glanced at Luc and Carter. Eva regarded them with suspicion. What was going on?

  “We’ve been talking, honey, and we wanted to discuss the topic with you, since it concerns you.”

  “Okay,” she answered, setting her fork down. Luc groaned, and Carter looked uncomfortable. “You’re scaring me.”

  Jake covered her hand with his. “Don’t be scared, honey, it’s nothing bad.”

  “Then why do Luc and Carter look like you just handed them a death sentence?”

  “Because we didn’t want to get into this tonight,” Carter replied through clenched teeth.

  “We have to,” Jake protested.

  “Just spit it out, guys.”

  “Look, Eva, we care about you,” Carter began.

  “But?”

  “Why are you so sure there’s a ‘but’?” Jake asked.

  “Because there’s always a ‘but’.”

  Jake shook his head. “Not this time.” He pulled her fingers to his mouth and kissed each one. “We just want you to know that all of us consider this relationship to be more than sex. We aren’t ready to make any grand declarations, but none of us are taking this casually.”

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it,” Luc replied. “What do you think?”

  “I think I’m relieved you’re not breaking up with me. If you were, this would be a shitty way to do it, by the way.”

  “Duly noted,” Carter murmured and her gaze shot to assess him. He seemed less at ease than the others.

  “What’s going on with you, Carter?”

  He looked up. “Nothing. Why?”

  “You aren’t as on board with this as Luc and Jake are,” she surmised.

  “It’s not that, chica. It’s just…” He ran his hand over his head and shrugged. “I don’t know what I want to say. I’m happy right now. I don’t wanna change anything.”

  “Who said we were changing anything?”

  Carter’s eyes shifted to his teammates and she wondered what exactly their conversation had been about. Before she could ask, though, Kelly approached the table, wiping her eyes. All three men jumped up.

  “Kelly, honey, what’s wrong?” Jake asked, pulling her into his arms.

  “Scott just called. Leo talked to the doctor and got some test results.”

  “And?”

  “He’s got a cardiac arrhythmia. That means abnormal heartbeat.”

  “Has he ever had a problem like that before?” Carter asked as he rubbed her back.

  “No, never, and they have no idea what’s causing it now. But until they do, he won’t be playing. The Intimidators put him on injured reserve.”

  “Well, that’s good, though. They can find out what’s going on and make him better.”

  “That’s right,” Luc said, but Eva could tell he didn’t exactly believe his own words.

  “But what if they never find out and it never gets better? His career could be in jeopardy!”

  “You don’t know that,” Eva replied, also standing and coming around the table to face Kelly. “I had to take some medical classes to get my massage therapist license and I know there are medications to treat arrhythmias.”

  Kelly’s shoulders slumped and Eva wished she knew the other woman better in order to provide comfort, or could give her more concrete reassurances.

  Kelly motioned toward the table. “You guys should eat. It’ll get cold.”

  Eva reached a hand out and squeezed Kelly’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about that.”

  “I’m fine, really. It was just a shock. Scott will be here soon, and I can love on him.” A ghost of a smile appeared. “He won’t mind.”

  “If you’re sure…” Luc said.

  “Positive.” She gave him a smile. “I need to get your dessert ready anyway.”

  “Please tell me it’s an apple pie. Leo and Scott talk about yours all the time, but I’ve never had it,” he answered.

  “Maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

  “Meanie.”

  Kelly laughed. “Thanks for listening.”

  “Anytime,” the guys echoed.

  A few minutes later, Kelly brought out a steaming apple pie and a container of vanilla ice cream. “You’re a goddess,” Luc told her.

  “Hey! That’s my woman you’re talking about!” Eva turned and saw that Scott had entered the kitchen.

  “What’re you gonna do about it, little man?”

  Eva and Kelly both sputtered. Scott came over to their table and leaned down, resting his hands on the surface. “You better watch it or you’ll find something very unpleasant in your jock, dude.” He was smiling, but Eva had no doubt he wasn’t kidding. The pranks hockey players orchestrated were unreal, based on the stories the guys had told her. She was glad none of them had ever played a prank on her. Yet. Eva swallowed thickly.

  Luc snorted. “Look, man, I’d hate to kill you, since you’re apparently our starting goaltender—God help us all—but I will.”

  Kelly scooted in between them. “All right, guys. If you’re done having your dick-measuring contest, my pie is getting cold and my ice cream is getting warm.” She pushed Scott toward the back of the kitchen. “Go look at the dryer, please.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Scott saluted and left, and Kelly shook her head, smiling.

  They polished off the pie in record time. Eva sat back, rubbing her belly. “I’m so full. You guys are gonna need to roll me outta here.”

  “I hope you’re not too full, because we’ve got some plans for you.” Luc waggled his eyebrows at her and she groaned.

  “Maybe in a little while. Right now I’m busy digesting.”

  “Isn’t it always the way?” Carter teased. “They’re digesting, they’re on the rag”—Eva gave him a punch for that one—“they have to wash their hair…”

  “Or maybe you’re just doing something wrong,” Luc replied with a smirk.

  “I’ve never had a complaint before,” Carter retorted before he sat back and rubbed his belly. “Man, that was great.”

  “You’re so easy to please,” Kelly replied.

  “I try.”

  Chapter Ten

  Carter offered to drive since he’d had less wine even than Jake, and Jake handed over the keys gratefully. He didn’t feel the least bit tipsy, but if Carter wanted to drive he’d certainly let him. He took the opportunity of Eva being in the front seat and he in the back to really look at her. She was so beautiful, and he was sure she didn’t realize it. Her hair, which was usually up while she was working, hung down around her shoulders in loose waves. She’d worn some sort of clingy dress with a cardigan sweater over it, and he wanted to put his hands all over her to touch the curves of her lithe, toned body. She turned to say something to Luc, and his groin tightened as he remembered what her sweet lips had felt like around his dick.

  But despite any plans Luc had for her, Jake would be happy just holding her. Never in a million years would he have thought the idea of holding a woman without having sex would appeal to him. Maybe it was because he was getting older, or perhaps it was that Eva was different. He couldn’t remember a time before they’d started seeing Eva that any of them had spent more than a few nights with the same woman. It should scare the hell out of him. Strangely, though, it didn’t. He felt at peace.

  He glanced at Carter’s eyes in the rearview mirror. Carter was not at peace. That much was obvious. Jake just hoped he wouldn’t freak out. After all, they had no way of knowing how Eva would react if one of them pulled out of the relationship. For some reason it felt like an all-or-nothing deal. Luc wasn’t at peace either. No matter what the other man said, this stuff with his heart racing had to be taking a toll on him. Jake sighed. It seemed like their lives were just one thing after another sometimes.

  They returned to Eva’s house, and Jake grabbed the small bag of supplies they’d brought with them. Luc picked her up and she squealed as her skirt whoo
shed around her legs before settling mid-thigh.

  “Now that’s a gorgeous view,” Jake said, pointing to Eva.

  “Damn right,” Carter agreed.

  “Where’s your key, honey?”

  Eva fished in her coat pocket and handed it to Jake. He unlocked the door, and Luc carried Eva to her bedroom. Setting her down, he took off her coat and sat her down on the bed to remove her boots. Jake grabbed all three of the guys’ coats, dropping them on the couch before hanging hers in the coat closet. When he got back to the bedroom, Eva’s sweater and tights had been removed and Luc was kissing her as Carter massaged up her leg.

  “You bastards! You started without me.”

  Luc turned to him briefly. “So catch up.” He captured Eva’s lips again, and Jake watched for a moment as his friend kissed their mutual lover. Though he’d been sharing women for years, the idea of watching had never turned him on like it did Luc. It did now, though, and he finally understood what his teammate liked so much about it.

  Breaking himself out of his reverie, he went to Eva’s other side and trailed the tips of his fingers up the leg Carter wasn’t occupied with. Her skin was soft, in contrast to his fingers, roughened from years of playing hockey. She smelled like raspberries. He loved raspberries. Eva moaned and Jake looked up. Luc’s hand was inside her dress, and from what Jake could make out, he was rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Not a bad idea. Jake tugged on the belt circling her waist, and the bodice of her dress fell open.

  “Score,” he murmured before leaning up and taking her nipple into his mouth. He suckled her right through her lightweight bra, and she arched her back. “That’s right, honey. Show me how much you like it.” He really would’ve been fine not having sex tonight, but hey, if Eva was game he certainly was, too.

  “Jake, oh, God, yes,” she hissed as he bit down.

  “You like that, baby?” Luc asked. “Just a little bit of pain?” Jake kept his mouth on her nipple as he watched Luc pinch her other nipple harder. “Yeah, you do. I bet you’re wet for us.” He lifted his gaze to Carter. “Why don’t you check, Carter?”