One For All: A Reverse Harem Box Set

by Mia Moon

  I bit my tongue to catch the comment I almost made about his body looking just fine. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

  “Nah. No bad memories,” he promised. “And day-to-day I’m fine. No limp, and my heart is wacky but healthy. So don’t let me ruin this,” he laughed. “What are you thinking? Can I plan on seeing you at a game? Maybe tomorrow night?”

  I grinned and glanced back to the players. Ken was circling around the unused space of the ice while his teammates battled for the puck. Did I want to see him in a real game? Maybe. Probably.

  “Tomorrow night won’t work,” I said as I went over my schedule in my head. “I have a project that I’m falling behind on.”

  "Ah. Well, what about Friday night?"

  “There’s a game that night?” I asked.

  “No. I mean yes, but they’re playing in another state. I meant you and I. Dinner?”

  I fumbled for words. Nathan seemed like a good guy, but wasn’t I here because of my life-long crush for Ken? But then again, Ken and I were just friends. Time may have passed, but chances are he still saw me as the dorky girl I was in high school.

  The girl with no aptitude for fashion or makeup. The girl who was two grades below him but ended up as his math tutor. And for all the attention I gave him or the fun we had during our sessions, he was always dating someone taller and blonder while I managed to be dateless for every prom.

  If I passed on a date in the hopes that Ken would magically notice me now, I was still that pathetic girl. Nathan gave my hand another squeeze—I’d forgotten he still held it. He had a comforting presence and looked like a Greek god. I looked into his gorgeous blue eyes.

  I’d be insane not to give him a chance.

  “Yeah,” I said finally. “I’d really like that.”

  “Do they do this every day?” I asked. Practice had wrapped up and the team seemingly vanished into the locker room.

  “Just about, yeah. Even if they play that night, they still practice during the day. Even if they’re catching a plane to another city in the afternoon, they still practice during the day,” Nathan said.

  "Wow. No downtime? But the season doesn't last all year."

  “They can’t get rusty. It’s a non-stop lifestyle. In the summer they have the afternoons free, but it’s not the same as having time for a vacation.”

  I looked across the now empty ice, which was marred and dull from the players’ sharp skates. “I guess I should head out. I’m supposed to meet Ken in the parking lot.”

  “It’ll still be a few minutes before they’re done. After practice they check injuries, massage the muscles, things like that.” Nathan looked over, where the rest of the crowd was filing out. “Probably better to wait in here a little longer than to stand in the cold. They won’t kick us out.”

  “You do this a lot?”

  “Nah. If I have the day off I’ll drop by. I try to make the home games, at least. The away games… that’s a different challenge.”

  I tucked a loose strand of my shoulder-length hair behind my ear and turned in my seat. “I’m sorry. All this time we were talking, and I never asked what you do.”

  “Aww. You don’t want to know that. You’ll change your mind about our date.” He grimaced, but it was clear he was joking.

  “Come on, tell me.”

  “I’m a nerd,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “I work with network security.”

  I couldn’t keep the shock from my voice. “Whoa. From hockey to IT? Seriously? I’ve never seen a computer guy who looked like…” I trailed off and sucked in my breath. God, I was so bad at flirting.

  He watched me, brow arched. My reaction clearly amused him. “Like what?”

  “Hot,” I whispered. I couldn’t help it. The word had just slipped out, and now I felt like a fool.

  He leaned close to speak against my ear. “You should see my tattoos.”

  I nodded, unsure what to say. My burning cheeks felt like they'd soon catch fire, but there was no escaping this situation. There was no calm or suave way to jump up and run outside to bury my face in the snow. Instead, I just stared forward and bit my bottom lip.

  “Too much?” he asked finally.

  “Nah,” I grinned, liking him even more.

  “So, what do you do? You said you had a project you were working on.”

  I appreciated the change of topic. I could discuss work. "I do graphic design and a little bit of programming. I got picked up by a small—and I mean tiny—game developer. I'm handling the majority of their animations." Nathan looked interested, so I continued. It wasn't every day I got to talk about my job, and I was super excited to have landed it. "It's a lucky break to be able to work on this sort of project. They offered to let me work remotely, but I got a bonus for moving. Still, most days I work from home."

  Nathan eyed me, his eyes, half-lidded and sensuous. “See, that’s hot.”

  “Huh?”

  “Do you play games, then?” he asked.

  “Yeah. That’s how I met these guys from this company, actually.”

  Nathan looked me over as if seeing me for the first time. “I can forgive your ignorance of hockey now. A gorgeous woman who plays computer games and does coding and graphics?” He patted his chest. “I think my heart just stopped. You’re much hotter than me.”

  His words hit me like a torpedo. I liked to believe that during college I left a lot of my awkwardness behind, but even in the years of dating, I'd never met a man who called me gorgeous. And Nathan seemed to mean it.

  His eyes roamed me like I was precious treasure, and I hadn't missed that over the course of practice he'd scooted closer until his thigh was pressed up against mine and he could easily wrap his arm around me with no effort.

  “I, uh. I mean, yeah, you just keep continuing to be not what I expect from an IT guy,” I rambled.

  “I suppose you’ve met a lot of us?”

  I pursed my lips. I didn’t want him to think I’d dated a lot. Or maybe he just meant ‘met’ in a professional sense. “Four years of college worth, plus I tried my hand at working in retail computer repair at one point. I don’t recommend that to anyone, by the way. But yeah… there’s a bit of a type, and you aren’t it.”

  “I’m hoping that’s a good thing.”

  “That’s a great thing,” I laughed. I bit my lower lip to tone down my enthusiasm. “I mean, it’s really a neutral thing. I just…”

  Nathan chuckled and stood. He stretched his tall form and held out his hand to help me up. I took it and stood, feeling small next to him. At five-four, it seemed like he had at least ten inches on me.

  “They should be heading out now. I don’t want you to miss your friend,” Nathan said with an odd expression.

  “Yeah.” I fumbled with my coat and pulled out my phone. “I guess I should get your number though. For the date.”

  He took my phone and keyed in his number. “Definitely wouldn’t want to forget that.”

  Chapter Two

  I huddled in my jacket and inhaled the crisp, thin Denver air. That was one of many good about this place. No California smog.

  As instructed, I’d parked in a certain area, and from where I leaned against my beat-up Jeep I could see the back door where Ken said he’d be coming out. A few guys had already exited, and the paranoid part of me wondered if I’d missed Ken while talking to Nathan. That would suck.

  It wasn’t like I thought Ken was the type to ditch me, but I wasn’t sure how long he’d wait, either. What if Nathan was wrong about how long the players took before being ready to leave? Ken may have hurried to meet me, only to give up when I never came around.

  I exhaled through chattering teeth, my breath forming a puff of white fog. I stared at my sneakers and hopped three times to warm up. It was March, but still pretty cold here. Colder than I was used to. Maybe I needed a man to stoke the fires…

  “Violet?” a deep voice called.

  Glancing up I saw two men walking towards me. One I didn’t
recognize but the other I would’ve known while sleepwalking. His long legs ate the distance between us. I held out my hand expecting a handshake, but he lifted me easily at the waist and twirled me around in a fierce hug.

  “It’s so great to see you,” he said against my ear.

  His tone was so low and sensual that for a moment I wondered if he’d mistaken me for someone else. Like maybe an ex-girlfriend. What if he’d had a concussion? Did I miss a collision or something on the ice?

  “Ken?” I squeezed his shoulders and he set me down. I stared into his wide smile. “Hey. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah? Why?” He smoothed my hair back and the touch was thrilling and intimate.

  “Oh. I mean, we’ve never, um, hugged before.”

  He laughed. "Well, I guess it was overdue." His hand slid to my lower back and he turned me to face the man standing there, watching us. "This is my teammate Alex."

  I smiled, but my brain was completely focused on Ken’s hand on my back. It didn’t seem like a friend-zone touch, especially since we’d only talked online. I hadn’t seen him in person since he crashed my high school graduation, in fact.

  The touch didn’t bother me, but it surprised me to the point where I couldn’t function. Him holding me with this sort of familiarity was a dream come true.

  “Violet?”

  I blinked. Alex was watching me intently and holding out his hand. I shook it. “Hi, nice to meet you. Umm. You’re stiff?”

  He looked down at himself then back up. “I don’t think so,” he said carefully, then chuckled. “Stiff?”

  My hand shot over my mouth and I spoke through it. “Oh, no! I meant on the ice, like your legs. Right? Yeah. I don’t—just don’t mind me.”

  "Huh. You noticed that?" Alex asked. His brown eyes darted to Ken. "I thought Ken said you weren't into sports or was it that obvious?"

  “The guy next to me pointed it out,” I explained. More guys streamed out of the building and I saw Nathan chatting with one of them. “Actually, he’s right over there.”

  I pointed, and Alex looked over his shoulder. “Fuckin’ Smith. Of course.”

  “Hunh?” I sensed something was up, but felt a few paces behind, as if I’d missed the first ten minutes of a movie. As I watched, Nathan and the man he was talking to headed over.

  “Nate Smith.” Ken cocked his head toward him. “The guy you pointed at. Used to play with us.”

  Nodding, I watched him approach. For some reason I hadn’t automatically gathered that when Nathan said he used to play, he meant with this team. Now his knowledge and easy familiarity with the game made all the sense in the world. I took a quick glance at the men around me, vaguely recognizing them from group photos with Ken.

  I’d always noted how hot his friends were in those pictures online. I couldn’t believe I didn’t remember Nathan’s sexy grin, but then it hit me: that’s why he seemed so familiar when he first sat next to me. He smiled and stood next to Alex, who was saying something about his muscles. They all seemed extraordinarily muscular. Or maybe I was simply used to working around skinny tech geeks.

  I stepped back, feeling out of place. Ken grabbed my hand.

  “Hey. This is Josh, and apparently, you already met Nate. Everyone this is Violet," he said.

  I grinned at the handsome faces now focused on me. I already knew Ken and Nathan were sexy as hell, and now I noticed that Alex and Josh were equally stunning. I felt like a kid in a candy store, if the candy store was stocked with hot hockey players.

  “Hi,” I said softly, giving them a little wave.

  Alex shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around, his brown curls dancing in the breeze. “Wings?”

  “Yeah,” the rest chimed.

  Nathan groaned. “You should eat better.”

  “Chicken is lean protein,” Ken reasoned.

  “Not when it’s smothered in barbecue sauce,” Nathan replied.

  “You said you’d have dinner. That hasn’t changed, right?” Ken asked me.

  I’m good to go.” Granted, when he said we could hang out after his practice I thought he meant just us, but I didn’t see the harm in getting to know some of his teammates. They seemed nice enough, and I was intrigued. What was the real life of a pro hockey player like? Plus, hanging out with four gorgeous, nice guys for a night wasn’t something I did, well, ever.

  And probably wouldn’t do again in this lifetime or the next. I’d made a promise to myself when I moved here that I’d try new things.

  “Wings, then?” I raised an eyebrow.

  Ken slung his arm around my shoulder, which sent a little rifle of pleasure through me. “Yeah. There’s a place right around the corner. We’ll walk.”

  “You didn’t get my messages?” Ken asked. He crunched on a carrot stick. “I’m glad you weren’t waiting outside that whole time.”

  “Yeah,” I murmured. I’d forgotten that although I had the messenger app installed on my phone, the notifications were turned off. Unless I opened the app, I didn’t see a thing. “I’m not out often, so I forget to check my cell.”

  “I’ll put my number in your phone then.”

  It seemed like no big deal, the way he said it. It was a big deal to me.

  I sipped my sweet tea and pushed away my small basket of mango chipotle wings. They’d been spicier than I expected, and after three I thought I was going to spontaneously combust. Beads of sweat formed on my upper lip, and I tried to wipe my mouth daintily with a napkin, hoping I didn’t appear as though I had a sweat mustache.

  “Trade?” Josh asked, holding out his basket. “These are plain honey barbecue.”

  “Sure.” We swapped baskets. “They’re great but I guess I’ll have to work my way up to that heat level. I’m a spice wuss.”

  Josh laughed. “The hotter the better, for me. Keeps me from eating too many.”

  Nathan took a swig of beer and tossed a celery stick in front of Josh. “Just make sure you have enough veggies to balance it out.”

  I settled back in the booth, swishing my cold soda around my scorched tongue while eyeing the food and the men.

  What really surprised me was that only Nathan was drinking. I’d assumed that big, burly hockey guys who fought on the ice would also tear it up in real life. But apparently they were sober during the season, which meant their current rowdiness was purely their personalities.

  They had so much energy it crackled along my skin. It was easy to joke and chat with them as if their enthusiasm was a current in the very air we breathed.

  Stranger still was the way I somehow fit in with them. At first, I was felt terrified, even a little shaky on the inside. This much testosterone wasn't something I was used to. They told dirty jokes, called each other names, and often lapsed into talking about hockey to a degree I couldn't comprehend. It was almost like a different language, all the terms and plays and stats. Still, after the first half hour, I felt almost like one of the guys.

  “Your soda isn’t going to help with the burn.” Alex pointed at my glass. He dipped one of my wings into the creamy white sauce I’d so far ignored, then held it to my mouth. “Lick this.”

  I stared at him, wide-eyed.

  “Trust me,” he laughed. “It’s just blue cheese dip.”

  I took the wing from his hand and nibbled at the dipped end while staring at his handsome face. As he’d promised, my tongue was instantly soothed. “Oh, thanks.”

  “My pleasure.”

  There was something in the way he said it and the way his expression watched my every reaction that seemed to tease, but I let it go. Ken was pressed to my side in the booth, and my high school butterflies were back with a vengeance. Which didn’t surprise me at all.

  Apparently, he’d told his teammates all about me, about how I always said he’d succeed in life and how supportive I was. I didn’t exactly remember it the same way, but I nodded and smiled.

  But since they all knew bits and pieces about me, they seemed to treat me like I’d always bee
n around. It was strange, but I loved it. And yeah, it was unusual the way all of the guys seemed to flirt lightly with me, but I assumed this was a guy thing. Or a professional athlete thing. Or maybe they were just being polite because they respected Ken

  After all, I was the only girl around except our waitress. It was probably just their nature to act this way around women. They were incredibly attractive guys. Flirting was probably like breathing to them.

  Nothing wrong with soaking up their attention while it lasted.

  The door closed behind us with a soft snick. I shook as the cold seeped through my coat. Bouncing on my toes, I spun around, trying to remember where we were. I was still pretty new in this city, and sometimes still became disoriented.

  “This way.” Ken pointed to his right.

  He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we walked back to the parking lot of the arena. Alex and Josh walked ahead of us, leaning close and discussing hockey — what else? Nathan had ducked out early.

  It had been an incredible time, and night was only just falling. I didn’t want to say goodbye just yet, but I didn’t know what else to say. Could I invite him back to my place? That seemed forward, and my earlier shyness returned.

  “Do you have to get some work done tonight?” Ken asked.

  I shook my head. “We’re changing priorities for the project, so until I get an update tomorrow, I’m free.”

  “Do you want to come over and watch a movie? I can’t stay up too late tonight. But it’s been forever, and I think we still have catching up to do.”

  His words made my heart beat faster. We stopped at my Jeep. I looked at Alex and Josh.

  “We have to pick up some things across town,” Josh said.

  "Oh. Well, it was nice meeting you both," I said honestly.

  “Could you give me a ride to my place? I came with those guys,” Ken explained.

  “Of course.”

  Alex walked up and gave me a quick hug. “Are you coming to our game tomorrow?”