"So where are all these women that usually swarm around you?"

Zach looked over, noticed Travis watching him with a goofy grin on his even goofier face. "What are you talking about?"

"Your harem. I figured they'd be swarming all over you by now."

Zach didn't bother to comment, just reached for the pitcher of beer and topped off his glass. They were sitting at a corner table instead of their usual long table in the back. It was just the four of them—Travis Bankard, Ben Leach, Aaron Malone, and him—so there was no need to sit in their usual spot. It didn't matter to Zach, not when he could watch Haley just as well from here.

Not that she was paying any attention to him.

Something kicked his foot under the table. Hard. Zach turned his head and leveled a scowl at Travis. "What?"

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Your harem? Where is it?"

"For fuck's sake, Banky, there is no harem. Never was." That wasn't necessarily true, not exactly. From the astonished expressions on the three faces watching him, they all knew it, too.

Maybe not all three. Zach and Ben were definitely surprised. Or maybe disappointed was a better word. But not Aaron. The older man was watching him just as intently as the other two, but there was something else on his weary face. Zach looked away before he could figure it out.

He didn't want to figure it out, was afraid of what he'd see if he actually gave it any thought.

Travis cradled a glass in his hands and leaned across the table, that goofy smile still in place. "But you're the king of social media. All you have to do is post something and the women show up."

"Yeah. So?"

"So, you know—post something."

"What's the matter, Banky? Can't you score on your own?"

Travis sat back, a blush coloring his face and spreading to the tips of his ears. "I can score just fine."

Zach's laughter echoed Ben's and Aaron's. The laughter wasn't cruel, not even close, but the blush on Travis' face grew deeper. Everyone knew that Travis was painfully shy around women, that the natural athleticism and talent he exhibited on the ice completely vanished when he was off it, making him clumsy and awkward. God help them all if Travis ever realized that women liked that kind of shit, that it made them want to cuddle and protect him.

Made them want to break that quiet shell around him.

Zach took a long swallow of beer, a grin on his face when he turned back to Travis. "Then why don't you post something?"

"No. I—I couldn't." Travis shook his head, his gaze suddenly dropping to the glass cradled between his hands. "I wouldn't know what to say."

"It's easy. You just log on and post." Zach set his glass to the side and reached across the table, his hand turned palm-up. "Give me your phone."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to show you how it's done, that's why."

Travis watched him, doubt clear in his smoky gaze. And Christ, the poor kid looked like he was preparing to take a hit from the league's biggest goon.

Not that Travis was a kid. Far from it. He just had that young, innocent look about him—one more thing the ladies would find irresistible if Travis ever gave them a chance.

Innocent.

Shit. There was a word Zach didn't have a chance to use much.

Travis hesitated another few seconds then finally reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. He dropped it into Zach's hand then quickly sat back, like he was expecting it to explode or something.

Zach looked down at it, frowned, then looked back at Travis. "You don't even have this thing locked."

"So?"

"So? Shit, you always keep your phone locked. Always."

"Why?"

"Why?" Zach laughed then looked at Aaron. "You want to clue him in, Pops?"

Aaron ignored the nickname then draped a fatherly arm around Travis' shoulders. "You lock it so assholes like Zach here can't get into it when you're not looking and post something you don't want posted."

"Like what?"

Aaron ran a hand down his face and sighed, the sound lost in Ben's bark of laughter.

"Like anything you don't want posted. Think about it. Do you really want Zach pretending he's you? Putting stuff online you can't take back? Because once it's out there, it's out there forever."

Zach swallowed another laugh when he saw the blank look on Travis' face. He still didn't understand. That wasn't Zach's problem, at least not today. They'd have to sit the kid down and give him a crash course another time.

Or maybe not, because there was absolutely nothing on Travis' phone except a few meaningless apps. Phone contacts. Calculator. Maps. Weather. Email. Books.

Books? Really? Why was he not surprised?

"Are you seriously not on social media? At all?"

The blush reappeared on Travis' face. He shook his head and looked down. "Not really, no."

"You have got to be kidding me." He tossed the phone back to Travis then reached into his pocket and pulled his own out. "Now watch and learn. And I'm only doing this for you, I hope you know that."

"Doing what?"

Zach didn't bother answering—Travis wouldn't have heard him anyway, not with the way Ben and Aaron were laughing. He swiped through the different apps on the screen, chose one at random, and opened it.

Sitting @Mystics, looking for fun. Who's joining me?

He tossed the phone onto the table. It started vibrating within seconds, again and again and again. Zach grabbed his glass and raised it in a mock salute at Travis. "And that's how it's done."

"And that's my cue to leave." Aaron drained his beer then slid the glass across the table.

"You cutting out already? Why?"

"You know us old farts—have to get home and rub ointment on my aching joints." Aaron smiled when he said it but the smile didn't quite hide the shadows that crossed the older man's eyes. Zach was ready to ask him what was going on but Ben nudged him in the side and quickly shook his head, telling him to let it go.

Zach did, until Aaron disappeared through the door. He spun around in the chair and pinned Ben with a curious look. "What's going on? What was all that about?"

"You didn't hear?"

"If I had heard, I wouldn't be asking, now would I?"

"His ex keeps dicking him around about custody. She was supposed to fly out next weekend with the kids and bring them to the games. He had everything arranged, paid for the flights and everything. She cancelled on him this morning before practice."

"Shit." Zach didn't say anything else. What was there to say? Everyone on the team knew how much Aaron missed his girls.

And everyone knew that he was fighting a losing battle. His ex-wife had moved out west somewhere, so it wasn't like Aaron could just go visit on weekends. And their schedule didn't help, either, not when they had practice or games damn near every day of the week. Hockey wasn't a nine-to-five job. It wasn't a job, period. It was a passion. A calling. And it demanded one hundred percent from each player, one hundred percent of the time.

Not many women could handle it. The separation, the closeness the players shared. The uncertainty of what might happen tomorrow, everything from the possibility of a career-ending injury to having to pick up and move at a moment's notice. That's why Zach respected the ones who could make it work.

And that's why he had long ago given up on any serious relationship. He hadn't met a woman yet who was strong enough to handle the demands of what he did. And yeah, okay, maybe he hadn't really looked that hard, either. Settling down wasn't for him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't picture himself in a committed relationship.

Not that he hadn't given it some thought. He had, probably more than he should—but that was all Harland Day's fault. The entire team had watched the drama unfold while he was in the process of getting back together with Courtney. They'd all been witness to the way Harland had pretty much come undone and bared his soul to Courtney—and everyone else who'd been watching that morning at the rink a few months ago.

But hell, even that was different. Harland and Courtney had known each other since they were kids—literally. And they had a son together.

So yeah, maybe that didn't count.

It didn't matter. Zach still couldn't see himself settling down with anyone. He wasn't made for commitment, never had been.

He glanced down at his phone and frowned as it skipped across the table, still vibrating from all the responses to his post. Then he glanced to the side, his gaze resting on Haley as she stood with her back to him, ringing something up on the register.

No, he couldn't see himself being content with just one woman. Then again, he wasn't content with the string of women he seemed to be attracting lately, either. He wanted someone with fire and attitude, not someone who jumped at the chance to do whatever he wanted. Someone who wasn't content to put up with his shit.

Someone like Haley.

Yeah, like that would ever happen. And where the fuck had that thought even come from? It didn't matter, because it would never happen. They'd fucking kill each other.

Thinking about Haley was just a momentary lapse in reason. He was just a little off, that was all. Not a big deal. It happened sometimes.

"Holy shit. It actually worked."

Zach stopped staring at Haley's back and turned back to Travis, noticed the way he was staring at the door, a wide grin on his goofy ass face. "What worked?"

"That thing you did. That post or whatever."

Zach turned and saw a pair of girls walking toward them. Two blondes in their early twenties, wearing clothes that hugged every luscious curve. Their bright lips curled with inviting smiles as they sauntered toward their table.

"We heard there might be a party going on."

Travis smiled then tossed a panicked look at Zach. Christ, did he have to show the kid how to do everything?

He turned to the girls, his own smile spreading wide in invitation. Did it look as forced as it felt? Or was it only his imagination? Must be, because the girls didn't seem to be fazed by it at all.

"If it's a party you're looking for, you came to the right place." He nudged one of the empty chairs out with the toe of his boot. "Have a seat, ladies."

"But there's only one chair."

Zach damn near rolled his eyes, stopped himself in time. "Hm. So there is. I'm pretty sure my buddy Travis over there won't mind if one of you used his lap."

One of the girls giggled, the sound scraping across his spine and sending his nerves jumping. Giggles hurried around the table and lowered herself into Travis' lap. Travis shot him another panicked look as his face turned bright red.

Zach shook his head, silently telling Travis he was on his own, then nearly jumped when the other girl tried to sit in his own lap. He pushed away from the table, the plastic smile still on his face, and deftly maneuvered her to the empty chair. Zach ignored the disappointment on the girl's face when he slid his chair back even more.

For a horrifying second that felt longer than it really was, complete silence fell over the table. Travis was watching him, his face a mask of total terror and panic. Ben wasn't helping either, not when he was sitting there with his mouth curled in distaste.

And fuck. Zach had completely forgotten about Ben's aversion to puck bunnies.

Well shit. Now what was he supposed to do? He hadn't thought that far ahead, hadn't even considered he'd have to play fucking host and get the conversational ball rolling. He'd never had to before, not when he had Harland and Jason and Tyler with him. But none of them were in the picture anymore, not when they were all busy with their own relationships now. At least, Harland and Jason were. Tyler was, too—he just wasn't admitting it to anyone.

Then the girls started talking—chattering was probably a better word for it—and Zach didn't have to worry about playing fucking host. Damn good thing, too, because three more girls were walking toward their table, eager smiles on their faces.

And shit, this was getting out of hand now. What the fuck had he been thinking?

He glanced around, trying to look for more chairs, wondering if they should move to another table. The breath left him in a loud whoosh when his gaze met Haley's. One of her classic frowns was etched on her face and damn if she didn't look pissed.

And she had a full pitcher of beer in her hand.

And she was heading right for him.

Fuck.

Zach tensed, his eyes never leaving her as she approached the table. He held his breath, waiting for her to pour the contents of the pitcher over his head. She didn't. She simply slammed the pitcher on the table with a loud bang, ignoring the beer that sloshed over the sides as she stared at him.

"Hey, Red."

She narrowed her eyes a little more. "Looks like you need some more chairs. Guess I'll go bring some over for you."

Zach jumped up, nearly knocking over one of the giggling girls. "I'll give you a hand."

"I don't need your help."

"Too damn bad. You're getting it anyway." He wasn't just talking about the chairs, either. Did Haley know that? Did she realize he was referring to their conversation from the other night?

Not that it had been much of a conversation, not on her side. He still didn't know what the hell was going on with her, didn't know who had left those marks on her.

And he hadn't even come close to doing a decent job of finding out, especially not when he'd had her up against the door of her apartment.

Not when those fucking sparks ignited between them and had him thinking of a hundred other things—all of them involving Haley's slender body under his.

Yeah. Some fucking gentleman he was.

She turned away, ignoring him as usual. Zach followed her even though her stiff back and tense shoulders told him loud and clear she didn't want him to. Too damn bad.

She grabbed two chairs from an empty table then tried to push around him. Zach moved to the left, blocking her.

"Why don't you join us?"

She raised one sculpted brow and gave him a look that any idiot could interpret. "Some of us have to work."

"How about when you get off?"

"Do I even remotely look like I'm interested in hanging out with your harem?"

"They're not my harem."

The other eyebrow shot up. "Do I really look that stupid to you?"

"They're not. Really. I'm just trying to hook my boy Travis up." And yeah, okay, it was a lame fucking answer. Not that she was buying it.

Her gaze slid past his shoulder then moved back to his. Those sculpted brows lowered over her flashing eyes. "Really? How? By giving him a crash course on orgies?"

Zach looked over his shoulder and winced. Travis now had two girls sitting on his lap, both of them running their fingers through his hair. A bright red flush colored his face, along with a panic-stricken expression of complete helplessness. Zach turned back to Haley with a sigh.

"So it kind of backfired."

"You think?" She readjusted her grip on the two chairs and tried to move past him but Zach stepped in front of her again. Her sigh this time was more like a growl. "Mummert, I am so not in the mood. Out of my way."

"We never finished our conversation the other night."

"There was no conversation."

"Yeah, there was. You were going to tell me who's been fucking with you."

"You. Happy now?"

"Nice try. Who?"

"Go away." She stepped toward him, hitting him in the leg with one of the chairs. He reached out and grabbed it before she could hit him with it again.

"Tell me."

"Get lost."

"Come on, Red, out with it."

"Are you deliberately trying to piss me off?"

"Is it working?"

A muscle jumped in her clenched jaw and for a second, Zach almost expected her to swing the other chair upside his head. He could tell she wanted to but she changed her mind at the last second. Instead of swinging it, she dropped it.

Hard.

Right on his foot.

Zach winced and stepped back. Damn, that fucking hurt. But he still had to bite back his smile at her show of temper, especially when a sarcastic smile curled that gorgeous mouth of hers.

"Go back to your play things, Mummert, and leave us adults alone."

She spun around and stormed back toward the bar. Zach could almost hear the silent fuck you in each sway of those lean hips as she walked away, right along with that silent in your dreams.

Fuck you.

Step.

In your dreams.

Sway.

Fuck you.

Step.

In your dreams.

Man, she had no idea.

She pushed through the small swinging door and tried to slam it behind her. It didn't make any noise—of course it didn't, you couldn't slam a swinging door no matter how hard you tried. Zach winced anyway, knowing that she was probably wishing it was his head she was slamming instead.

Fuck you. In your dreams.

Yeah, she really had no idea at all.