Page 13 of Melting the Ice

“I’ll have to try them sometime.”

“I bought about twenty bags,” Brody said with a slightly embarrassed wince. “So feel free to help yourself. Just don’t eat them, okay?”

“Noted,” Dean said, leaning back onto the sofa. He could relax; heshouldrelax. Wes was probably not wrong about that. “What are you reading?”

“Syllabuses for tomorrow. I already got my books, but you know if you don’t read the syllabus ahead of time, you’re always fucked,” Brody said. Then paused. “I guess not if you’re taking physical education, though.”

Dean didn’t think, he just did, smacking Brody lightly on the arm. And that arm was surprisingly firm. For a hockey player, he had some real muscle tone going on.

“Hey, some of us aren’t gibbering idiots,” Dean retorted.

“Of course you’re not.”

“Some of us aren’t crazy enough to take a science major, either,” Dean said.

“Truth,” Brody said wryly. “So, are you gonna tell me how you know Ramsey?”

“Ramsey?”

“Yeah. About six foot three? Hockey player? Blond hair. Big blue eyes? Takes basically nothing seriously?”

“I mean IknowRamsey, I just . . .what do you mean, how do I know him? I don’t really know him. I knowofhim, of course. But I was surprised as anyone when he called me up and told me he’d found me a place to live this year.”

“Huh.” Brody leaned against the back of the couch.

“I think he knows Wes, the QB on the football team. Who’s . . .uh . . .my friend.”

“Oh, he hooked up with Wes, then.”

“Actually, I don’t think so. Wes has been with the same guy since high school.”

Brody shot him a knowing smile. “Then they’ve definitely hooked up. Probably with Wesandhis boyfriend. That’s Ramsey’s favorite: being a temporary third in a committed relationship.”

“Oh.” He didn’t know what to say.

Dean knew people did that. Knew they enjoyed sex—otherwise, why do it? But he couldn’t imagine it. Of course, in the best of circumstances he wasn’t a fan of sharing. But if he actually met someone he really wanted and really loved? They’d own him for life.

Though maybe . . .if Dean ever ended up with someone like that, andtheywanted it, he was pretty sure he’d give them whatever they asked for, gladly.

“It means he never needs to settle down,” Brody said.

“I . . .uh . . .”

Brody laughed. “Ramsey told me you were more of a nun than even me, and maybe he wasn’t wrong.”

Dean wasn’t anun. He just . . .well, how did people have the time and energy to devote to sex?

His right hand in the shower was plenty fineandplenty efficient, thank you very much. Much like earlier today, at practice, Wes always moaned about how that wasn’t good enough, that he must needmore, but Dean couldn’t say he wasdissatisfied with the arrangement. It kept his attention focused on what mattered: his future and the years-in-development plans that were slowly,finally, beginning to unfold.

“I’m not—”

“I know,” Brody said before Dean could try to explain. “Ramsey just doesn’t understand anyone who isn’t him.”

“Right,” Dean said. Even though he already had admitted that he didn’t know Ramsey all that well.

“Guess I don’t gotta worry about you bringing home girls—or guys?” Brody hesitated over the word, raising an eyebrow. “At all hours of the night. I would’ve had to with Ramsey. Maybe he had the right idea after all.”

“It’s girls,” Dean said, though he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been with one. High school?

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