Page 52 of Cold as Ice

Elliott grinned, his mood already better.

Ivan had told him he couldn’t die from blue balls, but Elliott was beginning to question that particular proclamation.

He shifted uncomfortably on the weight bench. Telling himself that he wasnotgoing to look over at where Malcolm was lifting with Ramsey and Ivan.

“If you look over there one more time, you’re going to get a freaking neck cramp,” Finn said.

“I—” Elliott broke off the claim that he wasn’t, because heclearlywas.

“Exactly. You gettin’ anywhere?”

Elliott wasn’t about to kiss and tell. Even though there hadn’t beenanykissing, unfortunately. “Don’t know what you mean,” he said.

“Yeah, you do,” Finn said with another knowing glance in Mal’s direction. “You two finally stop bickering—and you stop pulling his pigtails, trying to get his attention—something’s going down.”

“Maybe we decided to be adults,” Elliott claimed.

“Maybe you finally figured out why you kept egging each other on,” Finn muttered under his breath.

“We give each other an edge.”

“Believe me. I’m familiar.” Finn’s voice was wry. And yeah, he probably hadn’t enjoyed yesterday’s drill, but Elliott knew it was good for him. It was better to give up goals now, in practice, than it was to do it in a game.

“You’re welcome,” Elliott said, but he kept his tone kind. Understanding.

He liked Finn and he knew how much the guy struggled.

Every goal an opposing team scored on him churned him up.

“Just don’t lose that edge, when you two finally fuck,” Finn said and shot Elliott another knowing look as he turned away to head to another machine.

Elliott did another set of reps, his biceps burning.

But not as bad as his balls ached. Elliott didn’t know what satisfaction was anymore. He’d texted Austin from Koffee Klatch that he was “involved” with someone else and he was going to see where it went.

Even though “involved” was probably a vast exaggeration.

It felt like he and Mal had barely stopped barking at each other at every available opportunity. But then, there’d been yesterday after practice, when Mal had been hard and ready in his boxer briefs, undeniable heat in his eyes as he’d stared at Elliott.

So he wanted him, too.

It had taken everything inside Elliott to not just lean in andtake.

But he was beginning to understand what Ramsey had meant about not just telling Mal he wanted him—but makingMalwanthim.

If he wanted to melt all the ice around him, he was going to need to find a new reservoir of patience. Wait Mal out, until Mal decided that what he wanted—what heneeded—was Elliott.

And until then, his balls were going to ache.

Touching himself wasn’t going to work.

And he certainly wasn’t going to blow it by letting some other guy take the edge off.

No. He was determined now to see this through to the end.

Whatevertheendturned out to be.

After their workout, he showered and changed and was waiting under the athletic complex overhang, the rain drizzling from the sky in big, slow drops as the sun finished going down.

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