Page 96 of Cold as Ice

“Actually, I was thinking we could go out first.” Mal rubbed the back of his neck, and Elliott realized his skin wasn’t just flushed pink from the heat of the shower. “Maybe to Jimmy’s? Or the arcade, again? You seemed to like going there.”

Elliott was amused. And touched. “Are you asking me on a date?”

“Yes.”

Trust Malcolm to be direct when it mattered.

“Yeah, we can do that,” Elliott said, shooting Mal the brightest smile he could. “You’d want to go back to the arcade?”

“Like I said, you seemed to enjoy that a lot. And it’ll be quiet. Ramsey was talking about some big party.”

On a Friday night, students would have a lot of other things to do. Like visit Ramsey’s Gamma Sigma party. Or study for the upcoming midterms.

“Alright then. Let me go get showered.”

“Don’t take too long,” Mal said seriously, and then he turned away to get dressed.

Elliott picked up his phone.

Actually—I think Nina might be right. Mal just asked me on a date.

Macey sent a whole row of exclamation points.

Connie texted:You get it, baby bro.

And Nina finished with:Be safe. Wear a condom.

Elliott flushed and set his phone in his locker, going off to get showered and then dressed.

God, adate. WithMalcolm.

Malcolm had never been on a real date before, but he knew if he liked Elliott more than just in bed—which hedid, to his shock and astonishment—he needed to show him.

On Halloween, Elliott had confessed that he’d liked him from the very beginning, and Mal knew it was time for him to dosome reciprocating. And not just orgasms stolen away from time studying.

He didn’t know where this was going—or if it could go anywhere, with his impending graduation and Elliott’s upcoming draft—but he’d lectured himself firmly on enjoying the moment. That was not his normal kind of thing, at all, but hecouldstill do it, if it was important.

And Mal knew this was important.

ThatElliottwas important.

He lingered in the locker room as the rest of the team slowly filed out, looking for Friday night amusements. Zach approached him. “Good game,” he said.

“Thanks,” Mal said.

“You and Elliott are playing a whole other game out there,” Zach said.

For a second, Mal froze. Worried that he knew exactly what Zach was saying, and the game he was referring to had nothing to do with hockey.

“Yeah,” Mal said, because that wasn’t really an admission of anything. Would Coach Blackburn and Zach be upset if they knew what was happening? Probably, but then Coach B was a bit of a different breed than all the other coaches he’d had in his years playing.

“Keep up the good work,” Zach said, patting him on the back. “Coach B and I are impressed. You two keep getting even better.”

“Ah yeah. Well. He’s good. Makes it easy out there.”

Zach laughed. “That’s not what you said only a few months ago.”

It was true. At the beginning of the season, Mal had registered a hopeless complaint that he didn’t want to be on the same line as him. Even though Elliott was by and away the best offensive player on the team.

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