Page 77 of Fresh Ice
“Yes.”
They stayed like that for a long time, fitting as one, melting into each other.
“Bed?” Levy said eventually.
“Yeah.”
Even then, it took them a long time to untangle long enough to slip into the nest, two pieces of the same puzzle.
**********
The new day dawned, slow and syrupy. Alonso blinked himself awake, their combined scent greeting him.
“Hey,” Levy croaked from where he was spooning Alonso.
“Were you watching me sleep?” Alonso whispered through a smile.
“Yeah. Deal with it.”
Alonso turned around, drinking in Levy’s soft, adoring expression.
Levy brushed a strand of Alonso’s hair from his forehead. “We should probably talk about all this.”
“Yeah.”
Levy jumped right into it. “I want to be in a relationship with you. I want us to be monogamous. I want us to have a future together. I want us to spend summers together,” Levy said, as brave as always.
Alonso swallowed, trying to meet that courage. “What about children? Because if I keep taking suppressants the way I am—and I have to—I don’t think I’ll be able to have kids. And even If I could, I wouldn’t until I retire.”
“That’s not really a problem for me, Olive. I know that we’re young and that things can change, but kids have never been a dealbreaker for me. But if that’s something we do in the future, I think we should adopt when we’re ready. If that’s after we retire, then, honestly, it’ll be an awesome thing to look forward to.”
Alonso had to close his eyes for a moment, emotion threatening to choke him. “Yeah. I think I’d be up for that.” It’d be cool to share the privileges and wealth they had with someone who needed it. “What about the fact that we’ll have to hide? If you found someone else—”
“Okay, first of all,” Levy interrupted, “every relationship is going to come with downsides. If I found someone else, I would have to leave them at home constantly when we’re on the road. I wouldn’t be able to really share the stresses that come with this job. There are pros and cons to any choice. Yeah, having to keep this secret is a con for this relationship, but you can’t compare it to what others have. That’s ignoring all the good things we share that another partner wouldn’t be able to give.”
Alonso had never thought about it that way. “Still…thisisan issue we’re going to have. And if it’s going to hurt you…”
“No. Baby—we all make sacrifices to play hockey. Igetwhy this has to be a secret. It’s not like you’re ashamed of me. This league is fucked, and I get that. I…I’d like to tell my family and, eventually, some of the guys. Beyond that, I’m totally fine keeping this private.”
Nervousness flared at the idea of tellinganybody, but… “I don’t think I’m ready to tell people yet, but, eventually…”
“Yeah. And my family knows I’m bi, so, we don’t have to tell anybody that you’re an Omega, even.”
“Right. Yeah, no, that makes sense.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“What else, then?” Levy prompted.
Alonso wracked his brain, but there weren’t any other pressing topics they needed to discuss. “I got nothing.”
“So we can make out now?”
Alonso grinned and kissed him.
It was so fucking good to feel Levy’s body against his and think,He’s mine. Levy’s scent spiked, drowning him, and he just drifted in the sensation of a mouth on his, of Levy’s warm skin under his clothes.
