Page 90 of Broken Ice
Okay, so maybe Beau didn’t have the best self-control with regard to his Alpha.
Good thing neither of them seemed to mind.
***
Beau truly didn’t know what to expect when he introduced Emilio to Noah.
They’d obviously met before on the ice. Emilio had been in the league eight years now, and Noah four. Playing in the same division meant they’d matched against each other four times a year. Seeing as how the whole league had thought Emilio had a problem with Beau being an Omega, Noah hadn’t exactly been too fond of him.
To say the least.
Beau still remembered laughing as he watched Noah beat the snot out of Emilio the first time their teams had met after the whole ‘covering his nose’ incident. Noah had been given a game misconduct for initiating a fight in the last five minutes, and Noah had waved at the Miami crowd as he was led out by the linesman.
Noah had been a rookie at the time, and Beau was convinced that little stunt had played a part in Noah becoming Captain two years later. His cocky ass fit right in with the New Orleans culture.
Noah claimed to be an expert in jazz and blues, which was fucking ridiculous. Then again, Noah was ridiculous, so it all made sense.
Noah had agreed to have Beau and Emilio over to his and Sammy’s apartment. Apparently, Sammy wanted to join the fun, and Noah hadn’t been able to say no.
“You’re so whipped, bro.” Beau had laughed, something Noah had decidedly not appreciated.
Beau was starting to see his point about Sammy after he opened the door to his apartment and promptly flung himself at Emilio.
Emilio let out an ‘oof’ but smiled wide, winding one arm around the Omega, ruffling Sammy’s blond hair with the other hand.
“Em!” Sammy said happily.
“Hey, Sammy, how’s it going?”
Beau watched with rising displeasure as Sammy rubbed his cheek happily on Emilio’s shoulder.
“Yo,” Beau protested, yanking Sammy away by the scruff of his neck. “The hell are you doing?”
Sammy blinked his big blue eyes at him. He really was pretty. Even his scent was flowery and pleasant to Beau—he could only imagine what it would be like for an Alpha. He was broad-chested and long-legged, but his features were oddly delicate—fair skin and pouty lips that Beau currently wanted to smack.
“Hey, Beau,” Sammy said and hugged him too.
Beau huffed, patting Sammy’s back and glaring at Emilio and Noah, who had finally appeared, in turns.
Noah smirked at him as if to say,See what I have to contend with? Now you deal with it.
“Okay, all right,” Noah said, pulling Sammy into the apartment. “Let them breathe, jeez.”
Beau and Emilio stepped into the apartment. The place was honestly a little weird, with exposed brick and big cement pillars in the corners. The ceilings were crazy high, fitted lights everywhere, giving the place a warm glow. A massive, U-shapedcouch dominated the living room, facing a large, flat-screen TV. Big, square, multi-coloured pillows littered the floor around a wooden coffee table, a nice rug underneath that.
Beau hadn’t been there previously—Noah and Sammy had moved at the beginning of the season, and the other time Beau had been in New Orleans that year he’d barely had time to get lunch with his brother before he’d jetted off to his next destination.
The place, predictably, reeked of Noah and Sammy, but there were other scents mixed in too, suggesting the team hung out there regularly.
Beau and Noah exchanged bro-hugs, and then Noah and Emilio squared off, Noah squinting his eyes at him suspiciously.
“Torres,” Noah grunted in greeting.
Emilio actually looked a little nervous. “Uh, hey. Thanks for having us.”
Noah didn’t drop the glare but nodded.
Beau got between them. “Okay, all right, showdown over. I’m fucking hungry. Where’s the food?”
