Page 50 of Full Body Hit: Part 2
Chase lowered his eyes, unable to sustain Auston’s glowing gaze, the way its searchlight went right through him, seekingevery cobwebbed corner and hidden place. “What, um. What does your sister think of you working with kids after you retire?” Chase stumbled over the words, desperate to change the subject.
“Well, shesaysI’ll terrify them, but she secretly thinks it’s a good idea. It’s a youth hockey program with outside funding to help kids without the means to buy all the equipment.”
“Oh. Wow. That’s…that’s really cool.”
Auston gave a one-shouldered shrug. “It was Mark’s idea.”
“Dalton?”
“Yeah.”
That made sense. They’d been teammates for years, had won cups together. They knew what it took to succeed.
Dalton was also an Omega, which shouldn’t make Chase’s stomach churn—Dalton was mated, he was pretty sure—but he was the perfect example of the kind of Omega Auston shouldactuallybe with.
Someone established, secure, with their shit together. Not whatever whiny mess Chase couldn’t help but be.
“What about you?” Auston asked. “Doyouthink it’s a good idea?”
If this had been Aunix speaking, it would have been an automatic yes, but it was disingenuous to give such a quick answer to Auston.
He thought about how his early impatience had melted into a smart, thoughtful teacher who had spent endless hours on the ice after practice with Chase, helping him with whatever Chase wanted.
“I think it could be a great idea. You just…you care about this, right? Teaching kids?”
There was a pause. “Yeah. I do.”
Chase gave him a little smile. “If you put that care into it, you’ll be amazing.”
Auston’s expression lightened.
Chase tilted his head, thumb rubbing over the edge of the table, the question that had plagued him the past few weeks bubbling out. “I want to ask you something, and I want you to tell me the truth.”
In the corner of his vision, Chase saw Auston nod.
“There had to besomethingabout me that made you so irritated when we first met. And I know you said it was my scent, but…there has to be more.”
“Why? Why does there have to be more? I’m telling the truth—that’s the reason.”
“But, how is this gonna work, then? You’re not going to be able to tell what I’m feeling through my scent until wemate. Until you know that you want to spend the rest of your life with me. That’s…how are we going to get through that if not having access to my pheromones made you dislike me so much?”
“No—you know that’s not the reason. Having access to your scent isn’t the problem—it’s the act of masking it—which you aren’t—that was the problem.That’swhat I disliked. I…” Auston paused then, a frown on his face, lips half-parted. The struggle on his face was obvious.
Chase let him sort through whatever was crowding his mouth.
“I…I had an ex.Havean ex, I guess. What I mean is—” He paused, hand carding through his hair. “I was in a relationship with someone who used to mask their scent in order to manipulate me. Would pretend to be distressed so I would stop going out with friends, would just…lie. All the time. And it was the way he covered his scent that allowed him to do that, you know?”
Chase’s gut sank. If that were the case—if Auston needed someone with an open scent—there was nothing Chase could do about it. “I’m really sorry that happened to you. That sounds horrible. But I…I can’t help that I don’t have a scent.”
“No, Chase, that’s not the problem.Manipulatingyour scent would be a dealbreaker. Not having one because of a medical condition? Yeah, that’s not an issue.”
Chase chewed on the inside of his cheek. “How do you know that, though? What if—”
“Because I’ve known it’s you these past few weeks, and I’ve only fallen deeper in love with you.”
Chase was too stunned to even blush, caught in Auston’s harpooning stare, hook piercing right through his ribcage.
“I trust you,” Auston went on. “I just do. I don’t need your scent to read you—you’re an open fucking book. I’ve just been too scared and dense to see that. But…I started going to therapy. I’m working on it. I promise.”
