Page 69 of Patiently Yours
“It’s my fault there’s no label yet,” I whisper, because it’s true. “I’m terrified… but that’s neither here nor there because this hockey game is not the place to discuss this.”
“When will it be?” she retorts.
I bite my lip and mutter, “Maybe after I’ve been intimate with the prime. Which I haven’t. That seems like a pretty important step.”
Rory’s mouth gaps. We are about a foot away from Ciro now. He’s staring at his phone, oblivious to our arrival.
“You haven’t fucked the prime yet?!”
Well shit.
Ciro’s eyes shoot towards us, one of his eyebrows soaring into his hairline.
“Thanks, Cranny,” I say under my breath as Ciro moves his legs. Rory winces and mutters an almost incoherentsorryas we take our seats.
“You two seem to be having a lovely conversation. One that a particular beta would beveryhappy to be a part of.” Ciro keeps his body towards me and rests his elbow on the back of his chair. His jesting grin causes butterflies to tease my stomach.
“I don’t think that would be appropriate.” I cross my legs and turn my attention to the ice.
“Come on, if anyone knows what the hold up is, it’s Ciro! Go ahead, ask him.” I give Rory a sideways glare and plead for herto shut up but she doesn’t notice my disdain. “I always thought it was the prime who was intimate with the scent match first, but I must be wrong. Now that I think about it, it does sound awfully traditional.”
I find myself giving a little omega growl, which finally warrants my best friend’s attention. When she sees my face, she nods her understanding. “I’m, uh, going to get you some nachos.” She shoots out of her chair and jets.
Finally.
My scowl transforms into a happy smile at the idea of nachos.
“You two are something else,” Ciro laughs before throwing his arm around my chair. “You don’t want to talk about it, so I won’t pry. But you might want to talk to Atlas about it. He won’t push unless you make the first move, I guarantee it.” He gives me a reassuring smile. “I’m really glad you’re here. These games will be much more fun with you beside me.”
I give him a weak smile, but nod nonetheless. I haven’t been to a hockey game since the night Derek showed his true colors. Before, it was because of nerves. Running into him and having to hear his backwards logic on who I am and what I want. Now, it’s because I want to support my boys. They love hockey, and I want to be there for them despite my fears.
Still, my body is holding onto anxiety. I may be here, and I may be doing the scary thing, but it is still terrifying. Like danger is lurking around every icy corner.
Maybe talking about my situation with Atlas would be a welcome distraction, but I’m not sure he would be okay with me discussing our sex life (or lack thereof) with these two.
“Will you help me when I get confused?” I ask him.
He looks me in the eye and scoffs, “You’re acting like I understand it, too. I haven’t done my homework, I just pretend. Let’s just pretend together.”
I snort at his words. “Yeah. That sounds like fun.”
“The goalie is kind ofhot. Ciro, who is that?” I choke on my Reese’s cup at Rory’s words.
She came back with all sorts of apologies in the shape of snacks. I had already forgiven her, but she doesn’t need to know that.
“How can you even tell he’s hot? He’s got on the most gear.”
“Are those not his real shoulders?” She squints her eyes towards the player in question.
Ciro chuckles under his breath. “That’s Everett. And”—he pauses and searches the rink before nodding—“yep, there’s his partner-in-crime right behind him.” Another player skates over to Everett. They talk to each other so lightheartedly, you can almost see their smiles through their helmets.
“Partner in crime?” Rory questions.
“Yeah, they’re tied at the hip. Dax and Everett are brothers of ours. Frat brothers, I mean.” He tosses a piece of popcorn in his mouth and practically inhales it before continuing. “Their chemistry on the ice has helped the team the past few years. Dax is good at protecting the goalie, but some people doubt he’d be nearly as good if the goalie wasn’t Everett.”
I tilt my head slightly to look at them from an angle. “Are they pack?”
“No, I don’t think so. They both live at Alpha Xi.” When Rory shoots him a confused glance, he elaborates. “Established packs aren’t allowed to live in campus housing.”
