Page 25 of Full Body Hit, Part 2 (Alpha Omega Hockey #6)

CHASE

C hase woke up aching in the best way.

He was sore in places he’d never even thought about, deep inside, his rim sensitive, skin a little raw as if it could light up at the slightest friction.

It was also the first time he’d woken up with Auston naked, the Alpha’s big body crushing him to the mattress so that it was difficult to pull in a complete breath.

It was perfect.

Auston felt like the best nest Chase had ever built. The place he wanted to go to if things were tough. His warm skin, the sleepy, even cadence of his breaths—it was a shelter.

They’d left their phones somewhere unreachable, probably without battery and in their pants pockets, but Chase could tell from the thin light spilling through the window that it was still early.

He let himself doze, suspended at the surface of sleep, dipping under every now and again before his body solidified again, stronger this time.

A low, rumbling growl went down his spine as Auston woke up. The body on Chase’s shifted, arm wiggling under him and pulling so that they rolled to their sides, plastered together.

“Mornin’, baby.” Auston’s rough voice shivered through Chase, and the memories of last night fell in raindrops on his hot skin, sizzling and evaporating upon contact.

“Morning, Daddy.”

Auston’s rumble deepened as he nosed the nape of Chase’s neck, leaving a few kisses there. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah.” He was crusty and sticky and gross, but he still felt good, his sleep having been complete and satisfying.

“ Mmm , what time is it?”

“No idea. Don’t know where our phones are.”

Auston groaned. “Okay. Stay here. I’m gonna go looking.”

Chase sprawled out as Auston left the bed, shuffling so that his face was in the Alpha’s pillow.

He might not be able to smell his pheromones, but he could still detect the scent of aftershave, of shampoo, of detergent.

He watched with slitted eyes as Auston took care of things, plugging in their phones, checking the time, disappearing into the bathroom for a while.

“You wanna shower?” Auston called out.

Chase crawled from beneath the sheets, the small of his back twinging. “Yeah, just a sec.”

He heard the shower turn on as he did a few stretches, following Auston into the steaming air when he finished.

Showering with Auston was a whole other experience.

Those big, broad palms rubbing him all over, checking between his thighs, rubbing his hole softly and cleaning him out—the embarrassment of it somehow made it better, as if Auston knew better than him, as if it were his responsibility to take care of Chase.

Auston jerked them both off, almost drowning in the water as Chase gasped for breath, spilling way sooner than Auston and then wrapping his hand around the Alpha’s and watching raptly as he shook apart.

Chase put on the clothes from the previous day sans underwear, garter, and stockings.

Auston made them eggs, turkey bacon, and a protein-infused green smoothie for breakfast, both of them hoovering it down. Auston still had to drive Chase to his apartment to change and take his own car to practice.

Chase felt his heart fluttering around his head like some cheesy cartoon as Auston kissed him goodbye in the car. Every bit of Chase’s body felt the Alpha’s presence, the marks and deep-tissue bruises he’d left, an intimate marking.

Chase quickly changed in his apartment, pulling out the sweater he’d nabbed from Auston’s couch just as he left the Alpha’s apartment.

It was solid black, no name or number, so nobody should know who it belonged to.

He put it on, burying his face in it for a few seconds and grinning like a kid before getting his shit together and racing out the door.

The locker room was almost full as he arrived. Auston was nowhere to be found—probably with a trainer or something—and Chase flounced to his stall, greeting his teammates happily.

The shouting and chirping that filled the space cut out abruptly, leaving only whatever playlist was playing—one of Brody’s, judging by the sounds of the ’80s music.

Chase looked around, eyebrows bunching as everybody stared back.

“What?” Chase asked as he got to his stall. Sammy was standing a step away, gaping at Chase. “ What? ” Chase repeated, heartbeat quickening.

“Are you…are you wearing Auston’s sweater?”

Chase froze. “Um…no?”

“Because it stinks like Auston.”

Oh. Shit . Why was he the dumbest person on Earth? Obviously everybody would be able to smell the Alpha on him—his stupid, scent-blind ass hadn’t even considered it.

Chase struggled out of the sweater. “Sorry. Must have picked it up by mistake.”

“Picked it up from where ?” Sammy asked shrilly.

There really was no need for that tone. Chase could have just…found it somewhere.

Sammy was staring at him when Chase managed to remove the offending piece of clothing. He didn’t have anything underneath—had wanted to feel it on his skin like a freak, but now it just seemed weird.

“Sammy—”

“Oh. My. God,” Sammy interrupted. “ No .”

Chase threw Auston’s hoodie deep into his stall and scrambled to put on one of his own shirts, all while Sammy kept repeating, “What, what? Wait…no…what?”

Noah ambled over, dopey smile on his face. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing!” Chase said quickly, grabbing Sammy by the arm. “Omega business.” He dragged Sammy’s uncooperative body out of the locker room, marching him down corridors until they were alone.

“Okay,” Chase panted, somehow out of breath. He was pretty sure his lungs weren’t working. “Look. I just grabbed his hoodie by mistake.”

Sammy’s face was blank. “Explain.”

“I…found it. And I just, uh…put it on.”

“Okay, but…I get that you couldn’t smell it was Auston’s, but where would you even find his hoodie? How much are you guys hanging out? And… how are you hanging out for clothes sharing to be a thing?”

Fuck . Chase hated lying. He wasn’t used to it—wasn’t actually that used to having good friends like Sammy, and the thought of telling him some bullshit story about a tentative friendship between Auston and Chase being built felt wrong.

And it wouldn’t even make sense. Why would he have hidden it from Sammy?

Chase glanced over his shoulder, making sure they were still alone, stomach pulling in two directions. He should ask Auston if he could tell people before confessing to Sammy. “Can we talk after practice? I’ll tell you everything, but we’re gonna be late if we stay here any longer.”

Sammy’s mouth twisted, but he nodded, following Chase as they returned to the locker room. Auston was already there, and Chase could fucking feel Sammy’s brain churning as he stared at the Alpha.

This was just another situation in a long line of situations that could have been avoided if Chase’s nose worked. Or if he wasn’t a complete dumbass.

Auston caught up to him on the ice. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I, um…maybe accidentally stole one of your hoodies and wore it this morning and I think Sammy figured out there’s something going on between us and I’m really sorry, obviously I should have realised that—”

“Whoa. Slow down.” Auston looked at where everybody was skating towards the coach. “It’s fine. Anyone else notice?”

“Well, nobody said anything. They’ll probably ignore it.”

“Okay, then, no biggie, right? You and Sammy are tight. We would have told him sooner or later.”

Chase blinked up at Auston, nodding slowly. “You don’t mind?”

Auston laughed as the whistle blew, Coach shouting, “Oi! You two! Care to join us?”

Chase immediately made for the group, but Auston paused him. “Baby, I would shout that you’re my Omega from the goddamn rooftops if I could, but I get that it’s more complicated than that with us being teammates and all. So, no. I don’t fucking mind.”

Chase felt blood rushing to his face, heart growing in his chest. He hadn’t realised how worried he’d been about Auston being too ashamed of him to tell others about their fledgling relationship until relief washed him clean, a weight lifted from his ribs.

“Okay.” Chase smiled, insides bubbling even as the coach threw them a glare at the delay.

Sammy stuck by him the moment practice ended. “Come to mine?”

“Better to do it in my apartment.” Chase tilted his head towards Noah, and Sammy nodded.

They picked up some food on the way and laid it all out on the coffee table, sitting around it on cushions similar to the ones Sammy had in his apartment.

“Okay, spill,” Sammy demanded.

They’d taken separate cars, so Chase had at least managed to get his thoughts together. “So…remember that guy I met on Lookr?”

“Oh, yeah. Aunix, right?” Sammy laughed. “Damn, you kick him to the curb?”

“Uhm…not exactly,” Chase hedged.

Sammy tilted his head, stuffing his mouth with noodles. “Wait, so you’re still chatting with him? And, like…dating Auston? I’m still reeling about that, by the way. I mean… Auston ?”

Chase took a breath. “So…remember how Auston knew about the stuff that happened with my mom and my scent-blindness and stuff? Well…he knew because Auston is Aunix.”

Sammy immediately choked on the food in his mouth, flapping his hand in front of his face. Chase startled, slapping him on the back. “Oh, my God. Do you need water?”

Sammy waved him away, hacking half a lung out, apparently, and finally accepting the water. “ What? ” he croaked.

So Chase started from the beginning, reminding Sammy about how nice Aunix was, how supportive and kind. He pointed out that Auston had shown that side of himself, too, in the past few weeks since finding out the truth.

“And I get now why he was such an ass to me before,” Chase explained.

Sammy’s mouth was in a flat line. “Can’t wait to hear this .”