Page 30 of Full Body Hit, Part 2 (Alpha Omega Hockey #6)
Chase’s dishevelled head popped out of one of the guest rooms. “Oh, hey.” He trotted out, giving Auston a quick kiss and immediately disappearing again. “Everything go okay?” his disembodied voice said.
Auston followed him, stopping at the doorway to watch Chase rearrange the nest Auston had built all those weeks ago. They’d used it a few times, but Chase had left the structure pretty much intact until now.
Auston’s eyebrows bunched at Chase’s frantic movement. “You okay?”
Chase glanced at him as if surprised to see him there. “Oh, yeah. You? Have fun with Mark?”
“It was fine. Went through some of the sponsorship contracts Mark has managed to get—one is for Omeglite, which is pretty awesome.” Omeglite did loads of Omega-related products such as energy drinks and food for heats.
They were a big household name, so Auston had been impressed when Mark had revealed the company was interested.
Chase straightened, buzzing activity suddenly ceasing. “Oh, my God! Seriously? That’s…that’s huge! Aren’t they trying to buy a Formula One team, too?”
Auston raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know anything about Formula One, honestly.”
“Nah, me neither, but I think Sammy hooked up with one of the drivers once, I don’t know. Anyway—that’s awesome!”
“Thanks, baby. What have you been up to?”
Chase went back to the nest. “Nothing much. Worked out. Lunch with Sammy and Noah. Had a call with my mom…same old, same old.”
Auston felt his hackles rise at the mention of Chase’s mom. Well, that explained the nesting—Chase tended to do that when he was anxious.
“Tough to talk to her, huh?”
Chase frowned. “I mean, it’s fine.”
“ I don’t think it is,” Auston said lightly. “Her being your mom doesn’t excuse her behaviour, baby. Just something to keep in mind.”
Chase was still frowning, so Auston walked forwards and wrapped Chase up in a big hug, kissing all over his face. “You need any help?”
Chase melted, a genuine smile on his face. “Actually…you’re not busy?”
“Nope.”
“Can you get in the nest? I just can’t get it right for some reason. It’ll be easier with you in it, I think.”
“ ’Course.”
“Oh, wait—take your clothes off first. Um, you can leave your underwear, just not anything that’s touched the outside or whatever.”
Auston did as he was asked, getting on his back, propped up by a bunch of pillows, so he could watch Chase at work. His movements stopped stuttering, slowing but becoming more precise. Chase added the clothes Auston had just shed, smiling as he did so.
“Okay,” Chase said finally, more to himself than Auston. He looked at the nest for a while and then climbed in, collapsing on Auston. “ Oof , thanks. I needed that.”
Auston chuckled. “Pretty sure that was all you, baby.”
“Yeah, but it helped to have you here,” Chase mumbled, mouth muffled by Auston’s neck.
Auston let it go, rubbing Chase’s back soothingly. “Feel better?”
“ Mmhm .” He yawned. “Tell me more about what you talked about with Mark.”
Auston did, voice low and paced, Chase making the right noises but not contributing much until he said, “You’re gonna be a good teacher. The kids are gonna love you.”
Auston’s stomach clenched because— “Am I, though? Didn’t do the best job this year.”
“Nah, I’ve seen you with the kids waiting for autographs. And you can be really gentle and patient when you want to be.”
Auston hummed doubtfully but didn’t argue. It was his biggest fear in this whole endeavour—not the business side, not losing sponsors, but for it to turn out Auston wasn’t such a great leader after all. “Thanks, honey.”
“And you’re staying in New Orleans, which…big plus.”
Auston squeezed Chase around the middle. “I’d be staying anyway.” The admission just slipped out, and Auston held his breath as Chase picked his head up and frowned at him.
“Really? I didn’t know you liked it here so much. Wouldn’t you go back to your family?”
Auston pressed his lips together. They were meant to go slow, but this wasn’t something he wanted to keep to hidden. “Yeah, but you’re here.”
It took a moment for that to hit fully, Chase’s eyes going abruptly round and big, cheeks reddening. “You’d…stay here? For me?”
Auston shrugged. “I mean…yeah.”
Chase’s mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
Suddenly, to Auston’s surprise, Chase’s eyes got shiny with tears.
Chase tucked his face into Auston’s neck, obviously hiding. “Sorry. That’s…really? Just for me?”
“Yeah, baby,” Auston whispered. “Just for you.”
Chase swallowed so loudly Auston could hear the thick wetness of it. Silence settled, Chase holding Auston tightly, latched onto him like a limpet.
When Chase finally spoke, his voice was a little clearer. “I would stay for you, too.”
Auston tilted his head so that his nose brushed Chase’s hair, kissing the top of his head. He didn’t have anything to say to that, mind and heart too full.
He let both of them calm down, sheltered in their nest.
Eventually, Auston brought up the thing that had been on his mind for a few weeks. “All Stars coming up.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“You wanna go somewhere?”
Chase’s head popped up. “Yeah? Sammy has been saying something about a trip, but…I kinda just wanna hang out with you,” he admitted. “I’ll make it up to him in summer—we’re going to a music festival together.”
Auston grinned, childishly pleased at winning over Sammy. “We can do Cancun.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve never been,” Chase said, eyes bright.
“Perfect, I’ll get everything arranged.”
“Thank you, Daddy,” Chase replied sweetly, kissing him softly on the lips.
Auston deepened the kiss, everything else falling away.