Page 29 of Icebreaker

Ellie sighed. “I know what people say about you.”

“Yeah? Tell me what they say.” While we spoke, my fingers played with his dark curls and I gently scratched his skull.

“That you like…um…variety.” I heard the embarrassment in his voice, but I didn’t want to start this between us without complete honesty. “I don’t think I want that.”

“You never have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“Yeah, but you like it. And…ugh, I don’t have the right to ask you to do anything. Or, well, not do anything.” Ellie fell quiet after his last declaration. “Just forget I said anything. Never mind.”

“Is it a moral objection or something else?”

“Something else.” Ellie sounded miserable when he tried to explain his position.

“Can you explain why?”

“I’ve never told you about my family, right?”

“You’ve mentioned your dad.”

“Yeah, so my parents are divorced, and we live in Pacific Beach. He’s a maintenance man out in Seabrook, but my mom lives in Portland.” While Ellie spoke, I made only noncommittal noises and kept my questions to myself. “She ran around on him. A lot. I know it’s not the same thing, but I hated watching it.”

“When all parties agree and are open, it can work.”

“Yeah, I know it can be done ethically, but, yeah…” Ellie tried pushing himself up and off me.

“Nope, kiddo. You’re staying right here.” I ignored his disgruntled humph. “I’ve always been clear with people that our relationship was uncommitted and open, but I don’t want that right now.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Matty flirts with you, and I get all agro. There’s no damn way I’m going to be down for an open thing with you. I’ve never cared about monogamy, but right now, I do. And before you even ask, I was thinking about it before you even mentioned it.”

“All right, but just so you know, Matty doesn’t mean anything by it. Second, does it go in both directions?”

“How do you know he doesn’t?”

“Because I do.” Ellie shrugged.

“That’s not an answer,” I said and gave Ellie a gentle squeeze. His giggles made me smile in the dark. “What does both directions mean?”

“I get you don’t want me with anyone else, which is funny because I haven’t been doing it with anyone at all. But you won’t either?”

“No, kiddo, we’re keeping this exclusive, and we’re gonna figure it out.”

“But if you change your mind…”

“Then I’ll let you know.”

CHAPTER NINE

ELLIE

“Good morning, kiddo.”

This morning I woke up at five a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep. Rather than chance waking up Brennen, I’d snuck out of the bedroom to the living room. On my way, I’d grabbed a blanket off my bed so I could wrap myself in a burrito, turn on some cartoons, and read while I waited for him to wake up. It was closer to eight before he emerged from his bedroom.

“Hey, Brennen, I hope?—”

“Why are you calling me that?” he interrupted before I could finish my sentence.