Chapter 26
The morning of the escort mission, Hazard woke up early as usual. He dressed in his field uniform, wanting to be ready in case Ortiz only wanted to prove a point by threatening to leave them behind or had changed her mind. Ice clearly had the same idea, as he was dressed and sitting at the kitchen table when Hazard emerged from his room.
Unfortunately, Ortiz hadn’t issued an empty threat and she didn’t change her mind. She said good morning, but didn’t tell them to gear up.
“See you when we get back. I trust the issue between you two will be fixed by the time we return,” she said as she and Jax prepared to head out.
Hazard simply nodded. He couldn’t give a definitive answer since fixing the problem required him to work with Ice. And that wasn’t going at all well or they wouldn’t be having the problem in the first place. Hazard fist bumped Jax as the alpha passed him on the way out. And then he and Ortiz were gone.
Once the door closed behind his squadmates, Hazard got up and stormed off to his bedroom. “Fuck!” he furiously snapped as he slammed the door shut.
* * *
Ice flinched at the bang of Hazard’s door slamming closed. But he didn’t move from his seat at the kitchen table. Being left behind on a mission felt like failure. He’d never failed before. He didn’t like the feeling not one damn bit.
Hazard suddenly burst back out of his room. “This is bullshit!” he yelled, his face red with anger.
“Ortiz was right to bench us,” Ice calmly replied.
“Of course she was. Arguing in the field could end up with someone on our team catching a bullet or a mission failure. But I’m not talking about her decision. I’m talking about us.”
Ice rose from the table. He stalked over to Hazard, using his height advantage to tower over him. “There is no us ,” he said as he glared down at him. If you’d get that through your stubborn skull we wouldn’t be stuck here on base while our team is out there doing work.”
Hazard had to tilt his head back to maintain eye contact. But the omega was fearless. He didn’t submissively drop his gaze or show his neck. He stood toe to toe with him, not giving an inch of ground.
“You really think there’s nothing between us?” he asked incredulously. “You don’t feel what I feel?”
“This job and my life aren’t about feelings. It’s about executing the mission. No more, no less.”
“No feelings?” Hazard shook his head. “That’s a cold way to live. No wonder they call you Ice.”
Ice shrugged. “That’s the way it is.” It’s the way it had always been for him.
Hazard stared at him for a long moment. The anger began to fade from his expression, replaced by something... soft. Ice almost took a step back. If that look was pity, he didn’t want it.
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Hazard finally said. “You can do your job and be just as kick ass even if you let yourself have an emotion or two.” He reached up and put a hand on Ice’s chest. “You have a heart and it’s beating — it’s not frozen. You have warmth and flesh and blood because you are not a machine. You should feel. You should experience the closeness of being with another person.”
“You think I’ve never been with another person?”
Hazard rolled his eyes. “I’m not talking about simply fucking. I’m talking about making connections. Physical and emotional. Have you done that?”
“No,” Ice answered honestly. He had plenty of sex with willing partners who knew not to expect anything past what happened in the bedroom. And he’d never emotionally connected with any of them. Never felt the need to.
“Let me change that for you. Right here, right now. Let yourself feel with me.”
Hazard moved the hand on his chest to reach up to the straps of his mask. Slowly, he unclasped the buckles and drew the mask away, his gaze remaining steady on Ice’s the entire time.
Ice’s heart pounded, amazed that he simply stood there and let Hazard remove his mask. No one else had ever dared to touch it. His balaclava still covered his face, but he felt bare nonetheless. He didn’t speak, waiting to see what Hazard would do next.
With his free hand, Hazard ghosted the tips of his fingers over Ice’s lips, then trailed them down to press against his chest once more. “Feel,” he whispered.
Feel. What would it be like to feel with Hazard? He’d be a liar if he denied that he wanted to experience it. And here in this moment, he had the opportunity to do so. As he stared into Hazard’s green eyes, something lovely teased his nose. Hazard’s sweet scent, laced with arousal. Ice groaned.
He drew in a deep breath, pulling the scent into his lungs. That wonderful smell lit a spark in his chest. He couldn’t resist it. Didn’t want to resist it. And he wasn’t going to.
Ice surged forward, slamming their lips together in a kiss. Hazard’s eyes went wide with surprise. He stumbled backward, letting out a startled oomph ! But then he quickly settled into the kiss. Satisfaction hummed in Ice’s blood when he had Hazard’s lips under his once more.
Feeling like this was right , Ice wrapped his arms around Hazard, holding him close to his body. Hazard returned the embrace, twining his arms around his neck in a tight hold. Their lips coming together in kisses so frantic they could hardly breathe, Ice walked him backward, heading for his own room because it was closer. Too wrapped up in each other to pay attention to where they were going, they ended up crashing against the closed door.
Unwilling to separate, they stayed pressed against it, Ice devouring Hazard’s mouth and Hazard eagerly returning each kiss, until Ice finally had the presence of mind to reach down and turn the knob. Their combined weight caused the door to abruptly swing open. Hazard lost his balance and started to fall backward, but Ice caught him and yanked him back up against his chest. His face flushed, eyes wild and glowing bright, Hazard lunged for him, pulling him into another kiss.
Once they’d moved all the way into the bedroom, Ice kicked the door closed. Hazard peeled himself off of his body and Ice reluctantly let him go. He watched as Hazard tossed the wolf mask on the desk, then backed up towards his bed. Hazard sat down on the edge of it and scooted back to lay on the pillows. Then, he laid there, staring at Ice. Waiting.
Ice moved to stand at the foot of the bed. He could stop this. This was his room but he could still walk away. Give them both time to cool down. But as he watched, Hazard smoothed a hand over his hip then up to brush over the erection straining against his pants. He squeezed once, before he slowly began to stroke the hard length through the fabric.
“Come and feel me,” he said in a throaty whisper.
Ice didn’t move. Conflict raged within him. He desperately wanted to join Hazard on that bed but knew that he shouldn’t.
Hazard licked his kiss swollen lips, leaving them shiny and wet. “Please, alpha,” he pleaded softly.
At that huskily voiced plea, Ice jerked forward as if he’d been held back by the tautest of rubber bands and that band had suddenly snapped. He’d never been one to be affected by a bed mate calling him by his designation. But hearing it from Hazard, with those heavy-lidded eyes on him, had his cock hard and arousal pooling low in his gut. He put one knee on the bed.
“You want me to touch you? Feel you?”
Hazard nodded. “Yes.”
Reaching down, he grasped Hazard’s thick thighs and pushed them apart to make room for himself to kneel between them.
“I will. Just this once.”
“Once won’t be eno—.”
He leaned down and cut off the rest of Hazard’s protest with a searing kiss. Hazard held onto his neck and arched his back, trying to get closer. Ice denied him, but it was for a good cause. Pulling back, he reached down and tugged the omega’s shirt free of his pants. With deliberate slowness, he worked the buttons free, baring the tan-gold skin of his torso inch by inch. His eyes locked on Hazard’s, he dragged his knuckles down the strip of exposed skin.
Ice dipped down to press kisses to the warm flesh. With his lips, he nudged the fabric of Hazard’s shirt aside to get to his nipple. He licked around the areola in a circle once, then again, avoiding direct contact with his nipple each time.
“Stop teasing me,” Hazard complained in a pout-heavy voice.
“Not teasing. Just taking my time.” He realized that he actually could take his time. Ortiz and Jax would be gone all day, which gave them plenty of time to indulge in this.
He licked the flat of his tongue over Hazard’s nipple, gaining a small shiver from him for his efforts. Wanting more of a reaction, he pulled the nipple into his mouth, sucking until it was tight and hard. Hazard pressed his head back into the pillow and moaned, the sound lush and throaty. That was the reaction he wanted. The pretty sound made his cock throb.
Ice released Hazard’s nipple with a slow pop . He blew a breath over it, watching as the sensitive skin tightened and pebbled even more. He made his way across Hazard’s chest to the other nipple, pressing kisses and gentle love bites into the skin as he went. When he pulled that nipple into his mouth, he closed his teeth over it in an almost bite.
Hazard gasped sharply, back abruptly jerking up to press himself closer to Ice’s mouth.
“Ice! Please...”
“Please what?”
“I need you to touch me.”
“I am touching you.”
A tiny little growl slipped from Hazard’s throat. “You know what I mean.”
“Do I?” He liked teasing Hazard, liked watching him get impatient and even more turned on.
Hazard grabbed his hand and pressed it to his covered cock.
“Touch me here .”
It was Ice’s turn to growl at the feel of that hard shaft in his hand. He squeezed it once, which made Hazard moan again. Ice let him go, then kissed his way down his stomach, tongue dipping into the ridges of his abs. He stopped at the waistband of his pants, brushing his lips back and forth over the soft skin above it.
“You want me to open these?” Ice asked.
“If you don’t, I will.”
Ice chuckled but he popped open the button. He slid back up Hazard’s body to kiss him again, tongue slipping into his mouth as he worked the zipper down. He touched his tongue to the tip of Hazard’s fang, letting the sharp point drag over it as he withdrew.
“Raise your hips,” he whispered.
Hazard obeyed, lifting his hips so that Ice could work the pants and briefs down past his ass.
When Hazard was bared all the way to mid-thigh, Ice groaned at what he’d revealed. Hazard’s cock was pretty, the shaft as gold as the rest of him, the tip flushed a deep rose-pink. Soft black hair curled at the base of that pretty cock. And below it, his balls were round and perfectly symmetrical, drawn up tight in arousal.
“Look at you,” he whispered hoarsely. He traced a single finger down the shaft. It was hot, silky to the touch. At the contact, his slow, playful teasing went out the window. Wrapping a hand around Hazard’s stiff length, he immediately set a smooth but quick pace, stroking him from root to tip. Hazard’s erection was hot against his palm and the pre-cum dripping from the slit eased his stroking into a smooth glide.
He watched as he pumped his fist up and down Hazard’s cock. The contrasts between them touched something in the primitive part of his alpha instincts — his hand so big and pale and rough, easily engulfing Hazard’s dusky shaft and the heart shaped head.
Ice wanted this. Wanted to make Hazard sweaty and writhing with pleasure from his touch. And that’s exactly what he was going to do. His own cock was hard and aching for attention, but he ignored it to focus on Hazard. If this was the only chance for them to be together, he wanted to make it good for him.
Hazard moved suddenly. He pushed his pants and briefs down more so that he could raise his knees and spread his thighs a little.
On Ice’s next breath, the luscious scent of Hazard’s slick slid into his nose. He glanced down, eyes catching on the hint of glistening wetness on Hazard’s ass. Ice knew he could easily dip a finger down to the source. Feel how wet he was. Push that finger inside to test how many he would need to prepare him for his cock.
Ice groaned and rolled his hips once, the cotton of his briefs dragging over the wet tip of his cock. Then, he got himself under control. He would not be fucking Hazard today. He refocused on pleasuring the omega, thumbing over the sensitive spots on his cock — the slit, the spot right beneath the head — before he returned to his smooth stroking.
“Feel good?” he asked roughly.
His eyes heavy lidded, lips parted on rushing breaths, Hazard nodded. “Real good...”
Hazard reached up and wrapped his arms around his neck, tugging him down into a kiss. The scent of apples bloomed in the air between them, rich and tempting. Ice broke their kiss. Ignoring Hazard’s attempt to pull him back, he dragged his tongue over the omega’s mating gland to fully taste it.
“Your taste... You taste—.” He cut off that sentence before he could say too much. But Hazard didn’t let it drop.
“What about my taste?” he asked.
He couldn’t say that Hazard tasted like he was his . He wanted to lick him again before he sank his teeth into the gland to bite him and claim him as his own. To distract him from his question, Ice tightened his grip and started to stroke him faster. In seconds, he had Hazard gasping and cursing as he worked him to the edge.
Hazard cried out, back arching high off the bed. “Oh, fuck,” he groaned.
Ice kept up the fast, tight movement, pushing him closer and closer to release.
“Ice... I’m... I’m...”
“Royce,” he whispered against Hazard’s plush lips. “Say my name when you come.”
“Royce!” Hazard desperately called out as he came in a hot, wet rush in Ice’s palm, spilling over his fingers onto his sweat-slick torso. Ice kissed him through it, stroking him until the wet tip stopped giving up its spend. Hazard moaned into his mouth, hips rolling to lazily slide his still pulsing cock through Ice’s loosened fist.
Ice kissed his way down Hazard’s jaw to lick over the flushed gland on his throat one last time, sucking on it, but being careful not to leave a mark. Closing his eyes, he fully savored the final taste of Hazard on his tongue. He was grateful that he’d had this one chance to be with the omega who’d so easily scaled all his defensive walls.
When Hazard’s body went slack and he relaxed onto the mattress, Ice drew his lips away from his throat. Although his own cock was hard and unfulfilled, it was time to stop.
He wiped his hand on the sheet. Rolled off of Hazard. Pushed himself up from the bed. Every move felt as if he was swimming through wet cement. He didn’t want to leave Hazard. But he had to. He couldn’t let this go any further. They’d expelled some of the tension simmering between them. That would have to be enough.
“Where…” Hazard dragged in a deep breath and let it out on a shuddering exhale. “Where are you going?”
Ice stared down at the gorgeous omega sprawled out on his bed. He’d made Hazard look like that – flushed and happy and sated. But he couldn’t — wouldn’t — do it again. Digging deep to find the strength to resist the man in front of him, he forced himself to say what needed to be said.
“This stops here. We’re on the same fucking squad and I’m your goddamn superior officer. If this continues it can only end one way and that’s bad. That’s why I’m stopping it now before that happens.”
Hazard pulled up his clothes and pushed himself up to a sitting position.
“You really think a bad ending is the only way a relationship between us will turn out?” he asked softly.
Ice nodded. He was sure of it. The regulation was there for a reason. But there was more to it than that. And it was time he came clean. Maybe that would finally get Hazard to understand why there was no future for them.
“Hazard.” He paused to scrub a hand over the back of his neck, palm rasping over the fabric of his balaclava.
“Yes?” Hazard prompted.
“I have a goal.”
“What is it?”
“To become the first shifter to achieve the rank of brigadier general.”
Hazard’s eyes widened. “Oh. That’s... that’s a worthy goal.”
Ice nodded. “It is. But if we’re caught fraternizing, we might get kicked out of the Legion. If we’re not, I’ll definitely be punished as your superior officer. Either way, I won’t be able to reach my goal. Do you see now why we can’t let this thing between us go any further?”
Hazard stared at him for a long moment before he answered.
“I do.”
Ice expected to feel relief that Hazard finally understood. Oddly, he didn’t. The tightness in his chest felt like disappointment. Still, he pushed forward.
“Do you want to stay on this team?”
“Yes.”
“So do I. If we’re both staying, we have to be able to work together. Can you do that?”
Hazard let out a slow breath. Ice saw defeat in his eyes and realized that he was giving up. His Instinct urged him to say fuck both the Legion regulation and his goal and get back on that bed to soothe the hurt and defeat from his omega. He ignored it.
“Yeah. I can do that,” Hazard answered in a low voice.
“Good. We’ll go back to what we were before. Partners. Friends. And I’ll get off your case in the field. I was wrong in the shoot house yesterday and I apologize for that.”
“Okay,” Hazard said with a nod. “We’re squadmates. Nothing more.”
They both went quiet. Ice wished he could take back his decision. But he couldn’t. So, after one last look at Hazard sitting in the middle of his bed, he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.