Chapter 47
The next morning, their squad all went for their usual run. Ice insisted on joining them, so Ortiz set an easy pace. She ignored his grumbling that he didn’t need coddling and chose a shorter route. Hazard couldn’t help but keep an eye on Ice, checking to make sure that he was okay and not in pain. He seemed to be fine, so Hazard released the tension in his shoulders as they neared the end of the run.
After they finished and cooled down, they headed to the mess hall for breakfast. They arrived at the height of the morning rush and the hall was packed with soldiers having their first meal of the day. Once they had trays in hand, Hazard expected Ice to go and eat on his own as he usually did. But today he stayed with the group, walking with them to their usual table.
The soldiers sitting at the other end of the long table watched their approach with wide eyes. When Ice sat down, they went silent, some freezing with their mouths open and forks raised mid-air.
Hazard held back a grin. Honestly, he was just as surprised that Ice was joining them as they were, but he was better at hiding his reaction.
“Gonna catch flys, soldiers,” Ortiz said dryly.
Faces red with embarrassment, they went back to talking and eating. Ice seemed unbothered by the shock he’d caused, calmly digging into his eggs, bacon, and toast as if he ate with them in the mess every day.
Ryder Boone, the support team member who’d given them their drink chits the night of the Legion celebration, leaned forward to get his attention.
“We were just talking about you, Hazard. And you, Ice.”
Hazard raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak since he had a mouthful of scrambled eggs.
“Is that right?” Ice asked.
Boone nodded. “Yes, sir. We were saying that we think it’s great that you two are together.”
Hazard drew in a shocked breath and choked on his eggs. Laughing, Jax clapped him on the back to help clear his airway.
“Guess the word is out,” he said after he swallowed.
“What did you expect when you leaped into the man’s arms as naked as the day you were born?” Jax asked.
“Yeah, Baker spilled the beans on that as soon as he got back to base,” Chin said as he looked down the table at the young corporal.
Baker was suddenly busy cutting his breakfast sausage up into tiny little pieces.
Ortiz rolled her eyes. “Of course he did. Baker is a sweet kid, but he loves to gossip.”
“This time he gossiped about something good,” Chin continued. “I know if I had a partner here, or even a pack, I’d feel a lot more settled.”
“Hell, I’d be happy being in a unit that had a more natural distribution of secondary genders. Too many alphas without betas and omegas around leads to a bunch of agitated alphas posturing all over the place,” Boone added.
Ortiz gestured at Hazard with her fork. “This omega here got our pack scenting. It’s helped a lot.”
“It stopped my headaches,” Ice added in his quiet rumble.
Hazard smiled, pleased that his pack valued something he’d initiated. “Glad to help. Pack life is best for shifters. Being in the military doesn’t change that.”
“See!” Boone excitedly exclaimed. “We need that shit. It helps build tighter pack bonds which makes us better as soldiers.”
“Yeah, but the non-shifters don’t understand that,” Chin said with a shrug.
“Maybe one day they will,” Hazard said.
“All they have to do is look at the 448 pack to see how well you all are functioning and they’d make changes to unit assignments asap.”
“I doubt it’ll be that easy, Boone. But there are lots of us working on making things better for shifters,” Ortiz said.
They talked about shifter allowances for a little longer before the others got up to go about their day.
A few minutes later, Hazard rose with his squad to return their trays to the dishwash area. Then they too left the mess hall. Outside, Hazard tugged at Ice’s arm to get him to stop while Jax and Ortiz walked ahead. He rocked up on his toes to lean a bit closer to the alpha while Ice stared down at him with a question in his deep brown eyes.
“Yes?”
“You know I like you for you right? Not because I’m trying to prove anything about shifters being together in the military.”
Ice nodded. “I know.”
“How do you know?”
“You wouldn’t have put up with my determination to follow regulation and stay away from each other if you didn’t want me just for me. It would have been easier for you to find someone else who didn’t care about the fraternization rules.”
“That’s true,” Hazard agreed. He’d actually had a couple of officers hit on him. But he’d had no interest in anyone who wasn’t the alpha standing in front of him. “You were a hard man to win, Captain Anderson.” Hazard grinned. “But that makes my victory that much sweeter.”
* * *
“Do we have any peanut butter cookies?” It was late in the afternoon and Hazard had a taste for something sweet. He was certain he’d seen Ice stash some of the cookies somewhere in the kitchen.
“Yeah, they’re in the third cabinet top shelf,” Jax answered.
Hazard happily opened the cabinet but ended up cursing in frustration. The cookies were there. But they were on the highest shelf and pushed all the way to the back. He’d either have to climb up on the counter or stand on a chair to reach them.
“Damnit.”
“What?” Ice asked as he came out of his room.
“I’m trying to raid your cookie stash but I can’t reach it.”
Ice chuckled and came over. “That’s why I put them there. To keep you from eating them. But I’ll be generous and let you have a few.”
He didn’t wait for Hazard to clear out of the way. Instead, he picked up by the waist and set him aside. Then he reached up and easily grabbed the package of cookies.
“Here you go,” he said.
Hazard stared at the alpha with wide eyes as he slowly accepted the treats.
Ice cocked his head to the side in question. “What’s wrong?”
“Uh...” An embarrassed blush scorched Hazard’s cheeks. “That was hot.”
Ice looked genuinely confused.
“What was hot?”
“The way you moved me so effortlessly. And grabbing these with ease.” He waved the pack of cookies.
“I’m bigger than you,” Ice pointed out.
Hazard let his eyes rove up and down Ice’s tall, solidly built frame. “Yes, you are,” he said, his voice husky with admiration.
“I’m big too,” Jax suddenly said. “And I’m here listening to this.”
At Jax’s dryly amused comment, Hazard laughed and snapped out of his daze. “Let’s go on a truck picnic,” he said to Ice.
“What the hell is a truck picnic?”
Hazard opened his mouth to answer but Jax beat him to the punch.
“It’s when teenagers go park and make out in the back of a pickup truck. The picnic part is an excuse for the blankets and time alone.”
“He’s right except for one part,” Hazard said.
“What’s that?”
Hazard winked. “It’s not only for teenagers.”
“Sound interesting. But we can’t lay down in the back of my Jeep and you don’t have a truck.”
“I’ll borrow one from the base’s vehicle pool. And I’ll get all the picnic stuff too. All you have to do is have a good time. Are you in?” Hazard was ready to pout and plead to get Ice to say yes. But he agreed to go without any further convincing.
“Yeah. Sounds like fun.”
Thrilled at the opportunity to have some alone time with his lover, Hazard lightly punched Ice on the shoulder. “It will be.”