Chapter Sixteen
Chase
“Where are we going?” Mandy asks as I lead her down the street. She let me grab her hand when we left her apartment building, and that small display of trust helped ease the need to possess and protect her.
Not that they’re gone completely. I can’t help giving anyone who looks at her the death stare. They’re lucky really. I could do so much.
Training today was brutal. My focus was shot. All I could think about was Mandy. I couldn’t wait for Coach to call time and send us on our way. His freaking aggressive pep talk about how we can do so much better than this went on for way too long.
When he finally let us go, I raced through the showers and left as soon as I could. Axel was hitting the gym with some of the other players, so I hightailed it out of there and set off to find my omega.
And now we’re going on our first date.
“Do you remember what you said to me after our high school hockey team had its first ice bath?”
She nods her head, her short pink curls bobbing along with her.
“Yeah, I said that you had to be a masochist to put yourself through that.”
“You’re about to see whether your words held any truth.”
“What?” she says, her mouth falling open and her blue eyes darting up to me, searching my face, maybe to see how serious I am. “No way. I’m not taking an ice bath.”
“Relax, Dee,” I say, listening to the way she sucks in a breath at my seemingly casual use of my old nickname for her.
I wouldn’t admit it to her, but I’ve been holding back calling her that for fear we aren’t there yet and she might kick me in the knot or something.
“I’m not taking you to have an ice bath in the Scented Scorpions locker room.
There’s a wellness center just up here that offers a contrast therapy package.
Ice plunges followed by sauna time and then a hot chocolate by the fire.
You’re researching my sport, right? Might as well experience some of what we do during our recovery periods to stay on top of our health and fitness. ”
She tuts, and I can tell she isn’t entirely convinced.
“What if I have them add a massage to the package?” I’ll have to make sure they have a beta masseuse available, but even then I’m not sure how I’ll deal with someone else touching my mate.
“Deal.”
We walk the rest of the way in a somewhat easy silence. There’s still a little bit of awkwardness between us, and my gut tells me only time will allow trust to completely rebuild between us.
We enter the wellness center, and Mandy takes a seat while I speak to reception and book us in. I take the liberty of purchasing a bathing suit for Mandy as we didn’t grab her anything to put on at the apartment, and I’m not sure she’s quite ready for nude couples bathing yet.
Fuck. Just the thought of Mandy in the nude has my dick twitching in my pants, and I subtly readjust myself before handing her the bathing suit and leading her toward the contrast therapy room.
I’ve been here a few times before. Mostly when I need to clear my head away from the overbearing alpha pheromones of the team and the pressures the other guys often placed on me to cozy up with a puck bunny or two.
I’m an alpha, and at times the temptation was hard to resist. But it always came back to one thing: they weren’t Mandy.
I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want her.
Sometimes I hoped those feelings would go away.
That in time I wouldn’t want her the way I do and I’d be able to sink my knot into one of the many puck bunnies throwing themselves at me.
But that never happened, and now that Mandy is here, I’m glad it didn’t.
I belong to her. She has all of me. Even my goddamn V-card, if she chooses to take it.
Turning around, I step toward where Mandy has taken a seat on the bench. I offer her my hand and she takes it with a shy smile, allowing me to help her stand.
“I got you this,” I say, handing her the simple white swimsuit with the wellness center logo on it. “There’s a changing area attached to the contrast therapy room. You ready?”
“No,” she laughs, her bright blue eyes sparkling with mirth. “I’ll never be ready for this. You may actually have to push me.”
“Consider it done.”
“Hey! Don’t actually push me!” She gives me a playful shove on the arm as I lead her down the hall.
“I’m not making any promises, Dee.”
Her answering growl is anything but threatening, causing an unexpected snort to escape me.
Once we’re both ready, we meet beside the cold plunge pool.
Mandy poses a striking figure, petite and thin with curves in all the right places. My forest rain scent is a little stronger than before as my craving for her grows.
“The best approach is to commit,” I say, gesturing to the small pool in front of us.
It’s set in the floor, large enough for the two of us and deep enough that you can step right in, though not deep enough to dive.
“Don’t climb in slowly; that’s the kind of thing that will lead you to not completing it.
This is a beginner’s temperature. Not as cold as an ice bath, but you’ll definitely still feel it. ”
“Great,” she mutters, wrapping her arms around herself as if already protecting herself from the cold.
“I promise you, Dee. You’ll feel great afterward. Fresh and energized. Do you trust me?”
The weight of those words hangs between us, and I instantly regret asking them. What reason does she have to trust me? I haven’t even begun to make things up to her. What happened between us wasn’t entirely my fault, but the foundation of our relationship is fragile because of it.
Before I can wave it off or take back the questions, she answers, her voice tinged slightly with surprise.
“I do. I mean, I want to.”
If I were in a cartoon, my heart would do that thing where it physically beats out of my chest. My pulse races, and a rush of emotions overcomes me.
Mandy is still the girl I knew, and so much more than I deserve.
“Let’s do it then,” I say, my voice a little shaky as I hold out my hand.
She takes it, pulling in a deep breath at the same time, bracing herself.
“On the count of three. One… Two… Three.”
She doesn’t hesitate like I thought she might, but instead steps forward with purpose at the same time as I do.
We pin drop into the cold water, and she lets go of my hand as we plunge beneath the surface.
It only takes a little kick to break the surface again, and she’s right behind me, her soft pink hair sticking to her face in a mess of sopping curls.
Pink colors her cheeks, and her eyes are bright as we tread water.
“Holy fudge balls!” she exclaims as she catches her breath. “It’s fucking cold in here.”
Something overtakes me, and I don’t take a moment to think; I just act. I reach for Mandy, tugging her towards me into the water and pulling her close against me. She instinctively wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist as I work to keep us both afloat.
A purr sounds deep in my chest as she looks up at me, surprise shining in her eyes. Briefly, Mandy’s gaze drops to my lips, her eyes hungry when they return to mine. I take that as permission, and before I overthink it, I press my lips to hers.
She freezes for a moment, her body stiffening in surprise before she relaxes against me, returning my kiss.
Her touch, her kiss, the way her body presses against mine are all familiar and comforting. It’s what I’ve been craving for the last ten years. The only thing other than hockey that I’ve ever wanted.
And to have her here in my arms feels like the world has righted on its axis.
I’m never going to let her go again.