Page 57 of The Price of Ice

IT WAS ALMOST WORSEbecause that night Levy had crawled into bed with him and curled up close, like Kallen hadn’t been a dick. And was it messed up that it only made him angrier to be indulged?

When he’d reached for Levy’s cock, he’d only been meaning to apologise. It was the least he could do, it felt like. His friend had gone tense and then he’d taken Kallen’s hand and tangled their fingers together, drawing them both between their chests. If he’d been able to move, Kallen would have been out of the bed in a flash. Instead, he laid there in the semi-darkness, heart battering in his chest and face burning up.

Omegas weren’t expected to initiate sex, so he didn’t have much experience with it, but with Levy it’d always felt safe. It’d alwaysbeensafe. Every time Kallen had gone for it, Levy had responded eagerly and passionately, his desire delightfully unabashed. Its absence was more than Kallen could stand, and yet, he was still trapped there in Levy’s arms, where momentsbefore he’d felt like he at least wasn’t alone with all the crap life was throwing at him.

But of course he was. The alpha was too good a person to abandon someone in such a pitiful situation.

He thought about asking Levy to let go of him and then having to ask him to help him onto the wheelchair so he could get to the guest room. But if anything was worse than Kallen knowing the truth, it was the notion of both of them acknowledging it. Of having to openly admit that he wasn’t good enough for Levy to even fuck anymore.

That he wasn’t wanted.

So instead, he stayed right where he was, listening to his friend’s breathing even out and counting backwards in his head until at some point sleep came to take him as well.

And in the morning, he pretended to be asleep when Levy leaned over and kissed his fuckinghairlike he was a little kid.

At least Brad didn’t have any objections when Kallen asked him to move his things over to the guest bedroom. And if he raised his eyebrows about it...

Well, Kallen’s eyes were too low to look him in the face anyway.

HE TOLD LEVY ABOUTit that night, like a mature human he was. Most of his attention on his steak and trying to be casual.

“You moved your things?”

“Yeah,” Kallen said. “Just more comfortable like this.”

Or less painful anyway, and Levy would probably sleep better on his own. All Kallen had to do was make sure he didn’t drink anything before bed and he could make it through the night on his own.

“Oh. Okay, if... You know I like having you there, right?” Levy asked. He didn’t sound happy, but it’d been a while sinceKallen had seen any evidence of his usual cheery self. Not that he blamed him, what with Kallen’s complete tragedy of a life spilling all over his chill.

Maybe he should have asked to be taken downstairs to the Johnsons’, but for now he was being selfish enough to keep the privacy of a home that was empty all day long.

Besides, it wasn’t like Johnson had stopped by, or anyone else in the team. Merle had, with cupcakes naturally, but he’d asked Brad to say he was asleep.

Kallen hadn’t imagined his teammates were his friends, but it was different to have proof that they didn’t even care that he was like this... Like he didn’t exist for them outside the ice at all.

“I’m grateful for all your help,” he told Levy, eyes still on his food.

Levy sighed noisily across from him. “Are you ready for Cat’s visit?”

It’d taken her five days to make the time for it at all, which was not exactly promising. But Levy had worked so hard for even that much, and it was the least Kallen could do to put on a good face and give it his best. “Yeah, I’m ready. I can talk about it.”

“I don’t like not being there,” Levy said. An objection he’d voiced often since Cat had given him two different time slots where he was meant to be at away games.

“I’ll be fine, go and play,” Kallen was forced to tell him once again. It was yet another point against Cat’s visit because Levy was the one who’d asked for the meet and she knew his timetable. But maybe it was just that she had more free time when the team was away...

“YOU SEE HOW THAT WOULDmake him react quite aggressively, right, Kallen?”

He hadn’t convinced himself by the time the meeting came around and Brad left for a walk to give them some privacy. But he must have held out a smidgen of hope because all he could do was gape at her.

“What?”

She waved around the living room of Levy’s flat. “Everyone in the team knows you are living with Pollack. Is it so surprising another alpha would get jealous? Especially your captain?”

He could only stare at her.

“Kallen? Are you alright?” She was close enough to touch him now, though her hand was hovering between them.

He raised his eyes to hers. “You aren’t going to help me, are you?” It wasn’t actually a question, he’d known.

---