From a very young age, Aldrich knew two things—he’d
grow up to play professional hockey and he’d make his
mentor fall in love with him. After years of hard work,
both are within his grasp. Not only has a professional
team called him up from his farm club, but the man he’s
dreamed of for years has finally noticed him.

Then everything is brutally torn from him when he

suffers a career-ending injury and finds himself dumped
before the relationship has even really started.
Depressed, he retreats to his childhood home where he
runs into his former best friend and hockey buddy,
Nobel. They rekindle their friendship and grow
closer…in more ways than one. Aldrich is shocked to
realize that not only has he been overlooking what could
be the best thing in his life, but love may have always
been right in his own backyard.

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and do not participate in or encourage the electronic
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author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents either are products of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is
entirely coincidental.

Change on the Fly

Copyright © 2011 Stephani Hecht

ISBN: 978-1-55487-968-7

Cover art by Martine Jardin

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in
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Change on the Fly
Blue Line Hockey

By

Stephani Hecht

1

Chapter One

Aldrich caught the pass and centered the puck on the
end of his stick, his gaze already fixated on the net at the
opposite end of the ice. Most importantly, he noted the
way the goalie stood just off to one side. It was only
inches, but it was enough for Aldrich to mark it as a
weak spot and know that he finally had the opportunity
he’d been fighting all game for.

His heart pounded as adrenaline raced through his

body. All around him the crowd cheered and chanted his
name. Instead of distracting him, the sound seemed to
vibrate through his body, creating the most wonderful
buzz. Despite the cold in the rink, droplets of sweat
clung to his face. One bead of moisture trickled down
his nose, while another laid a trail down his right jaw.

Even though this was his third game with the Wings,

he still could hardly believe he’d finally made it. All the
hard work he’d put in at his farm team had finally paid

Change on the Fly

2

off and now, at age twenty-two, he was playing for the
NHL.

He spotted his opening in the opposition’s defense

and surged forward, the puck balanced perfectly on the
curve of his stick. As he glided across the ice, he never
felt more on his game. He knew at that moment, that
nobody could touch him. The defensemen, the goalie—
none of them could stop him from scoring.

Once he reached the right position, he wound up and

shot the puck. As it sailed neatly into the back of the net,
he raised his hands in victory. His shout of joy lost in the
buzzer sounding over the loudspeaker.

He glanced over at the ref, just in time to see him

blow his whistle and gesture that the goal was good.
Aldrich let out a whoop of joy as he turned to share his
celebration with his teammates. He raised his hand to
exchange high fives.

A heavy blow slammed into his side, sending him

into the net. Aldrich barely had time to register that it
was a check from an opposing defenseman, as they both
managed to get tangled up in the goalie. As Aldrich
scrambled to stay on his feet, his helmet slid slightly off
to the side. At the same time he fell to the ground, his
shoulder connecting painfully with the ice.

Stephani Hecht

3

He slid into the net, his head colliding with the metal

post. More pain shot through him, this time the hurt
going from the top of this skull and traveling down his
spine. A few seconds later his head hit the boards, a
weird crunching sound vibrating through his skull.

Shit, that can’t be good.
“Fuck, sorry about that. Are you okay?” the goalie

asked as he untangled himself from the pile.

Aldrich tried to answer, but all that came out was a

strange gurgling sound. At the same time, he became
aware that his body wasn’t cooperating. While his brain
kept sending out the get-the-fuck-up signal, all his limbs
did was twitch around. At the same time, he became
painfully aware that he’d lost control of his bladder.

Great! As if this wasn’t already embarrassing

enough.

“Oh, damn! He’s hurt, bad!” The goalie shouted to

the bench.

No shit, Sherlock! Maybe you should get a job as a

damn medical detective.

Aldrich let out a weird rasping sound as he continued

to struggle to get up. The asshole defenseman who’d
caused the whole mess got to his feet and skated to his
bench. Unlike his goalie teammate, he didn’t seem to

Change on the Fly

4

give a damn about the poor sap who was laid up on the
ice.

Coach’s dress shoes came into view before he

crouched down. Usually he looked stern and a bit mean,
but at the moment his brown eyes were full of concern.
“Aldrich, are you with me, buddy?”

Once again, all Aldrich could do was gurgle in

response, although this time there was a hint of a
whimper at the end. Fear clogged his throat as he
realized just how damn serious things were. Meanwhile,
a stunned silence filled the arena as the fans seemed to
get that same message. Aldrich wanted to give them a
thumbs up or some other signal to let them know that he
would be okay, but his damn body still refused to obey.

He must have passed out, because the next thing he

knew he was on his back, on a cot and being rolled off
the ice. As he watched the ceiling of the arena pass by,
he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever skate again.

Three months later

Ten seconds. That was how long it took for Aldrich

to lose almost everything that ever mattered to him. Less
time than it takes for a rocket to launch or for a ball to

Stephani Hecht

5

drop. Really, it wasn’t much more than a blink of an
eye.

Yet, that’s all it took for Aldrich to go from the

highest point in his life to rock bottom.

As he sat on the edge of his bed at The Lancaster

Neurological Rehabilitation Center, Aldrich couldn’t
help but feel a tad bitter. His life hadn’t just taken a
nosedive—it’d taken a kamikaze plunge into a pile of
manure.

In his hand, he held two newspaper clippings. One of

them was from the front page of the sports section. He’d
read and reread it so many times, that even though it was
only a few months old, it was already ragged with wear.
In the center of the page was a large picture of him,
lying on the ice. His teammates were surrounding him,
their faces all wearing looks of concern. Above the
photo the headline read, “Aldrich Simmer’s prognoses
not good, Wings don’t expect him to return.”

Not good? Is that how they described an injury that

not only sidelined him from playing hockey ever again,
but made him half the man he used to be? Aldrich didn’t
know whether to curse or laugh at the understatement.

Although he already felt low, he glanced at the

second clipping. This one was much smaller and less

Change on the Fly

6

explosive—at least to the casual observer. It was an
engagement announcement. It hadn’t even come from
the local Michigan paper, but rather from a Canadian
press. The groom and bride-to-be didn’t stand out much
in their tiny black and white photo. Some would even
say their smiles looked too big and forced.

The second clipping broke Aldrich just as much as

the first one though. Because it wasn’t just any groom in
that picture, it was the man that Aldrich had stupidly
allowed himself to fall in love with.

Anger swelled within him, making his chest grow

tight with too much emotion. With a growl, he attempted
to crush the clippings only to have his body betray him
yet again. The papers slipped from his clumsy fingers
and fluttered to the cold, white tiles.

“Aldrich,” a soft voice sounded from the doorway.
As he recognized it as Jochen, Aldrich didn’t turn

around. Since they were cousins and good friends,
Aldrich knew his emotions would be easily read by the
other man. That just wouldn’t do, because if Jochen got
any inkling about how Aldrich was feeling then the pity
would come. Call him cranky, but Aldrich was up to his
eyebrows with pity and he didn’t feel like dealing with
any more.

Stephani Hecht

7

“Is it time to go?” he asked, careful to keep his voice

natural.

Jochen, the little bastard, had to come all the way

into the room. He didn’t stop until they were facing each
other. When he saw his cousin’s eyes soften with
understanding, Aldrich had to bite back a curse.

“Are you okay?” Jochen asked.
No, Aldrich wasn’t okay. He’d finally made it to an

NHL team, only to be permanently sidelined after a few
games. Plus, he’d found out the guy who he’d loved for
years had been using him. Then Aldrich didn’t even
want to contemplate all the other issues he was having to
deal with, mostly having to relearn how to do even the
most basic everyday things. He still had issues holding a
damn fork, let alone driving a car or playing hockey
again.

Aldrich forced a grin onto his face. “I’m great. Why

shouldn’t I be? I get to leave this place.”

As expected, he didn’t fool Jochen for a second.

Jochen studied Aldrich’s face for a few moments, before
dropping his gaze to the clippings. Aldrich felt his
stomach clench as Jochen picked up the wedding
announcement.

After reading it, Jochen gasped, “Oh, Aldrich. I’m so

Change on the Fly

8

sorry.”

Aldrich gave a clumsy shrug. “It’s not like I

expected anything different. All we had were a few brief
hookups last summer.”

“But, I know how long you liked him. You had it

bad for him ever since you were twelve and started
going to his hockey clinic. The only reason you even
agreed to work for him after graduation was because of
the crush you had for the jerk. It sure as hell wasn’t for
the lousy paycheck or living conditions.”

“I did do it for the money. It was a steady summer

job to help get me by between hockey seasons. You
know as well as I do that farm league pays crap. If
memory serves me right, you worked at a camp last
summer, too.”

Jochen shook his head. “Yeah, and they paid me

twice as much and gave me a decent place to stay. Grant
made you stay in an old office over an abandoned rink.
You told me yourself that the place reeked and was
hotter than hell.”

“It’s not his fault. The economy has been rough on

him.” Aldrich reached out for the clipping, but Jochen
jerked it away.

“He’s always treated you that way. You were just too

Stephani Hecht

9

caught up in your crush to see it.”

“That’s not true,” Aldrich protested, knowing full

well it was.

“Then how do you explain why he hasn’t bothered to

come even once to visit you since you were injured?”

Alarmed that they might be overheard, Aldrich cast a

quick glance around, relieved to find that they were the
only ones in the room and the hallway looked empty.
“It’s not what you think. Neither one of us is out. It’s not
like we can be a happy, open couple like you and Rebel.
If everyone were to find out that Grant was gay, it would
destroy his camp.”

Jochen rolled his eyes. “And we wouldn’t want to

put Grant out any. That would be tragic.”

“You don’t understand him.”
“What’s there to understand? He’s a selfish asshole

who only cares about money and his image.”

“That’s not true.”
“Really? Then why hasn’t he even bothered to call

you in the past three months?”

Pain sliced through Aldrich. Unwanted tears formed

in his eyes and he looked down, not wanting Jochen to
see them. He must not have moved quickly enough,
because Jochen let out a soft, “Damn, I’m so sorry. I

Change on the Fly

10

shouldn’t have said that.”

Aldrich kept his gaze directed toward the white

sheets covering his bed. “That’s okay, it’s true.
Although, I can’t blame him. Who wants to be stuck
with somebody who can’t even function half the time?”

Jochen sank down next to Aldrich and put an arm

around his shoulders. “Just because you’ve been dealt
this speed bump, doesn’t make you any less of a
person.”

“All I can think about is all the what if’s. What if I’d

moved faster, so that other player didn’t check me from
behind? What if I’d checked to make sure my helmet
was on better? What if I’d kept my head up when I was
skating?”

“None of that was your fault. It was a bad check that

should never have happened, but it was the other
player’s fault, not yours.”

Aldrich took in a shuddering breath. “I had it all, my

career was right where I’d wanted it to be, but more
importantly, I’d finally got him. Now I have nothing.”

“Hey, you’re not alone. The whole family is behind

you. We’ll see you through this.”

Aldrich wanted to believe that—he really, really did,

but he couldn’t help but have some doubts. While

Stephani Hecht

11

Jochen may be there for moral support, physically he
would be miles away. Unlike Aldrich, he still had a love
life and a career, so Jochen would be living with his
partner, several cities away.

Meanwhile, Aldrich would be going back to his

sister’s house in Waterford. While he loved Tina and
didn’t mind his hometown, it just wasn’t where he
imagined he’d end up.

He glanced back up at the articles still clutched in

Jochen’s hand. At that moment, Aldrich realized that he
could either wallow in self-pity or get on with his life.
The only problem was, he didn’t know if he had it in his
heart to go on anymore.

Change on the Fly

12

Chapter Two

Nobel took a deep breath and slowly counted to ten as
he reminded himself yet again how important his little
brother was to him. It was damn hard though, especially
since the punk wouldn’t shut the hell up. Five years
younger and named Zimon, because their parents just
had to be different and give them unique or oddly
spelled monikers, the punk was going to be Nobel’s
undoing.

Zimon’s hyper ass was fully testing Nobel’s limits.

He realized he should have known what he was getting
himself into when he agreed to rent an apartment with
his brother, but even in his wildest nightmares he hadn’t
imagine it would be quite this bad.

“What shirt should I wear tonight?” Zimon asked as

he came bounding into Nobel’s bedroom.

Stephani Hecht

13

Last name aside, the two brothers couldn’t have been

more different. Where Nobel had black, closely cropped
hair and dark eyes, Zimon had auburn, spiked hair and
soft blue eyes. Nobel still carried the hard build he’d
earned from his four-year stint in the Army, whereas
Zimon barely topped five six and couldn’t weigh over
one thirty. Even their personalities were miles apart,
Nobel tended to be more reserved, while Zimon was a
bitch slap to the face with his snark and outlandish
antics.

Nobel cast a jaded look over the two shirts, noting

how each looked small enough to fit a toddler. “How
about neither?”

Zimon rolled his eyes. “God, you really need to get

the stick out of your rear and learn some fashion sense.”

“Just because I don’t think you should run around

the club half naked, doesn’t mean that I don’t have any
fashion sense.”

“No, it only means you’re a prude.”
Nobel resisted the urge to strangle his brother…just

barely. “No, I just have class.”

Zimon gave a melodramatic huff. “You really need

to loosen up. I thought that now that you were out of the
Army and the closet you’d actually be fun.”

Change on the Fly

14

“I can be fun.” Nobel protested, a little offended.
“Yeah, so much so that you haven’t gone out once

since you came home.”

“I just don’t like clubbing like you do. So, sue me.”
“Funny, and here I thought it was just because you

seriously needed to get laid.” Zimon went in front of the
mirror and began to hold the shirts up to himself,
comparing them.

That zinger left Nobel speechless for a few moments

as he struggled to come up with a snappy comeback. At
the same time he found himself more offended. It was
one thing to be called a bore, but it was quite another to
accuse him of not being able to get any action.

“I’ve had plenty of sex.”
“Really? With who?” Zimon pursed his lips into a

knowing smirk.

Nobel scrambled his memory for a bit, only to come

to the horrifying conclusion that he couldn’t recall the
last time he’d had sex. Oh God, as much as he hated to
admit it, the brat was right about something.

Flustered, but knowing he had to give some kind of

reply, Nobel shot back, “That’s personal and none of
your business. I’m not about to discuss my love life with
my baby brother.”

Stephani Hecht

15

“I’m nineteen, so I’m not a baby anymore. Plus, you

know all about my fuck-apades.”

“Only because you insist on bringing guys home all

the time.”

While Nobel didn’t like the idea of Zimon sleeping

around so much, there really wasn’t much he could do
about it. Like Zimon had pointed out, he wasn’t a baby
anymore and of legal age.

“You know what I think?” Zimon pulled off his

baggy sleep shirt and replaced it with a red, cropped tee
that fit like a second skin.

“No, but I have a sneaking suspicion you’re about to

tell me.”

“I think you’re still trapped by that old Don’t-Ask-

Don’t-Tell rule.”

“I’m not.”
Zimon continued to study his own reflection as he

toyed with his hair. “Then if that’s the case, it must be
the other reason.”

Oh fuck, that comment just reeked of a trap, but

damned if Nobel didn’t go traipsing right into it. “What
reason is that?”

“Because you still have a hard-on for Aldrich.”

Zimon finally turned, so he could flash a snarky look.

Change on the Fly

16

The mere mention of that name made Nobel’s chest

grow tight with emotion. His heart raced and he could
have sworn that all the air had suddenly been sucked
from the room. He’d die before he let Zimon see him
react though. If his brother thought that Nobel really did
still carry that years old crush, then the brat would get it
into his head to play matchmaker.

“I haven’t even talked to Aldrich since before I

deployed, so what makes you think that I have any
feelings for him?” Nobel asked.

He didn’t add that he’d tried to visit Aldrich in the

hospital only to have been turned away. While Aldrich’s
sister had been polite enough about it, she’d made it
clear that Aldrich wasn’t accepting any visitors.

“I may be younger than you, but I still remember the

way you used to look at him.”

Yet another verbal trap and yet again Nobel dove

right in. “What way is that?”

“The same way I look at Taylor Lautner.”
Nobel took in several deep breaths as he called on

every inner Zen exercise he’d ever learned. “You really
are a mess. You know that, right?”

“Maybe, but at least I admit it. Unlike some people, I

don’t bottle up my feelings. I swear—with all that anger

Stephani Hecht

17

and frustration you have building up, you must be ready
to burst.”

“Just let it go.”
“I’m serious. One of these days I’m going to hear a

loud popping sound and I’m going to come running in,
only to discover that all the pressure has made your head
blow off.”

“That’s an interesting visual,” Nobel drawled.
“What’s worse is I’ll get stuck cleaning up the mess

because my name is on the lease, too. There’s no way in
hell we’re going to get our security deposit back after
that.”

“And that would be a great tragedy, especially since

I’m the one that forked over the cash for it in the first
place.”

“So that should mean that you wouldn’t want to

waste it on a head gore clean-up crew.”

Nobel arched a brow. “They actually have crews for

that?”

“Of course, from what I hear the pay is good, too.”
“Maybe you should apply for a position then.”
Zimon wrinkled his nose. “Why would I do that? I

already have a job.”

“Working as a go-go dancer twice a week hardly

Change on the Fly

18

constitutes a career.”

“Says you. I make amazing tips.”
“Is that really what you want to do with your life?”
“No, my biggest wish was to become an internet pop

star, but Justin Bieber beat me to it. So, I had to settle
for plan B.”

“Did it ever occur to you to maybe go to college so

you can get a real job?”

“And waste all this, by hiding away in some stuffy

classroom?” Zimon gestured to his own body.

“Maybe you should just find some rich, older guy to

take care of you.” Nobel shot back, teasingly.

When Zimon pursed his lips together and cocked his

head to the side, as if he were seriously considering that
suggestion, Nobel snapped. “Come on, can’t you ever
take anything seriously?”

“No.”
“Why?”
“Because it would make me too much like you.”
Nobel eyed a nearby wall and wondered how much it

would disturb their neighbors if he started to beat his
head against the thing. Zimon gave his shirt another
inspection before asking, “So, are you coming to the
club with me or not? I promise that I won’t do any go-go

Stephani Hecht

19

dancing tonight.”

“No, I’m going to stay in.”
Zimon gave a mock pout. “If you come out, I’ll tell

you the latest gossip Miss Bevens shared with me.”

Miss Bevens was an old family friend who always

loved to share the newest dirt with Zimon. Even though
there was a forty year age gap between the two of them,
she and Zimon were very close. That still didn’t mean
that Nobel had any interest in hearing her latest story.

“I really don’t need to listen about the latest sordid

fodder of Waterford.” Nobel sighed.

“Even if it’s about Aldrich?” Zimon gave a self-

satisfied smirk. “And look how quickly we got back on
the topic of him.”

The temptation to strangle the brat grew so strong

that Nobel actually raised his hands. The only thing that
held him back was the fact that he really did want to
hear the news—or at least he did since he learned it
pertained to Aldrich.

“What did she say?” he asked, striving to keep his

voice neutral.

The gotcha gleam in Zimon’s eyes screamed that he

hadn’t been fooled by the casual tone. “I’m not saying
anything until you promise to go out with me.”

Change on the Fly

20

“Why do you need my company? Can’t you get one

of your friends to go with you?”

“They’re all busy.”
“Then just go by yourself.”
Zimon huffed. “I can’t show up alone. That would

make me look like some kind of loser.”

Nobel eyed the wall as he once more debated beating

his head against it. “Fine, I’ll go out with you, but only
for a couple of hours.”

“See, that wasn’t too hard, now was it?”
Zimon grinned and it struck Nobel that it was the

first real smile he’d seen on his brother since their
parents had left the state. It pained him to realize that
maybe Zimon wasn’t adjusting to everything as well as
Nobel hoped. He decided that it wouldn’t kill him to go
out with Zimon. Even if it usually meant that Nobel just
hung out at the bar, while his brother flirted with every
available guy in the place.

“I’ll give you a few minutes to get changed,” Zimon

said as he practically bounded from the room.

Nobel looked down at his slightly worn, but

comfortable jeans and black t-shirt. “What’s wrong with
this?”

Zimon froze, hand on the door, a look of horror on

Stephani Hecht

21

his face. “Are you kidding me?”

“No, unlike you, I’m capable of having a serious

conversation.”

“And here I thought that since you finally came out

of the closet you’d actually display some style.”

Despite the criticism, there was no mistaking the

amusement sparkling in Zimon’s eyes. Nobel grinned.
“Since when do you stereotype?”

Zimon gave a mock sigh of dismay. “I guess you

have a point. I should accept you for who you are. If I’m
going to keep living with you, I’m going to have to learn
to deal with all your boring ways.”

Nobel reached out and pulled Zimon into a playful

headlock. Zimon struggled to get away for a few
moments, but soon gave up and just hung there like a
limp dog.

“You’re messing up my hair,” Zimon groused.
“Really? Then just think of how bad it’s going to

look after I do this.” Nobel gave Zimon an enthusiastic
noogie.

“I thought the Army was supposed to make you

more mature.” Zimon renewed his efforts to get away,
again without any success. “Let me go.”

“Not until you tell me what you heard about

Change on the Fly

22

Aldrich.”

“Okay, you big bully.” Zimon’s chuckles took the

edge off his accusation. “Rumor has it that your hockey
player is back in town and recuperating at his sister’s
house.”

Nobel paused mid-noogie as those words sunk in. If

that were true then that would mean Aldrich was a mere
two miles away. The fact that his former best friend was
so close made Nobel both excited and nervous at the
same time. While he couldn’t wait to see Aldrich again,
a part of him worried about how the passing years may
have affected their friendship.

Zimon said something, but his words were too

muffled to hear since his head was still…well, locked.
Nobel let him go then asked, “What were you trying to
say?”

“Does he know?” Zimon ran a fussy hand through

his hair.

“Know what? That I’m back home, too?”
“That and that you’re gay?”
“He doesn’t know. Or at least I don’t think he does. I

haven’t told that many people yet.”

And that was another reason why he was nervous as

hell to see Aldrich. Nobel couldn’t help but worry that

Stephani Hecht

23

once Aldrich found out that his childhood best friend
was gay that he’d also figure out that Nobel harbored a
secret crush on him.

“I don’t think he’ll mind,” Zimon mused, still

messing with his hair. “After all, his cousin Jochen just
came out.”

“Actually, Jochen was shoved out when that damn

paper printed pictures of him making out with another
guy,” Nobel argued.

“True, but that still doesn’t change how accepting

Aldrich was. I heard he stayed by his cousin’s side
through the entire scandal. The local paper even ran an
article about it.”

“I didn’t know you even followed sports?”
Zimon shrugged. “I usually don’t. I only follow

Aldrich and Jochen. Even though you guys are all older
than me, I always considered them my friends, too.”

“If that’s the case then maybe we’ll go to one of

Jochen’s games this year.”

“Yeah, that would be fun.” Zimon wrinkled up his

nose. “I wish we could have gone to see Aldrich play.”

Regret slammed into Nobel. “Yeah, me, too.”
A silence stretched out between them, as Zimon

nibbled on his bottom lip. Nobel waited it out, knowing

Change on the Fly

24

that whenever his brother did that it meant something
was really upsetting him.

“They say Aldrich is never going to play again. Is

that true?” Zimon finally said.

“Yeah, it is. He sustained a pretty bad brain injury.

From what I hear, it’s lucky he even walked again.”

Nobel recalled how much he’d hurt for his friend

when he found that out. How Nobel had just wanted to
go to Aldrich and hold him in his arms. If for nothing
else, than to offer Aldrich some reassurance that he
hadn’t lost everything in life. To let him know that no
matter what, Nobel would always care for him and
nothing could ever change that. That he always would
remain perfect, injury or not. But two things had held
Nobel back, number one he had been deployed at the
time and out of the country when Aldrich had first been
hurt. Even when Nobel had returned home, he’d gone to
the hospital only to be turned away. Number two,
Aldrich wasn’t gay and while he may be accepting of
Jochen, that didn’t mean he’d be open to another guy
declaring his attraction for him.

“It must kill Aldrich to know that he’ll never be able

to play hockey again. I know how much he loved it,”
Zimon sighed.

Stephani Hecht

25

Aldrich had more than just loved it. The sport had

been his life. It’d been all he’d ever wanted to do and
now that was forever taken away from him. Nobel
couldn’t even begin to imagine how his buddy was
coping with such a huge loss.

“Yeah, I think it’s going to be really hard for him,”

Nobel agreed.

“Are you going to see him?”
“Yeah, I’ll stop by his place tomorrow.” Nobel only

hoped that Aldrich’s sister would let him in this time.

“Will you let him know that I’m thinking about him

too?”

“Sure. You can even go with me if you want.”
Zimon gave him a crooked smile. “Thanks, but I

think it would be better if just you went the first time.
You know, so you guys can catch up and everything.”

Nobel pulled his brother in again, only this time it

was for a hug. “You can be really thoughtful
sometimes.”

“Just don’t let it get out. I got to protect my shallow

image after all.” Zimon wrapped his arms around
Nobel’s waist.

“I promise not to tell a soul. I’ll even do you one

better and let you pick out what shirt I wear tonight.”

Change on the Fly

26

Nobel only prayed that Zimon didn’t have anything that
crazy in his size. It was moments like this that made him
glad that there was such a height difference between
them.

“Cool, I have the perfect one in mind. It’s nice

enough that you won’t embarrass me, yet boring enough
that it won’t embarrass you.”

Nobel laughed. “Okay, go get it. Tonight you and I

will have some fun.”

Then tomorrow he’d go see Aldrich and this time

Nobel was determined that he wouldn’t be turned away
so easily. He didn’t care what it took, one way or
another he’d get in to talk to Aldrich.

Stephani Hecht

27

Chapter Three

Nobel walked up to the porch of the neat, but small
ranch home and hesitated for a few breaths before he
worked up the courage to knock on the door. As he
waited for somebody to answer it, he rubbed his
sweating palms on his jeans.

He told himself to relax. It was just Tina after all. In

fact, they’d been in the same class as each other almost
every year they’d been in school. While she was the
elder sibling, Nobel was still closer to Aldrich despite
the two-year gap in their ages.

They became friends at a very young age when

they’d both ended up on the same Pee-Wee hockey
team. As they grew up, they became inseparable, that
was until Nobel graduated and then a couple years later,

Change on the Fly

28

went off to the Army.

He missed their friendship. While they’d promised to

write, it’d just never happened. Nobel knew a big part of
it had been because he’d been battling his true feelings
for Aldrich. He’d hoped that maybe if he broke off all
ties, that he’d forget how much the other man meant to
him.

In the end, the long stretch of non-communication

had the opposite effect. Nobel’s desire to be with
Aldrich had only grown stronger. So much so that he
couldn’t even look at another guy without comparing
them to Aldrich.

Nobel’s heart raced as he spotted somebody

approaching the door. He could make out a shadow
through the window in the center of the entrance, but
couldn’t quite distinguish who it was because of the thin
curtain blocking his way. The deadbolt clicked before
the door opened.

When he saw it was Tina, Nobel was both

disappointed and worried. He still forced himself to
flash a smile.

With the same soft brown hair and gray eyes as

Aldrich, they bore a striking resemblance. With the
exception that Aldrich dressed normally and she dressed

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29

like she’d been visited by the bat-shit crazy fairy. Ever
since they were kids she loved to wear only pink and
adorn herself with god-awful bows and apparently that
habit hadn’t changed, because she looked just as gaudy
as she had when they were still in school. She wore a
baggy pink sweatshirt that hung off one shoulder to
reveal a strap from her purple tank top. Her jeans even
had splotches of pink and purple, the marks resembling
paint splatter. She furthered her assault to fashion by
wearing a Hello Kitty headband.

“Nobel,” she breathed, her pale glossed lips parting

in shock. “I didn’t expect you to show up here.”

“Why not? He’s my friend.”
“True, but you guys haven’t talked in a while.” She

cast a worried glance over her shoulder.

“Is he up to seeing me this time?” Nobel pressed,

striving to keep his voice as sociable as possible.

In actuality, it was taking everything he had not to

give into the urge to shove past her so he could go inside
to find Aldrich. To know that his friend was so close, yet
still unobtainable, was driving Nobel crazy.

Tina worried her bottom lip, transferring some of the

gloss to her top front teeth. “I don’t know.”

“Tina. Who’s there?” a voice called from inside.

Change on the Fly

30

Nobel’s heart jumped when he recognized it as

Aldrich.

“It’s Nobel,” Tina called back.
“Really? Let him in.”
Tina worked her lip for a few more seconds before

she finally gave a curt nod then stood to the side. As he
walked by, Nobel couldn’t resist saying, “Thanks, I
promise not to bite him.”

She didn’t reply, instead just giving him a narrowed

eye glare before she shut the door then flounced off,
leaving Nobel to find his own way around. He paused a
moment to glance around the place. It would seem that
Tina’s love for pink and fluff carried over to her interior
decorating skills.

There was so much pink and pastel on the walls it

looked as if a bunch of My Little Ponies had exploded
and left their pale rainbow infused hides behind. Several
pictures dotted her walls, while some were of Aldrich
and their parents, a lot more of them were cartoonish
pictures. Some were unicorns, but there were some
teddy bear and cat ones, too.

“Oh, my God. Poor Aldrich. He must be going crazy

surrounded by this mess,” Nobel muttered under his
breath.

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31

He located the living room and quietly walked

inside, to find Aldrich sitting at one end of an overly
fluffy, pink couch. Nobel froze, his stomach clenching
as he got a look at his friend’s condition.

Aldrich had always styled his hair so carefully,

making sure to have the latest trend. Now it was cropped
even shorter than Nobel’s, the spiky brown strands
barely covering his scalp. That wasn’t the only change
either. Aldrich had to have lost at least twenty pounds
and he’d taken on an almost sickly pallor, his once tan
skin now pale and almost dull looking. He had purple
bags under his eyes, further adding to his emaciated
appearance.

He still had the same smile, however. He flashed it at

Nobel. “Hey, long time no see.”

Nobel went over and took a seat in a chair opposite

of the couch. Aldrich had on a plain gray sweatshirt that
seemed to swallow his thin frame and a pair of equally
baggy workout pants.

“Sorry, I tried to visit you when I first came home,

but you weren’t taking visitors,” Nobel hastened to
explain.

For some reason it felt important that he let Aldrich

know that he’d wanted to see him before now. That

Change on the Fly

32

Nobel had tried to be there when Aldrich had still been
in the hospital.

The smiled faltered a bit on Aldrich’s face. “Yeah,

sorry about that. I wasn’t looking so hot then, what with
all the wires and tubes still in me. I didn’t want anybody
to see me like that.”

“Hey, I saw you when you had chicken pox. I don’t

think it can get any worse than that.”

Aldrich gave a short laugh. “That doesn’t count. You

had it at the same time, so we both looked awful.”

“Yeah, and if I recall you were the one who had it

first, so it was all your fault.”

“No way, I’m not taking the fall for that one. It was

Tina who caught it first and then she passed it on to both
of us.”

“Knowing her, she did it on purpose, so she could

cover her body in pink calamine lotion.” Nobel picked
up a lace pillow and studied it with disgust. “I guess
some things never change.”

“You should see my bedroom. It looks like

something out of a Hello Kitty themed brothel.” Aldrich
gave a shudder.

They shared a laugh before they grew sober and an

uneasy silence stretched out between them. Nobel

Stephani Hecht

33

finally cleared his throat and forced himself to break it.
“So, what do the doctors say about your injury?”

Aldrich fiddled with the lace from another pillow as

he gave a shrug. “They told me it’s a closed head injury
and that while I may get some of my functions back, I’ll
never be the same again.”

“Functions?” Nobel echoed weakly, his stomach

churning with dismay.

“I have trouble holding things and my fine motor

skills are for crap now. I have trouble writing and my
dreams of becoming an embroiderer are out the
window.”

Nobel gave a tiny chuckle at Aldrich’s attempt at a

joke before asking, “So, they don’t think you’re ever
going to get one hundred percent better?”

Aldrich continued to fiddle with the lace. “No, the

funny thing about brain cells is once they’re gone,
there’s no getting them back. The physical therapy has
been helping some, but it’s never going to be the same
as before.”

“I heard that the player who checked you didn’t even

get suspended,” Nobel bit out angrily.

“Yeah, ain’t that a kicker? The league says that it

was a clean hit.”

Change on the Fly

34

Rage surged through Nobel. “But the ref had already

blown the whistle and killed the play. How can they call
that clean?”

“What can I say? The defenseman who did this to me

is a big name in the league. I was just some farm player
who’d managed to get bumped up into the big time. I
only played a few games before it was all over for me.
Meanwhile, he’ll keep playing and making money for
the league.”

“That just doesn’t seem fair to you.”
“I guess they figure that since they’re still shooting

me a paycheck, I really can’t complain.”

“Yeah, but you don’t get to play hockey anymore. I

know that means more to you than any amount of
money.”

As soon as he saw the look of hurt flicker over

Aldrich’s eyes, Nobel wanted the words back. He took a
few breaths as he mentally called himself every name in
the book.

“Maybe I can’t play again, but it’s not all bad. At

least I have all this.” Aldrich gestured to the garish
room, an expression of abject bitterness on his face.

It killed Nobel to see Aldrich this way. The Aldrich

he knew was happy and easy going. There were times

Stephani Hecht

35

where Aldrich’s constant teasing and smartass
comments had gotten on Nobel’s nerves. Damn if Nobel
wouldn’t do anything to have that sassy attitude back
though.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” he muttered,

hating himself.

Aldrich gave a tight smile. “Why not? It’s true.”
“I wish this had never happened to you,” Nobel

confessed raggedly.

“Me too, but I can’t change it. I can only try my best

to make the most of what I have left.” Aldrich ran a
hand over his head, as if he were looking for the soft
locks that were now gone. He gave Nobel an almost real
smile. “But enough about me. I want to learn what
you’ve been up to. I heard you were stationed in
Afghanistan.”

“Yeah, I got home not too long ago.”
“Are you going back?”
“Nah, I’ve had enough war to last me a dozen

lifetimes. I never thought I’d say it, but I don’t want to
leave Waterford again.”

Aldrich chuckled. “Wow, and you were the one who

used to say that he couldn’t get away from here fast
enough. What made you change your mind?”

Change on the Fly

36

“I saw first-hand just how crappy the world can be.”

Nobel swallowed a few times as he struggled to get his
emotions in check. Aldrich had enough to handle
without Nobel adding his baggage on top of it. “Let’s
just say that I long for the boring life Waterford has to
offer.”

Aldrich reached out and put his hand on Nobel’s

knee. “Okay, you don’t have to talk about it now if you
don’t want to. Just know that if you ever do need to
unload, I’m here for you.”

Nobel glanced down to where Aldrich’s hand rested,

a heady thrill going through him from even that simple
contact. “I missed you.”

It shocked Nobel how easily that confession came

out.

“I missed you, too.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t keep in contact,” Nobel said, his

voice thick with emotion.

“That’s okay. It’s not like we were engaged or

anything.”

Nobel forced himself to smile at the joke, even

though his stomach did a flip over the thought of having
that kind of relationship with Aldrich. Just as quickly,
Nobel told himself to get over it. Aldrich was straight

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37

and that was never going to change. No matter how
much Nobel wished otherwise.

He nervously cleared his throat. “So, does the

warden let you leave this place?”

“Yeah, why?”
“I thought that maybe you’d like to get something to

eat at the diner.”

Aldrich’s face lit up with excitement. “Is that place

still open?”

“It’s been there for over thirty years. I don’t think it

will ever close.”

“I wonder if our gum is still stuck to the underside of

our corner table?”

“Going by the cleanliness of the place, I’d say the

odds are high. So, does that mean you want to go get
some dinner?”

Aldrich frowned. “You would have to drive. They

took my license away because of the seizures.”

It broke Nobel’s heart to hear that, but he knew he

couldn’t let it show. He pasted a grin into place. “If
they’d known about that fire hydrant you hit your junior
year, they would have taken your license a long time
ago.”

“Hey, that’s not fair. A squirrel jumped out in front

Change on the Fly

38

of my car.”

“Are you still using that excuse?”
“It’s not an excuse. It’s the God’s honest truth. If I

didn’t know better I would swear that the squirrel had
some kind of death wish. It was almost as if it purposely
threw itself into the path of my wheels.”

“And you had to deny its suicide wish when you

swerved to miss it.”

Aldrich struggled to get to his feet, his movement

slow and painfully clumsy. It took him several attempts
to lift his ass from the couch. A couple of times, Nobel
found himself rushing forward to help, but each time he
pulled back. Something told him that Aldrich wouldn’t
appreciate the help, instead looking at it as a weakness
to need assistance.

After several torturous moments, Aldrich was

upright. He flashed Nobel an apologetic look. “Sorry, it
won’t always be this slow. It just takes me a few
moments to get my balance settled when I’ve been
sitting around for a while. I usually try to get up every
hour to walk around, but I got caught up in a Project
Runway marathon.”

That comment made all the tension leave the room.

Nobel cocked a brow. “You really watch that show?”

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39

“I can’t get enough of it,” Aldrich confessed in a

stage whisper.

As they walked out of the living room, Nobel noted

that Aldrich did move a bit quicker, just as he promised.
It eased some of the tension in his chest. As they passed
by the kitchen, Aldrich called, “Hey, Tina. I’m going out
for a while.”

She rushed out and joined them in the foyer. “Are

you sure that’s a good idea?”

“The doctor said it would be good for me to leave

the house,” Aldrich said as he toed on some slip-on
sneakers.

“Where are you going?”
“To the diner. Do you want me to bring you

something home?”

She wrinkled her nose. “No way, you’d probably

bring home a heavy dose of botulism along with it. That
place is gross. Why in the hell are you even going
there?”

“Because that was our favorite hangout when we

were kids,” Nobel explained.

“Gah, I hoped you’d have outgrown that kind of

dive, but I guess some things never change. How are
you getting there?”

Change on the Fly

40

“I’m driving your car,” Aldrich cheerfully informed

her.

Her eyes grew wide as she let out a sharp gasp.

“There is no way in hell you’re taking my car anywhere.
I wouldn’t let you touch it, even if you still had your
license.”

Aldrich rolled his eyes. “Like I would be caught

dead in a hot pink PT Cruiser.”

Nobel jerked in shock. “Are you kidding me?”
“God, I wish I was, but it’s the truth. The car looks

just as horrifying as you’re probably imagining too.”

“It’s a very nice color,” Tina defended.
“Maybe in moderation, but I’m in danger of having

an overdose.”

Tina pursed her lips, but Nobel could tell that she

wasn’t really that angry. It really did look like some
things never changed. Even as kids, Tina let Aldrich get
away with just about anything.

“Okay, go to your awful restaurant. Just make sure

you don’t forget to take your six-o-clock meds. I don’t
want you to start having seizures again.”

Aldrich pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I promise.”
“I’ll make sure to remind him,” Nobel added.
He still felt a bit sick over the fact that Aldrich

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41

suffered from seizures. To know that the once strong,
athletic man was now battling something so serious hit
hard. It once again served as a reminder as just how
close they’d come to losing him.

“I’m sure you will. You were always such a nag,”

Aldrich groused good-naturedly.

“Only because you always managed to find so much

trouble.”

Aldrich laughed. “Maybe you have a point there. Do

you remember the time we were hunting for frogs and I
fell into the lake and almost drowned?”

“Yeah, I had to dive in after you. As I recall the

bottom was thick with mud and we both got stuck.”

“By the time we got out, our clothes were ruined.”
“It sucked, because I was wearing my favorite Tigers

t-shirt. Your mom tried so hard, but she never could get
all the stains out for me.”

Nobel didn’t add that his own mother hadn’t

bothered to try because she’d been too focused on her
career to ever worry about her son’s problems. If it
hadn’t been for Aldrich’s mother, Nobel wouldn’t have
had anybody who gave a damn about him.

Nobel gruffly cleared his throat before he fished his

keys from his front pocket. “Are you ready to go?”

Change on the Fly

42

Aldrich flashed that grin of his that never failed to

send a rush of desire through Nobel. “Yeah, I can’t wait.
We have so much to catch up on.”

Yeah, they did. Nobel only hoped that when Aldrich

heard everything, he’d still want to be friends. Because
now that he’d finally seen Aldrich again, Nobel didn’t
think he’d ever be able to live without Aldrich being a
part of his life.

Stephani Hecht

43

Chapter Four

As Aldrich slid into the passenger seat, he took a deep
breath as he fought to get control of his nerves.

Relax, this is just Nobel. We’ve been friends for

years, so there’s no reason to get all hot and bothered
over him. Nothing has changed…well, other than the
fact that Nobel has gotten damn hot. When did that
happen? Or has he always looked this good and I was
too caught up in my infatuation with Grant to notice?

Nobel got in behind the wheel and flashed an easy

going smile. Of course he was at ease. He had no clue
what Aldrich was thinking. Otherwise he’d be
uncomfortable, or worse pissed.

Licking his dry lips, Aldrich tried to study his friend

without being too obvious. While Nobel had always
been built, his time in the Army had added a good

Change on the Fly

44

twenty pounds of muscle mass. In addition, he now wore
his once floppy brown hair in a neat military cut. He’d
also ditched his baggy pants and overly large shirts for a
pair of comfortable looking jeans and a button up black
shirt.

Gone was the scrawny kid only to be replaced by a

man…a mighty damn fine man. One that Aldrich
wouldn’t have minded getting to know better. That is if
Nobel were gay.

But Nobel wasn’t gay, so Aldrich would be better off

ditching his new-found crush. The last thing he needed
was to be chasing after yet another doomed, never-
going-to-happen relationship.

He grabbed his seatbelt and brought it across his

chest. As he tried to click it in place, his finger refused
to cooperate. He fumbled around for a few frustrating
moments before Nobel leaned over. He smoothly took
charge, snapping the belt into place.

“Thanks,” Aldrich muttered, shame flooding through

him.

A heat came over his face and he looked down, too

embarrassed to meet Nobel’s gaze. Nobel gave him a
playful punch on the shoulder. “It’s okay. You don’t
have to worry about me thinking any less of you because

Stephani Hecht

45

you need a bit more help right now.”

Aldrich gazed up from under his lashes. “I hate being

this way.”

He instantly wanted that admission back. Ever since

he’d been injured, he’d worked so hard to put up an all-
is-dandy front. To have broken down that wall so
quickly in Nobel’s presence both unsettled and terrified
Aldrich.

Nobel gave him a sad smile. “I know you do. You

always tried to be so strong for everybody. This must be
so difficult.”

“That’s not exactly true. Growing up, you supported

me just as many times as I did you. In fact, I remember
one time when you literally carried me a mile on your
back.”

“That really doesn’t count. You’d twisted your knee

and couldn’t walk on your own.”

“It does too count. Especially since it was the dead

of winter and you hauled not only me, but our skates and
sticks.”

A warm feeling went through Aldrich as he recalled

that day. Even though it’d been ten years, it still felt as if
it’d happened yesterday. They’d been playing a pickup
game at the lake when Aldrich had hit a rut in the ice.

Change on the Fly

46

He’d fallen and hurt his knee. When he’d only been able
to limp, Nobel had carried Aldrich piggyback style. It
must have been hard, but Nobel never uttered one
complaint the entire way.

“You were right earlier, you always were helping me

when I was in trouble,” Aldrich breathed, his chest tight
with emotion.

Nobel gave him a lopsided grin that did all kinds of

wild things to Aldrich’s insides. “And if you let me, I’ll
be here this time for you too.”

“That’s just it though. There is no way that you can

pull me from this mess. This isn’t mud or a hurt knee.
My head is fucked up and it’s never going to get better.”

Wow, there he went spilling his guts again. In the

span of a few minutes Aldrich shared more than he had
in the previous three months combined.

Nobel gave a slow nod. “True, you’re never going to

be the same again, but that doesn’t mean your life has to
end. You still have so much to offer.”

Bitterness cut an ugly path through Aldrich. “What?

All I’ve ever been good for is scoring goals.”

“That’s not true. Sure, you were a great hockey

player, but you’re also a great person, smarter than hell
and you have a way with people. They like and trust

Stephani Hecht

47

you.”

“You don’t have to say that to make me feel better.”
“I’m not saying this only to pump you up. I’ve seen

it for myself. I remember how good you were with the
younger players when we were playing hockey together
as kids. No matter how busy you were, you would
always make time to give them private lessons if they
needed. You never even charged them for it either. You
just did it because you’re nice like that.”

“I’m just a sucker. Grant used to tell me all the time

that I let people take advantage of me.”

It still hurt Aldrich as he recalled all the times Grant

had called him foolish, gullible or stupid. The older man
never believed in helping somebody out unless there
was something in it for him.

“Yeah, well no offense, since I know you used to

work for him, but Grant’s an asshole,” Nobel all but
growled.

Surprised at the venom in Nobel’s declaration,

Aldrich blinked a few times. “I thought you liked him.
You went to his camp almost every year, just like me.”

“I only went because I wanted to spend the summer

with you. It sure as hell wasn’t because of that jerk’s
teaching skills.”

Change on the Fly

48

A warm feeling pooled in Aldrich’s stomach. “You

really only went so we could hang out together?”

“Of course, who else would pull you out of all your

messes? I had to be there for your own safety.”

Aldrich laughed. “Hey, I saved you as many times as

you rescued me.”

Nobel studied Aldrich intently. As the seconds began

to tick by without anything being said, Aldrich began to
squirm nervously. If he didn’t know better, he’d almost
swear that there was a sizzle of attraction going both
ways. That couldn’t be possible, though, because Nobel
was straight.

“You’re right,” Nobel finally said in a thick voice.

“You did save me, so many damn times that I lost
count.”

Okay, wow…if it had been any other guy other than

Nobel, Aldrich would have sworn there were some
sensual undertones to that statement. Arousal even
flooded through his body as Nobel’s gaze continued to
burn a heated path into him. Aldrich shifted slightly in
his seat as his cock swelled to life. He prayed silently to
every god out there that there wasn’t a telltale bulge in
his pants. Heaven forbid he had to explain that away.

Luckily Nobel didn’t seem to notice, he even turned

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49

his head and keyed the ignition. Aldrich let out a sigh of
relief that his new-found secret was safe. As they made
the short drive into town, they caught each other up on
the latest gossip they’d heard.

“I heard that you’re living with your brother,”

Aldrich said.

“Yeah, my mom got transferred to England and

Zimon didn’t want to leave the country. I decided to
room with him so we could both save on rent.”

“So does that mean you’re not going to re-enlist into

the Army?” Aldrich held his breath as he waited for the
answer.

Even though they’d just been reunited, Aldrich found

himself terrified at the prospect of Nobel leaving again.
With so many changes going on in his life, it was nice to
have a few familiar things to hold onto and for Aldrich,
they didn’t get more familiar than Nobel.

Nobel shook his head. “No, I’m going to stay home

so I can be with Zimon.”

“Have you gotten a civilian job yet?” Aldrich asked.
He was hard pressed to hide his grin of relief. Nobel

was staying home! Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad in
Waterford after all.

“I’ve been working at my uncle’s store.”

Change on the Fly

50

“I thought you hated it there.” Aldrich wrinkled his

nose as he remembered the grouchy old man.

Mr. Culvers owned the oldest grocery story in

Waterford. Just a mom and pop type of operation, it’d
somehow managed to stay open, given the current
crappy economy. Which was a miracle considering he
wasn’t exactly the warm and fuzzy type, even to his
customers.

“I do. At least he promoted me to management,”

Nobel replied tightly.

Aldrich felt for his friend. He’d also worked at the

store a few winters while still a teenager. He
remembered how mean Mr. Culvers had been to his
staff. Even worse, he often seemed to single Nobel out
for even more abuse. Almost as if he took some sort of
satisfaction out of making his nephew miserable.

“I guess it’s good that he promoted you,” Aldrich

ventured.

“I think he only did it to look good in the

community. You know the whole helping out a war
veteran thing. He even made sure to run an article about
it in the paper. While he said it was because he was
proud of me for my bravery, I knew it was just his way
to get more publicity.”

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51

The sad thing was, Aldrich didn’t doubt for a second

that Nobel was right about that assumption.

“Maybe you’ll get lucky and something better will

come up then you can quit the store” Aldrich offered,
desperate to find any words of encouragement.

“I hope so, but I’ve been looking for three months

now and I haven’t had any luck. They say the job market
is getting better in Michigan, but I haven’t seen it yet.”

“Does Zimon have a job?”
To Aldrich’s surprise, Nobel visibly tensed at the

question. “He’s been working at some bars and clubs.”

“Doing what? I know that he’s not a bouncer, he’s

way too small for that. And I don’t see him employed as
a bartender. Not with the way he pops off at people
when they annoy him.”

“He dances,” Aldrich said, the words coming out

hard.

“At the women’s only strip club in the next town

over?”

“No, he dances for the guys at the gay bar.”
Aldrich carefully schooled his features so his shock

didn’t show. Not that it surprised him to hear that Zimon
was gay, but because the punk was actually performing
in public and not bothering to hide it. In a way, Aldrich

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52

envied the younger man for his bravery.

“That must make your father real happy,” Aldrich

drawled out sarcastically.

Nobel’s dad was so straight laced and uptight that he

probably didn’t even like to admit his son even ventured
into a gay bar, let alone professionally danced at one.

“I wouldn’t know, Dad isn’t speaking to either one

of us.”

“Is it because Zimon is gay?”
Aldrich held his breath as he waited to see how

Nobel would react to that question. Would he be pissed?
Ashamed over Zimon? Or did he accept his brother?

“Yes, he all but disowned Zimon. After I found out, I

cut off all ties with my father. If he can’t accept Zimon
for who he is, then neither one of us needs the bastard in
our lives.”

Just when Aldrich thought Nobel couldn’t get any

better, he had to make that admission. Aldrich couldn’t
hide his smile this time. “I’m so proud of you.”

“For what? Standing up for Zimon? That’s what

brothers are supposed to do. You and Tina would have
done the same for each other.”

That was true. Despite her horrible love for pink,

Tina was the best sister a guy could ask for. In return,

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53

Aldrich would kill if needed to keep her safe. “Yeah, we
would have.”

“So, how are your parents doing?”
“Just okay. My injury has been hard on them. Not

that they’re disappointed in me or anything. It just killed
them to see me hurt. Right after I was first injured, my
brain swelled and I slipped into a coma for a few days. It
was pretty touch and go for a while and they thought
they were going to lose me. Ever since then, they’ve
been…” Aldrich trailed off, looking for the right word.

“Overprotective? Scared to let you out of their sight?

Coddling?” Nobel offered.

“All of those.” Aldrich flushed. “Sorry about that. I

sometimes have trouble with my verbal skills. It’s one of
the more fun effects of my brain scramble.”

“Hey, you still have a much better vocabulary than

most people. Take Zimon for example, just yesterday he
told me that he had the bestest, biggest wiener in town.”

Aldrich let out a bark of laughter. Leave it to Nobel

to find a way to make him feel better. “That sounds like
something Zimon would say.”

They pulled into the parking lot of the diner. A wave

of nostalgia hit Aldrich as he gazed at the familiar
rounded building, with its blue shingled roof. Even the

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54

signs in the window remained the same. He smiled,
finally feeling for the first time like he was truly home.

“I can’t believe how much I missed this place,” he

admitted.

“Me, too. While I was in Afghanistan I would lie

awake at night, craving one of the greasy burgers from
here.”

There was the tiniest hint of sadness in Nobel’s tone

and it made Aldrich wonder what his friend went
through while he was deployed. Aldrich longed to ask
Nobel about it. In the end, Aldrich held his questions in.
There would be plenty of time for him to talk to Nobel
about that time, so there was no need to press him before
he was ready to share.

They got out and walked inside. As soon as the

familiar scents of grease, fries and soup hit Aldrich, his
stomach growled. Nobel must have heard it because he
asked, “I take it you’re hungry.”

“Yeah, Tina is on this crazy no bread, no carbs diet,

so I’m stuck eating whatever strange meals she’s
decides to make up.”

“Oh, that can’t be good. She was never good in the

kitchen to begin with.”

“It’s a nightmare. The other day she made some kind

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55

of fish and it was so undercooked it was practically
swimming across my plate.”

Aldrich shuddered as he recalled how the slimy fish

had felt when he’d tried to bite into it. Not that he was
against sushi or anything, but only if it was raw on
purpose.

Nobel clapped him on the back. “Next time that

happens, just call me and I’ll smuggle you in a pizza.”

“Look,” Aldrich pointed to the back corner. “Our

regular table is open.”

They rushed over to claim it. Shaped like a

horseshoe the booth was really meant for more bodies,
but they’d always used it as kids. Aldrich ran a loving
hand over the scarred surface of the table as he thought
back to all the good times they had in this very spot.

“Wow, they even have the same duct tape on the

tears,” Nobel observed as he gazed down at the blue
vinyl seat.

“Remember the time Katey Mills threw up all over

that seat?” Aldrich laughed.

“She was so drunk. I don’t think I’ve ever seen

anyone down as many wine coolers as she did that night.
I kept warning her what would happen, but she wouldn’t
listen to me.” Nobel paused. “I still don’t know why she

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56

always had to tag along with us so much.”

“Duh, it was because she had a massive crush on

you.”

Aldrich shook his head, amazed that even years later

his friend could remain so clueless to that obvious fact.
Nobel scratched his head, a perplexed expression
marring his brow. Aldrich wondered why he never
noticed before how cute Nobel looked when he was
confused.

“Funny, I thought it was always you that she liked,”

Nobel said.

“No, that was Judy Carson. She was downright

stalkery with me. Every morning during my senior year
she would leave notes in my locker. Near the end, she
moved up to slipping in some risqué photos of herself.”

Now it was Aldrich who shuddered. While Judy had

been nice in a batshit crazy kind of way, that didn’t
mean he wanted to see her sans clothes. To make it
worse, she’d attempted some Hustler worthy poses.

“She really sent you naked pictures of herself?”
“Yeah, thank god, she was eighteen by then or else I

would have felt really dirty.”

“Oh my God, as I live and breathe. My boys are

back.”

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57

They glanced up to see their favorite waitress

standing in front of the table. An older lady with the
misfortune of having Bertha for her name, she was equal
parts sweet and no-nonsense. Her once black hair had
some shots of gray through it, but otherwise she
remained the same, from her tight bun to her blue,
polyester dress uniform and white sensible shoes.

“Hey, Bertha. How have things been going?” Nobel

asked as he slid out from the booth and gave her a hug
that she eagerly returned.

Aldrich would have gotten up to join them, but he

was afraid he’d lose his balance and make an ass out of
himself. So he just settled for a wave.

Bertha was having none of that, she slid into the

booth next to him and pulled him into an embrace.
While it was a bit awkward, it still felt good and Aldrich
allowed himself to sink into her arms.

“I’ve been really worried about you, baby,” she said,

before adding, “I’ve been worried about both of you. It
would have killed me to lose either one of you boys.”

Aldrich didn’t bother to point out that they weren’t

exactly boys anymore, knowing that they could be sixty
and she’d still think of them as kids.

“You don’t need to worry anymore. We’re home

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now,” Aldrich assured her as they pulled apart.

She gave him a probing stare, her blue-eyed gaze

seeming to see straight into his soul. “I’m not so sure
that I should stop being concerned about you.”

“I’m fine.”
For the first time since the injury, he really meant it,

too.

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59

Chapter Five

A lump formed in Nobel’s throat as he watched Aldrich
and Bertha. It’d felt like a punch to the gut when Nobel
realized that Aldrich hadn’t gotten up because he didn’t
trust his body not to fall or stumble. But Bertha managed
to smooth things over, just like she always had. Nobel
made a mental note to leave her a massive tip when he
paid the bill.

Nobel slid in the opposite side. While he would have

loved to scoot all the way over so he could offer Aldrich
a hug or two, he resisted. It was getting harder not to
give into those urges though. With each passing moment
that they spent together, the desire for some physical
contact just continued to grow.

Bertha got up and grabbed her pad from her apron.

“So what will it be? Your usual?”

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60

Aldrich gaped at her. “You still remember after all

this time?”

“Two mega-burgers. One with all the works, the

other with just ketchup and cheese. Make sure the fries
are extra crispy on both.”

Now Nobel was surprised as well. He cast a teasing

smirk in Aldrich’s direction. “Do you still only eat
boring burgers?”

Aldrich wrinkled his nose. The movement making

him look cute. “Of course, I do. The thought of mayo
and mustard make me want to gag.”

“That’s too bad, you could have used them to cover

up the taste of your sister’s cooking,” Bertha drawled.

They laughed and Nobel realized how much he’d

missed her sassy attitude. “Can we get a couple of Cokes
to go with it?”

“Oh, and a chocolate shake,” Aldrich added, his eyes

wide with excitement.

“Do you want that with one straw or two?” Bertha

asked, a teasing glint in her gaze.

Aldrich gave a teasing waggle of his brows as he

leered at Nobel. “Nah, we’ll just share the one straw.”

Even though he knew his friend was only joking, the

suggestion still went straight to Nobel’s cock. On its

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61

own accord his gaze drifted to Aldrich’s full lips. Nobel
wondered what they would feel like pressed to his skin.
Was Aldrich the type to take things soft and easy, his
lips leaving behind a velvet path? Or was he the hard
and fast type, who liked to bite and lick? Not that Nobel
cared, he’d take it either way.

Nobel nervously cleared his throat. “How about you

just bring us both a shake? Then we won’t have to worry
about it.”

“Buzzkill,” Aldrich said with a slow shake of his

head.

“No, I just remember how you always hog the shake

and don’t give me my rightful half.”

There’d been many times, when they’d been

younger, they had to share drink or food. While their
parents always made sure they had an allowance, they
both tended to waste it on frivolous things. So when it
came time to buy lunch, they’d often had to pool their
funds together and buy just one meal.

Bertha gave them a speculative look before giving a

curt nod. “Fine, two shakes. I’ll put in your food order
and then bring the drinks out.”

After she left, Aldrich asked, “Is it just me, or did

she act a little strange just then?”

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62

Nobel shrugged. “Bertha has always been a bit off.

That’s what makes her so great.”

“True, but today it was as if she expected something

from us. Like she was just waiting for us to admit to
something.”

Fear shot through Nobel as he wondered if maybe

Bertha had picked up on his true feelings for Aldrich.
While Nobel always was careful to keep his attraction
hidden, Bertha was sharp. If he’d had even one tiny slip
up she’d pick up on it for sure.

“She’s probably just waiting to hear about the wild

life you had as a pro player,” Nobel offered, hoping that
suggestion would placate Aldrich.

Aldrich snorted. “There was nothing exciting about

it. I wasn’t there long enough and when I played for the
minors, I didn’t make enough to go out. I was lucky if I
could afford the dollar menu at the fast food joints. If
anyone has exciting stories to tell, it’s you. I mean you
went to a different country and fought in a war. I didn’t
even leave Michigan, aside for my summer job at the
camp.”

Just the mention of his time in Afghanistan made

Nobel’s gut clench. He reached out and began to toy
with the napkin dispenser, desperate for any distraction.

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63

“It really wasn’t that exciting either.”

Aldrich’s expression said he didn’t buy that, but he

didn’t press. Instead he asked, “So, do you have a
girlfriend?”

“No, you?”
When Aldrich shook his head, Nobel felt a burst of

excitement that lasted until he reminded himself that
Aldrich was straight. So, it didn’t matter if he was single
or not, because he was just as unavailable as far as
Nobel was concerned.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a serious relationship,”

Aldrich said.

“Why not?”
Aldrich’s gaze dropped to his hands, which were

resting on top of the table. “I stupidly fell in love with
somebody who only wanted to use me. They strung me
out a long time, making me think there was a chance
that we’d end up together, but it was all a lie. They
never really wanted me.”

It broke Nobel a bit to hear the hurt in Aldrich’s

voice. “I hope the bitch realizes what she missed out
on.”

Aldrich gazed up from under his lashes and gave a

short chuckle. “I’m sure the person has never given me a

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64

second thought. Now that I’m hurt and not able to be
their personal whipping boy, I’m useless as far as
they’re concerned.”

The bitterness that came along with that statement

was so unlike Aldrich that it stunned Nobel. It struck
him how much his friend had changed because of the
injury. Where he’d once been so sweet and happy, now
he was angry at the world and jaded. Nobel knew then
that he had to do everything in his power to bring the old
Aldrich back.

After dinner, Nobel drove Aldrich back to Tina’s.

After he parked the car, they both paused, neither of
them speaking as they stared up at the house.

“Have I ever told you how much I hate pink?”

Aldrich finally said.

Regret tugged at Nobel that he couldn’t do more for

his friend. “Is it hard living with Tina?”

Aldrich ducked his head, a blush covering his pale

face. “I shouldn’t have said that. She’s done so much for
me and I don’t want to seem ungrateful. In fact, I would
have been lost without her these past few months. She’s
been my strength.”

“What about your parents? Have they been around?”

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65

“They were there at first, but then they had to go

home to Florida. Dad’s health isn’t the best and the
Michigan weather makes him worse.”

“What’s wrong with him?”
“Emphysema and arthritis. It’s so bad that he’s in a

wheelchair now.”

Nobel felt for bad for the man. Aldrich’s dad had

always been so proud and strong. Some years, he’d even
coached their hockey team. What’s more both he and his
wife always been so nice to Nobel while he was growing
up. If not for them he would never have known what a
loving family was. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“It’s not all bad. Dad got one of those power

wheelchairs. He loves ramming that thing into stuff.”

“Yeah, I can see him doing that.”
Aldrich let out a sigh as he stared at the house. It

became painfully obvious that he dreaded going back
inside.

“Why don’t I pick you up tomorrow night? We can

go to the drive-in and then you can crash at my place.”

A huge grin broke out over Aldrich’s face and damn

if that didn’t make Nobel feel ten-feet tall. “That sounds
great. Is the US-23 drive-in still open?”

“Yes, and it has a double horror feature going on.”

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66

“That would be perfect. I haven’t seen a good horror

flick in a long time.”

“I can’t guarantee it will be good, but at least we can

have a blast making fun of it.”

Aldrich chuckled. “That’ll make it even better.”
The sound of Aldrich’s laughter did strange things to

Nobel’s emotions and before he knew it, he’d reached
out and lightly stroked Aldrich’s cheek. The caress
wasn’t long, just the briefest of touches, but there was
no denying that it’d happened.

All the air seemed to leave the car as they locked

gazes. Nobel’s heart pounded as he waited for Aldrich to
react. Would he be angry? Disgusted? Horrified?

In the end, Nobel got none of those reactions. Instead

Aldrich gave a weak smile and said, “I wasn’t kidding
earlier. I really did miss you.”

Was there a hint of arousal in his voice at that

admission, or had Nobel only imagined it? Maybe he
wanted Aldrich to return his feelings so badly that Nobel
was finding hope when there wasn’t any.

Then Aldrich did the most stunning thing of all—he

leaned in and gave Nobel a soft peck on the cheek.
Nobel barely had time to register the velvet brush of
Aldrich’s lips before it was over.

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67

“I’m sorry I refused to see you when I was in the

hospital,” Aldrich said in a near whisper.

Nobel resisted the urge to reach up and touch the

area that’d been kissed. “It’s okay. I know you were
going through a lot then. I don’t hold it against you.”

Aldrich nipped at his own bottom lip as he appeared

to be having some inner debate. After several tense
moments he blurted, “Did you hear about Jochen?”

“Are you talking about the scandal?” Nobel asked

carefully, wondering where the conversation was
heading.

Aldrich nodded. “Yeah, does that change how you

think of him?”

“Of course not.”
“A lot of people won’t even talk to him anymore. He

lost so many friends when they turned their backs on
him.”

“Then they were never his friend in the first place.”
“So, it doesn’t matter to you that he’s gay?”
Damn, Nobel wasn’t ready for this conversation yet,

but there was no way he could avoid it. He debated on a
second before he decided that he better lay out the truth.
“No, it doesn’t.”

“Because of Zimon?”

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68

“Because of me.”
Aldrich blinked a few times, his brow creasing in

confusion. “Are you trying to tell me that you’re…”

“Gay? Yes, I am,” Nobel replied bluntly.
His heart hammered in fear as he waited to see how

Aldrich reacted to that bombshell. The tension grew so
strong that Nobel found himself holding his breath. Just
as he felt himself getting ready to break, Aldrich’s lips
curled up into a smile.

“Oh.”
“That’s all you have to say about it?”
“At the moment, yes.”
Nobel studied his friend closely, looking for any sign

that would show him how his friend was really feeling.
Going by the grin still covering Aldrich’s face he was
taking the news pretty well.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Aldrich asked.
“You know you can.”
“It’s pretty big. Only a couple of people know.”
Mouth dry with anticipation, Nobel nodded. “I

promise I won’t tell anybody.”

Aldrich nibbled on his bottom lip for a beat before he

blurted, “I’m gay, too.”

Before Nobel could even think of a reply to that

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69

admission, Aldrich got out of the car and slammed the
door. He stumbled a bit, before he caught his balance.
Shooting Nobel an everything-is-all-right look, he
slowly walked to the door. He went inside without
glancing back again.

For several moments, Nobel sat there in stunned

silence. Mentally, he kept repeating the same thing over
and over again, Aldrich is gay. He’s really, really gay. A
feeling of joy went through him as he realized that
maybe his crush wasn’t a lost cause after all. Perhaps, if
he played everything just right, there could finally be
something special between them.

But along with the joy came a stab of pain as Nobel

recalled the way Aldrich talked about his past
relationship and how he’d been hurt so bad. Looking
back, Nobel couldn’t believe he hadn’t picked up on the
way Aldrich had never said she or her but rather had
referred to the individual as somebody or that person.

Wow, the clues had been right in front of Nobel and

he’d missed them. It made him wonder what other
verbal cues, he’d failed to pick up on in the past. He also
wondered just who the asshole was that’d broken
Aldrich’s heart.

Nobel only had to scramble his memory for a few

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70

seconds before he realized who it was. Grant! Of course,
it all made sense now. The way Aldrich had idolized the
guy. Why Aldrich continued to work for Grant summer
after summer, despite the poor pay and treatment.

Then Nobel remembered that he’d heard somewhere

that Grant was getting married to some former female
model and the final puzzle pieces clicked into place. His
gut clenched painfully as he fully realized how much
Aldrich must be suffering.

“Oh babe, it must have broken your heart,” Nobel

whispered.

The urge to run into the house, so he could hold

Aldrich was strong, but Nobel resisted. He sensed that
Aldrich needed some alone time to digest all that’d just
gone down. Truthfully, so did Nobel. Now that he was
so close to finally having Aldrich, Nobel didn’t want to
ruin it by pushing too hard.

He did vow to himself that he’d do everything in his

power to make sure that Aldrich found some healing.
And not just for his head. It was painfully obvious that
Aldrich’s soul was just as injured. Nobel was
determined to mend both. Even if he had to fight
Aldrich’s fears to do so.

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71

Chapter Six

Aldrich was nervous the entire next day as he waited for
the evening to come. It didn’t help any that Tina was in
a foul mood either. After snapping at Aldrich most of
the morning, she camped out in front of the TV and
watched bad reality shows for the rest of the day. When
Aldrich got up to get ready for the movies, she shot him
a suspicious look.

“Where are you going?”
“Nobel and I are going to the drive-in?”
She made a sour face. “Why? There are so many

nice indoor theaters.”

“It’s fun.”
“I don’t see how being cramped in a car for hours on

end can be fun.”

“That’s because you’ve never tried it.”

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72

Even as small kids, Tina refused to go to the drive-

in, always opting to stay over at their grandparents’
rather than going out with the rest of the family. Come
to think of it, Tina hadn’t usually gone along for any fun
events.

“When’s the last time you went out?” Aldrich asked.
She instantly became flustered, a blush covering her

cheeks. “I don’t know. I’ve been really busy taking care
of you.”

Yeah, right. Aldrich was willing to bet that it’d been

long before he’d been injured. “Tell me the truth.”

She let out an exasperated huff. “That’s really none

of your business.”

“I’m just worried about you,” Aldrich defended.
His heart sank as he realized just how lonely his

sister must be. No wonder she so eagerly welcomed him
into her home. She probably was getting depressed with
nothing but pink and ribbons to keep her company.

“You’re the baby in the family, so it’s my job to

worry about you. Not the other way around.”

He sat down next to her and took her hand. “I’m also

a full-grown man and, older or not, you’re still my sister.
So it’s only natural for me to be concerned about you.”

She sighed, the anger fading from her face. “Let’s

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73

just say it’s been a while.”

“Why?”
Tina rolled her eyes. “Look at me. Do you honestly

think a man is going to be interested in somebody like
me?”

“Don’t say that about yourself. There are plenty of

guys who would be crazy for you. All you need to do is
get out of the house more, so you can meet them.”

“Aldrich, I appreciate you trying to boost me up, but

let’s be real here. I’m not that pretty, I dress like a
twelve year old and I have the social skills of a hermit. I
may as well get twenty cats and just get it over with,
because we both know that’s how I’m going to end up
anyway.”

It saddened Aldrich to hear Tina speak of herself that

way. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Hey, I happen
to think you’re pretty hot.”

She gave him a sideways glance. “Not to be mean,

but you’re the last one I would trust with that
assessment.”

Aldrich tensed as the implication of those words hit

him. “What’s that supposed to mean? That just because
I’m your brother I’m blinded to how you really look?”

“No, it means that because you’re gay, I’m not for

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74

sure that you know what straight men are looking for.”

When Aldrich gaped at her for several breaths, she

let out another sigh, “Are you really shocked that I know
you’re gay? Come on, Aldrich, aside from Nobel, I
know you better than anybody.”

Aldrich swallowed several times as he struggled to

get himself together. “Are you mad at me?”

“For what? Being who you are? Don’t be stupid. I

love you—every part of you. The grumpy part, the smart
part, the athletic part and the gay part. All of it is what
makes you who you are and I wouldn’t change a damn
thing.”

Tears pricked Aldrich’s eyes. He blinked several

times to clear them before he rasped, “I was so afraid
that you’d hate me when you found out.”

She used her free hand to give him a good slug in the

arm. “I could never hate you and how dare you think so
little of me.”

He rubbed the spot, suddenly feeling a bit guilty for

not trusting her sooner. “I’m sorry. I realize I should
have known that, especially since everyone was so
supportive of Jochen. I was just so terrified of losing you
guys.”

“There is nothing you could ever do that would make

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75

us stop loving you.” She paused for reflection before
amending, “Well, other than becoming an Avalanche
fan. That’s just plain unforgivable.”

Aldrich laughed, both from her joke and just because

he was so damn relieved. After confessing first to Nobel
and then her, it felt as if a huge weight was lifted from
Aldrich’s shoulders.

Tina gave him a sly look. “So, are you and Nobel

just hanging out or is it a date?”

Aldrich jerked, shocked at just how much she’d

managed to figure out. It looked as if he wasn’t as good
at putting on a front as he always thought. “Damn, you
don’t miss anything, do you?”

She grinned, seeming damn pleased with herself.

“Nope, Sherlock and I have a lot in common. So, are
you going to answer my question or not?”

He sucked in a deep breath as he wrestled for an

answer. “I’m not sure. I think it’s a date, but I don’t
want to get my hopes up.”

“Bah,” she gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “I

wouldn’t worry. Nobel has been in love with you for
years.”

That stunned Aldrich so much he almost fell off the

couch. “No way.”

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76

“Yes, way. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
“How’s that?”
She gave him a tender smile. “Like he’d do just

about anything for you.”

“That’s just because we’re best friends,” Aldrich

protested, still not willing to get his hopes up. He’d been
burned before and didn’t relish a repeat.

“It’s more than that and you know it.”
Aldrich paused, his chest growing tight with

emotion. Did he dare believe it? Could Nobel really
have strong feelings for him? Most of all, could Aldrich
take the risk of getting hurt again?

“I’m scared,” he admitted.
She gave him a tender smile before pulling him into

her arms. He soon became enveloped in a cloud of
Love’s Baby Soft, but he didn’t care. It felt too damn
good to be in her comforting embrace.

“I don’t know who hurt you, but if I ever find out,

I’m going to hunt him down and put his nuts in a vise,”
she declared savagely.

The comment was so uncharacteristic of her that it

brought out a short burst of laughter from Aldrich. “That
sounds really painful.”

“It’s the least they deserve for breaking my baby

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77

brother’s heart.”

He snuggled into her, not even caring that he was

rubbing against a picture of The Care Bears. “Those
guys don’t know what they’re missing. You’re the best.”

She snorted. “That’s not what you said the other day

when I made my special pizza.”

“That’s because you made it with that crappy, fake

crust. Plus, the sauce tasted funky.”

She rubbed his back, in a soothing manner. “Maybe

you have a point. You’re so thin I should be looking for
ways to fatten you up. How much weight have you
lost?”

“I don’t know. Does it matter? It’s not like I need to

keep fit anymore.”

Tina pulled back, so she could cup his face. “Yes, it

does matter. I want you around for a long time and that’s
not going to happen if you don’t start taking care of
yourself better.”

The stark worry evident in her gaze made a lump

build up in the back of his throat. Unable to speak, he
just nodded. It must have been enough to placate her
because she flashed a satisfied smile.

“Go get ready for your date.”
He got up and went to his room. As he tried on

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78

various outfits he was dismayed to find out that Tina
was right, he’d lost a lot of weight. The only reason he
hadn’t noticed it before was because he’d been only
wearing sweats and t-shirts. Now that he was trying on
his old jeans and dress shirts, the loose fit was painfully
obvious.

He finally found something that only fit slightly

baggy, a pair of black jeans and a red, long-sleeved shirt
that buttoned up the front. Since it was still a little warm
outside, he rolled the sleeves up. The clothes were a few
years old and before his professional hockey days, but
they would do.

Next he went into his bathroom and looked at his

reflection. When he saw how pale and gaunt he was,
dismay crashed into him. Hell, he even had dark rings
under his eyes, making him look all the worse. His hair
wasn’t any better—the too short, brown strands sticking
up all over the place, his scalp visible in several areas.
Which shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the fact that
his last haircut had been courtesy of the hospital when
they had to shave his head for surgery.

He ran his fingers over some of the scars left behind

by the various procedures they’d performed to save his
life. While he knew it’d been a necessary evil in order to

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79

relieve the pressure in his skull when his brain swelled,
it still made him bitter.

“You look beautiful,” Nobel declared as he walked

into the bathroom.

Aldrich jumped, shocked at the man’s appearance. “I

didn’t hear you come in.”

Nobel stepped closer, his hands going up to caress

Aldrich’s scalp. “I’ve always loved your hair.”

A shiver went through Aldrich as Nobel’s fingers

ghosted over his head. “You have?”

“Yes, I’ve also always wondered what it would be

like to touch it like I am now.”

“Was it everything you thought it would be?”

Aldrich asked before biting back a moan. Who knew a
simple touch could feel so good?

“No, it’s much better than I ever dreamed.”
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better. I

know how horrible it looks right now.”

“You’ll always be perfect to me.”
Wow, it didn’t get any better than that. Aldrich

tipped his head back so he could meet Nobel’s gaze. “I
can’t believe I didn’t realize sooner.”

“Realize what?”
“That you were right in front of me, waiting for me

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80

to get my head out of my ass.”

Nobel trailed his fingers down the side of Aldrich’s

cheek, his fingers leaving behind a heated path. “I just
kept hoping that one day you’d eventually wake up and
see that I was waiting for you to notice me.”

“In my defense, I wasn’t a total idiot. You just told

me you were gay, so how could I know that you were
attracted to me?”

“If you would have bothered to look you would have

noted how I was constantly checking out your ass.”

“Hmm… so that’s why you always insisted on

walking behind me.” Aldrich became brave and wrapped
his arms around Nobel’s waist.

When Nobel didn’t pull back, but instead put his

own arms around Aldrich’s shoulder, a heady thrill went
through Aldrich. Emboldened, he moved in closer, until
their bodies were pressed together. When he felt the hard
press of Nobel’s cock against him, Aldrich grinned.

“Is that for me?” he asked.
Since Nobel was a few inches taller Aldrich had to

tilt his head up some to keep eye contact. It made his
neck crick a bit, but he didn’t mind if it meant being able
to stare into Nobel’s dark gaze.

Nobel ran one hand down Aldrich’s back. “You

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81

know it is.”

Aldrich rocked forward, making sure Nobel could

feel that he was hard as well. “That’s okay, you’re not
the only one who is feeling…excited.”

A tremble went through Aldrich’s body as his

arousal rose a couple notches. He tilted his head a bit
farther back, praying to all that was holy and unholy that
Nobel got the message.

When Nobel slowly began to inch his face down,

Aldrich couldn’t hold back a small whimper of relief.
The desire to be taken by the other man burned inside
him and Aldrich knew that he wouldn’t be satisfied until
he fulfilled it.

The instant their lips touched, the burning inside

Aldrich grew to a full-out fire. Nobel tasted so warm—
so alive, that Aldrich knew one taste would never be
enough. Now eager for more, Aldrich parted his lips and
thrust his tongue out, not caring if the move made him
come off as needy or slutty. Luckily, Nobel didn’t seem
to mind, he even let out a growl as he reached down and
cupped Aldrich’s ass.

Aldrich moaned before he slid his tongue inside

Nobel’s hot mouth. Nobel responded by giving
Aldrich’s ass a firm squeeze. Aldrich gasped, loving the

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82

rough handling just as much as he’d treasured the earlier
gentle caresses.

Nobel seemed content to let Aldrich take the lead

and Aldrich relished having control. He took his time,
savoring every lick, nip and bite that allowed him to
learn a little more about his friend.

No, not just friend. At least not anymore. For while

they may not officially be lovers yet, Aldrich realized it
would only be a matter of time. In fact, if he had his way
it would be sooner rather than later.

Tearing his lips away from Nobel, Aldrich gazed at

his bed. While it was just a full-sized mattress, it would
be plenty big enough for their needs. Nobel must have
sensed what he was thinking because he made a slight
tsking noise.

“Later, after the movie,” Nobel admonished.
Aldrich surprised himself by letting out a frustrated

whimper. “Why do we have to wait?”

“Well, for one thing, I’m not doing it with your sister

just two rooms away. For another, the pizza is going to
get cold.”

“But we like cold pizza,” Aldrich pointed out, before

pausing, his stomach rumbling in hunger. As he recalled
how his skinny ass had looked in the mirror, suddenly

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83

food became much more interesting “You really got
pizza?”

“Yeah, it’s in the car. Plus, we better get going, so

we can get a good spot before the movie begins.”

While Aldrich could give a damn about parking

spots or the movie, he gave a reluctant nod. Only
because he knew that once they got there, he’d have
Nobel all to himself. He let out a wicked grin as he ran a
palm over Nobel’s ass.

“It’s always been a fantasy of mine to get frisky at

the drive-in.”

Nobel cocked a brow. “Seriously? Well, we’ll have

to see what we can do about making that fantasy a
reality.”

Aldrich further surprised himself by letting out a

throaty laugh. “If we’re going to leave, then we better
get going. The longer we stay here, the more likely it is
that I’m going to tear off your clothes and beg you to
fuck me.”

Nobel stepped away, but reached out and grabbed

Aldrich’s hand. “Okay, let’s move. I don’t want to miss
the trailers at the beginning of the movie.”

One of Nobel’s favorite things about going to

movies had been watching the trailers for future

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84

releases. It warmed Aldrich to see that habit hadn’t
changed. They rushed outside, pausing a second to say
goodbye to Tina. She gave their interlocked hands a
pointed look, but didn’t remark on it. Although, there
was no missing the smirk on her face.

When they went out to the driveway, Aldrich was

surprised to see a bright yellow Tracker waiting for
them.

“What happened to your car?”
“I borrowed this from Zimon. I figured we could put

the seats down and sit in the back to be more
comfortable while we watched the movie.”

If Aldrich had his way, they wouldn’t be watching

much of the movie at all. While he knew it would be a
risk to be making out with Nobel in a public place, for
the first time ever Aldrich didn’t care. He’d been hiding
out in the closet for years and all it’d gotten him was a
broken heart and a healthy dose of loneliness.

Well no more. Now that he finally had somebody

who truly cared about him, Aldrich wasn’t going to hide
who he was anymore. He was going to stretch his wings
and finally live his life the way he wanted and to hell
with whoever didn’t like it.

He gave Nobel’s hand a squeeze. “What are we

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85

waiting for? Let’s get this thing going.”

He only hoped that Nobel realized it was more than

the date he was talking about.

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86

Chapter Seven

As Nobel drove up to the old drive-in a strong sense of
homecoming hit him. While it’d been years since he’d
been to the place, everything remained the same, almost
as if time had frozen it in place just for him.

The drive-in wasn’t much to look at, just three dirty

lots that were riddled with weeds and rock, a run-down
concession stand and three faded screens. It still made
him glad that he’d suggested coming there.

“I can’t believe it’s still open,” Aldrich breathed, his

gaze seeming to drink in the landscape.

“Why, because of the economy or because it’s

almost winter?”

“Both.”
“Well, it’s survived the economy because it’s

cheaper to come here than the regular theater and they

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87

now stay in operation until well into the fall. The only
difference is once summer ends, they only operate on
weekends.”

A tiny smile kicked up the corners of Aldrich’s lips

as he continued to stare at the drive-in. “I guess that
makes sense. I wonder if we’ll see any of our old friends
here tonight?”

Nobel drove through the entrance and waited in the

long line of cars at the ticket booth. “Why? Are you
worried about what they’ll think if they see us together?
If so, you shouldn’t. They’ll just think that we’re
hanging out like normal and I promise to keep my hands
to myself.”

It would suck though. Both, because Nobel had

quickly become addicted to touching Aldrich and
because he wasn’t ashamed of their new relationship.
Still, he wouldn’t force Aldrich to go public until the
other man was ready.

“You better not keep your hands to yourself,”

Aldrich growled playfully, before he paused, a frown
appearing on his face. “That is, unless you want to.”

Nobel reached out and grabbed Aldrich’s hand,

looping their fingers together. “I’m done hiding who I
am. Besides, I’m damn proud to have you as mine.”

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88

A slight blush covered Aldrich’s face. “I’m proud to

belong to you.”

Not giving a damn who saw, Nobel leaned in and

planted a hard kiss on Aldrich’s lips. After letting out a
gasp of surprise, Aldrich softened, his tongue darting out
to stroke the inside of Nobel’s mouth.

A car honked behind them and Nobel pulled back,

embarrassed to see that the cars in front of them had
moved forward and he was now holding up the line.
“Oops.”

Aldrich grinned. “I guess that’s what we get for

letting ourselves become distracted.”

After a few moments they reached the front of the

line, after paying for their admission, Nobel pulled in
front of the screen that was slotted to show the horror
movies. He backed into the space so the rear of the
Tracker faced the screen and set his radio to the proper
station for them to receive the audio for the movies. He
then helped Aldrich to the back of the Tracker.

Nobel had lowered the back seats, so they had plenty

of room to stretch out. They made themselves
comfortable, their backs resting against the front seats.
There was a cooler full of pop, along with a pizza, plus
various other snacks.

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89

Aldrich’s eyes grew wide as he looked at all the

food. “Damn, you brought enough to feed an entire frat
house.”

“I’m just trying to fatten you up,” Nobel teased.
As soon as he saw the flicker of hurt pass over

Aldrich’s face, Nobel wanted those words back. Letting
out a soft curse, Nobel said, “I’m sorry.”

Aldrich shrugged. “It’s okay, I know I’m way too

thin.”

Nobel reached out and pulled Aldrich into a tight

embrace. “Only because you’ve been healing. That still
doesn’t mean that I don’t think you’re perfect.”

“Keep saying that. After enough times I may actually

begin to believe it.” Aldrich snuggled into Nobel’s
chest.

If Nobel had his way he’d be saying that to Aldrich

every day for the rest of their lives. But since he didn’t
want to rush things, Nobel kept that to himself. He knew
that sooner or later, all the things he’d be holding back
would come out though. He only hoped that when they
did, Aldrich would be ready to hear them.

“Let’s start with the pizza,” Nobel suggested gruffly

as they broke apart.

He grabbed the box and opened it, the tangy scents

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90

of oregano, cheese and pepperoni filling the air. Aldrich
leaned in and inhaled deeply. “Damn, that smells good.”

Since he’d forgotten to bring plates, Nobel reached

in, grabbed a slice and held it up to Aldrich’s lips. “Here
then, take a bite.”

Aldrich parted his sinfully beautiful lips and sank his

even teeth into the pizza. As he chewed, he closed his
eyes and he let out a satisfied moan.

“Good?” Nobel couldn’t resist teasing.
Still keeping his eyes closed, Aldrich nodded. “You

have no idea what a treat it is to finally get some real
pizza.”

A bit of sauce clung to the corner of Aldrich’s

mouth. Unable to resist, Nobel leaned in a slowly licked
it clean. “You’re right. It tastes fantastic.”

Aldrich opened his eyes. “I guess you probably

missed it, too. I can’t imagine they had a lot of good
pizza in Afghanistan.”

“Not as good as back home. That’s for sure.” Nobel

held the slice back up to Aldrich’s lips.

Aldrich took another bite and chewed for a few

moments before asking, “What was it like there?”

Nobel froze, a healthy dose of panic building up

inside him as he recalled some of the more horrifying

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91

things he’d witnessed during his deployment. His
anxiety must have shown on his face because Aldrich
put a comforting hand on his arm and said, “You don’t
have share any of the bad stuff. At least not until you’re
ready. Just tell me what it looked like there. I’ve never
been to another country, aside from Canada and that
really doesn’t count since we live in Michigan.”

Nobel studied Aldrich’s earnest expression and

decided to relent. “Okay, I’ll share some things with
you. I just may not be ready to get into the real gritty
stuff. At least, not yet.”

“I understand. And if you ever are ready to share the

bad stuff, I’ll be here to listen to that too,” Aldrich
replied, his gaze soft with understanding.

“I’ll only talk as long as you keep eating,” Nobel

negotiated.

“Deal.” Aldrich parted his lips for another bit.
While Aldrich chewed, Nobel began. “It’s a lot

different there. For one thing, it’s mostly rural and a lot
of the roads aren’t paved like they are here. Instead
they’re dirt.”

“I heard it’s really dusty there,” Aldrich said after he

swallowed.

Nobel held the pizza up to Aldrich’s lips. “It is. I

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spent most of the time in Afghanistan hacking my lungs
up, because I got pneumonia. We would get so covered
in the dirt that you could see the outlines on our faces
when we took off our eye-pro at night.”

“Were you at least able to take showers?”
“Most times, yes, but the facilities weren’t anything

like back home. Things could be pretty basic at times.
While we normally had running water, the construction
of the showers was very minimal.”

Aldrich took another bite before saying, “That must

have been very hard for you. You’ve always been such a
clean freak.”

“I adjusted.” Nobel reached into the cooler and

grabbed a can of soda. Cracking it open, he handed it to
Aldrich.

“How did the locals treat you?” Aldrich accepted the

can and took a drink.

“Some really hated us, but there were others who are

glad we’re there. The kids really like us, mostly because
of the candy we hand out.”

Aldrich used his finger to trace a slow path down

Nobel’s cheek. “I wish you never had to go there.”

“Don’t be. It helped make me who I am today.”
“Why didn’t you ever answer any of the emails I sent

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93

you?” Aldrich asked in a slightly wounded tone.

Regret and a heavy dose of guilt sliced through

Nobel. “Because I was a damn coward. By then I’d
realized what it was I was attracted to you and it scared
the shit out of me. I was also worried about how you’d
react if you found out my true feelings. I didn’t want
you to end up hating me for being gay. Plus, DADT was
still strong then and I was so afraid of the Army
discovering my sexuality. I thought the best way to
protect my secret was to pretend it didn’t exist at all.
Idiot that I was, I thought the only way I could do that
was to end our friendship.”

Aldrich nibbled on his bottom lip. “I could never

hate you. Granted, I had the tendency to overreact to
things back then, but I wouldn’t have ever turned on
you.”

“Overreact?” Nobel echoed, incredulously. “I still

remember the Thanksgiving when you threw the turkey
at your father.”

“Well, he shouldn’t have disrespected my mother,”

Aldrich huffed.

“All he did was tell her she overcooked the bird a

bit.”

“And it upset her so much that she cried.”

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94

Nobel rolled his eyes. “Your mother cries at

everything. I’ve seen her break down during a Hallmark
commercial.”

Aldrich gave him a swat on the arm. “Okay, so

maybe I used to get a bit melodramatic at times. That
still doesn’t mean you should’ve cut me off like that.”

“You’re right. I guess I just didn’t think that a

professional hockey player like you would still care
about a grunt like me.”

“I could be the President of the United States and I

would still care for you,” Aldrich declared.

Nobel leaned in for a brief kiss. “I really am sorry.

Will you ever be able to forgive me?”

Giving a grin that could only be called wicked,

Aldrich ran a hand over his own groin. “Oh, I can think
of at least one way you can make it up to me.”

Relief flooded Nobel along with a fair amount of

lust. “What? You want me to do it right here.”

After darting a quick look around, Aldrich nodded.

“It’s dark out, so nobody will be able to see inside the
Tracker.”

Nobel eyed up the windows himself, noting that

nobody was parked next to them and it was pretty dark
outside. While he could still see Aldrich, due to the dim

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95

glow coming from the screen, Aldrich doubted anybody
looking into the Tracker could make out what was going
on inside. Mind made up, Nobel set the box off to the
side, then got up on his knees.

Aldrich’s eyes grew wide. “You’re really going to do

this?”

“Hell yeah, I’ve been waiting to taste your cock for

so long that I’m not about to pass up a good opportunity
like this.”

Nobel reached down and slowly popped the button

on Aldrich’s jeans, before carefully lowering the zipper.
Aldrich didn’t offer up any further protest, if anything
he spread his legs farther apart to give Nobel more room
to work.

“Oh, look at this,” Nobel cooed as he pulled out

Aldrich’s erection.

Damn, but Aldrich did have the perfect cock. Not too

big, but not too little either, it curved up perfectly. A
small pearl of pre-cum lingered at the top and Nobel
licked it off, a hum of approval rumbling from his
throat.

“You taste so damn good. I think I’m going to get

addicted.”

Aldrich laughed. “I can just see it now. You’d end up

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on that Intervention show. My name is Nobel and I’m
addicted to Aldrich cum.”

Since Nobel didn’t have a cleaver retort to that

comment, he decided to shut Aldrich up in other ways.
Parting his lips, he took Aldrich all the way to the base
in one swoop. Aldrich let out a shout of pleasure as his
hands shot out to grab onto Nobel’s hair.

“Holy hell. Don’t you have a gag reflex?” Aldrich

gasped as he thrust his hips up.

Since Nobel couldn’t very well answer that with a

full mouth, he settled for sucking in as he pulled back,
not stopping until the tip of Aldrich’s cock almost
slipped out. Nobel then swallowed Aldrich again, this
time sucking in so hard that his cheeks sunk in.

“Yeah, definitely no gag reflex. We can add that to

your list of pros,” Aldrich panted.

A spurt of pre-cum shot into Nobel’s mouth. That

small taste made him want more, so he began to work
Aldrich’s cock in earnest. Nobel didn’t even care that he
was fulfilling their prediction of him becoming an
addict, all that mattered was that he got a full sample. In
the meantime, Nobel’s own cock was hard and needy.
He ignored it. Later on would be soon enough to attend
to his own needs.

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97

Aldrich finally declared, “I’m going to come.”
Nobel dug his fingers into Aldrich’s thighs, to give

his permission. Aldrich thrust up once, before he
shouted Nobel’s name so loud the sound echoed in the
closed confines of the vehicle.

Nobel pulled back just enough, so he could truly

taste Aldrich. He was barely in time, hot semen splashed
over his tongue, before it slid down to coat his throat.
Nobel swallowed, eager to get every last drop. He even
licked Aldrich clean afterward, not wanting anything to
go to waste.

It wasn’t until Aldrich had gone limp, that Nobel let

him go and tucked his cock back into his pants. Giving
his lips one last lick, Nobel crawled up Aldrich until
their faces were inches apart.

Aldrich gave him a goofy grin. “I hate to be the

bearer of bad news, but you just missed all the trailers.”

Nobel gave him a slow, heated kiss that made both

of them breathless. “It was worth it.”

Aldrich reached between them and gave Nobel’s

erection a gentle squeeze. “How about I take care of this
for you?”

“Later, when we’re back at my place.” Nobel

paused, all of a sudden feeling a bit unsure of himself.

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98

“That is if you still want to stay. I don’t want to push
you or anything.”

“Nothing could keep me away tonight. I can’t wait to

wake up in your arms,” Aldrich said before he tilted his
face up for another kiss.

“If I have my way, it’ll just be the first of many

mornings.”

As soon as that slipped out, Nobel tensed, worried

that he’d gone too fast. Then Aldrich gave him another
smile, this one so bright and happy that it did funny
things to Nobel’s heart.

“I think I could get used to that idea,” Aldrich said.
Nobel let out a sigh of relief, happiness filling him.

He could scarcely believe his luck. After all those years
of longing for Aldrich, they were finally going to be
together. In every way possible.

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99

Chapter Eight

Even though Aldrich wanted to leave the movie right
after the intense blow job, Nobel insisted on staying for
both movies. Even worse, Nobel continued to torment
Aldrich with a never-ending supply of caresses and
kisses.

By the time they left and made the drive to Nobel’s

apartment, Aldrich felt ready to burst from all the pent-
up desire. He still made a point of looking around after
Nobel shut the front door behind them. While Aldrich
wanted to jump Nobel and ride him like a pony, he
wasn’t keen to perform for an audience.

“Where’s Zimon?” Aldrich asked as he toed off his

shoes.

He kicked off the last one and lost his balance,

listing to the right. Before he could make a total ass out

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100

of himself, Nobel rushed forward and grabbed him by
the arm. Usually his clumsiness would have made
Aldrich feel angry and humiliated, but as he gazed up at
Nobel, he felt neither of those things. Instead for the first
time ever, he didn’t see his disabilities as a curse. Sure
they still sucked, but he also knew that he wasn’t facing
them alone anymore. That Nobel would always be there
to catch him, both physically and figuratively.

“Zimon usually stays out pretty late on weekends,”

Nobel replied gruffly.

They stood there for several moments, caught in

each other’s gaze. It dawned on Aldrich that he could
very well be on his way to falling in love with Nobel.
That perhaps he had been all along and had now just
woke the hell up and realized it.

“Make love to me,” he pleaded, his voice just a raspy

whisper.

“I feel like I’ve waited all my life to hear you ask

that,” Nobel replied in a like tone.

Nobel still had a hold on Aldrich’s arm and he gave

tug. Aldrich tripped, this time falling into Nobel. As he
found himself pulling a face plant into nearly two
hundred pounds of sexiness, a fresh wave of desire
slammed into him.

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101

“You smell so good,” Aldrich observed as he

nuzzled into Nobel.

“So do you. You taste even better.”
Nobel captured Aldrich’s mouth in a heated kiss. At

the same time he started to walk them toward what
Aldrich assumed was the bedroom. Their movements
were slow and awkward, especially when Nobel paused
to kick off his own shoes, but Aldrich didn’t mind. Not
so long as they continued to move closer to their shared
goal.

It took a few extra minutes, but they eventually got

to the bedroom. Unlike Aldrich, Nobel actually picked
up after himself. The floor was clear of dirty clothes and
the queen size bed was made. Hell, it looked as if Nobel
even actually dusted his furniture.

Then Aldrich spotted a framed photo on top of the

dresser and his heart froze. It was of him and Nobel.
They were both in their late teens and dressed in full
hockey gear. Aldrich was smiling at the camera, but
Nobel’s gaze was directed at Aldrich. Even given the
sideways angle, the adoration on his face was so evident
that Aldrich didn’t know how in hell he’d missed it.

“Oh, my God,” he muttered, tears building up in his

eyes. “It’s not just a crush or simple attraction. You love

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102

me, don’t you?”

For a moment he didn’t think Nobel was going to

answer. The man pressed his lips together as he looked
away. In the end, he gave a curt nod. “Yes, I love you. I
just hope that doesn’t scare you away.”

“Why would it frighten me?”
“I know it probably seems too quick. Hell, you

didn’t even know I was gay until a day ago.”

With shaking hands, Aldrich reached up and cupped

Nobel’s face. “That day you carried me home on your
back. Looking back, I think that’s when I fell in love
with you. I just didn’t realize it until today.”

An expression of raw vulnerability crossed Nobel’s

face. To see somebody who was usually so strong act so
unguarded, made Aldrich tremble with emotion.
Needing to comfort the man who meant so much to him,
Aldrich stood on tiptoe so he could press a gentle, loving
kiss onto Nobel’s lips.

“I love you,” Aldrich repeated, because he knew

Nobel needed to hear it again. “I love you. I love you. I
love you.”

He knew he’d gotten through when Nobel once more

put his arms around Aldrich. “Can you say that one
more time? I didn’t quite get it the first time.”

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103

Aldrich laughed. He couldn’t remember when he’d

been so happy. Not even the day the Wings called him
up could compare to the joy he currently felt. “I love
you, you dummy. Now are you going to tell me that you
love me back, or do I have to throw one of my famous
temper tantrums?”

“I love you, Aldrich. In fact, I’ve loved you for so

long I can’t remember a time when I didn’t feel that way
about you.”

Running his palms up Nobel’s chest, Aldrich all but

purred out, “Now I really mean it when I say I want you
to make love to me.”

They slowly peeled each other’s clothes off. While

there was a sense of urgency, at the same time neither
seemed to want to rush things. When Nobel removed the
last of Aldrich’s clothing, he couldn’t help but feel
painfully conscious of how thin he was.

When Aldrich brought his hands up to cover himself,

Nobel reached out and stopped him. “Don’t. You look
so beautiful and I’ve waited so long to see you. I want to
savor this moment.”

“Even though I’m broken?” Aldrich asked.
“You were never anything less than perfect to me.”
Nobel laid Aldrich on the bed and slowly began to

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rain kisses down his body, making sure to leave no area
untouched. When he reached Aldrich’s cock Nobel gave
it several slow lazy licks. Aldrich moaned even as he
protested, “It’s supposed to be your turn.”

“We have the rest of our lives for you to suck me off.

So lie back and enjoy this,” Nobel ordered in a
commanding tone that sent shivers of desire down
Aldrich’s spine.

“Okay, if you insist.”
This time, Nobel only gave Aldrich’s cock a few

licks before he ordered, “Lift your hips up for me.”

When Aldrich obeyed, Nobel slid a pillow under his

ass. Nobel gave Aldrich’s cock one more kiss, before
reaching into the night stand drawer and pulling out a
bottle of lube. When Nobel slicked his fingers and began
to slowly stretch Aldrich, a wave of irritation went
through Aldrich. While he knew that Nobel was only
trying to gentle, Aldrich wanted his cock now, damn it.

“I’m not exactly a virgin here, so you don’t need to

treat me like I’m made from glass,” Aldrich groused.

Nobel curled his fingers just right so he brushed

against Aldrich’s sweet spot. When Aldrich let out a
gasp of pleasure, Nobel flashed a wicked grin. “I don’t
care if you’re not a virgin. I’m still not going to rush

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105

things and hurt you.”

Aldrich opened his mouth to protest again, only to

let out a moan when Nobel hit the spot again. Since, he
knew it would be rude to argue, and Aldrich had always
been taught to be polite, he just kept his yap shut and
enjoyed the special treatment. He even relaxed and
began to ride Nobel’s fingers.

Just as Aldrich felt himself on the brink of coming,

Nobel pulled his fingers out and grabbed a condom.
Mouth suddenly dry, Aldrich watched as his lover slid
the protection over his cock. After adding some extra
lube, Nobel looked at him. “Are you ready for this?”

Aldrich nodded so eagerly it was a miracle he didn’t

get whiplash. Then, just for added measure, in case
Nobel hadn’t gotten the message, Aldrich hooked his
hands under his knees and pulled them up, so he was
more open for Nobel to take.

Nobel’s eyes flared with desire as he ran a hand over

Aldrich’s ass. “Damn, that’s so fucking hot.”

“If it turns you on that much, then do something

about it,” Aldrich snarked.

That earned him a tiny slap. “Be good.”
Aldrich smirked. “Now what fun would that be?”
Nobel lined up the tip of his cock against Aldrich’s

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106

hole and surged inside before replying, “Not much fun
at all.”

Letting out a long gasp, Aldrich dug his fingers into

his own flesh. While it burned like hell, despite all the
stretching, it still felt damn good. Aldrich took several
deep breaths while his body grew adjusted. Nobel, ever
the gentleman, froze and gave Aldrich the time he
needed.

It wasn’t until Aldrich gave a tiny nod that Nobel

began to move. While Aldrich felt for sure he was in for
the mattress pounding of his life, Nobel surprised him
once more. Instead, he set a gentle rhythm. At the same
time he gazed down with such a tender expression,
Aldrich felt his throat clog with emotion.

The love, fear and wonder were so evident in

Nobel’s eyes that Aldrich nearly felt overwhelmed. Call
him sappy, but it almost felt as if this had been the
moment he’d waited all his life for.

“Say it. I need to hear it again,” Nobel demanded.
“I love you.”
No sooner had those words left Aldrich’s mouth, he

came. Thick ropes of cum covered his stomach as he let
out a string of moans. After just a few more thrusts,
Nobel joined him, his dick pulsating as it filled the

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107

condom.

After the pleasure had slowly ebbed from their

bodies, Nobel collapsed on top of Aldrich. It made it so
they now both had cum all over them, but neither
seemed inclined to complain. Nobel even began to
lightly stroke Aldrich’s hair. The touch so soothing that
it almost lulled Aldrich to sleep.

“It was Grant, wasn’t it? He’s the one who broke

your heart?” Nobel finally asked.

Aldrich briefly closed his eyes, still humiliated that

he’d been so easily duped. “How did you figure that
out?”

“I knew you idolized the guy, so it didn’t take much

for me to puzzle it out.”

Regret sliced through Aldrich as he now realized

how much it must have hurt Nobel to watch him
salivating over another guy.

“I was such an idiot,” Aldrich breathed. “I let him

use me like some kind of puppet. All those summers
where I worked for basically nothing. The way I
volunteered for some of his other clinics. I did it all in
hopes of making him like me. What’s worse, he knew it
all along and used it to his advantage.”

“When did you first sleep together?”

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108

“This past summer. He’d flirted with me over the

years, to string me along, but he didn’t go so far as to
fuck me until this July. Even then it was only twice.
Both times were in my pit of a room he gave me to bunk
in. He’d come up, screw me and then leave before I even
had a chance to clean up. The only thing he ever said
before he took off was for me to keep my mouth shut or
else he would fire me and never speak to me again. I
was so needy I actually promised to keep his secret.”
Aldrich let out a growl of anger. “God, how could I have
been so gullible?”

Nobel pressed a kiss to Aldrich’s temple. “Don’t be

so hard on yourself. He was older and used your
inexperience against you.”

“I’m not that young. I’m twenty-two, for God’s sake.

Old enough to know when I’m being played.”

Nobel gave him a reassuring squeeze. “You forget I

knew Grant, too, since I went to a few of his camps
before I graduated. I watched how that guy used
people’s emotions against them. He was a master at it.
You didn’t stand a chance. Besides, you should feel bad
for him.”

Aldrich blinked in confusion. “I must have

something stuck in my ears, because I did not just hear

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109

you say that I should feel bad for him.”

“You should, because in the end he’s the one who

lost the most.” Nobel sat up and gazed down at Aldrich.

“What exactly did he lose?”
“You. I can’t think of a bigger prize than having

your love.”

All the hurt left Aldrich as he stared up at his

friend…or rather, lover. “Thank you.”

“For what?”
“Once again you came to my rescue—in more ways

than one.”

Nobel gave him a crooked smile. “I’ll always be

there for you.”

“And I’ll be there for you, too. Now that you have

my attention, I’m never going to look anywhere else but
at you.”

“That’s a promise I’m going to keep you to.”

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110

Chapter Nine

“What in the hell is this thing and why is it staring at me
like it wants to eat my heart for breakfast?” Zimon
asked.

Nobel prayed for some patience as he took the giant,

stuffed Betty Boop doll from his brother’s hands and
tossed it to the side. “Be nice.”

Zimon cast a horrified glance over his surroundings.

“I’m trying, but seriously, what kind of person lives in
this kind of mess?”

“My sister,” Aldrich chuckled as he came over to the

couch and curled up against Nobel’s side.

“Have

you

ever

considered

getting

her

psychologically tested ?” Zimon gave an exaggerated
shudder as he eyed up the lace encrusted throw pillows.

Aldrich let out a soft chuckle. “I’ve suggested it to

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111

my parents, but so far they’ve refused.”

Tina came in, a tray of hot coffee balanced in her

hands. “Tell Twinkie here to can it before I stuff him
and mount his ass right next to my Marilyn Monroe
picture.”

Zimon’s mouth parted in shock. “You wouldn’t

dare?”

“Watch me.” She set the tray down and began to

hand out the mugs.

“But, since Aldrich and Nobel are together, doesn’t

that make us all like family now?” Zimon protested.

“Yeah, so?” Tina shrugged as she sank into a pink

armchair.

“So, that means you can’t threaten me.”
Nobel and Aldrich exchanged amused looks. While

he knew it shouldn’t have, it gave Nobel some
satisfaction to see somebody putting his brother in his
place. The brat needed some discipline and it looked as
if Tina was more than willing to dish it out.

Tina pointed her finger at Zimon. “No, it means I can

teach you some manners.”

“Oh really?”
“Yes, really.”
“And what are you going to do when I refuse to

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112

listen to you?”

“I’ll make you move in here until you learn some

self-control.”

Zimon narrowed his eyes at her. “You do realize that

I’m gay?”

She let out an aggravated sigh. “Please, like I’d be

interested in your skinny ass. I just think you need all
three of us watching over you. While Nobel has been
doing the best he can, something tells me you need
twenty-four hour supervision.”

Letting out a squeak of outrage, Zimon turned his

gaze to Nobel. “Can you believe this crap?”

“Actually, I agree with her,” Nobel said.
When Zimon let loose with a long string of curse

words, Nobel had to bite the inside of his cheek to hold
back the laughter. It was a riot to see somebody finally
one-up the smartass.

Tina patted the young man’s knee. “Don’t be so

upset, Zimon. It won’t be all bad. I have a surprise for
you.”

Zimon gave her a suspicious look. “What’s that?”
“If you promise to behave yourself, I’ll take you to

the flea market with me.”

“Why would I want to go there?”

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113

“Because this particular one has vintage clothing.”

She flashed a satisfied grin. “By that I mean, they have
hundreds of vendors there who sell it.”

There was no mistaking the gleam of interest in

Zimon’s eyes. “Really?”

“Honey, if there’s one thing I never lie about, it’s

shopping.”

Zimon grinned. “Well, I guess I can be good for a

little while.”

Tina shook her head as she rolled her eyes. “Why do

I get the feeling life is never going to be boring with you
hanging around?”

“Because it won’t be,” Nobel said.
They all shared a laugh before Aldrich nervously

cleared his throat. “I have something I want to share
with you all. Do you remember Ice Box Arena?”

Nobel frowned. “Of course I do. It’s the rink we

played in as kids. Why do you ask?”

“Did you hear that it’s closed down?”
“Yeah, they’ve been trying to sell it for ages, but

nobody has bought it.”

“Yeah, well somebody finally did,” Aldrich said.
“Who?”
“Me…or rather us.” Aldrich gave Nobel a timid

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114

look. “That is if you want to help me run it.”

Nobel gaped for a few moments. “Are you trying to

tell me that you bought an ice rink?”

Aldrich shrugged. “I still had some money from the

NHL and I got some investors. So, yeah. The place is
now legally mine.”

Nobel glanced at the others, both of whom looked

just as surprised as him. “Are you crazy? With this
economy, the last thing we should be doing is starting
our own business.”

“So, does that mean that you’re in?” Aldrich glanced

up from under his lashes.

Nobel reached out and pulled him into a tight

embrace. “Hell yeah, I’m in.”

A surreal feeling came over Nobel. Just a month ago,

he had thought his life was going nowhere. Now, not
only did he have Aldrich, but they were the owners of a
rink. Then he recalled something Aldrich had said.
“Who are the investors?”

As soon as Aldrich tensed, Nobel knew he was in

trouble.

“My buddy, Bryce. He still plays for the Wings.”
Going by his tone, Nobel knew Aldrich was holding

something back. Giving Aldrich a warning squeeze he

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115

pressed, “Who else?”

“The Canton brothers.”
Nobel let out a moan. Devon, Chad and Trey Canton

had a reputation as brawlers and smartasses. There
wasn’t a hockey player or fan who didn’t cringe
whenever they heard that last name. “Oh boy, things are
really going to be interesting.”

“You have no idea. While the Cantons may be bad,

Bryce is even worse,” Aldrich admitted.

Nobel shook his head. From the sounds of it, they

were in for one hell of a ride. Funny thing was, he
couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

About the Author

Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of two. Born
and raised in Michigan, she loves all things about the
state, from the frigid winters to the Detroit Red Wings
hockey team. You can usually find her snuggled up to
her laptop, creating her next book.

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