Solace (8 page)

Shane didn’t say anything else for a while, but Aaron didn’t dare go back to questing. He found a safe space and just parked his character there, waiting.

Finally, a new message appeared.

No response. Maybe Shane didn’t believe him. The answers seemed simple, even to Aaron, but he knew enough about training to know that even his part of it—conditioning Buttercup to those behaviors—wasn’t going to be easy.

He couldn’t imagine the uphill battle Shane would have to fight.

Shane never did respond to Aaron’s plea. After a few more moments, he received two final messages:

And then:

Shane logged off right after, and Aaron knew better than to try and call to force that conversation to go on. Even if he wanted to know that Shane did trust him. Not just to keep his secrets, but to do everything in his power to help.

It was a new feeling.

Most of the time, Aaron wasn’t involved in working with future owners. He’d never been very good at it. He wasn’t good at communicating the right way, and that was sorely needed in his job.

So he’d stuck to bettering the lives of dogs, content with the knowledge that he was indirectly bettering the lives of humans.

But with this case, it wasn’t just about saving Buttercup from certain euthanasia and giving a lonely dog a second chance at a great life.

It was about Shane. Shane, who could be so maddeningly frustrating. He’d seemed so confident and secure at first, to the point where Aaron had wondered why he’d even needed a service dog at all.

He knew now. And he wanted to know more. He wanted to know the real Shane. The one behind the jokes and the bravado. He wanted to know that Shane, and he wanted that man to trust him.

As that wave of realization sank in, Aaron logged out of the game, abandoning his plans to spend the day relaxing. He wouldn’t be able to do it now, but he didn’t feel even a little bitter about it.

Instead, he felt… certain. Driven. He had a clear goal now. He would do right by Shane, no matter what. He would do it because it was the decent thing to do. Not for any other reason.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

T
he world didn’t roll
off its axis after Shane told Aaron about the bullshit that was eating away at him.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t told him everything. Maybe it was just because Aaron hadn’t made a big deal about it the next time they saw each other. He hadn’t lied to Shane and told him he was positive he could “cure” his PTSD.

Most likely, though, it was because nothing had really changed. Shane thought it would, but when they’d continued the obedience training the next day, Aaron hadn’t tried to coddle him.

Today might be different, though. They’d been doing obedience training for about a month, and while Buttercup had her moments of being stubborn, she seemed pretty comfortable with all the commands. Aaron said it was important to keep working with her on the basics, but that they were going to start something new today.

Something more advanced.

So as he waited for Aaron to show, he felt a spike of nerves. And when he heard his car pull into the driveway and saw Buttercup pad toward the door, a toy in her mouth, he felt those nerves rise and tangle together.

It was almost like waiting to be ambushed; like he was going to open the door and find a gun pointed at his face.

Shane gave a frustrated growl and defied that feeling, yanking open the door. Aaron stood on the other side, his hand raised like he’d just been about to knock.

“Everything okay?” He asked.

“Yep,” he said, the word clipped as he ducked into the kitchen. “Want a beer or anything?”

“No thanks.”

Aaron never said yes, but that didn’t stop Shane from pulling a bottle out for himself. He leaned against the counter, waiting for Aaron to inevitably come into the kitchen, too. That was when he noticed something was different.

He was always clean-shaven and well-dressed, but Shane figured that was just because he had to be for work. Today he looked even more put together than usual. There was a little bit of product in his thick hair, but not too much. Shane’s fingers already itched to get ahold of it.

Once Aaron was all the way inside the room, Shane noticed he smelled nice, too. It was a light scent. Maybe just aftershave or body wash or something, but he wasn’t sure.

“Got a hot date tonight?”

Just the barest hint of color lit through Aaron’s cheeks.

“No.”

There wasn’t a stammering follow-up to that. Aaron didn’t offer to go back home and change into something less conspicuous, and for that Shane was pleased.

But it did make him wonder if Aaron was doing it on purpose. They didn’t talk much about their personal lives. They talked about S&S and Buttercup and a few other things that didn’t matter, so Shane didn’t know if Aaron actually had a boyfriend.

Or a girlfriend, because hell, it was possible he was reading the man wrong and that flush was less from arousal and more from embarrassment.

He found himself thinking about it, though. Thinking about what it had be like if Aaron hadn’t pulled away from him.

It had been a long time since he’d been laid, and now that he was having to dredge up all this shit from being overseas, he wanted it more than ever.

Go figure.

“So I thought we could start training for something more specific,” Aaron said, sliding his backpack off and setting it down on a chair at the kitchen table.

So much for getting out of that. Shane’s thoughts withered away and he bit back a growl.

“What’d you have in mind?”

“I know you said you feel like you always have to be aware of your surroundings; that sometimes when you walk into your own home you feel like there might be someone there waiting to hurt you.”

Shane pursed his lips, his eyes narrowing. He took a long sip from his beer. “Yeah. Sometimes.”

“We can train Buttercup to help with that. I figured out a plan for how it will work, and I think it’s the first thing we should start on.” Aaron paused for a moment, looking up at Shane. “You should be able to feel comfortable in your own home.”

Shane didn’t disagree with that. He was just dubious of what this training might include.

“Bring Buttercup outside and I’ll explain what I need you to do.”

Shane called for Buttercup, letting his gaze travel down to the firm shape of Aaron’s ass. His pants weren’t tight, but when he moved, they hugged against him in a way that made Shane want to…

Shit. He was doing it again. He let out a puff of air and tried to sort out the rush of desire that pooled low in his belly. It was a better feeling than the sudden panic that washed a chill over him, but only just.

At least while he knew Aaron might not welcome his attention.

“Okay. The goal of this training is to get Buttercup to check the house when you arrive, before you yourself go through the door. She’ll check each room, and if she finds someone there, she’ll alert you. If not, she’ll come back out and sit at your side until you’re ready to go in.”

“Like a room clear,” he said.

“Yeah, exactly like that.”

That didn’t make him feel much better. At least not immediately. It only took one clear to go badly before it became less about procedure and more about protecting the lives of the soldiers who were left standing.

And when Shane approached his house now, he knew there likely weren’t going to be hostiles waiting inside, ready to blow his head off. But just the idea of going into an open space without any way to defend himself made the little hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

His lips pressed into a thin line and he looked down at Buttercup. “What happens if she does find someone?”

“She won’t be trained to attack, if that’s what you mean. She’ll just let out an alert bark to warn you, and you can act from there.”

An alert bark. If it was someone who meant him harm, a single bark sure as fuck wasn’t going to help anything. It would just get her hurt, and let whoever was waiting for him know that he was right outside.

Shane blew out another breath, his hand clenching into a fist at his side. He didn’t notice just how tight he had it until he felt Buttercup’s cold, wet nose nudge against his skin.

“Did you train her to do that?”

“She’s done it on her own. Since the first night.”

Aaron smiled. Shane wasn’t really sure what was worth smiling about. Buttercup touching her nose to his hand didn’t stop the thoughts that raged through his mind. Just delayed them.

“That’s great. It’ll make some of the later training a lot easier.”

Shane would take his word for it.

“So what do I have to do?”

“Well, I’m going to go right inside here, where you both can still see me. You’ll give her a command—’search’ should be good—and then lead her to me, and have her alert. When she does, you reward her, and we’ll keep doing it.”

That sounded… really, really stupid. But he wasn’t going to tell Aaron that. He just gave a curt nod and gathered Buttercup’s lead in his hand. She rose from a sit, standing by his side.

Aaron went back into the house and, just as promised, stood where Shane and Buttercup could still see him. Buttercup whined, wagging her tail.

“I know. Worst game of hide and seek ever.”

“Go ahead and give her the command,” Aaron said, with a stern little look that said he might have heard Shane’s comment.

“Search,” Shane said firmly, then he led Buttercup inside.

He brought her to Aaron and told her to “Alert.” When she gave a single, quick bark, he tapped the clicker with his thumb and gave her one of the liver treats that had become a staple in his household shopping list.

“Good girl, BC. You found the man who was hiding in plain sight!”

“We have to start her this way so she understands what you expect of her,” Aaron said, in a less than patient tone.

Shane didn’t waste breath defending himself. He just took Buttercup back outside and waited for Aaron to get set up someplace else. Still easily findable—Shane could see the upper half of his body above the kitchen counter—but at least a little more challenging.

They trained this way for a good half hour, with Aaron’s hiding prowess going from preschooler to possibly junior-high kid. Each time, Shane felt ridiculous. And like the world’s most fucked-up Rube Goldberg machine, that knot rolled right into the center of his body and bumped into that responsive need he had for a distraction. A very specific kind of distraction.

It was habit. He knew that. Like one of Pavlov’s dogs, whenever he started feeling those queasy, unsettling feelings of frustration, anxiety, and dread, he started to feel an unmistakable pull of lust.

Maybe he should beg off. Just tell Aaron he had other shit to do today. But maybe…

Maybe he should go with it. It would be one sure way to figure out whether or not Aaron was interested. A lot more direct than what he’d done with the soldiers on the base.

He let that thought jostle around in his mind as they continued. Aaron had actually progressed to hiding behind open doors, and the first of those startled Buttercup. Because Aaron was someone she knew and trusted, she responded with an excited yip and a wag of her tail, and Shane had been forced to pay attention to the process of gently correcting her.

But when she got over that, it was the same mindless repetition. Over and over again. Shane’s mind wandered, and, as usual, it never wandered anywhere light and cheery. By the time Buttercup alerted to Aaron’s presence for what must have been the twentieth time, Shane had convinced himself that even pissing Aaron off was better than pointless repetition that left him too much time to think.

Especially when it could lead to a different activity entirely.

So instead of taking Buttercup outside, he stood between Aaron and the doorway. There was still room; Aaron could leave if he wanted to. Shane would be damned if he forced anyone into anything. But he fixed his gaze on the man in a way that suggested he wasn’t just looking for further instruction.

“So what happens if I find you on my own?” Shane asked.

His voice was pitched low, halfway between a murmur and a growl. He could tell it’d had its intended effect. Aaron’s pupils dilated. That light flush returned to the high points of his cheeks. It was too easy. And maybe because it was too easy, it would be too hard to tell if Aaron really was interested. But…

“No,” he said, almost too quickly. “That defeats the purpose.”

A slow smile spread across Shane’s lips. He took a step forward. Just one. But it was enough to make his point. To his surprise, Aaron didn’t step back immediately.

“You sure? No treat at all?”

He took another step forward, and this time, Aaron did step back. He cleared his throat, glancing everywhere but at Shane. That flush had spread through the rest of his face again. “I’m sure,” he said, his voice sounding dry.

He could finish this now. Take those last few steps and cut off Aaron’s escape route. But he wouldn’t. In all the years he’d been doing this, he’d never once forced a man. Even the supposedly “straight” men that bottomed. He’s been overwhelming, sure. Suggestive in a way that couldn’t be argued with. But he’d always gotten the enthusiastic “yes,” through word or through action.

“Okay then,” he said, giving Aaron a lopsided smile.

He could practically hear the breath catch in Aaron’s throat. He could see the uneasy bob of his Adam’s apple. The smoking gun would be…

Shane flicked a casual glance downward, but he didn’t see the bulge he’d been expecting. A bit of disappointment flooded him. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Aaron really was just shy and nervous and completely oblivious to Shane’s advances. He’d never flirted back. He’d never acted like he wanted him in any way.

Well, fuck.

He scrubbed a hand over his short-cropped hair and brought his gaze back to Aaron’s eyes. That was when he saw it. It was brief and faint, but it was there. It was definitely there. An unmistakable heat; a fierce longing that lit behind those warm brown eyes. Shane felt a surge of heat pulse through his own body, straight to his cock.

Damn, he wanted to close that short bit of distance between them and feel the hard ridges of Aaron’s body against his. He wanted to grind his hips against the other man’s until there was no doubt Aaron wanted Shane just as much as he wanted him.

But he didn’t do those things. Not yet. Instead, he let out a breath, smiled at Aaron, then headed back outside with Buttercup.

“Pick a good spot this time,” he said over his shoulder.

If Buttercup could sense the change in him, she didn’t show it. She was as jovial as ever, her tail swinging lazily behind her as she walked. Once they got outside, he looked down at her, and her eyes met his.

“Fucking shit up is what I do best,” he said by way of apology, shrugging slightly.

Better to beg forgiveness, and all that.

He commanded Buttercup to lie down and stay. She did, lying in the grass just past the cement slab that marked the back porch. It wouldn’t take too long for him to make an ass of himself. Then again, if Aaron was as receptive as he’d looked a few moments ago, it might take a little longer.

As Shane walked into the house alone, he wasn’t thinking about the possibility of an intruder. He wasn’t thinking about the time he’d been blinded and deafened by a flashbang when he’d stuck his head around a corner. He wasn’t thinking about how bad it felt to not be in control of his own damn life.

All he was thinking about was how good it would feel to shove Aaron up against a wall and claim his hot, ready mouth.

Shane moved with long, purposeful strides. Not too quick, but almost predatory in nature. Each empty room heightened his awareness; heightened his arousal. Lust wound tight inside of him, replacing his anxiety; burning it to the fucking ground with a heat that threatened to consume him. It had definitely been too long since he’d been laid. He was practically salivating at the idea of finding Aaron.

Finding him willing and ready. Finding him on his knees, begging for his cock.

But that wasn’t how he found him. Room after room Shane searched. Room after room arousal surged through him, the force of it pounding his thudding heartbeat through his ears. And then he found him. In the master bedroom, standing near the wall. He looked like a doe who’d just been caught in the sights of a hunter.