Rescue Me, page 10
“Can we take Randi?” Beau asked, stroking her gently.
“If you like. I’d feel better if I were able to watch her overnight, though.” Maybe he was being overly cautious, but he’d hate for anything to happen to the little one.
“Okay.” Beau sighed rather loudly. “Look, you’re probably going to think I’m crazy, but I don’t want to be alone. If someone did try to poison my dog and if they’ve been watching me, then I don’t think it’s a good idea to be on my own. What if someone tried to hurt Jessica?” The color drained from Beau’s face.
“You can come to the house if you like. I have a guest room, and Randi can stay with us. I can watch her and check on the shelter before bed. There’s a place for Jessica too.” He hadn’t wanted to go pressing the panic button, but Mitchell hadn’t wanted to be alone either. With all of them in the house, at least he and Beau could look out for each other until they figured out what the hell was going on. “We’ll need to stop back at your place to get you some things, and then you can spend the night at my house.” This seemed like the best arrangement, and it would give him a chance to check over his property too.
IT TOOK a while for Beau and Jessica to decamp at their place and haul things over. Mitchell had no idea just how much stuff it took for a baby to spend the night. There was a portable crib and stuff for feeding, toys, and enough diapers for an army. Though he found out that was an exaggeration, given the unpredictability, it was best to be prepared.
“I thought we could set Jessica up in the guest room. That way you can be close to her.” Mitchell set down Randi’s carrier and opened it. She climbed out and began exploring. She really was acting like the little dog Mitchell knew.
“That would be nice.” Beau set down the armload of things he’d brought in and returned to get Jessica, who had fallen asleep in her carrier. Mitchell took the portacrib to the bedroom and set it at the base of the bed. He didn’t try to set it up. Beau would have to do that.
When Beau brought in Sleeping Beauty, he placed her carrier well back on the floor beside the sofa and finished getting things organized. Randi took her place next to Jessica, watching her, wagging her tail for a few minutes before settling down next to her.
“Do you need any help?” Mitchell whispered.
“I’m almost done,” Beau answered from the guest room.
“Okay. I’m going to check on the pack. I put the remote for the television on the coffee table if you want to watch anything. I want to let some of the dogs out and get them all settled before I close everything up for the night.” He also intended to snoop around on his own property, but he didn’t want to worry Beau. “I should be back in an hour.”
“Okay. I can order some dinner. The brew pub does delivery. It’s the least I can do. I could sure use a beer right now.” Beau seemed stressed and pulled thin. Mitchell thanked him and locked the door on his way out to the barn.
The dogs seemed more frantic than usual. He put as many as he could out in the runs and let them exercise for a little while. Feeding time was always a bit of a dance while he made sure each dog got their share and that those who needed medications truly took them. Once everyone was fed, he left them in the runs for more time to stretch their legs and headed out. He knew each building on the property and approached each outbuilding carefully, hoping he didn’t scare up any unwanted visitors. The old corn crib was silent, as was the now-empty silo. He checked the floors and around them for any signs of disturbance before moving on. He found nothing and approached the equipment shed.
The door was closed but not locked. Mitchell tried to remember how he had left it the last time he’d been out here. It had been a while. In his father’s time, the shed had been where he’d kept the tractors and did the maintenance on them. Now there were only the lawn mowers and garden equipment. Mitchell kept a small utility tractor for larger jobs on the property, but he’d sold most of the equipment when he decided to lease out the land rather than farm it himself. He had used that money to start the shelter. Mostly the building was empty.
Mitchell approached slowly, cautiously. He pulled open the door and stood back in case something happened. No guys in black clothes jumped out, and no hail of bullets whizzed by his ears. He peered around the opening and inside. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The lawn mowers and tractor were in their places.
Mitchell entered and wandered through the area. There was nothing that shouldn’t be there. The tools were in their places, all on the hooks against the wall the way his father always had them. He passed the tractor and checked behind it. Nothing but floor and dust.
A ladder had fallen onto the floor, and Mitchell picked it up and put it back in its place before leaving the shed and latching the door. That little exercise hadn’t yielded much at all. If someone was watching from somewhere on the property, he wasn’t sure where it was from.
Mitchell returned to the shelter and got all the dogs inside and into their enclosures. It had been a quiet couple of days for dog adoptions, and he wondered how he was going to get the word out to more people than just the clients of the clinic and his neighbors. Once he was done, Mitchell closed the doors and returned to the house, where he found Beau on the sofa feeding Jessica a bottle.
“You look confused.”
“Just trying to figure out how to get the word out about the shelter. I’ve adopted out a lot of dogs over the years, but I’m at close to capacity now, and I need to find homes for some of the dogs who have been with me for a while.”
“Do you have a website?” Beau asked as a knock sounded on the door. Their conversation stalled as Mitchell paid for the food, but resumed as they ate at the coffee table.
“Yes, and pictures and details of all the dogs are on it. I get quite a few pet parents through the site. But I need to do better.”
“Social media,” Beau suggested. “Create a Facebook page or a group so you can cast a wider net.” He smiled and shifted Jessica to his shoulder to burp her. “I also know there’s a harvest festival in town. Have you thought about getting a booth and bringing some of the dogs for adoption? They get a lot of people who come through, and I bet a lot of people will adopt. And if you like, I can look at your website to see if we can punch it up.” Jessica gave one of her classic “wake the dead” belches, and then he brought her back to his lap and gave her the rest of the bottle.
“That would be great. I have Facebook for myself and stuff, but I suppose I should be doing it for the shelter as well. It would be a lot more productive than me posting about my day and telling people what I had for dinner.” He hated to admit that he did that some days because he couldn’t think of anything else to post, and it seemed in really bad taste to talk about the types of procedures he had done that day. “My life is so boring most of the time that me posting about my day would put people to sleep.”
“Then post pictures of the dogs. People love dog and cat pictures, and it would get you some more exposure.” Beau pulled Jessica’s bottle away, and she stayed asleep in his arms. Mitchell shifted over and sat next to him with Beau leaning against his shoulder. “You could post details about each dog and what they’re like and include a way to contact the shelter. They could message you through Facebook.”
“That would be awesome.” Though he knew he would have to do more work vetting potential owners. As it was, a lot of the people who adopted his dogs were clients or friends of friends. He wanted to make sure each of his dogs was going to a good home and would be well cared for. “I could also talk to them about the dogs.”
“Yeah. I can help you get everything set up, and we can use the website pictures as a start. Maybe take some short videos of the dogs outdoors that you can post and maybe add to the website.” Beau slowly shifted Jessica to her carrier. “I really love the things you’re doing. I never knew how badly people can treat animals, and I want to try to help. All those dogs out there are so lucky. You care for all of them and spend a lot of your extra time and money to keep them fed and healthy and find them good homes. It’s really wonderful and completely selfless.” Beau took his hand. “I don’t think I can remember the last time I met a truly selfless person.”
Mitchell chuckled. “I’m not by a long shot.” He glanced at Jessica. “See, right now I’m thinking that I’d like Jessica’s daddy to put her to bed, and then maybe he could join me back here on the sofa and the two of us could have some quiet time, maybe a little adult time together.” He swallowed hard.
Beau gasped and fanned his face with his hand. “And this is why you offered to let us stay here? So you could get me alone and at your mercy?” He gasped again. “I’m not that kind of guy.” His eyes widened dramatically, and then he broke into a fit of laughter. “Let me get her ready for bed.” He left the room with a smile.
Mitchell grabbed some fresh clothes from his room, went into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. He stripped down and stepped under the water, intending to wash quickly, but the hot water and his mind derailed that idea. The last few times he had showered, images of Beau had come to him, and this time was no exception. As soon as the water soothed his ragged mind, it switched gears, and Mitchell wondered what it would be like if Beau stepped in behind him. He stifled a moan as his imagination conjured up Beau’s arms sliding around his waist, his hot, slick chest pressing to Mitchell’s back. He grew hard in seconds and closed his eyes, willing his fantasy to continue.
“Yeah,” he whispered to himself as he closed his hand around his length, sliding slowly back and forth, his fantasy getting really good as Beau turned him around, kneeling right in front of him. Mitchell clamped his eyes closed and went with the images in his head. It felt so good and soothed his otherwise jagged nerves. Tightening his grip, he pumped as the imaginary Beau took him between his perfect lips and….
A thump outside the door made him jump slightly, yanking him back to the present. Mitchell sighed and quickly finished his shower, wondering if Beau might need help. He rinsed off, his cock going down when it realized the action was over. After drying off and dressing, he found that Beau was still with Jessica. He went to the living room and turned on the television, keeping the volume low. He really had little idea how long it took to put a baby to bed, but he was surprised when Beau hadn’t returned in an hour. Quietly, he approached the guest room, not wanting to disturb them.
Beau’s deep voice softly wrapped around him as he sang to his daughter. Mitchell tried to think of anything so touching and couldn’t. He peered into the room to where Beau sat on the edge of the bed with Jessica in his arms, rocking slowly as he sang to her. It was a beautiful image, and Mitchell couldn’t look away. Mitchell had had so much hurt in his life that at times he had thought his heart completely beyond repair. Yet Beau singing to his daughter touched him in a way he hadn’t expected.
Mitchell had known Beau was a kind, gentle man—he’d seen it in the way he treated Randi and Jessica—but this went to a new level. This was loving in a deep way. Mitchell had come to understand, after the way Luke had treated him, that the big things and grand gestures could all be faked. It was the little things, the small touches and quiet gestures, that were for real. They came from deep inside and were a true reflection of the heart.
Randi lay on the bed next to Beau, resting her head on his leg. She raised it, looking at him, and then settled once more. Mitchell backed away and returned downstairs to the living room, where he stared at the television until Beau joined him. “She’s sound asleep, and Randi is sleeping at the foot of the bed. I had to move the portacrib a little because I swear Randi would jump in with her if she could.” Beau sat next to him, and Mitchell instantly tensed. He knew it was a leftover reaction from Luke, and he made himself relax. Beau wasn’t him and didn’t play his kind of games. “What are you watching?”
Mitchell handed Beau the remote. “You can pick something. I have Netflix if you want to try to find a movie or something.” He sat back and tried to think what he wanted to do. He had already kissed Beau, and his pulse raced at having him this close, but he still found himself second-guessing. He didn’t want to push, but Beau had welcomed his advances so far and had even initiated once. That had been cool. God, Mitchell wished he could just shut off the hamster wheel of doubt that sometimes ran in his head. He turned to glance at Beau and found him looking back.
Beau leaned closer, and Mitchell swallowed as Beau came nearer, then stopped and pulled away. “Are you okay?” he breathed. “I’m sorry if I read things wrong. Are things going too fast?”
Mitchell chuckled. “I was going to ask you the same thing. I know it hasn’t been that long, and I thought maybe I was moving too fast.”
Beau chuckled again, this time smiling brightly. “I guess we were thinking the same thing.” He scooted closer and leaned against him. “I know you aren’t Gerome and that all guys don’t act the way he does. It’s stupid of me to paint everyone with the same brush.”
Mitchell nodded and sighed. “Doesn’t stop the worry and the wondering, though.” He put an arm around Beau. “I keep thinking that there’s something wrong with me and I don’t trust my own judgment. Maybe I have bad taste or something.”
“Is that what you think?” Beau asked, turning toward him. “Am I a result of your bad taste?”
Mitchell knew Beau was kidding… but not completely. The doubts could run wild, regardless of whether they had any factual basis. “No. You are definitely not that.” Beau slid nearer.
Their lips touched softly at first, and then Beau slid his hands around the back of his head, deepening the kiss. Mitchell slid closer, eliminating the gap between them, Beau’s heat surrounding him, his scent intensifying as the room grew smaller and the air heavy with desire. Beau’s lips were firm and just wet enough to be perfect. He tasted rich with a hint of sweetness that drew Mitchell like ambrosia. He didn’t want to stop. He pressed closer, pushing both of them down toward the cushions.
Mitchell stopped and backed away before they ended up on the floor. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm his racing heart. This had always been his problem. Once he got to this stage with a guy, he’d always figured it was full steam ahead, and that was when everything went to hell. He and Luke had moved really quickly at the beginning, and before he’d even realized it, Mitchell had given away his heart, moved in, and let Luke become the center of his life. But this wasn’t Luke, and Beau was a completely different kind of man. He swallowed as a sour taste filled his throat. “I….”
Beau stroked his cheek. “What is it? Do you think I’m like him?”
“No. I don’t. But if I close my eyes, sometimes I imagine him with me, looking over my shoulder or something.” It was almost like his ghost was along for the ride.
“I know what you mean. I felt like Gerome was always with me until I stood up to him and told him to leave me alone. Up until that point, it always felt like Gerome was the one controlling my life.”
Shit…. Mitchell’s head spun as the reality of what Beau had just said rang true. Mitchell had gotten away from Luke, but even after all these years, he hadn’t stood up to him. Mitchell had tried to move on with his life, but there hadn’t been any closure. Here he was, worried about how things would be for Beau, when he was the one with the unresolved issues. Maybe there truly was something wrong with him. It had been years since he’d gotten away from Luke and built his own life. It wasn’t like Luke was a constant presence in his mind. He rarely thought about him. But that was before he’d met Beau. Now Luke had become a constant presence in his head again, and he hated it. The guy should be gone! Mitchell clenched a fist against the cushion.
“You’re lucky,” Mitchell said softly. “But I also know you aren’t Luke and aren’t going to treat me the way he did.” He swallowed around a lump that threatened to cut off his ability to speak. “I thought I had come to terms with all this.”
“Do you think I have? Who knows? I suspect there are going to be times when Gerome is going to reappear, especially when I finally think he’s gone for good.”
“Exactly. The assholes in our lives will make regular appearances, especially when we’re least prepared for it. I thought mine was gone, so naturally he rears his ugly head inside my mind once more.” Mitchell turned to Beau. “I don’t want him to color things with you.” He took Beau’s hand and entwined their fingers. “I want to try and see where things go. To give us a chance.”
Beau nodded. “I want that too.” Mitchell leaned forward and kissed him. Who knew what was going to happen next, but at least Mitchell had taken one step farther than he ever had PL—post Luke.
Chapter 8
BEAU LOVED kissing. It was one of his favorite things, and Mitchell’s sent tingles up and down his spine. While Mitchell held him, Beau explored slowly, tentatively, their kisses heating once more.
When they broke apart, breathing deeply, Beau looked intensely into Mitchell’s eyes. He had heard that the eyes were the window to the soul, and Mitchell’s were no different. Where Mitchell was open, Gerome had been closed, and where Mitchell’s were kind and soft, Gerome’s had been like stone, cold and hard. Looking back, Beau should have realized that there had been something wrong, but he hadn’t put it all together, and that was probably his fault. He had wanted to see what was good—and he had, until it was no longer possible. Beau was determined that he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again, and that meant that he needed to keep his head in the game and not let himself get carried away, but it was hard with Mitchell. He seemed to get under all Beau’s defenses.
