Linc looked at me. I lifted a shoulder. “For what it’s worth, my kid thundered off as well this morning, so we’re kind of in similar boats, only not.” I rubbed my whiskery chin as he shook his head. I gave him a pat on the shoulder. No one ever said romance and parenthood were easy. If they did, they were lying.

  8

  Chapter Eight

  Things on a personal level didn’t get much better on Sunday.

  Bella remained tiffy with Lincoln, which made Linc resemble a puppy that had been scolded about piddling on the carpet. He spent several hours meditating and kissing that tree behind the boutique while my son opted to spend his day with the goats. When he wasn’t with the goats, I got one-word replies to anything I said or, and this might be worse, that damn whatever reply so often I wanted to scream. I didn’t, nor did I push the boy.

  Come evening, the house was ours again since all the elderly residents of Lilac Hills had been picked up by family members who could now traverse the roads. Or most of them. The police scanner was still busy, but not at the breakneck pace it had been during the worst of the flooding. Lots of work and cleanup remained, and it seemed that Ollie was in the middle of everything. We did text a bit that night. He was still up for a lunch date tomorrow, so when I went to bed, with my son giving me his back, I at least had that to look forward to. I sorely wished I had a partner to talk to about Dahn. I fully understood his worries and fears. But I was safe. It seemed that once he knew I was not leaving him, he would relent, but his irritation just deepened. I wasn’t sure how I would handle the next six years with this sullen child alone. I could contact Chris, but he had pretty much left the parenting to me as well as the custody. Sleep did not come easily, but when it did, it was filled with dreams of me standing alone in a watery cave with only the sound of my own voice echoing around me.

  ***

  When we arrived at the rec center late Monday morning, I pulled into a slot, turned off the engine, and looked at my son. He’d been pretty uncommunicative this morning, but I had a few things to say to him, even if he just wanted to stare at his knobby knees.

  “I get it that you’re upset and scared, Dahn. Sometimes in life we have to do things that require some danger and going out to aid people in a natural disaster is one of those things. We were very lucky at the ranch. Aside from some water in the root cellar, everything was fine. Other people were not that lucky. I took all the precautions I could. If the call to help our neighbors comes up again, and it very likely will, I’m going to go help. I will always be as safe as I can be, but I will not cower when folks need assistance. I will never leave you on purpose.”

  He stared harder and then started picking at a scab on his left knee. “Don’t pick those.” He sighed and stopped, but his lips stayed firmly glued. “Now, secondly. As for me kissing Ollie, that’s something personal between us, but I can see that you’d have questions. We like each other and would like to date. I will not leave you for him, nor will he ever lure me to another country. My number one priority in this life is you. End of story.”

  He wet his lips. Great. It was so much fun having a one-sided conversation. “Okay, I’ll assume your silence means you understand. And a third thing that I wish to pass along. You’re to apologize to Phil today.”

  That one got his attention in a big way. “I didn’t push him!”

  “I know, but you didn’t stand up for him, and that’s just as bad as being the bully. So when you see him, tell him you’re sorry for not doing anything. If your friends don’t like that, then you need to think long and hard about the boys you’re spending time with because that kind of behavior is not cool. Do we understand each other?”

  “Yes.” He threw the passenger door open, unbuckled, grabbed his backpack, and stalked off, leaving the door open. “Well that went well.” I reached over to yank the door shut as Dahn met up with the same pack of boys who had been so mean to Phil. They seemed like your typical boys, rough and rowdy, but there was an undercurrent that I was picking up that didn’t sit well with me. The boys raced inside, laughing, the first time I’d seen Dahn happy in days. I ruminated long and hard about staying just to keep an eye on things but concluded that would only serve to make Dahn angrier and any apology given under my baleful gaze would be insincere. I trusted my boy.

  I pocketed my keys and opted to park and walk to the sheriff’s office, glad to see that the messes we’d seen along the road on the way into town had not hit Bastian Grange proper. There was debris on lawns but nothing that spoke of the flash floods that had run rampant in other parts of the county. Nature could be so erratic. Like a twister that mows down one home but the house across the street is left untouched. Seeing as most of the stores the locals relied on were found in town, the fact that it came out of the flooding mostly intact was a true blessing.

  Tummy growling as I’d had a light breakfast because Baker was ranting about riding out to check the creeks and pasture to turn out the cattle so they didn’t eat too much hay that we’d need for the winter, I hustled into the sheriff’s office with a smile. Monica nodded at me, ended the call she was on, and pointed at the closed office door.

  “He’s waiting for you,” she whispered. “Maybe see if you can talk him into going home? Easton has a handle on things, and he needs some rest.”

  “Will do.” I tapped on the glass insert with his name and a brass star painted on it. When no one replied, I cracked the door enough to peek inside. Ollie was sound asleep at his desk, his strong upper body splayed out, soft snores wafting into the air. “Hey, Ollie?”

  He never moved. Not a twitch or a snuffle. I eased in, leaving the door cracked, and went to stand beside him. As soon as my hand landed on his biceps, he jerked up, his gaze flying around the office, totally lost, until he saw me at his side. I gave his broad shoulder a squeeze.

  “I was double-checking the timesheets before sending them off to the county payroll clerk at the courthouse,” he said while blinking to clear the sleep from his dark eyes.

  “Always working,” I said, smiling down at him. “It’s time for lunch. Why don’t we grab something to-go at the Calico and take it to your place?”

  “I’m needed here,” he replied as he stretched his arms over his head. His shoulder popped so loudly I heard it and winced.

  “No, you’re not. Things are quiet. Easton is taking the next shift, so go home, eat, shower, and get some rest!” Monica called from the outer office. Ollie rolled his eyes.

  “She thinks she’s the one with the badge,” he whispered and grabbed his hat from atop the payroll papers on his desk. “Fine, we’ll grab something and take it to my place. I can smell myself.”

  “When did you shower last?” I asked, following him out to the front, giving Monica a thumbs-up as Ollie stepped out into a humid day.

  “Don’t ask, although all the time I spent in water over the past few days should have counted for some sort of a rinse if nothing else.” He looked up and down Main Street. I could see the pride on his face. This town was lucky to have him.

  “That water might have worked better if there had been soap in the equation.” I took him by the hand, timidly at first in case he wasn’t cool with a PDA, but when he slid his fingers between mine, I gripped his hand just a bit harder. We walked down the main drag like that, and no one that we passed said a word other than thanks or praise for his leadership and caring for the folks who voted for him.

  We grabbed something quick at the Calico: cold sandwiches, chips, coleslaw, and two root beers, and headed to his tidy home. He was talkative, which was a nice change from my silent son as we removed our shoes at the front door.

  “My two nieces are finishing up the beading on their slippers for the Cherokee Nation Holiday powwow in two weeks.” He placed the food on the table, flipped on a light, and motioned for me to sit.

  “Do you dance?” I asked, taking a seat and twisting the caps from our bottles of soda while he grabbed paper towels to use as napkins. He lowered his bulk down across from me, his sigh that of a man running on pure fumes and determination.

  “Not so much anymore. I used to do the warrior dance when I was younger. Just a few times.”

  “Tell me about it. I’m ashamed to say that I know little about your nation,” I confessed after taking the top off the carton of coleslaw. The sun outside shone through a thin-slatted window shade over the kitchen window, the narrow bands of bright yellow falling over the clean sink.

  “It’s an all-male dance, done in a storytelling that extolls the bravery and strength of the warrior. The dancer always moves forward, never turning a complete circle as that signifies being lost. The warrior never dances backward as that is a sign of cowardice. The dancer always charges forward to meet his enemies head-to-head.”

  I sat there as he went on to explain the various dances his people did at their celebrations. The food was enjoyable but just spending this time with him as he patiently told me about his people and their beliefs was even more so.

  “So why don’t you dance anymore?” I took a sip of root beer as he rose to dispose of our empty containers in the trash can under the sink.

  “I got too old and fat.”

  “Please. There’s not an ounce of fat on your body.” I lowered my bottle to the table. He chuckled and turned to face me.

  “I’m happy to help out in other capacities and leave the dancing to the young guys. The council always seems to want me to be working security.” He lifted a shoulder, and I sat back to drink in the man. Even on the edge of exhaustion, he got my blood pumping.

  “Well, that’s because you’re so intimidating,” I commented, noting the rather large ridge of his cock pressing into his zipper.

  “Meh.” He leaned back against the counter, the move pressing his pelvis forward. As if I could miss that shank of meat he was carrying around in his pants. “They just want to see me in uniform at the gate.”

  I stood and padded around the table. “Personally, I’d rather see you out of uniform.”

  The corners of that sensual mouth curled up. “I think fair warning is required,” he said as I began to unbutton his not-so-crisply-pressed uniform shirt. “I’ve not fully showered in days.” I crinkled my nose but kept popping buttons free to reveal a damp white undershirt. “I have washed up in the sink at the office but not a complete shower.”

  “Well, what we’ll do is get you freed from this sexy uniform.” I tugged his shirt free from his duty belt and slacks. “And then we’ll get you into the shower where we’ll wash you from stem,” I pressed a kiss to his jawline, “to stern.” Another peck to his chin as his hands found my hips. He guided me in closer, wedging his erection beside mine.

  “That’s pretty nautical talk for a dentist,” he replied, deep brown eyes simmering with lust.

  “Pedodontist. Ex-pedodontist,” I corrected and began freeing him from the various trinkets and contraptions on his shirt before I flung it to the winds. I removed his name badge, his star, a duo of pens, followed by the mic attached to his duty belt. It hung free. “That’s not right. What if that mic hits something and breaks? We need to remove your duty belt as well.”

  He paused my hands on the belt buckle. “I’ll remove the belt. There’s a few locking devices on the holster that you’re not familiar with.”

  I stepped back, this close to purring. “Oh yeah, please do strip for me, Sheriff Ahoka.”

  “I love it when you get that tone in your voice,” he said as he divested himself of his heavy belt. “I need to take care of my weapon.”

  “Mmhmm, you sure do.” I stepped closer as he rolled his eyes. When I pressed myself against him, chest to chest, thigh to thigh, he stopped rolling those pretty eyes of his. “I think you need to fire off a load.” I slid my hand between us to cup his hard cock. He moaned hot and low. “Are you getting off on my dirty cop talk?”

  “Not really, but that hand on my dick is doing the trick,” he replied before lowering his head to cover my mouth with his. His tongue went deep, probing, touching, sliding over teeth as I rubbed his prick through the rough khaki material of his summer uniform. “Shit, okay, I’m too close to firing off.”

  “Now who’s talking dirty cop talk?” I breathlessly asked. That got me a wicked smile. “Will you handcuff me to your bed and frisk me? A cavity search sounds exciting.” I gave his cock a firm squeeze that made him grunt in pleasure.

  “When we get done washing up, I’ll show you just how thorough a cavity searcher I am.” He kissed me hard and fast and gently eased me back a step. “Meet you in the bathroom.”

  I nodded, seeing that he wished to properly take care of his revolver, so I reached down to adjust my dick and made my way to the bathroom, feeling his eyes on me as he followed me down the hall. With a sultry smile, I entered the bath, peeled my sweaty clothes off, and turned on the shower. I never heard him coming in behind me. When his arms encircled me, I jumped, swore, and turned to scold him. The scolding died on my lips as he was nude now, gloriously so, and his hands found my ass. I slammed my lips into his, grasping at his short black hair as he backed me into the stall. Closing the door was tricky. The shower was not built for two men, especially when one possessed the breadth of shoulder that Ollie had, but we found a way to make the cramped quarters work.

  It was pretty simple really. After I got him lathered up from head to toe and all points in between, I went to my knees. He pressed both hands out, one to the glass door, the other to the tiled wall as I rubbed at the lingering soap bubbles in his ebony pubic hair. I held his cock to his belly and watched as the water streamed over his dangling balls. Keeping his dick tight to his lower abs, I took one orb into my mouth and sucked sloppily.

  “Fuck, Dodge, fuck that is so damn good,” he moaned from above. I moved to the other, enjoying the weight of his ball on my tongue and then in my mouth.

  “I want you to come on my face,” I said after releasing one of his nuts. I released my hold of his cock. It fell down to bounce off my nose. I chased it with my mouth, my hands on his thick thighs, and finally got the fat head between my lips. He rocked forward, just an inch, and I took him down my throat with ease. I was pretty skilled in most things oral after all. Wait until I feasted on his tight ass…

  “Oh damn,” he growled when I took him to the root. “Fuck you look good with my cock in your mouth.”

  He carded his fingers into my short red hair and began rocking to and fro, fucking my mouth and throat. I moaned around his dick, my cock close to bursting, while he pumped in and out faster and faster.

  “Coming…” He pulled out with a pop, spurting all over my face. Warm ropes of cum dotting my lips, cheeks, and brow. He gasped and groaned and wiped the oozing head of his cock along my still-open mouth. Water and spunk ran into my mouth, followed by his prick. I sucked on the head hard, pulling a harsh moan from him as more cum coated my tongue. He was salty, bitter, and delicious. I grasped my cock, gave it a few tugs, and shot my load over his toes. He wiggled them as the water washed my spend down the drain. “Fucking hell, Dodge, you are one masterful cocksucker.” He reached down to help me up. Up and right into his arms, where he kissed me with wild hunger. The kisses calmed as our blood cooled. I ran my hands over his shoulders, back, and tight ass as he dropped pecks to my neck then pulled on my earlobe with his teeth.

  “I wish I could shower like that all the time,” I confessed as I licked some warm water off his skin. “Long and leisurely with no siblings or a kid banging on the door. Just me, my lover, and hot water.”

  “Come over more often, and we can do that and more.” His fingers delved between my ass cheeks, sending a jolt to my balls when he found my hole. “I’d love to fuck you into my bed next.”

  “I’d love that too.” I was a versatile guy who loved to pound and be pounded in equal measure. “I think there was mention of handcuffs and cavity searches?”

  That made him chuckle beside my ear. “That can be arranged.”

  We left the shower, inspired to get to the cuffing and fucking. “You go get things ready. I’m going to grab something cold to drink for afterward,” I said after blotting him off with a towel. He nodded before leaving me in the steamy bath, water droplets on my back and legs cooling me off nicely. I ran my fingers through my short hair and tucked two towels over the towel racks to dry. I was a man on a mission. I darted out into the kitchen in my birthday suit, found a couple of bottles of energy drinks on the door and closed the fridge with my hip. Eager to be back in his arms, I hurried to his room, drinks in hand, cock half hard. “I found some of these blue raspberry cans on the door. I used to guzzle these things by the case when I was plodding through my coursework and residency. My roommate at the time was huge into the watermelon flavors, but they gave me heartburn, but maybe that was the jolt of caffeine and not—”

  I paused in the doorway and smiled. Ollie was spread out over the bed—sound asleep. His long legs splayed wide, offering me a tantalizing view of his ass and balls. Soft little snores wafted skyward into the ceiling fan whirring overhead.

  “We’ll pick this up later.” I placed the cans on the dresser and proceeded to cover him up. I placed a kiss on his bare shoulder, the one with the white surgery scar, and grabbed the cans and made my way out of the bedroom. Along the way, I picked up my clothes and stepped into my briefs in the kitchen, while nursing a can of blue raspberry carbonated get-up-and-go. This reminded me of my days in college, slurping down energy drinks while in my underwear. I belched loudly. Yep, just like at UCLA School of Dentistry minus the obnoxious roommates. Those were back at the ranch.

  I snickered softly and burped again. My brothers weren’t nearly as bad as a dorm filled with twenty-somethings. Ford was the only Bastian in his twenties, and he ran shy and quiet. I recalled my mother once commenting that she was so proud to see her only son doing so well and how proud she was of me. She’d managed not only to raise me as a single mother but also get me into college and through all those years of schooling. I missed her greatly. Pity we’d had that falling out. I should reach out to her and see if we could mend fences. She’d not seen Dahn in over a year. To be honest, Mom had been right about Chris. I’d just been in denial and refused to listen to her criticisms. While I’d not cut her off from Dahn, I had been cold. Mayhap it was time to offer up an apology. For her, for me, and for Dahn, who I had to pick up in ten minutes. Guess it was a good thing we hadn’t gotten to getting the cuffs out. Next time. I downed my drink, left a note on the magnetized notepad on the fridge, and bolted out the door, locking it behind me.