Chapter Twenty-One

 

 

TANK WOKE up with a moment of real panic. He had no idea where he was. His heart pounded, and he tried to sit up, but something was weighing him down.

A soft hum sounded, and then he heard dogs wagging.

“Hey.” Dalton’s. He was at Dalton’s. That was good. In fact, he was naked and holding that tight little body in Dalton’s bed. That was amazing.

“Hey.” Dalton’s chuckle was warm. “You need up?”

“Yeah, I need….” His belly snarled violently. “I need food.”

“We got those steaks in the trailer. Potatoes.”

“What time is it?” Tank lifted his head to hunt a clock.

“Nine forty-five at night. Come on. We can start the food and jump in the pool. Aaron will have fed dogs and livestock.”

“Lord.” He laughed, feeling all decadent, sleeping away the evening. “Sounds good.”

Dalton kissed his jaw, then levered himself up out of the bed.

Tank watched for a moment, just loving the way Dalton moved. His pretty lover tugged on a pair of swim trunks, then grabbed his phone, glanced at it. “Bubba’s home now. He was heading to bed.”

“Glad he made it safe.” Tank rose, stretching up on tiptoe.

“Me too.” Dalton smoothed one hand down along his belly. “Seriously.”

“Also glad he’s going to bed.” He gave Dalton a wicked grin.

“Uh-huh. The pool all to ourselves.”

“Yep.” He hit the head before coming back out to dig for his swim trunks.

He could hear Dalton outside, singing along with the radio, just happy as a lark. He changed, but he stopped in the kitchen to grab them both a beer.

Dalton’s kitchen made him happy with its fancy-assed coffee maker and the bright tiles that gleamed—this was a man who liked to be home, who paid attention to things.

Tank approved. Wandering, he headed outside where the meat already smelled fine. Gas grill. Had to love it.

“Hey, you. I have food working.” Dalton grinned over. “I brought towels out too.”

“I see that.” Dalton drew him like a magnet, and he had to touch. “What can I do to help?”

“You brought a beer. I’m just doing steaks, and I cut up those old baked potatoes and threw them in with broccoli, butter, and cheese in foil.”

“Yum.” Oh, that would rock. “Well, I can lounge with the best.”

“Go for it.”

There were lounge chairs, lights, a speaker, even a place to project movies. Damn.

“Look at this. You got a great setup, baby.”

Dalton beamed at him. “It is, isn’t it? We did a lot of it ourselves.”

“Handy too? I’m a lucky guy.”

Oh, look at that smile. Tank didn’t know what to think, to see how happy Dalton was with every little bit of praise. Whatever else it made him feel, Tank kinda wanted to kill that Rocket feller. Then again, if he’d been good to Dalton, Tank wouldn’t have this chance.

He wasn’t sure how he felt about that either.

Tank shrugged off all the unpleasant thoughts. Life was damn fine, and he needed to stop borrowing trouble.

“You cool, man?” Dalton’s words were gentle, curious.

“I am.” He gave Dalton a smile. “I was just wandering in my head. Dangerous place.”

“You got to watch that.”

“I do. No reason to ruin a fine night with something as silly as deep thoughts.” He laughed out loud, and Dalton chuckled with him.

Dalton turned the steaks, then went to dangle his feet in the pool.

Tank joined him, the cool water making his toes curl. Perfect.

“It’s nice, huh? I love to be able to come out and float.”

“It’s amazing. You got a lounger?” Tank loved floaties.

“I totally do. There are four in the cabana shed deal.”

“Oh, cool. Tomorrow.” Tonight they would just consume meat and dip a bit.

“Yeah. We got some time to rest. They’ll want us up the big house tomorrow.”

“They gonna have a feed?”

Dalton nodded easily. “Momma will want us all in one place. She don’t get to have that much, you know?”

Yeah, he could see it. She deserved a big do when all her babies were home.

“Do we need to bring anything?” Tank asked.

“Bubba will call and find out in the morning.”

“Cool. You let me know if I need to run to the store.” Tank intended to pull his weight.

“We should all go, the three of us. We can stop at the diner for breakfast.”

“Works for me. I love a diner.” He wanted to just be there, be able to see Dalton’s life.

“Yeah. Me too. Pancakes on demand.” Dalton stood, easy as pie, and went to plate up two gorgeous sirloins.

The smell of charred meat made any day better, and today had been good.

“You want to eat out here? We got the table.”

“Sounds good.” The air was cooling off just enough to be pleasant. For a Texan.

“You need steak sauce?”

“If you got it, sure. If not, I’m easy.” A-1 was best on Texas toast, anyway.

“I got Worcestershire and A-1 out here.”

“A-1 is great, baby, thank you.” Tank climbed to his feet, ready to chow down. He would do dishes.

Plate, knife, fork, potato and steak—soon they were sitting and devouring their food, everything simple and filling. The steak sauce added a nice tang, and Tank all but licked his plate.

“Damn, baby. That was nice.”

“You’re welcome.”

Tank hummed, rising to begin grabbing up plates.

“The dishwasher works.” Dalton stood and started scraping the grill.

“Cool. I’ll load ’er up and be back in a jiff.” He liked to help.

“Thanks, man.”

God, this easy acceptance, the way Dalton stood with him felt like heaven on earth. They moved around each other like a couple who’d been together way longer, and Tank hoped the honeymoon never wore off.

He heard a splash as he put the plates in the washer, and he looked out the kitchen window, watching Dalton move through the water like a fish.

God, that man could do things with that lean body to make his mouth dry. That ass was made for a saddle, and watching him rope was magic, but swimming…. Mmm. Wet and nearly naked. Tank stared, happy as a bug in a rug. Then he shook his head and loaded the dishes so he could get back out there.

He wanted to feel the water too, let it surround him, share that with Dalton.

Tank grinned, trotting outside once he’d done justice to their few dishes. The night air was still warm compared to Colorado, but it was just right to be in the pool. He didn’t cannonball… exactly.

Dalton was laughing at him when he bobbed to the surface, and a wave of water caught him in the shoulder.

“Now, don’t start a war, baby. I’m like a big old destroyer.”

“I don’t know, I might surprise you.” Dalton launched himself over, tackling him.

Tank went under, the sudden shock making him laugh. He sucked in some water, his splutters loud when he popped to the surface.

“I got you. I got you.” Dalton held him up, the whipcord-lean arms surprising him with their strength.

“Thanks.” Tank shook water off his head. “Damn.”

“Sorry. I never asked if you could swim.”

“I can, I swear. I got to laughing.” Tank let Dalton help him float, still coughing a bit.

“Easy. Easy. I won’t let you sink. You’re all muscle.”

Right. Pot meet kettle.

He was more… dense than Dalton, he reckoned. He laughed again before wrapping his arms around his lover and taking a kiss.

Dalton took it, rubbing them together playfully before taking off like a shot.

Tank followed, determined to prove he could swim like a barracuda. He almost caught up, but Dalton was too fast. He started thinking like a bullfighter, though, and hazed his lover down toward the deep end.

He would corner Dalton. Then he would pounce.

Dalton was a safety man, though, and smart as a whip, leading him on a merry chase. He was as quick in the pool as he was on a horse. Good thing Tank was dogged.

Dogged, determined, and needing a little redemption.

He swerved when Dalton tried to slip past him, caught the waistband of those trunks.

“Oh, nice one!” Dalton’s laughter filled the air.

“I got you now.” Though it was like trying to hold an otter.

“Gonna keep me, you think?”

“I do.” He reeled Dalton in, and they were suddenly floating together instead of fighting it.

“Mmm. There’s not a thing wrong with this,” Dalton muttered.

“Not one bit.” They started to sink, so they drifted until their feet touched.

One of the dogs came running by, soared over their heads, and plopped into the pool, swimming away.

Tank hooted. “That was some hang time.”

“Impressive, huh? They’re showoffs. You should see them working the cattle.”

“I want to. Can’t wait.”

“Sure. They love it. They’re magical.”

“I’ve missed having dogs.” He didn’t feel right leaving them behind, and without a trailer, he couldn’t take them on the road.

“Well, these two are lover boys. They love to go and work and snuggle.”

“Do they sleep with you?” The bed was big enough.

“They do. Does that bother you? They’re foot-of-the-bed guys.”

“Nope. I just wanted to be prepared.”

Dalton’s eyes twinkled. “They’re not ball sniffers, don’t worry.”

“It’s the ones who snap at anything that makes a lump in the covers….”

“Oh, I’ve had a couple of those. Hell on the toes.”

The pup swam up to Dalton with a ball in his mouth, and Dalton grabbed it and threw it. That was cute as hell.

“Among other things,” Tank agreed.

“Sounds like you speak from—duck!”

They dipped down in the water as collie number two leaped, not making as good on it as his brother.

“Shit, that was close.” Tank hooted, reaching out to rub Dodger’s ears when he swam over.

Roger brought the ball back to Dalton, and Tank could see that one needed exercise. Dodger was a little easier, paddling around and barking every so often.

Soon Dalton was swimming over to tug Roger out of the water, pulling himself up and keeping the pup down and resting. “Silly beast. Wearing yourself out.”

Tank swam over with Dodger, hoisting the beast up and out. “This one is like me. Conserving energy.”

“Roger just never grew up. He’s my puppy. Dodge is my old man.”

“Two like Roger might kill you, baby.” Tank tried to remember when he’d last been so… content.

“No shit on that, man.”

He sat next to Dalton, their shoulders rubbing.

“It ain’t bad, being home.”

Tank heard that. “I like your place.”

“Good.” Dalton turned his face and begged a kiss that Tank was happy to give.

He slid one hand behind Dalton’s head, holding them together so long the dogs got all worried.

“You want to go in, meet the big Jacuzzi tub, and have a soak and a beer?”

“I totally do.” Anything Dalton wanted.

“Cool. It’s in a little separate room off the master bath. It’s got its own TV.”

“Damn. You’re stylin’, baby.” He rose so he could hold down a hand to help Dalton up.

“I’m spoiled rotten, and I know it.”

“I like it, though. And I know you; you earned it all.” Tank grinned, Dalton wet and warm against him.

“I like hanging in the bubbles, watching the game.”

That was adorable. “Sounds like a plan.”

“I have peach bubble bath. Strawberry too.”

“You’re a sensualist, baby. I had no idea.” He knew now, and he intended to remember it.

“I guess, yeah. I like feeling good.” Dalton blushed and grabbed their towels.

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Tank grabbed Dalton’s ass when he passed by.

“You don’t think so?”

“Not one bit.” There was something in the question, something worth pursuing. Dalton seemed a little worried.

“Good deal.” Dalton led him to another door, this one heading back into the bedroom, and then they hurried from there to the en suite and into a private little room that was all Jacuzzi and candles and a flat screen TV.

He rubbed his hands together with glee. This was a bullfighter’s dream. Those bubbles soothed all the soreness.

“You look like the cat that got the canary.” Dalton started the water going and grabbed a few more towels and the remote.

“I am. I got TV, bubbles, beer, and your tight ass. I am a man in heaven.”

They slid in, got the towels settled behind his neck, Dalton in his lap. Fucking A. He wrapped his arms around his lover, happy to float and let his mind wander.

He could feel at home here. He really could.