Rescue My Heart

by Jerry Cole

  Blake grinned and carefully got up off the floor. “Your wish is my command.”

  Before he could get his jeans and underwear off, Jensen had the lube out and was already shoving two fingers into his ass and scissoring them. His cock was still spent from having come in Blake’s mouth, but that didn’t seem to deter Jensen at all. Blake just stood, watching, as Jensen moved to three fingers for just a moment, and then pulled his fingers out. He threw a condom at Blake to snap him out of his reverie. “Hurry up…”

  “You don’t want to prep a bit more…?”

  “No, I like the stretch. And I want your dick in my ass now.” Jensen stroked his cock a few times, and it was already starting to get hard again.

  Blake laughed, retrieved the condom, and climbed onto the bed, kissing Jensen slowly. “You’re so perfect. Even when you’re being impatient.”

  “Patience is only a virtue if you’re immortal.” Jensen grinned up at him. “Let me flip on my stomach…I want to feel you pound me.”

  “Okay…okay. We might have to change positions if my hip seizes up, though.”

  Jensen rolled over onto his stomach, then reached behind to pull Blake down again. “Of course. Just tell me and we’ll switch. You don’t ever need to be uncomfortable on my account.”

  Blake kissed him behind his ear and quickly pulled the condom on. “You’re worth a little discomfort. But I’ll tell you, I promise.”

  He leaned down and maneuvered so that he was lined up, then began to slowly push in. Jensen let out a hiccupping moan, and Blake continued on steadily until he bottomed out. He froze, breathing slowly, trying not to come. Jensen was tight and the noises he made were almost more than Blake could handle. He’d been moaning while he topped, but the sounds he was making now were going straight to Blake’s dick. He ran a hand up Jensen’s side, though whether he was trying to ground himself or sooth Jensen, he had no idea.

  “Move, please…I need it.” Jensen had grabbed a pillow and had his face buried in it, ass thrust in the air. “Please, Blake.”

  Blake began to pull back, then thrust in, going as rough as he dared, careful to keep his weight on his good side. He could tell he would need to take another muscle relaxer before the fell asleep, but this was worth it. Jensen crying and moaning on his cock was worth it. He picked up the pace, hoping that he would get Jensen off before he lost the remainder of his control. It would be close. He shifted so his angle was better, ignoring the twinge in his thigh. Jensen practically wailed as Blake found his prostate and began to do his best to hit it with every thrust.

  “So good, fuck,” Blake murmured. “Going to record the sounds you make. I’ve never heard anything so sexy.”

  Jensen laughed weakly. He had a hand on his own cock and was pulling fast and hard, face still buried in the pillow. “Oh God, I’m gonna cum…Blake!” Jensen moaned again and came hard all over his hand. Blake managed a few more thrusts and followed him over the edge, panting and thrusting weakly through the aftershocks.

  As soon as he caught his breath, Blake carefully pulled out and tied off the condom. He stumbled into the bathroom to throw it away, and by the time he came back, Jensen was asleep, snoring softly.

  ***

  The next morning found them both at Jensen’s house for the first time, so Jensen could actually change properly for once. Blake was already debating if it was too soon to ask the other man to move in, and he was plotting to figure out when Jensen’s lease was up. Mich had already asked if Jensen would do some consulting data work for the veterinary school, and he had agreed on the condition he didn’t have to drive down there very often.

  Mich agreed readily, and Blake was glad to see that Jensen was getting back to the work he seemed to really love, though he insisted he was going to keep working at the coffee shop as well. He liked Angie and the town, and it was nice to have work he didn’t have to think about too hard.

  Blake wandered around the small living room, noting how few photos there were of Jens and his family, and debating if he should start asking more questions about what was clearly a contentious relationship, when the doorbell rang.

  “Fuck! They’re early! Blake, darling, can you answer the door?”

  “Got it, Babe!” Blake laughed and opened the front door.

  “Oh, goodness, you’re not Jens!” The woman blinked at him from under a thick wool hat and scarf set and thick, black-framed glasses.

  “No, I’m Blake, Jensen is in the shower still. He’ll be out in a second.” He moved aside so the couple could come in.

  They quickly shucked their boots and layers to reveal an attractive, well-dressed couple that Blake had no trouble believing grew up in the same wealth and privilege that Jensen had.

  Sophia stuck out her hand and Blake shook it. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Blake. I’m Sophia, and this is my husband Emmanuel.”

  “Manny, please. Nice to meet you.”

  “Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Jensen came scrambling into the room, and Sophia squeaked and practically threw herself at him. She was taller than him by almost four inches, and had a very sturdy build, so the two of them only barely avoided toppling over.

  Manny waited until his wife had stopped trying to smother Jensen, then took his turn. All three of them were crying, and Blake knew it was time to make his exit. The three of them had a lot to talk about.

  He rubbed Jensen’s back and gave him a quick kiss, made his excuse about needing to speak with Jeanie about a few things, and then slipped outside into the chilly, sunny morning. He was tempted to walk to the clinic, but even with his cane he was feeling unsteady this morning, so he got in his truck and drove the few blocks to the parking lot. He had texted Jeanie, and her cruiser was already parked out front of the building.

  Inside, he found Jeanie, Angie, and Beth chatting merrily away in the waiting room, and a riot of Christmas decorations that he knew for a fact had not been there the day before.

  “Beth, it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet…” he sighed, exasperated.

  “Oh I know, but Jeanie came by with a few things and I was bored. It’s only a little early anyway, so quit complaining.” Beth waved him off.

  “Jensen already sick of you?” Angie asked. “I took him off the schedule this week. He hasn’t taken a break since he started working for me anyway.”

  “Two of his friends came up from Denver, and I didn’t want to get in the way.”

  Angie’s eyebrows shot up. “Sophia and Manny?”

  “Yeah, they saw the news story and wouldn’t take no for an answer about seeing him. He seemed pretty overwhelmed about all of it…”

  “Oh I imagine so…he’s been dithering about contacting them for ages. So glad to hear he did. Or they contacted him. Whatever.” Angie shrugged. “I’m just glad things are looking up.”

  “What will happen to the birds now?” Blake asked, changing the subject.

  Jeanie sat back in her waiting room chair and sighed. “Well, the rarer species are heading to zoos, along with a few of the macaws. They’re keeping all the pair-bonded birds together. The spot on the local news apparently got some traction online, so we got plenty of donations to help the rescues that take the other birds. We had to have a few of the birds with severe illnesses put down, unfortunately. The vet students did what they could, but you said yourself that it’s often crueler to keep them alive than it is to let them go.”

  Blake nodded sadly at that.

  “But,” she brightened, “most of the other birds should be adoptable with a bit of work, and if that’s not a Christmas miracle, I don’t know what is.”

  “Thanksgiving. It’s Thanksgiving, Jeanie,” Blake stated, exasperated. “If you had your way, we would start on Christmas in September.”

  “The world is a dark place sometimes and we all need something to celebrate, so stop being such a Scrooge.”

  Epilogue

  One year later

  “Merry Christmas, you two!” Jeanie exclaimed. She was wearing a festiv
e elf’s hat pulled down low over her ears and holding a gift bag.

  “Merry Christmas, Jeanie. Come on in, I just finished baking a bunch of cookies.” Jens moved aside to let her pass, and Blake looked up quizzically from the couch where he was reading a book. Ginger and Rosso were both cuddled up in his lap, feathers fluffed, eyes half-closed. Both were wearing their own jaunty Christmas sweaters. Figgy, their third feathered family member, was destroying a cardboard box at the bottom of her cage. She was still a bit aloof, but she was getting friendlier. Mich had wound up adopting two blue and gold macaws from among the rescued birds, and had also started dating a woman who worked for the largest bird rescue in the state. They had met during the aftermath of the raid, hit it off, and were moving in together in February.

  “Merry Christmas, Jeanie. Stuck on shift on Christmas Eve?” Blake asked as she pulled her boots off and dumped them by the door.

  “Oh, yeah, but I don’t mind. The holidays around here are pretty quiet, so it’s just a few drunks usually.” She handed the gift bag to Jens. “That’s some of my grandmother’s famous biscotti, but that’s not the big gift. The big gift is news.”

  Both Jens and Blake sat up straighter. “What kind of news?”

  She grinned, clearly enjoying their suspense. The laugh lines around her eyes were pronounced, and her face was pure mischief. “Both Prudence and Michael Lee are going to prison!”

  “Wait, really? I thought that since they didn’t have any prior criminal history, they were just going to get a slap on the wrist?!” Jens’ eyes were wide as saucers. The entire long legal process had been dragging on for well over a year, and it was becoming incredibly discouraging.

  “Oh, we thought they didn’t have a criminal history, but boy were we ever wrong! They were convicted of animal cruelty in Florida AND Georgia before, and there was a warrant out for their arrest for theft of a pair of palm cockatoos from a rescue out in California! They used different names, and their fingerprints didn’t return matches initially because both of them had so many bites and scars from the birds, but someone in Georgia recognized a photo of old Michael and called us up. We also think there might be a warrant out for them in Utah for a meth cooking operation, but we are still sorting that mess out. This entire thing has been exhausting, I don’t mind telling you, but we are finally making progress.”

  “Wow, so how long will they be going to prison for?” Blake asked, scratching Ginger’s head.

  “Could be anywhere from one to three years here, since our laws on neglect and cruelty aren’t as strict as they need to be, but once they get out here, they’re headed to California, and hopefully they’ll get even more time there, and then possibly on to Utah.”

  Jens leaned up and hugged Jeanie, who returned the embrace enthusiastically. “That is such good news, Jeanie. Thank you!”

  “I’m just as happy as you are, believe me.” She looked at Rosso and Ginger. “I wish there were a way to tell them that the people who abused them will never get another chance to do that to other birds.”

  “I think they know it’s all over, at least. We won’t ever let anything happen to them.” Blake looked down at the two birds. “Were all of the birds they had adopted out of rescues?”

  “It’s a mixed bag. Like I said, the two palms were stolen, some of the others were from rescues, a few were traded or purchased from other breeders.” Jeanie walked into the living room and sat down on the wingback chair next to the fireplace. Jens went into the kitchen to grab her a cookie and some cocoa.

  “Which ones were the palm cockatoos?” Blake asked. “I’m not familiar with those.”

  “The big black ones, apparently. They were in the house, and they were better-taken care of than the others because they’re so rare. There were some gray and pink and pink and orange crested cockatoos in there as well. They were all in good condition compared to the birds in the barn.”

  “Interesting. Well, at least they’re getting some kind of punishment for doing this to the birds. I wish they were being locked up longer, but maybe if the digging continues, they’ll keep getting new sentences in new states.” Jensen returned from the kitchen with the cocoa and some sugar cookies on a plate, which he set down on the coffee table in front of Jeanie. “I didn’t add any liquor since I figured you have to go back out on patrol at some point.” He sat down next to Blake and leaned on the other man’s shoulder.

  Jeanie grinned. “Yeah, can’t be drunk if I’m going to arrest drunks. That just looks tacky.” She took a bite of cookie. “And as for you two…I heard rumors.”

  Jensen immediately tried to look innocent, and Blake’s face went blank. “What kind of rumors do you mean?” Jensen asked.

  “The kind where you two were making inquiries at the lodge about wedding dates.”

  Jensen sighed and laughed, and Blake just flopped his head back against the couch, groaning loudly.

  “I guess we should have known nobody in this town can keep a secret. Yeah, we’re aiming for a summer wedding this next year.”

  “Though technically we aren’t engaged yet. Someone shredded the box where I was hiding the ring and ruined the surprise, but I’m still not asking until Christmas morning.” Blake glared at Fig, who looked up, squawked at him, and went back to shredding the cardboard. “I had the whole thing set up and she had to pick that fucking box.”

  “I knew he was going to ask at either Christmas or New Years anyway.” Jensen grinned. “But yeah, I found the shredded cardboard and inside was a ring box, so she kind of gave up the game. He used a big box in bright red paper, so of course she destroyed it.”

  Jeanie held her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh. “Oh no! Well, I’m glad to hear that. I’m sure the whole town is going to want to throw an engagement party.”

  “We’ll make the real announcement at the New Year’s party at the lodge and everyone can get it out of their system then.” Blake kissed the top of Jensen’s head.

  Rosso made a loud fart noise.