by Geneva Vand
"What's not fair?" Jason's grin was predatory as he levered himself off the wall and stalked toward his prey.
Aiden held the bedding up defensively and backed away. "No. Bad sexy biker! We have to make the bed and unpack."
"We can do that later. I think we should celebrate." Jason lunged. He caught Aiden around the waist and flipped him onto the bed before falling on top of him. The bedding was chucked off to the side while he peppered Aiden's face with playful pecks. Aiden laughed and shoved at him.
Jason leaned down for a real kiss.
Aiden stopped laughing, but his gasp of surprise allowed Jason to dive in and make the kiss deeper. Jason moaned and sank into the kiss, relishing the slide of Aiden's hands over his ribs. The closet would just have to wait.
Two weeks after moving into their new house, Jason found himself in the dog section of the local animal shelter.
The barking was loud enough to wake the dead. He was starting to wish for some aspirin and a glass of water.
There were dogs of every size, color, and coat type imaginable everywhere. Jason couldn't decide if it was a furry paradise or a very loud hell. Something small and shrill yapped, and he winced. His headache throbbed and he decided that he was leaning more toward a very loud hell.
He looked down the aisle hoping to find his missing partner. Aiden had abandoned him to the paperwork and had disappeared into the barking morass fifteen minutes ago never to be seen again.
Jason walked down the row of cages trading finger snuffles with bored pups until he reached the section where the larger open runs started. He finally spotted Aiden crouching in front of one of the larger pens near the back wall. Whoever was in the cage, it looked like his man had found a new love.
Like he sensed Jason's presence, Aiden looked up and grinned, looking happy as a little boy getting his first puppy. Which he was, Jason supposed. He tucked his hands in his pockets and went down to see who Aiden had found. And saw a pair of the goofiest looking mutts he'd ever seen. They looked like teddy bears in dog form.
He crouched down next to Aiden and met two sets of soulful brown eyes. He sighed. "I thought we were getting one dog?" Great, now he had pleading blue eyes too. There was no way he was winning this.
"Yeah, but honey—"
"Really? That's the best comeback you've got?"
"Um, how about they've been together since birth and have clearly bonded. We have the room for them and you wouldn't want to separate siblings, would you? I mean, if we leave them here they'll just get taken one at a time. That would be heartbreaking, wouldn't it?" Aiden blinked sweetly then lost the innocent face and grinned. "Come on, love. They're perfect."
Jason leaned over to put a playful kiss on Aiden's lips and turned to contemplate the dogs. They were kind of sweet. "So what do you call canine teddy bears?"
Aiden grinned. "I've won haven't I? That was so much easier than expected."
"Yeah, yeah. What are they?"
"They're labradoodles," Aiden said brightly.
Jason stared at him. What the hell was a labradoodle?
"Half retriever of some sort and half poodle." Aiden launched back into the dogs' sales pitch with enthusiasm. "They're supposed to be pretty intelligent and mild-mannered. The shelter lady that came through said they're already housebroken and spayed and neutered, partially trained, and super friendly. She was hoping they'd get adopted together, so she kind of went into promo mode."
"Apparently she's got a good pitch. You know they're gonna be huge, right? Their feet are the size of salad plates."
"Yeah." Aiden leaned over and snuggled into Jason's side until Jason's arm was wrapped around him. He sighed contentedly. "We're going to get them, right?"
Jason smiled happily at his lover. "Yeah, babe. We're gonna get them." He dragged Aiden to his feet. "Let's go start the paperwork. Do they have names?"
"Meg and Tom." Aiden's answer was absolutely gleeful, and Jason couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, I guess they are perfect for us then. We might as well embrace the clichés at this point."
Aiden swung around until he was plastered against Jason's chest. "Have we played the I-love-you game today?"
"Nope." Jason grinned.
Aiden nuzzled down into his neck and placed a soft kiss. "I love you."
Jason nuzzled back and hugged him tight. "Love you, too." He doubted there would ever be a day when he wouldn't want this sweet man in his arms. Clichés be damned. They got him his Panther, and he was keeping him. He used the hug to boost Aiden up to his tip-toes and swing him around. Jason let him go and pushed him towards the service desk. "Let's go get our pups. Tom and Meg. Jesus. Everybody's going to laugh at us for this. We're gonna get five copies of Sleepless in Seattle for Christmas."
Aiden just cackled gleefully and dashed for the desk. Jason shook his head and followed. After all, the pups were perfect. Just like his Panther.
About the Author
Geneva Vand has finally settled down for the long term in Chicago, IL. She grew up in the Puget Sound Region of Washington state. Between high school and Chicago she lived all across the country including Moscow, ID and Bangor, ME. She also lived in Calgary, Alberta for a few years. Her loves include cross stitching while watching crime dramas and fantasy shows, berry-flavored KitKats, indie nail polish, and almost anything created by Joss Whedon. And books, of course.
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Geneva blames her current level of sanity entirely on her husband. She’s not sure why he hangs around a silly person like her, but with the help of the cats he keeps her feet firmly planted on the ground. She appreciates it.
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She loves to hear from her readers. Feel free to contact her by email or on social media. Visit her website to follow her blog and find book updates.
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[email protected]
https://genevavand.com
