by M. D. Grimm
Cindy said nothing. She sat across the table from him and peeked at him under her eyelashes. It was interesting how professional she was with customers but awkward in social settings. Eva and Lucy, the two other vets, sat together, having their own conversation.
After a few minutes of idle chit-chat, Brian noticed a disturbance at the bar. Phil looked over and grimaced.
“Not again.”
Brian swung around. Some big bruiser of a guy shoved Derek, causing him to stumble and almost fall. Derek bared his teeth and lashed out, decking the guy full in the face. The guy fell like a timber but Derek didn’t appear to be done. Brian moved before he was consciously aware of it. He shoved through the crowd and reached Derek just as he lifted the bruiser by the collar, arm pulled back for another hit. Brian clung to that raised arm and used all his strength to hold it still.
“Derek stop! He’s down. You can see he’s down. Let him go!” He pushed his mind against Derek’s, trying to soothe as he did earlier that day. It was hard to concentrate when his own adrenaline was pumping and his nerves were shaken. Kyle had enjoyed a good brawl.
But Derek isn’t Kyle.
Their colleagues reached them and everyone got a grip on Derek and pulled him away. The bruiser fell, slowly waking up, groaning. Derek was growling and the sound was eerily inhuman. The bartender was yelling at them, people were cheering or jeering, it was utter chaos.
Derek flashed his gaze to Brian, and though he was supremely pissed, he backed down and let the others move him bodily away. Brian felt that strange, canine-part of Derek’s mind ease down but he didn’t let up. Then Derek’s face went blank and he stood still, panting but weirdly calm.
“Let me go.”
Everyone exchanged glances before slowly loosening their holds. Brian was the last to let go, both physically and mentally. Derek then turned to a woman near the bar who was clearly in shock.
“Sorry that got out of hand. Maybe he’ll think twice before harassing someone again.”
She gulped. “I-I hope so. Th-thanks?”
He snorted. The bartender glared at him as Derek pulled out his wallet and slapped a fifty on the table. “For the drinks and the mess.” Then he swiped the lemonade and pushed it into Brian’s hands.
“It’s on me. See you tomorrow.” Then he was gone. Just like that.
Brian’s hand trembled and lemonade sloshed over the rim. He took a large gulp.
“Does that happen often?” he asked the others.
Phil glanced at the bruiser now sitting up. The lady he’d apparently harassed was gone.
“Sure. But always for a good reason.”
“HR must have a soft spot for him.” Eva shook her head. “He should have been kicked out long ago.”
“He’s a good officer,” Lucy said.
“He’s a lit fuse that’s going to burn someone someday. Or he’s going to burn himself.”
Cindy said nothing and followed them. Phil bought another drink.
“You move pretty fast,” Phil said. “I went through training, and you were still a step ahead of me.”
Brian smiled, not knowing what to say. He took another sip.
“He’s a good man, you know?” Phil said as he led the way back to their table.
“Yeah, I think I do.”
Chapter Five
Present day
Derek walked into the clinic and found Brian holding a black puppy currently drowning him in kisses. Brian giggled and the dog was wiggling in puppy happiness.
Derek chuckled. “Seems you made a new friend.”
Brian grinned and held the puppy out to him. “I sure did. He’s one of yours.”
“I know.” He remembered this little guy. It was the Labrador he found down the storm drain. He took the puppy, who instantly started giving Derek kisses. Derek nuzzled his face and his wolf’s happy whine filled in his mind.
“Friendly. He’ll find a family for sure,” Derek said.
“I hope so. He’s a darling.”
Derek looked over at the warm affection in Brian’s gaze. He thought of what it would be like to have that look directed toward him. His pants suddenly became too tight. He cleared his throat and handed the dog back.
“We still on for Friday?” Brian asked hesitantly.
Derek smiled. “Of course.”
Brian turned away, but not before Derek caught the faint blush creeping into his cheeks. Brian set the puppy on the table, and before he could do anything else, Derek grabbed him. He wasn’t sure what possessed him. Maybe it was the fantastic romp he had last night with his dogs or maybe it was the prospect of having this man all to himself for the coming days. Whatever it was, he couldn’t wait until Friday to see what those lips had to offer.
With the puppy as a witness, Derek had one arm around Brian’s waist and the other tangled in his hair before pressing their mouths together. Shock radiated through Brian’s body and then a second later Brian pressed into him. His lips were soft and yielding. They offered and Derek took. The small beard tickled Derek in a delicious way, and he had a rather vivid sensation on how it might feel tickling more sensitive areas. That only made him harder.
Brian pressed closer, and his groin rubbed against Derek’s thigh. Hell. Brian was as hard as him. It also meant that Brian wanted this just as badly as he did. Derek slipped his hand down to grip Brian’s butt. He wanted so bad. He wanted Brian right there and now, and damn the consequences. He wanted to see just how tight that perky ass was and what Brian would look like shed of his clothing.
Brian came to his senses first and pushed back firmly. They both panted, arms still locked around each other, one of Brian’s hands placed firmly on Derek’s chest.
“Whoa,” Brian murmured. “What was that for?”
“For being you,” Derek said, his voice low and husky. “For being irresistibly cute.”
Brian blushed and Derek thought it was precious.
Derek touched his lips to Brian’s cheek and then slid them down his neck.
“Derek—”
The puppy whined, dancing along the edge of the table, trying to reach them. Brian pushed back, and Derek released him. Brian turned back to the puppy.
“Hold on, little guy. I need to examine you.” The puppy, now getting attention, was content to sit on the table and allow Brian to touch him.
“We’re not done yet,” Derek said, catching his breath. He needed to compose himself before he left the room.
“Of course not,” Brian said, sounding eager. He gave Derek a look over his shoulder. “We have Friday.”
It was hard to focus on work when Brian was anticipating his date. It was Thursday morning and he wasn’t sure if he was more excited or nervous. Sure, they sometimes saw each other outside work, but always in a group setting with their colleagues at the local bars. Once or twice they ran into each other when they volunteered at the same shelters. Brian considered everyone at the center a friend but Derek had always remained standoffish with the staff. At times Brian wondered why he loved Derek because there was so much he didn’t know about him. But what he did know? Besides the temper, he liked everything else he saw. Yet did they have anything other than the love of animals in common?
If this fell apart, would one of them have to leave the center? Brian couldn’t imagine doing that. He’d finally found a home here. Stability and acceptance. He also didn’t want to imagine his life without Derek in it, in some capacity.
Swallow your doubts and see what happens, he told himself. Dr. Espey had said nearly the same thing at their last session. He didn’t see her as frequently anymore—once a month at most. He wasn’t ready to stop therapy altogether but he’d managed to wean himself away once he found his footing.
Despite being a hothead, Brian wanted Derek to be his partner. He admired Derek for his passion and loyalty and, he had to face it, Derek was fucking hot. He would be an idiot to pass up the opportunity to get into Derek’s pants.
That kiss had sparked a fire inside Brian
that had been burning slowly ever since he started working at the center. Burning since the moment he’d met Derek. Those lips had been meant for kissing. He had solid proof of that now. They were firm, full, and tasty.
Brian blew out a breath and shook his head. Those thoughts sent a delicate thrill along his skin, and anticipation rippled through his stomach.
He took a deep breath and scratched Fenrir’s head. His personal vet was out of town on vacation so he’d brought Fenrir in for Eva or Lucy to examine. He had a bump on his leg and since pugs were prone to cancer, he wanted it checked out. His baby had already had cancer once. Eva had just stepped out and now he tried not to dwell on the possibility of losing Fenrir. The pug snorted and sniffled as they waited. He talked to Fenrir and was unaware when another person entered the room.
“Some might think you have a screw loose.”
Brian snorted and looked over at Derek. “I would only have a screw loose if I expected him to answer me back.” Even though Fenrir did answer him back.
Derek grinned and nodded at the pug. “Who’s this little guy? He doesn’t look ill and he has a collar.”
“Nah. He’s one of mine. I told you I had a pug, right?”
Derek raised an eyebrow. “Ah, right. And I told you that they’re not even real dogs.”
“Hey.” Brian covered Fenrir’s ears. “Don’t say things like that in front of him. It could traumatize him.”
Derek snorted. “Pugs are a step above toy breeds, which are rats masquerading as dogs.”
“Hey!” Brian slapped his shoulder.
Derek laughed. Brian smiled. Derek’s laugh danced over his senses and made his heart flutter. He really had it bad.
Fenrir had eyed Derek at first, ears back, eyes wide and staring. But Brian sent him soothing images and kept his body language loose and calm. Fenrir’s ears picked up when Derek laughed, and he slowly wagged his curled tail.
“Look, I think he likes you.”
“Like owner, like pet, I guess.”
Heat crept into Brian’s cheeks, and he cleared his throat. “Well, no accounting for taste, on both parts.”
“Hey.” Derek feigned offense.
Brian smiled and gestured him closer. Derek kept his eyes on Fenrir and then crouched down until his face was level with the table. Brian’s heart turned to mush as Derek let Fenrir come to him. Derek even let Fenrir lick his nose tentatively. Derek smiled and stood before running his hands all over the pug, eliciting moans of pleasure and causing his back foot to scratch the air.
They both chuckled.
“What’s his name again?”
“He should be named Dopey. But instead I call him Fenrir.”
Derek raised an eyebrow. “Little small to be the wolf that eats Odin at Ragnarok.”
Brian’s mouth dropped open slightly. He usually had to explain the name’s origin to people. Never once had he met someone who knew it.
“Now I am impressed. You are the first person to know that.”
“What can I say? I live to impress you.”
Brian rolled his eyes, though he was impressed. And intrigued.
“Why’d you bring him in?” Derek asked.
“He has a small bump on his inner thigh. It might be cancer.”
Derek winced, sympathy in his eyes. “That’s rough.”
“He’s already had it once before. It’s likely to be this time too.” He tried for a careless tone but ruined it with a trembling voice. If anyone would understand, it would be Derek.
“If there’s anything I can do….” Derek let the sentence hang.
Brian smiled and shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m okay. We’re okay. He’s eleven. It’s not like he’s two or anything.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Yeah.”
Brian scratched Fenrir behind his ears. “He belonged to my sister.”
Derek frowned. “You have a sister? I’ve, uh, noticed you don’t talk about your family much.”
“Neither do you.”
Derek shrugged. “I’ve told you they’re in the government and all about the environment. Not much to say. They’re rather normal.”
Brian knew what compelled him to share with Derek. Partners shared everything. “Her name was Anna. She died years ago in a car accident.”
“Oh, baby.” Derek hugged him.
Brian curled into him. Anna had supported him in everything he did when the rest of his family turned their backs on him. She deserved to be remembered.
They broke apart when Fenrir whined.
“I’ll have to have Kris take him home. I can’t leave in the middle of my shift.”
“Kris?” Derek asked, the question unasked.
Brian tilted his head and tried to hide a smile. It wasn’t so much the jealousy part but the fact that he trusted Derek to not act like Kyle. Brian let himself be amused by the inquiry instead of being nervous or defensive. There was no accusation in Derek’s voice, only the desire for clarification.
“Kris Kelly. Mrs. Kelly. She’s an elderly neighbor of mine who’s owned many pugs over her lifetime and likes to ride her bright pink bike everywhere.”
“Oh. Right.” Derek cleared his throat and Brian had the pleasure of seeing his cheeks redden slightly.
“You know, Derek. You really are sweet sometimes.”
Dark brows furrowed. “What?”
Brian leaned forward, rose on his toes, and kissed Derek lightly on the lips. “Don’t worry, I won’t let it get around. I know you have a rep to protect.”
Derek was still frowning when Brian picked up Fenrir and left the room.
If Derek thought he could go home early on Friday, he was sorely disappointed. It was as if the universe was conspiring against him and Brian. One call came in after another. A dog-fighting ring was discovered, and most of the day was spent hauling all the dogs out of disgusting cages and finding space for them.
Plus, the cat Derek had brought in had her kittens. It wasn’t an easy birth. He was surprised Brian didn’t fall down in exhaustion. Brian was amazing—nothing ruffled him. He took each animal in turn and did a thorough check of all of them. Lucy and Eva managed to come in but they were still backlogged. They ended up sending some of the animals to nearby vet clinics that they had contracts with.
Derek was in and out of the center, bringing in battered dogs, his wolf keeping them in line. Despite the training his fellow officers received, a few of the dogs were out of their league. Derek took charge of them, dominating them, letting them see the wolf. He hated to scare them considering none of this was their fault. They were just so confused and defensive, their aggression ingrained in their survival.
Halfway through the day he took another call. By then all the dogs had been rounded up and were being looked after. He was more than willing to leave the paperwork to the other officers. The call came from a concerned neighbor and was something about a Rottweiler.
Derek pulled up to the curb and met a petite young woman with bright red hair and big brown eyes.
“Are you the one who called about the Rott?” he asked as he shut his door.
She nodded. “My name’s Amy. I came back from vacation only this morning and saw that the dog was still outside tied up. He was like that about a month ago.”
Derek swallowed against the bile that rose in his throat.
He followed the woman down a short alley between two houses and into a backyard without a fence. A single pathetic tree leaned in the center of the yard and right under it was an emaciated Rott chained to it. A dirty water bowl lay off to the side and an empty food bowl next to it.
Derek took careful breaths to keep from making a scene.
“A month, you say?”
“Yes. The dog used to bark all the time, and I looked forward to not hearing him that whole month. But when I came back….” She paused. “The poor thing.”
Derek bit his tongue. It was the owners that she should pity. Just wait until he got his hands on them. Or maybe his
teeth. His muscles bunched, and he had to shake it off. Derek put down his medical supply case and lowered to his knees. The dog watched him out of sad and tired eyes.
Derek tilted his head. “Thank you, ma’am. If you could just go back to your residence, I may have other questions.”
“Of course.” She left.
“Hey, boy,” Derek said gently. He knew the dog could smell his wolf side. And he knew it confused the abused wretch. He was scared.
“I won’t hurt you. I promise.” He kept speaking in soft, even tones as he approached the dog on his knees. The Rott’s ears twitched, and he watched every move Derek made. But his body remained immobile. Pain clenched Derek’s heart as he finally reached the dog and extended his hand for the dog to sniff. The Rottweiler did and then his pale tongue slipped out and licked him.
Derek’s smile was strained. “That’s it, boy. I’m going to take care of you.”
Brian helped the Doberman off the table, and Phil took him to the back. He swiped a hand over his brow as sweat stung his eyes. How many poor animals had been in those filthy conditions? His gut burned to think about it. It took all his strength to help those dogs and not indulge in his own righteous anger. A lot of the officers as well as Lucy and Eva had needed to take small breaks to simply collect themselves. He’d taken a few of his own. Those types of calls were hard on the entire center.
He wondered how Derek was handling it.
The Doberman was the last of the dogs from the fighting ring, and he considered taking a five-minute break when his door burst open. Derek rushed in with murder in his eyes and a skinny Rottweiler in his arms. He laid the dog on the table, and Brian realized why Derek was so enraged.
The dog didn’t have a collar but a metal chain wrapped around his neck, and it must have been on there for several months because it was embedded in the skin. The Rott was dehydrated and malnourished with an infected wound on his leg.
“Shit,” Brian said before thinking.
Derek let out an animal growl.
Brian touched his arm a moment before slowly nudging him aside. Derek moved but didn’t leave the room. Brian didn’t expect him to. He put on latex gloves, and the dog whined. The sound cut right across his heart.
