by Tatum Throne
Dusk stepped out as he wrapped the towel around his waist, unnerved that Shane was ready and waiting to help him dry off. “Thanks.”
“No problem. You need somebody here for you. I’m just glad you’re letting me be the one to do this for you.”
“You shouldn’t have to take care of me.”
“When are you going to understand that I want to be the one who is there for you?”
Shane’s voice had dropped to a husky whisper, sending a chill of need racing down over Dusk’s spine. Despite having a taste of him the night before, it had been way too long. He needed to feel Shane kissing and taking control of him again. As he let his eyes go heavy, Dusk couldn’t help but to silently beg Shane for another kiss.
A soft chuckle of laughter spilled from Shane’s parted lips. “We are not going to do this here and now.”
“I need you.”
“I know you do. But until you’re ready, this is not going to happen between us.”
Anger and resentment moved through Dusk’s veins. He loathed himself for being so vulnerable and needy when he was once such a strong man. He was not in control of this situation but there was nothing he could do to change the rules. His submissive side loved it but his strong type-A personality was having a hard time dealing with the fact that he couldn’t be strong within his job.
“What is it?” Shane asked.
“I don’t like how slow my recovery is going.”
“Give it time. You’ll get there when you’re ready.”
Dusk wanted to believe Shane. If he was going to get better, Dusk had to take control of his life again and allow Shane to help him as he did. Unnerved by how close Shane was standing next to him, Dusk was surprised that he offered a hand, helping him get dressed.
And for the first time in Dusk’s life, he leaned on a potential lover with ease. If he was going to make this thing happen, he had to play by Shane’s rules. He just didn’t know where those rules were going to lead both of them.
After getting dressed, they headed upstairs to roll call. Chief Rask was standing at the front of the room. It felt good to be back. Desperate to get back to his life, he slipped into the back of the room, sitting down.
When everyone saw Dusk enter the room, they stood up, starting to clap. It was clear word had spread that he was back on duty. Reluctantly, Dusk stood, feeling the emotion of the moment pour thorough his heart. His nose stung with tears and his throat clogged with emotion.
Tears misted over Dusk’s eyes as he stood there in front of his new co-workers, trying to regain his footing. Shane was at his side and came in close, giving him a side hug, leaning down so that only he could hear.
“You got this.”
Nervously, Dusk sat down again ready to get back to work. He listened as Chief Rask went through last night’s events. “We have a high-profile case going on and it’s received national attention. Everyone’s looking at the police department to make sure we’re doing our duty. I want you to make everyone proud.”
As assignments for the day were given out, Dusk quickly realized he didn’t have one. Chief Rask came over to talk to him privately. “Shane is going to show you to your office. I think you hadn’t been given one before your injury.”
“No, not yet.”
“Good.”
“Shane.”
“Yep, I’m on it.”
Dusk felt like he was being handled with kid gloves and it aggravated him, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. Shane led the way to the elevators, and they took it up to the fourth floor. They stepped off and took a right toward a long bank of private offices.
Shane stopped at the last one on the right before the emergency exit. Inside there were two desks. They were in the same office?
“Oh, no. Wait a minute.”
“What?”
“I’m sharing an office with you?”
Shane narrowed his eyes. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“Don’t you think it’s going to be problematic for both of us? What do you think people will say if they find out about us?”
“They’re not going to find out anything about our private lives.”
Dusk wanted to believe everything would be okay but they were playing a dangerous game. As he stood there in his new office, Dusk wanted everything to go back to normal but it was going to be a long time before it would be.
“I can still use the conference room you guys set up for me when I started.”
“No.”
“I don’t like this.”
Shane crossed his arms. “There’s something you need to know. I should have had this conversation with you a few days ago but you weren’t ready.”
“What?”
“I’m a Dom, and I need a submissive. I need somebody to take my orders anyplace anytime. Is that going to be difficult for you?”
Dusk always dreamed of a lover taking control of him. Now that he had one, he wasn’t going to let him go anytime soon. He tried to play it cool but felt as though he was failing miserably as nervous energy pumped through his blood. “I’ve never been a submissive before.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll learn to obey my rules.”
Chapter Three
Shane could feel his heart hammering roughly. He didn’t expect to have this conversation with Dusk now—especially at work. He could see the truth of what he was saying surprised Dusk. He needed to get his head back in the game. They both did.
As Shane sat behind his desk, he got to work, allowing Dusk to do the same. It wasn’t long before Dusk looked across the room at him.
“I need something to do beside read through two years’ worth of e-mail. What are you working on?”
“Some cold cases. You want to help?”
“Yeah. I’m feeling a little worthless not being out on patrol.”
“You’ll get there. Don’t worry. There’s a SWAT seminar tomorrow that would be good for you to go to.”
Excitement raced through Dusk’s eyes. “Oh, yeah. I need the distraction right now.”
Shane handed the files over to Dusk to have him look through them. Fresh eyes on this case would do both of them some good.
An hour later, Chief Rask rang his office. “This is Shane.”
“Can you meet me in my office in five? I want to talk about Dusk’s progress.”
“I’ll be down in a few.”
As the Chief hung up on the other end, Shane looked across his desk. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Dusk nodded his head without looking up from the file he was buried in. Shane headed down the stairs, all the while thinking about that kiss they shared the night before. The memory of Dusk’s cock in his palm was enough to make his cock raging hard. He slowed on the second landing, taking a rough breath. He gripped the banister hard. It took several long beats before he could get his dick under control. He was ready to deal with the chief and get back to Dusk.
Chief Rask’s assistant waved him inside as he passed. Shane shut the door behind him. His chief was sitting behind his desk with a mountain of files pushed off to the left.
“How’s he doing?”
Shane shrugged. “I’m not sure. He’s feeling a little off balance. He really needs somebody standing next to him for everything.”
“I want you to be that man.”
“I don’t have a problem with that.”
“He’s okay with you staying with him?”
“Yeah, no problems there.”
“Perfect.”
“Okay then. Make sure you stick with him for the rest of the day and for the rest of the week for that matter. I don’t like the idea of him getting injured again.”
“Neither do I.”
With that thought in mind, Shane headed back up to his office to check on Dusk. He didn’t like the idea of leaving him alone for too long. When he did, Dusk always seemed to disappear. He opened the door and sure enough, the man was gone.
“Fuck.”
Where was he? His
first instinct was to go to the men’s room on this floor. A quick check of the stalls told him that he was not there. Where could he have gone in the ten minutes that he left him?
Frustrated, he reached for his cell and dialed Dusk. He didn’t answer. Annoyed, Shane paced back to his office, trying to figure out where to go. He headed downstairs toward the Training Center. He looked around but he wasn’t there. It was like the man had just up and disappeared.
Concerned, he went out to the parking lot and looked around for his car but didn’t see it there. The man was gone again. Where the fuck was he? He needed to put a GPS on Dusk if he was ever going to make sure he was going to protect him and keep him safe from himself.
As he paced back and forth, looking down at his phone, he was surprised to see Dusk pull back into the parking lot. Dusk got out of his car and crossed the lot with two bags of food and drinks. When he saw Shane at the back door, concern slashed through his eyes.
“Everything okay?” Dusk asked.
“Where were you?”
“I was hungry. I thought I’d get us both lunch.”
Relieved that Dusk was okay, he keyed open the door.
“I left a note. Did you see it?”
“No. Where did you put it?”
“On your monitor. It must have fallen off.”
Shane held the door for Dusk as they headed back inside and down the long hallway to the elevators. Shane hit the button with a little more force than necessary, offering to take some of the bags off Dusk’s hands.
Annoyance moved through him for the amount of concern he felt for this man. He usually wasn’t so panicky or needy but there was something about the way Dusk worked hard to maintain his independence.
Alone in his office with Dusk again, Shane looked across his desk and saw the note taped to his monitor. There it said, I’ll be back in a few. – Dusk
“Were you really that worried about me?”
Shane lifted his lips in a small smile. “A bit. I was afraid you fell and hurt yourself.”
“Don’t tell me you want me to get Life Alert?”
“I’m thinking about that or an ankle monitor.”
“I don’t need a GPS monitor—not yet.”
Going on as though he hadn’t heard, Shane said, “I’m sure I can find one that’s not being used around here.”
The teasing tone of Shane’s voice sent a shot of laughter from Dusk. “Not going to happen.”
“I like your laugh.”
A blush crept up his neck, causing Dusk to look away.
“You’re easily embarrassed, too. I can come on really strong.” Shane let his voice dip lower. “I bet you’d like me to come on even stronger.”
Dusk swallowed hard as he reached for one of the bags, digging into a sandwich and chips. He was now ignoring Shane.
There was a cool aloofness about Dusk as they worked the rest of the day. At shift change, K9 officer Rolland brought Colt to their office for them to take home. Seeing Dusk, Colt rushed over, licking his face as he did. As Shane watched the dog love on Dusk, he immediately got jealous. He wanted to be the one loving on this man.
Sexual tension vibrated through Shane’s body as his gaze locked on Dusk’s. “Ready to get going?”
“Yeah. Thanks for making this happen.”
“No problem.”
As they left for the day, Shane followed Dusk in his vehicle as they drove home. Relieved that Dusk didn’t have any problems driving the darkened backroads to his house. They pulled in to the driveway within seconds of each other and headed inside.
They immediately went to the kitchen. Dusk shut the front door behind them. Colt rushed toward the kitchen. “Go get changed. I’ll take care of dinner.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. You got lunch.”
“Thanks.”
They were falling into a comfortable routine. It was exactly what Shane wanted. He listened to Dusk’s footsteps take him upstairs and into the master bedroom. Shane popped a frozen lasagna into the oven, setting the temperature.
After making a salad and cutting up some fresh tomatoes, Shane realized Dusk was taking longer than he should have. That thought had him racing up the stairs and heading straight for the master bedroom. Shane saw Dusk’s work clothes neatly folded on the edge of the bed.
The sound of the shower running had him moving toward the bathroom. No sound was coming out. Did he fall? Was Dusk out cold? Shane pushed open the door. Nothing prepared him for what he was about to see.
Dusk was standing under the hot spray, hands pressed against the tile with his head hanging heavily. He knew without a doubt that there were tears flowing from his eyes, mixing with the water.
Unable to let him suffer alone, Shane crossed the tile floor, opening the glass door and stepping inside. He pulled Dusk to his chest and cradled his head. Shane held on tight. “It’s okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise. Just let it out.”
And that’s what Dusk did. He cried until he was spent. When he was finished and Shane was confident all of his tears were gone, Shane lifted up Dusk’s chin so their eyes met. “Feel better?”
He nodded.
“Good.”
Unable to let go of him just yet, Shane leaned down and kissed him passionately. He heard a desperate moan go through Dusk’s body as he held on tight. Temptation had Shane wanting to take this further but he knew he shouldn’t.
“We can’t.”
Shane broke his lips away and wasn’t surprised when Dusk chased his further. “Do you want to know? Do you want to know what I was thinking when you were looking at me in the car before your injury?”
“I do.”
“I wanted to take you home with me that night. I wanted to show you how good we could be together. I wanted to take control of you, and I didn’t care that we worked together.”
“You did?”
“The job was the only thing standing in our way but it seems that fate has thrown us back together. So, what are we going to do about it now?”
Shane saw the pleading look and desperation within his eyes. He knew exactly what Dusk wanted but he wasn’t ready. He needed more time to feel better. Shane needed him strong for what he needed to do so they were both satisfied in the bedroom.
“Your training starts tomorrow for SWAT. So does your submissive training. I think it’s time we got started on our relationship. Is that okay with you?”
“Yes.”
“You’re eager and ready.”
“I am.”
It was hard to hold him back. He was like a racehorse stomping at the gate and ready to be unleashed. “It’s not yet time.”
“You’re toying with me.”
He started to pull away but Shane blocked him against the edge of the porcelain sink. “I’m preparing you to be ready for me.”
Dusk’s breath left him in a quiet whoosh of need as he bit the corner of his lip. “Okay.”
Temptation had Shane leaning down for another taste of the man he so desperately wanted to fuck all night long.
“Dinner’s in the oven. Let’s get you dressed, have a little dinner and watch a movie tonight. Sound like fun?”
“Actually, it does.”
They moved into the bedroom. Shane made sure he was steady before turning toward the dresser where he found boxers, jeans, and a t-shirt. As Shane turned to help him, Dusk let the towel drop to the corner of the bed. His cock was raging hard and glistening with a drip at the top of his cockhead. Shane’s heart hammered as he froze.
“You’re disobedient.”
“Teach me to be obedient, Sir.”
Shane put his hands on his hips. He was losing control while his submissive was pushing his buttons. “I didn’t want to do this now but you’ve left me with little choice.”
He moved forward, pushing aside the collar of his shirt to pick up the gold chain around his neck. Shane unclasped it, looping it around his fingers as he stood in front of his submissive. “I’m
your Dom. I’m in control of your cock at all times.”
With that, Shane slipped the looped chain down around his sub’s throbbing dick. He pulled it sung at the base before making a secondary chain that he moved over his balls. Dusk shivered, making a quiet muffled noise through his nostrils as a shot of cum spilled from his tip. There was the crack in his composure Shane wanted to see. With the chain locked down tight on his cock and balls, Shane stepped back, satisfied with his work.
“Get dressed, sub. I’ll meet you downstairs for dinner in five minutes.”
A whimper of protest sounded from Dusk’s parted lips before Shane cut it off with a look. “Obey, sub.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Shane needed to cool off. “I’m going to change. I’ll be downstairs in a few.”
A little while later and they were sitting with their food on the couch, watching a really bad movie. “This movie is awful.”
“I think this officially starts bad movie night for us.”
Shane chuckled. “I think it does, too.”
Despite putting the chain on Dusk to teach him a lesson, Shane wanted to move in a little bit closer. Dusk was waiting for him to make the next move. As Shane watched him out of the corner of his eye, he decided he had to do something to test his submissive.
Ever so slowly, Shane let his eyes go heavy within the darkness, racing his gaze up and down over Dusk’s body. Shane’s dick hardened, filling fast against the fly of his jeans. He hadn’t bothered to put on any boxers before he slipped them on after getting out of the shower. He now knew it was a mistake to not have another barrier between him and his submissive.
Seconds later, Dusk caught him staring. Heat and sexual tension started building between them. It was only a matter of time before Shane’s resolve snapped and he took Dusk to bed. It couldn’t be tonight but how was he supposed to deal with this attraction every night until Dusk was ready?
As if sensing that Shane was ready, Dusk moved in close, pressing his body to his. “Just hold me for a little while. I just want you to hold me.”
Suppressing a moan of pleasure that threaten to escape his lips, Shane sighed as Dusk stretched out along his long length on the couch. The movie droned on in the background but Shane couldn’t hear any of it. All Shane could focus on was the man lying next to him. With his hand subconsciously tracing his muscles beneath the thin cotton of his shirt, Shane wanted to go further.
