Chapter 1-3
501 Words
Dane waved when he saw his partner leaving. Apparently Barrington hadn’t shared the same searing wash of s****l fantasy he had experienced when they’d met. At first he thought he’d seen a slight pause in Bear’s breathing and the tightening of his jaw, but there was no “look” from him, so Dane decided he’d projected his own gay feelings on the man.
Okay, so the guy was straight. He’d have to live with that. It wasn’t the first time he’d been attracted to a hetero. Still, this one had ripped his breath away with only one look into jade green eyes that reflected a serious nature, and at the broad, solid build of a man whose sandy-colored hair was clipped in a buzz cut. A patch of the same sandy hair showed just above the neckline of the mock crew neck shirt he wore under his jacket.
His looks might be unremarkable, but his presence was like an energy flow swirling around him. Dane had watched everyone respond to it as they would to anyone who had the mysterious charisma for leadership.
He’d immediately wondered what the man’s c**k would feel like.
“Does he ever talk much?” he asked Deidre and Carole.
They laughed.
“It wouldn’t be Bear if he ran off at the mouth,” Carole said.
“Maybe he doesn’t say much, but you can count on him to be there if you need him. You can trust his assessment of a rescue situation, and when he does speak, everyone listens, even Bill although he’s the leader,” Deidre added.
“I noticed that. Is he married?” Dane’s throat tightened as he waited for the response. He’d looked for a ring when Bear had removed his gloves to eat, but a lot of married guys didn’t like wearing rings and there was no white ring on his skin.
“Nah. He’s got a girlfriend, but she doesn’t live here. Las Vegas maybe? Celeste comes down for our Christmas party. Comes for the muster if he’s competing. Nice gal. They’ve known each other a long time, I think,” Carole said. “We tease him about popping the question, but he just smiles. He never talks about his personal life. Only about Blood and SAR. And his motorcycle. He does talk with the guys about his Kawasaki Ninja.”
So he had a girl. Disappointment rifled through his chest.
“Because he’s got Celeste, it means hands off for us and, believe me, I can think of a lot of places on that body I’d like to put my hands. You betcha.” Deidre tossed her empty soda can into the recycle basket they carried.
Dane’s hands tingled. He, too, could think of all kinds of spots where he’d like to touch and fondle Bear.
“Next time you come, we’ll probably go out for lunch afterwards. There’s a great sandwich shop in Crestview. It’s not far from here, and they have a room where we can have the dogs with us.”
“Sounds like fun.”
As they stood to leave, Carole asked, “Since you’ve asked about Bear, let me ask if you’re married.”
Dane felt his face flush. He always dreaded this question. “Nope. Not married.”
“We’ll keep that in mind,” Deidre said.
“You’d better believe it,” Carole shot back.
Dane relaxed and laughed with them. They were nice women. But that was the problem; they were female.
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