Cattle Valley 26 - Shadow Soldier (6 page)

Deacon pulled up in front of Aaron’s apartment early, hoping they could spend some time together before going to Luke’s. He knocked on the door and waited. When there was no immediate reply, he started to worry and banged harder, ready to kick the door down if he needed.

“Hey,” Aaron answered, his hair dripping wet and a towel around his hips. “Sorry, I was in the shower. You’re early.”
Deacon gave Aaron a subtle push and entered the apartment, closing the door behind him. Sex hadn’t been the reason he’d come early, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the lowriding towel. “I’d say I’m right on time.”
“Hmmm.” Aaron dropped the towel and moved in for a kiss.
Although not normally aggressive, Deacon attacked Aaron’s mouth like he hadn’t been kissed in ages. He began to nudge Aaron towards the bedroom a step at a time while reaching between them to encircle Aaron’s hardening cock.
Aaron broke the kiss and gasped for air. “Damn.”
“You feel good.” Deacon continued to slowly jack Aaron’s cock, using his cane to steady himself.
Aaron scrambled to get Deacon’s jeans unfastened as he continued to walk backwards. “You started this, so you damn well better finish it.”
The thought of burying himself inside Aaron had gooseflesh springing up on Deacon’s skin. “I plan to.” They reached the bed and Aaron broke away long enough to pull the covers back. Gloriously nude, Aaron directed Deacon to the soft white sheets.
Deacon rested his cane against the headboard. “If you’ll help with the shoes, I’ll take care of the rest.”
Aaron shook his head and knelt in front of Deacon. “I’ve waited too long for this. I’ll let you take off your shirt, but these jeans and what’s underneath them are all mine.”
Deacon unbuttoned his shirt and held it out. “Mind putting that on the chair for me?” Normally, he would’ve just tossed it aside, but they still had a dinner party to attend. He watched Aaron’s ass as he walked several steps on his knees to drape the shirt over the seat of a small chair. A glimpse of Aaron’s red ass bothered him. “Stay where you are and bend over.”
“Huh?”
“Just for a second,” Deacon pleaded, his gaze zeroing in on Aaron’s hole. He grunted. “I thought you said you hadn’t had sex in a while?”
Aaron rose from his hands and knees and walked towards the bed. “I was horny when I got home from your place. You want me to show you the dildo? It’s still in the shower if you’d care to see it.”
It was obvious Deacon had offended Aaron, which was the last thing he wanted. He laid back on the mattress and stretched his arms over his head. “Sorry. I can be a jealous bastard when I like someone.”
Aaron unzipped Deacon’s jeans and started to pull them down, kissing Deacon’s skin as it was exposed. “I won’t do it anymore if it bothers you. I’ve been alone a long time.”
Deacon reached down and feathered his fingers through Aaron’s short blond hair at the first lick of Aaron’s tongue to the tip of his cock. While Deacon hated the idea of Aaron using a dildo as a substitute for his cock, he knew there would be times when he’d have to leave town. Better that Aaron could please himself when Deacon wasn’t around rather than looking for someone else. “Don’t pay any attention to me. You do what you need to do.”
Aaron licked down the length of Deacon’s shaft to nuzzle his balls with his nose. “Look on the bright side, I’m all stretched and turned on.”
Aaron started to push Deacon’s jeans further down his legs, but Deacon stopped him. “My leg’s nasty-looking. Don’t feel bad if it’s hard for you to look at.”
Aaron continued, pulling the jeans off completely before speaking. “I’ve told you before, I’m better now at looking at this kind of stuff.” He lightly brushed his palm over Deacon’s calf and thigh. “It doesn’t gross me out, but it makes me feel bad that you went through so much pain alone.”
Deacon didn’t tell Aaron he had had quite a few visitors after the car wreck that had injured him and caused Bobby’s death. He still remembered waking up to find the President of the United States standing at his bedside. At the time, it didn’t matter who had come to see him, none of them were close enough to really help him heal. He reached down and held out his hands. “Come back up here.”
Deacon moved to stretch out on the big bed. With the side of his face buried in Aaron’s pillow, Deacon inhaled. He doubted he’d ever forget Aaron’s smell, hoping he’d never have to.
Aaron scooted in beside Deacon. Belly to belly, Deacon lined his erection up with Aaron and wrapped his hand around both of them. “Do you have stuff, or would you rather get off this way?”
Aaron chuckled and pulled away to retrieve supplies. “I bought the box of rubbers the day I met you.”
Deacon moved his hand to rest on Aaron’s back. He still had an hour before they needed to be at Luke’s and rushing through his first time with Aaron wasn’t on the agenda. He’d seen several pale scars on Aaron’s torso and knew exactly how they’d got there. It felt odd to know so much about a man before intimacy.
Aaron hooked his leg over Deacon’s hip. “This okay?”
Deacon moved Aaron’s leg higher to rest over his waist. “This is even better.” He picked up the lube and dripped a fair amount onto his fingers. As he hungrily kissed Aaron, Deacon found the stretched hole he’d observed earlier. In no time, Deacon had his fingers moving in and out of Aaron’s hole, in no hurry to move things to the next level. Simply holding Aaron in his arms was more than he’d hoped for before telling Aaron the truth about his background check. The fact that Aaron was more embarrassed that Deacon knew the truth than how Deacon had done it, still niggled at the back of his mind.
Aaron shifted, taking Deacon’s cock in hand. “Want you,” he whispered, breaking the kiss.
“We have time,” Deacon assured him, trying to keep things slow.
“Time has nothing to do with it.” Aaron withdrew a condom from the box. “Okay, maybe it does. I just want to make sure this happens before you get another phone call or change your mind.”
Deacon ripped the packet open with his teeth. “I can’t guarantee the phone won’t ring, but there’s no way in hell I’m changing my mind.” He rolled the rubber down the length of his cock before pinching the tipped reservoir to make sure there was room.
“Does that mean as long as I give you privacy for your phone calls, you’ll agree to spend the night after the party?”
Gazing into Aaron’s big eyes, Deacon doubted there was anything he could deny the man. “Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”
Aaron scooted up on the bed enough for Deacon to align his cock with the stretched hole. “I’m off, but then I have to work two days in a row. I didn’t used to mind it. In fact, I usually took all the offered shifts I could get, but that was before I met you.”
Deacon rubbed his cock back and forth across Aaron’s hole several times before entering. Aaron’s acceptance of Deacon’s thick cock warmed him, probably more than it should. Groaning, he eased in to the hilt in one smooth thrust. “Fits like a glove.”
Aaron gave Deacon’s shoulders a subtle push. “Roll over, let me ride you.”
Deacon went with it and tumbled to his back, bringing Aaron with him. He hated to sound weak, but he wasn’t sure how his upper thigh would handle the jarring motion of Aaron’s ass. Without telling Aaron the reason, Deacon cupped both of Aaron’s butt cheeks and lifted him off his injured leg.
Aaron planted his feet on the mattress and leant forward to kiss Deacon as he bobbed up and down on Deacon’s cock.
Deacon let Aaron take the lead. His lips were licked, sucked and nibbled as he continued to fuck upwards into Aaron. He’d gone a long time without the feel of a man’s ass wrapped around his cock, so long, in fact, that he’d forgotten how addictive good sex could be. “Touch yourself.”
Aaron released Deacon’s lip. “If I touch my cock I’m gonna come.”
“I know.” Deacon looked pleadingly at Aaron. He hated to admit he was on the verge of coming after only a handful of minutes. Sweat that he couldn’t wipe away, began to drip from his forehead down the side of his face.
Aaron made a show of jacking himself off. A performance Deacon very much appreciated. Each tug of his dick punctuated with a grunt, groan or babble. Deacon knew he was staring into the eyes of the sexiest man he’d ever known. He thrust up as hard as he could while he pulled Aaron down firmly on his cock.
“Oohhh, fuck!” Deacon howled as the first shot of cum exploded from his cock.
“Yeah!” Aaron seemed to agree as he climaxed, painting Deacon’s chest with a silky rope of seed.
Deacon eased Aaron to his side, withdrawing from his warmth. “I’ll go longer next time, promise.”
With a contented smile, Aaron curled around Deacon’s sweating body. He removed the condom from Deacon’s cock and swiftly tied it into a knot, setting it beside the bed. “Next time, you should tell me which position is more comfortable for your leg.” He ended the sentence by slipping his lips around Deacon’s softened cock.
Deacon reached down and brushed Aaron’s cheek. He’d never had a partner clean his cock so thoroughly after making love. The gesture touched him. As he threaded his fingers through Aaron’s hair, long dormant feelings within him rose to the surface. “I didn’t know that I would ever be able to love again after I lost Bobby.”
Aaron released Deacon’s cock and crawled back up to rest his head on the pillow. “Tell me about him. Where did you meet?”
Deacon rubbed his bare chest, the memories of Bobby still painful at times. “He was a bartender. I met him when I was stationed in Kentucky between tours.” He smiled, remembering his first love. “He was as country as country gets, but I knew the second I laid eyes on him that he was a kindred spirit.”
Aaron threaded his fingers through Deacon’s where they rested on his chest. There would always be a place in his heart for Bobby, but Aaron was quickly filling every ounce of available space. “I appreciate you asking about him, but maybe now’s not the time. Let’s just lay here and make out.”
Aaron grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

“Kenny and Eli should be here anytime.” Luke covered the marinating steaks with plastic wrap. “So…you haven’t mentioned the incident in town.”
Deacon took a drink of his bourbon. “Everything turned out okay, just an accident.” He stared out the big kitchen window. Priest was out in the small barn showing Aaron a new batch of kittens. “You know Aaron’s gonna fall in love and want to take one home.”
“I guarantee he’ll fall in love. I swear that’s the cutest litter I’ve ever seen.” Luke grabbed his beer from the counter and joined Deacon at the table. “So, what really happened today?”
“I told him the truth.” Deacon didn’t want to think of the near tragedy, let alone talk about it. “He freaked out and ran into the street.”
“And you saved him,” Luke finished for him.
“Yeah.” He rubbed his leg. Between his earlier sprint and fucking Aaron, Deacon’s leg was killing him.
Luke tapped his bottle against Deacon’s glass. “You do a lot of that.”
“I didn’t think twice about running in front of that SUV for Aaron, but it has me thinking. I know the situation earlier was an accident, but what if someone tries to get to him the way they did you? I lost Bobby because of this damn job. Is it selfish to put Aaron in danger?”
“Blindly? Yeah, probably, but I thought you said you told him the truth. If he knows what he could be getting into, it’s his decision. Even if I’d known I’d have to go through that torture shit with Jeffries, I probably wouldn’t have changed my mind about being with Priest.” Luke smiled. “Especially now.”
“He doesn’t know everything, just enough to know I can’t really talk about the other part of my life.”
“That’s wrong.” Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “If you’re going to be honest, be honest for fuck’s sake. If he really cares for you, it won’t matter. Look at me and Priest, for example. I didn’t run away screaming when he told me, and Aaron won’t either.”
“Speaking of, has Priest said anything about our earlier phone conversation?” Although Deacon had decided to tell Priest of his position in the agency, he’d begun to change his mind.
“No, why?”
“I was afraid he recognised my voice. I’ve considered promoting Midnight to my position and getting out entirely. If that’s the case, I see no reason for Priest to know.”
Luke shook his head. “It feels like I’m lying to him every time he asks, and I put him off. You can’t keep doing that to me. Besides, I think he already suspects. He made a comment the other day that it was strange how close you and I have become in such a short time. You’ve never really told me why it’s so important to you.”
“Would you want Priest walking around telling everyone what he did for a living? People in my line of work stay alive by keeping secrets.” He held up a hand when Luke opened his mouth to argue. “Even,
at times
, from each other.”
“Promise me one thing. If he ever asks you directly, tell him the truth.”
Luke’s friendship meant the world to him, so, despite his misgivings, Deacon made a decision on the spot. “I’ll tell him the truth tonight.”
“Good. Do it now before Kenny and Eli get here. Go outside and tell Aaron I need his help in the kitchen.”
Reluctantly, Deacon got to his feet. “Does Priest let you boss him around like this?”
Luke winked. “Sometimes, depends on his mood.”

Deacon wasn’t surprised to find Aaron on the floor of the barn surrounded by a litter of playful kittens. However, he certainly didn’t expect the scene to be so damn heart-warming. One kitten in particular seemed to love the taste of Aaron’s earlobe—he could relate. The black and white kitten instantly became Deacon’s favourite. “Having fun?”

Beaming, Aaron looked up at Deacon. “I think your store needs a cat. I’d take one in a heartbeat, but there’s a no pet policy at the apartments.”
“I agree,” Priest chimed in from off to the side.
“I had a tabby up until a couple months ago.”
“Really? You never told me that. What was his name?” Aaron shook one of the kittens off his arm when it began to play too rough.
“Her,” Deacon corrected. “Tabby. She was the laziest cat you’ve ever met. The only time she got up was to eat or move to another sunny spot in the apartment. One day she just didn’t wake up.” Deacon shrugged. “I guess if you’re gonna go, dying in a warm sunny spot is the place to do it.”
“I’m sorry. Do you think about getting another one?”
“I’d consider it, but what if I have to go out of town for something?”
“Well, if we’re still…” Aaron cut himself off and pulled the black and white kitten from his ear. “I’m sure you could find someone willing to cat sit.”
Deacon wasn’t sure why Aaron had stopped short of offering his services, but he knew it was something they’d need to discuss without an audience. “Luke needs your help in the kitchen.”
“Now?” Aaron asked, stroking the jumble of kittens.
“That’s what he said.” Deacon stooped to snag the little black and white with his hand. He held the cat up and stared into his blue eyes. Noticing his markings, Deacon chuckled. “You’re too young to have a moustache.”
Aaron got to his feet and brushed the dust off his jeans. He scratched the cat behind the ears. “He’s my favourite.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty cute.”
“Just think about it.” Aaron gave the kitten one last cuddle before leaving the barn.
Deacon took over rubbing Groucho’s ears.
Ahh, shit
, he thought. He swore after Tabby died he’d never let another animal own him. “When’ll they be ready to take home?” he asked Priest.
Priest tried to hide a grin behind his beer bottle. “I reckon he’s ready. I haven’t forced the issue because the longer momma feeds them the less I have to.”
“Have you had them in the house at all?” Sure, he was trying to talk himself out of getting the kitten, but if it hadn’t been for that damn moustache and those big hopeful eyes of Aaron’s, he wouldn’t have considered it in the first place.
“Luke moved them out here this afternoon. I’ve been tiptoeing around the little peckers for nine weeks.”
Deacon held Groucho up to his face. “You want to come home with me?”
Priest cleared his throat. “Did you really come out here to pick out a kitten? Because I happen to know Luke hates help in the kitchen.”
Deacon set the baby down to play with his brothers and sisters for a while longer. “I think the two of us should talk.”
“Okay.” Priest gestured to a bale of straw. “Have a seat.”
Deacon was grateful for the rest. He settled on the straw and stared at the kittens while trying to figure out how to begin the conversation. Glancing up, he found Priest staring at him through a narrow-eyed gaze.
He knows
. “Have you been to the hardware store lately?”
Priest slowly nodded his head in understanding. “Yeah, bought a box of shells earlier today as a matter of fact.” He sat there for several moments before jumping to his feet.
Deacon braced himself, prepared for whatever Priest threw his way. In a surprising move, Priest stalked over to Deacon and dropped to his knees. “You saved Luke’s life. If there’s ever anything, and I mean
anything
, you need, I’ll be there.”
“Glad to see you’re not angry.” Deacon lightly jabbed Priest with his cane. “But get up, you’re making me nervous.”
It was as if Priest hadn’t realised what he’d done. With a loud grunt, he got to his feet. “You ever tell anyone I did that, I’ll deny it.”
Deacon grinned. It seemed Priest wasn’t as untouchable as everyone in the agency believed. It was nice to see the black giant had a soft spot, even if it was only for Luke. Once again, Deacon worried about bringing Aaron into the dangerous world he lived in. He’d already told Midnight he was planning to quit. Maybe it was time to make that trip to Washington. “As soon as Midnight returns, he’ll take over my position. In the meantime, I have to deal with the formality of handing my resignation directly to the President. I’d appreciate it if you could keep an eye on Aaron while I’m gone.”
Priest nodded. “Just tell me when.”
“I’ll let you know.” Deacon watched Groucho tackle one of the others. “Groucho’s gonna be a handful, I can tell already.”
“Groucho?” Priest shook his head. “At least it’s more original than Tabby.”
“Tabby came to me as a stray. I didn’t know how long she’d stick around so I didn’t want to get too attached. After a while, the name stuck and so did she.” Deacon reached down and scooped the kitten up. Groucho climbed Deacon’s chest and perched precariously on his shoulder.
Priest chuckled and tossed his empty bottle into the trashcan. “You look like a gay pirate.”
Deacon growled at the insult, giving his best pirate imitation in the process. He held onto Groucho and got to his feet. “You think Luke will allow this one back inside until we leave?”
Priest turned off the main overhead lights, leaving on one bare bulb beside the door. “It’s not bringing him back in that’s the problem. You may have to do some fast talking to get outta here with that one.”
Deacon walked out of the barn carrying Groucho. “I’m not worried. He owes me.”