Solace (20 page)

S
hane’s jaw clenched
, his teeth grinding together. He stared down his opponent with a hatred he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Burnt lasagna stared back at him, not seeming to give one single fuck.

“God damn it,” he huffed, tossing down his oven mitt.

This was the second one he’d tried to cook. Not from scratch—he didn’t want to give anybody food poisoning—but even the premade version he’d picked up from the grocery store seemed impossible to cook right. If he took it out too soon, it was ice cold in the middle. If he left it in too long, it filled his kitchen with unholy black smoke.

Apparently he wasn’t going to be making a career for himself as a cook.

Grumbling, Shane pulled the thing out to cool. From the corner of his eye, he saw Buttercup sniff the air. She gave him a look that said she wasn’t impressed.

“Yeah, you wanna try doing this? It’s not as easy as it looks.”

Buttercup huffed, then rolled over onto her side, apparently bored of the conversation.

Glancing at the clock above the stove, Shane swore under his breath. Not enough time to go get yet another premade lasagna from the store.

He’d have to settle for a
really
premade one.

Grabbing one of the takeout menus from the drawer, he dialed the number and hoped he could at least fake it well enough to get his point across.

He really wasn’t good at this domestic shit.

* * *

B
y the time
he heard Aaron’s car pull up in the driveway, he’d just finished carefully scooping the single-serve lasagna portions out of their trays. Now they were arranged on two plates, with some of the sauce pooling around them and a little parsley thrown haphazardly on top.

He might not be a good cook, but he could fake it like a damn pro.

Except for the fact that the takeout bag was still on the table, along with the trays. He gathered everything up, stuffing it into the trash before remembering he’d meant to bust open a bottle of wine and light some candles or something.

Jesus, he was terrible at this.

Aaron’s key turned in the lock, and Shane’s heart began to pound. It shouldn’t be a big deal. Aaron had spent almost all the time he wasn’t at work with Shane. It wasn’t like this would change things between them.

But to Shane, it felt huge.

He stood by the table, drumming his fingers nervously. Buttercup went up to greet Aaron, and Shane smiled as Aaron’s fingers stroked through her fur.

When Aaron caught sight of him, though, his shock was obvious. He took in the place settings and the two heaped plates of food at the dining room table, then his gaze moved to Shane and his lips quirked into a smile.

“Is that Cino’s?”

Damn. Already busted.

Shane put down the hand towel he’d used to clean up the plates, then crossed the room in a few long strides. His arms came around Aaron’s waist, and he pulled the man to him, earning a near-purr for his efforts.

If he couldn’t fool Aaron, he could definitely distract him.

“No. It just looks and tastes exactly like Cino’s,” he admitted, speaking the words against the soft skin of Aaron’s neck before his lips touched that point where his pulse thrummed vibrantly.

His mouth moved along Aaron’s neck, his tongue dragging lazily over bare skin. Aaron let out a soft moan, one of his hands coming behind Shane’s neck.

It didn’t matter how long he’d had Aaron all to himself. He still couldn’t get enough.

But with a gentle tug, Aaron pulled him away from his goal, and his playful gaze met Shane’s.

“Not-Cino’s is getting cold.”

Shane laughed, but reluctantly let go of Aaron. He led him to the table, and even pulled out a chair for him, which made Aaron blush.

“What’s the special occasion?”

Shane sat across from him at the small table, unable to contain his grin. “I got the papers today. Becca’s going to spend weekends here. And the whole summer, too.”

Aaron beamed at him, making Shane’s smile grow even more. He knew Aaron would understand how much this meant.

“That’s amazing news, Shane!”

“Still have to get the job thing sorted out, but I have a little bit left in savings.” He picked up his fork and cut off a piece of lasagna. “I figure I can paint my old room and put a kid’s bed in there.”

“We can pick out some paint tomorrow.”

Shane’s leg bounced under the table. This was it. This was his opening. If he didn’t do it now, he was going to lose his nerve.

“Actually, while we’re there… If you wanna pick out some curtains or wallpaper or something…”

He glanced across the table carefully, but Aaron had taken a bite of his lasagna. “I’ve never put together a kid’s room before, so I don’t know how good I’ll be at it. But we can probably find something online. Maybe Pinterest.”

So much for the subtle approach. Shane put down his fork and leveled his most serious gaze at Aaron.

“I didn’t just mean Becca’s room. I meant the whole house.”

Aaron’s brow knit in confusion. “The whole… But why would I need to…?”

Shane almost groaned. Scooting his chair around the table—and ignoring the obnoxious sound it made as he did—he sat as close to Aaron as he could get, drawing strength from his nearness.

He took Aaron’s hand in his, and Aaron very carefully put down his fork, never taking his eyes from Shane.

“This is my really terrible way of asking you to move in w—”

“Yes,” Aaron said, cutting him off. And then, in case it wasn’t clear, he repeated it a couple more times. “Yes. Yes.”

Shane opened his mouth to tease the other man, but Aaron’s lips were on his before he could get the words out. A little growl rumbled in the back of his throat, and he pulled Aaron onto his lap.

Not-Cino’s was just going to have to wait.

A
aron drew in a deep breath
, his nerves settling in the pit of his stomach like a heap of discarded sticks.

“You’re gonna do great.” Strong hands massaged his shoulders, and Aaron let out a sigh. “They’ll hand over their wallets the second you walk into the room.”

Aaron scoffed. “That’s not how this works.”

“Hey, I call ’em like I see ’em.”

Aaron shook his head, then turned around to look at Shane. That flicker of mischief was there as always, but now there was something deeper. Something that made Aaron’s heart flutter in his chest.

He and Shane had been living together for almost six months now. They’d gone through some growing pains, but it had all been worth it once they got into a rhythm. A rhythm that, to Shane’s delight, also included Becca for two days every week.

Aaron had never been very good with kids, but Becca found a way to get under his skin. Probably a trait she got from her father.

He loved the way Shane opened up when he was with Becca, and Aaron could honestly say that the always-happy little girl had a positive effect on him, too.

When he’d fantasized about the life he might have, it had never been like this. It had been quiet. Lots of snuggling on the couch, maybe a dinner out every now and again. It had never included a loud and boisterous child who seemed to have the energy of ten puppies.

But Aaron wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“Mr. Hayes? They’re ready for you now.”

Aaron disentangled himself from Shane—though not with much haste—and started toward the conference room door. He had his tablet with him, but nothing else in the way of notes.

This time, though, he wasn’t going in alone. Shane stowed the laptop under his arm, winking lazily at Aaron. He shook his head, but the smile remained on his face as he stepped into the room.

Over the next half hour, Aaron and Shane dazzled the crowd. They explained how PFH had gone from a very small, manageable demand to its current demand.

They gave, in Aaron’s opinion, a moving speech about saving two lives at once, and Shane specifically impressed upon them the importance of taking care of American soldiers.

Shane was a godsend in that room. Aaron’s first act as PFH president had been to hire him, despite his protests that he knew absolutely nothing about training—which couldn’t be further from the truth.

Now, they were teaming up to take on a group of potential backers. The money they raised today could allow five more veterans the chance to participate in their program this year.

Shane had taken an active role in planning this meeting, and Aaron had never seen him more passionate.

After their presentation, he and Shane took the group on a tour of the facility. They talked with one of the vets currently in the process of training his dog, then he and Shane decided to divide and conquer, discussing specifics in separate parts of the building.

With about ten minutes left of their allotted time, Aaron felt his phone vibrate. He frowned, briefly excusing himself from a conversation.

This had always been their safety net. Whenever they were feeling overwhelmed—even if it was just the two of them—they resorted to communicating by text.

Aaron swiped his phone to life, expecting an SOS. But what he got was:

He couldn’t help the blush that overtook him. Aaron scanned the hallway, looking for Shane, but he was nowhere to be found.

Shane’s response was almost instant:

Aaron shook his head, wearing a secret smile as he slid his phone back into his pocket.

Being Shane’s boss definitely had a few unexpected perks, and he expected to take full advantage of them tonight.

As soon as they were done securing this deal.

Then maybe he’d get a chance to see the inside of that ring box Shane had “hidden” in the cabinet next to a bottle of celebratory wine.

He couldn’t wait.

P
aws For Hope
is based on the many wonderful not-for-profit organizations across the country that provide a much-needed service for US veterans by matching them with rescue dogs who would otherwise be euthanized. This cause is near and dear to my heart, and I strongly believe these organizations deserve more recognition for the lives they save, both human and canine. 

W
hile I can't list
every organization here, I'd like to list a few that I found in my research. You can click any of the links below to learn more, and I encourage you to search for local organizations in your own community: 

H
ealing4Heroes -
http
://www.healing4heroes.org/

Shelter to Soldier -
http://www.sheltertosoldier.org/

Pets for Vets -
http://www.petsforvets.com/

Paws and Stripes -
http://www.pawsandstripes.org/

Canine Angels -
http://canineangelsusa.org/