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“But you helped Finn yesterday. And that girl.”
“Blood’s blood. Two legs or four doesn’t really factor in when you’ve got someone bleeding out.”
Newfound respect went through Jax as he realized how freaked out Dane must have been yesterday beyond the shit that had happened with his kid. Dane didn’t seem to notice or care that Jax was still caught off guard by the revelation and carefully stepped into the run. He pushed the pig back with his legs and held the door for Jax.
“You want me to come in there?” Jax asked, dumbfounded.
“Yeah, I need you to hold her while I check her teeth. She’s got an abscess.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Jax said.
“Hurry up before the babies get out,” Dane quipped.
Jax carefully stepped into the run, his foot instantly sliding in a soft pile under the straw. Dane leaned past him to close the door and Jax would have enjoyed the feel of the man’s hard body brushing his, but he was too concerned with the monstrous pig that was sniffing his legs. Jesus, did pigs bite?
“Let’s get her back in the corner,” Dane said as he began corralling the large animal into the far corner of the run, mindful of the countless babies dashing around. Jax followed him and cringed when he saw Dane kneel in the straw. “Just steady her,” he said as he looked at Jax expectantly. Jax finally gave up and knelt next to Dane and put his hands on the pig’s body.
Dane began working the pig’s mouth open and the animal tried to pull away. Jax leaned against her as Dane began speaking softly to the animal, that delicious voice of his skittering over Jax’s nerve endings. It took Dane just moments to examine the pig and then he was getting to his feet. “Hold her for a sec. I’ve got to get some antibiotics.”
“You’re leaving me here with her?” Jax nearly yelled as the pig began sniffing his shirt.
“I’ll be gone for a minute. You’ll be fine,” Dane said with a chuckle as he left the run. Jax swore he heard the guy whisper something about wishing he had his phone.
“In and out, that’s what this trip was supposed to be,” Jax said to the pig as she leaned against him, her dank smell permeating his senses. “Nice long drive with a quick stop to drop off a few papers, then back to the city – that’s it. Twenty-four hours later and a man is dead and I’m sitting in a pile of pig shit to help out the hot country vet with the cute kid,” he lamented to the animal.
“You’re not exactly sitting in shit, you know,” Dane said as he reappeared at the kennel door and opened the latch. Jax groaned inwardly as he realized the man had overheard every word he’d said. “You do have some on your shoe, though.”
Dane leaned over the pig and jabbed a needle into her. The animal didn’t even flinch.
“What the hell did I need to keep holding her for?” Jax snapped. Dane just smiled at him, then held out his hand to help Jax up. Electricity shot through Jax at the contact and he was pushing Dane back against the wall of the run before he could stop himself. The grin on Dane’s lips fled when Jax’s cock pressed against his. Everything around them disappeared as Jax trailed his fingers down the other man’s sides.
“You shouldn’t eavesdrop,” Jax said as he let one of his hands curve around to brush Dane’s ass.
“I didn’t realize you and Lucinda had so much to talk about,” Dane returned.
Jax’s eyes settled on Dane’s mouth as he spoke and when the words were all out, Dane left his lips just slightly parted. An invitation? Jax wasn’t sure and in that instant he didn’t care because he needed a taste. As he dipped his head, Dane closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Definitely an invitation. But this time it was the vet’s daughter who killed the moment with a piercing wail and Dane tensed beneath his hands.
“She probably needs to be changed,” Dane mumbled and Jax nearly laughed at the mood killing observation. He released Dane and stepped back to let the man collect his daughter. God, he needed that shower more than ever now and not just to get the smell of pig off his skin.
ChapterThree
Dane drummed his fingers on the armrest as Jax sped down the highway that led into town. They hadn’t spoken a word since the near kiss that Dane had wanted in that moment more than he wanted to breathe. Jax had gone upstairs to shower and Dane had changed Emma and put her in her Pack N Play in the living room while he got breakfast ready. The sight of Jax freshly showered and shaved and back in his fancy suit had Dane turned on all over again and he hadn’t hesitated to take Jax up on his offer to watch Emma so Dane could shower. What he hadn’t expected was the sight that greeted him on his return downstairs.
Jax had been laying on his back on the living room floor and was holding Emma high up in the air above him before slowly lowering her as he made faces at her. Each time he’d done it, Dane’s daughter had laughed and grabbed at his cheeks. Hearing his daughter’s happy, baby babble had lit him up from the inside like it always did, but seeing the smile on Jax’s lips as he played with Emma had Dane longing for something he once thought he’d have with someone else.
“Where are you from?” he asked Jax as he realized he knew next to nothing about the man.
“Seattle.”
“What are you doing in Montana?”
Jax kept his eyes on the road and was silent long enough to make Dane wonder if he wasn’t going to answer. “Rhys tell you about his past?”
“Finn told me he went to prison for assaulting his partner. They were both cops in Chicago.”
“They were lovers too,” Jax said. “Guy’s name was Tom Rawlings and he was dirty, though Rhys didn’t know it until it was too late.”
“Too late?” Dane asked curiously.
