10. EION
Chapter ten
EION
I’d kissed Angus, then I did it again, and I wanted to do it a whole lot more.
We had spent the afternoon flirting and touching, which I had hoped meant more.
He was very different as a person than what his exterior showed.
I knew that under those clothes, he would have perfectly defined muscles, and I wanted to enjoy all of that physicality.
But what was most attractive to me was his soul.
When I watched him with the bears, then Annabelle, his kits, and the fox, the solid ice around my heart melted.
It hurt to know that when I needed someone the most, I was left alone.
But Angus seemed like the type of man who wouldn’t care about my injury, but I was still afraid of his response when he found out.
The animals never cared that I struggled a bit, but they didn’t want to be naked with me.
More than anything, I hoped I could be naked with Angus.
Thinking about him made me need to reach out to him even though he hadn’t been gone long.
EION
I had a great day with you
I knew we left things a little off, and I wanted to try to make up for that. Angus accepted my need to run and never got upset or questioned me. How did he understand me so well?
ANGUS
Best. Date. Ever.
When can I see you again?
Another afternoon at the Sanctuary is fine if you aren’t ready for more.
I sighed. This man was incredibly special, and I didn’t think he even realized it. More than anything, I wanted to know him better. It had been about three hours since I told Angus I needed time, and I already wanted to beg him to come back. I wanted him with me while I figured things out.
That made no sense, but I felt both things deeply.
“What do you think?” I looked up at the giraffe, and he nibbled at my hair. “That’s not much of an answer.” Barnaby weaved between Orlando’s legs, and the two of them pranced around. “I like him a lot. The most I’ve liked someone, and that includes that asshole, Trey.”
They wouldn’t know who Trey actually was since the jerk left me when I was still in my hospital bed.
Our life would change, and he wasn’t prepared to deal with someone who had a disability.
The sweet giraffe was one of my first rescues.
He had been living at another sanctuary, and they were moving to another state.
I offered to let Orlando live with me, since it would be less stressful for him to move a few miles than across the country.
Orlando and Annabelle stayed in the same enclosure for a long time.
When a pregnant doe came to live with us, I created the deer enclosure, which ran along Orlando’s stall, so the two best friends could visit.
Thinking about the whole thing made me want to tell Angus. I pulled out my phone.
EION
You have to meet Orlando next time you are here.
He is Annabelle’s best friend
I had no idea what he was up to tonight. Maybe I should have invited him to spend the evening with me. I was so bad at this. My phone chimed.
ANGUS
I’d love to, even though I still haven’t seen him.
“Okay, Orlando. I need you to look your best.” I held my phone up, and Orlando leaned down and pulled on the hood of my sweatshirt. “Smile, buddy.” I took the picture and sent it to Angus.
EION
He’s the giraffe I mentioned. The second resident of the Sanctuary.
ANGUS
Sqeeee. Yes, I want to meet him, please.
There wasn’t really any doubt we would see each other again, but this extra confirmation made me a bit tingly. The next time we were together, I needed to share the truth about me with him.
EION
Any time you want.
ANGUS
How about Thursday? I could come early.
I’ll bring breakfast burritos.
And get dressed in the nursery for work if that’s okay.
“Yes. He’s going to come meet you, Orlando.” I kissed his fuzzy nose when he leaned down.
EION
I’ll be up at 5:00 a.m.
ANGUS
How about 8:00 a.m.?
EION
It’s a date. I can’t wait.
ANGUS
Me too.
We had a second date planned, and I was excited. I also hoped there would be more kissing. As I went back to my trailer, my heart still fluttered.
The following morning, as I took care of the animals, each of them heard about the boy I liked.
I checked in with Annabelle to get her opinion of Angus.
The best I could tell, she liked him, but that might have been because he gave her treats.
At the end of the day, I went to the nursery to visit the babies who needed special care.
Atlas’s hip was getting stronger. After putting her up, I took all five raccoons out and let them play.
Barnaby lay in the middle while they climbed all over him.
I took tons of pictures and sent them to Angus.
I hoped the day would go quickly because he would be here in the morning with breakfast.
There was no way I could pinpoint the last time I had been excited about meeting and bringing someone into my space—nobody had actually been to the Sanctuary.
Before heading to my trailer, I triple-checked that everything was perfect for my morning date.
At 5:30 a.m., I needed caffeine because my night had been filled with memories of Angus’ mouth and dreams about taking things further.
When I woke up, I was nervous about him not showing up.
It was six in the morning, and I was giddy.
Yes, giddy. I made a thermos of coffee for our breakfast, then showered and got ready for his arrival.
I was scrubbed and shiny before I pulled on some nice jeans, which would undoubtedly get dirty, but I wanted him to think I was sexy.
Then I found a nice black Wrangler button-down, which covered the things I was afraid to show him.
I made sure my facial hair was trimmed, and my hair was neat.
It surprised me how nervous I was, which made Barnaby dance around my feet, noting my anxiety.
“You are a good boy, but this is good anxiety.” I pet him, then gave him a treat for properly identifying that I was struggling.
He was completely unfamiliar with me being excited in a good way.
This dating thing was tough, but I was ready to do it.
The hum of his car engine excited me more, and I had to stop myself from running out the door.
My hand was wrapped tightly around the warm coffee as I tried to look casual when I went out to greet Angus.
When I rounded the corner, he was leaning into his back seat, his ass slightly up and on display.
It was right there in my face, so I took the time to appreciate the view.
I didn’t make a habit of ogling men, but since I had kissed the man and we had discussed dating, I felt like I had some right to do so.
“Do you like what you see?” He said. Then he wiggled his hips while gathering things from the back seat.
I got caught, so I leaned into it. “Actually. Yes, I do.” Something about Angus emboldened me. It reminded me of the man I used to be, when I was complete.
“If you play your cards right, you might get a close-up view.”
I chuckled, but the thought of enjoying his ass in any way he offered it made my cock perk up. If this were my body's response to him already, it would be a long, very hard day. “I am quite good at cards.”
I heard him laugh. “Can you help me? I have too much stuff.”
As I got near the car, I could see several bags and a box. He pulled out the box and handed it to me. I arranged my left arm carefully, making sure the box was secure. Next, he draped a garment bag over the top.
“Those are my work clothes. You can leave them in the nursery. I need to get ready around 1:00 p.m.” Quickly, I did the math in my head. That meant he would be here for about five hours. It was a gift I planned to enjoy.
“You can get dressed in my trailer. I’ll put your clothes in there.”
“I get to see your bed? Well, that’s exciting.” He turned around and waggled his eyebrows at me, which made me smile. Angus broke down my walls so effortlessly. It was like he had known me for years, not only a few weeks. There was a familiarity between us that made things simple.
“You’re easy to please.”
“Only easy for you, Eion. My friends would say I am quite uptight. It’s been a long time since someone made me smile.
” Butterflies took flight in my chest. He was being very forthright, and something about that made him that much more attractive to me.
He made it very clear how he felt without apology.
Never had I met a man willing to simply say what he wanted, and it was incredibly refreshing.
“Oh. Well, your ass and your smile are very nice. I’ll be right back.
” Before I let my anxiety get a hold of me, I put his clothes in my trailer, which gave me a moment.
The fact was, I felt a lot of things about Angus, and I didn’t want to look ridiculous.
Today, I would find a minute to share my secret with him.
Something about him, though, made me think he would stick around after I told him.
I knew I would find Angus in the nursery. He had already taken out all the kits. I could hear him talking softly to them from around the corner. “We’re going to spend a little time with you before I meet more of the residents here. I also hope to get to know that sexy man more.”
I am pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to hear that part, but it made me smile. Clearing my throat, I entered the room. “Figured I would find you here. Your clothes are hanging in my trailer. I wasn’t sure about this box, so I brought it back out.”
“Oh, that’s filled with treats.”
The entire box was filled with the soft granola bars he made for the animals. “You made all of these?”
“Oh no. I told my mother how many animals you had, and she arranged to mass-produce them using my recipe.”
“There are four more boxes in the car. Should last at least a few weeks. I am pretty sure everyone here can eat them, but there is an ingredients label on the side of the box.”
There were probably five hundred bars in this box, enough high-quality treats for all the animals. This had to cost thousands of dollars, and he handed them over to me like it wasn’t a big deal. There were nuts, honey, berries, oats, and a bunch of vitamins that he had clearly researched.
“I’ll be honest, I am not sure how to make better ones that have protein in them. I am testing options using beef powder, but they don’t hold together. Those first ones I made might be the best bet.”
“Angus?” He looked up at me, completely unaware of how he casually talked about something that was really big. Making high-nutrition treats for a sanctuary of my size was a lot. But then trying to make ones with protein. These were big things.
“Eion!? Come join me with the kids.”
He sat down on the floor and patted the ground next to him, then gave me a smile that made my heart do that wild dance thing.
Well, regardless of what's happening with the treats, I could certainly sit with him and enjoy baby raccoons.
The kits ran over his legs. Barnaby joined the fray and rolled around with them.
After we settled in and watched them for a bit, I had to go back to my original question.
“Angus. What did you mean your mother arranged for the treats?”
“Oh. Mom knows how important the Sanctuary is for me, and I told her how the bars were a big hit. She asked how many animals were here and how many they might eat each week. I made sure to tell her you wouldn’t give them more than a few a day because you are very careful with their health.
Then she got my recipe and called one of her kitchens and had them made. ”
“She had them made.” I was doing everything I could to avoid looking completely confused. He was talking about making thousands of fresh bars, like whipping up a peanut butter sandwich.
“Yeah. We figured you could make it two weeks before they would be too crispy. Nothing in them really goes bad. I won’t be able to bring them every week, so I’ll arrange for delivery.”
“Angus.” My voice might have been firm because I was confused.
“Did I do something wrong? All the animals seem to like the treats. Oh God, are there allergies? Do you not want the treats? I’m sorry, I should have asked.
I thought it would be great for the Sanctuary.
The ingredients are all of really good quality.
I knew you wouldn’t want anything less. We can add more vitamins. I’ll take them home.”
He was spiraling, and I didn’t know what to say, so I wrapped my hand around his neck and kissed him hard. It was possessive and filled with appreciation—maybe I tried to convey how much I wanted him, too. I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. They were bright, and he looked a little dazed.
“Oh. Hi.” I laughed at his response. The kiss had done what I had hoped—it calmed him down.
Now I needed to dig a little deeper into what he was actually saying.
There was obviously something in this situation I wasn’t understanding, but I was more than willing to listen to him.
There was no way I would let him spend so much money on the Sanctuary.
He had also been able to donate a large amount of money.
I knew he worked hard, and he couldn’t sacrifice everything for the animals.
Though the thought that he made sure they had high-quality snacks meant he went a little deeper under my skin.
It was all confusing.