Oops, I’m wearing nothing else but my tight, black boxer briefs. Well, he’s going to have to deal with it. I have more important things to worry about than getting dressed.
He visibly swallows, then looks away as he clears his throat. “Right, let’s have a look at Benny. Hey, boy, what’s happening?”
Benny, who got up from the bed as soon as Julian walked in, licks Julian’s outstretched hand, his tail wagging furiously. “He’s not lethargic,” Julian says as he runs his hands over Benny’s face, then his ears.
As if to prove Julian’s point, Benny lets out an excited bark. I scratch my head. “He’s been panting the whole time.”
“Hmm. I wonder why.”
He keeps petting Benny, and my stomach clenches as I watch him. Did I do something wrong? Did I somehow harm Benny?
Then Julian gasps and starts laughing, a snort-giggle that transforms into a full-out laugh. What the hell is happening?
“Holy beans,” Julian says, wiping his eyes. Benny barks, clearly as confused about the laughter as me. “I can’t even… This is… Gosh, how do I explain this?”
I straighten my shoulders and cross my arms. “Give it your best try.”
10
Julian
I’m a huge proponent of neutering, but since the foundation primarily works with large breed dogs who are prone to orthopedic problems if neutered too young, we usually give the new owner a certificate for free neuter at their local vet. The certificate was in Ranger’s packet, but I must’ve forgotten to discuss it with him. Now, none of this would normally be a big problem, but when I got out of my truck to come into the house, I heard coyote howls not too far off, and if I had to guess…
“He’s, well, he’s horny,” I bite the bullet and explain.
Ranger’s eyes drop to Benny’s penis and go wide, his cheeks blushing pink. It’s totally not adorable to see a big, tough army ranger blush. Nope, not doing a thing for me. On another note, denial is not just a river in Egypt.
“Horny?” He coughs. “Um, okay, one more weird question, but is his…uh…his penis supposed to look like that?” Ranger gestures vaguely, and I can’t decide if I want to laugh or dig a hole to bury myself in. I’ve never been particularly shy about sex, but having to explain a dog’s erection to a ridiculously attractive, mostly naked man…in his bedroom…in the middle of the night…yeah, this is a little much. It definitely doesn’t help that I may or may not have been having a semiracy dream about said mostly naked man right around the time my phone rang.
“It’s normal,” I assure him. “That’s his knot, and, uh, yeah, we’re going to give Benny some privacy and stop staring at his dick.” I encourage the dog to put his leg down to protect his virtue.
I turn away from the bed and bump right into Ranger and his miles and miles of bare skin. He chuckles, putting his hands on my shoulders to steady me before I can topple backward or otherwise make an ass of myself…again.
“Thanks.” I smile and take a step back to put a little space between us. My eyes, acting entirely of their own volition, drop to the front of his very tight boxer briefs. Bojangles, that is a big bulge. “I should…uh…yup,” I stammer like an idiot, closing my traitorous eyes and thumbing blindly in the direction of the door.
“Wait.” His fingers wrap around my forearm, and my breath catches while my cock perks up at the touch. “I’m sorry I got you out of bed in the middle of the night.”
“It’s no big deal. I couldn’t sleep anyway,” I lie, opening my eyes but keeping them trained on his face with great effort. Are his eyes always so sleepy-sexy?
“Do you maybe want to stay for a little while?” Ranger asks, and I fight back the hysterical excitement that rises in my chest. I dart a glance at the bed, then back at the man standing way too close and not close enough.
He doesn’t mean stay to fool around. Of course he doesn’t. We’re friends, and he was worried about Benny. Now he feels bad that he made me drive out here. That’s all.
“I have some hot cocoa powder. It’s nothing fancy but…” he offers with a shrug. The sweet vulnerability in his expression is worse than kryptonite. I couldn’t turn him down if my life depended on it.
“Sure, I’ll stay for a little while,” I agree.
Ranger hits me with a smile that nearly