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Chapter Twenty-One

TANK WOKEup with a moment of real panic. He had no idea where he was. His heart pounded, and he tried to sit up, but something was weighing him down.

A soft hum sounded, and then he heard dogs wagging.

“Hey.” Dalton’s. He was at Dalton’s. That was good. In fact, he was naked and holding that tight little body in Dalton’s bed. That was amazing.

“Hey.” Dalton’s chuckle was warm. “You need up?”

“Yeah, I need….” His belly snarled violently. “I need food.”

“We got those steaks in the trailer. Potatoes.”

“What time is it?” Tank lifted his head to hunt a clock.

“Nine forty-five at night. Come on. We can start the food and jump in the pool. Aaron will have fed dogs and livestock.”

“Lord.” He laughed, feeling all decadent, sleeping away the evening. “Sounds good.”

Dalton kissed his jaw, then levered himself up out of the bed.

Tank watched for a moment, just loving the way Dalton moved. His pretty lover tugged on a pair of swim trunks, then grabbed his phone, glanced at it. “Bubba’s home now. He was heading to bed.”

“Glad he made it safe.” Tank rose, stretching up on tiptoe.

“Me too.” Dalton smoothed one hand down along his belly. “Seriously.”

“Also glad he’s going to bed.” He gave Dalton a wicked grin.

“Uh-huh. The pool all to ourselves.”

“Yep.” He hit the head before coming back out to dig for his swim trunks.

He could hear Dalton outside, singing along with the radio, just happy as a lark. He changed, but he stopped in the kitchen to grab them both a beer.

Dalton’s kitchen made him happy with its fancy-assed coffee maker and the bright tiles that gleamed—this was a man who liked to be home, who paid attention to things.

Tank approved. Wandering, he headed outside where the meat already smelled fine. Gas grill. Had to love it.

“Hey, you. I have food working.” Dalton grinned over. “I brought towels out too.”

“I see that.” Dalton drew him like a magnet, and he had to touch. “What can I do to help?”

“You brought a beer. I’m just doing steaks, and I cut up those old baked potatoes and threw them in with broccoli, butter, and cheese in foil.”

“Yum.” Oh, that would rock. “Well, I can lounge with the best.”

“Go for it.”

There were lounge chairs, lights, a speaker, even a place to project movies. Damn.

“Look at this. You got a great setup, baby.”

Dalton beamed at him. “It is, isn’t it? We did a lot of it ourselves.”

“Handy too? I’m a lucky guy.”

Oh, look at that smile. Tank didn’t know what to think, to see how happy Dalton was with every little bit of praise. Whatever else it made him feel, Tank kinda wanted to kill that Rocket feller. Then again, if he’d been good to Dalton, Tank wouldn’t have this chance.