Page 12 of Refurbished

“Yeah, we don’t have a proper large animal nursery area, so I have them over by Bethany. If you want to meet them, I will wait until you get here to feed them.”

“I have a meeting at work after my next visit, but how about the time after that? I will have a few hours. I’d love to spend time with you… and the bears.”

Did he say me? That had to be a mistake, or was he saying he enjoyed my company too? We didn’t really talk much, but I had spent more time talking to him than I had with any other person in years. Being around him made me feel good—less grumpy.

“Sounds good.” Then I walked out. When I got to Orlando, I realized I had done it again. I walked out without so much as a see you later. This shouldn’t be so difficult for me. I was a man, and he was a sweet, funny, kind, smoking hot man. At least this time, my departure was only slightly less abrupt than the time before.

Before the accident, I dated and had even been engaged, but Trey couldn’t handle what happened. When he learned I would no longer be whole, he left me. He moved out before I had left the hospital and told me that I was no longer the man he fell in love with. It broke my heart completely, and I stopped trying to have a relationship because I believed him. Once in a while, I would drive a few towns over and scratch an itch, but otherwise, I knew nobody would want me and my damaged body.

“Why is this guy stirring things in me, Orlando?” The giraffe looked over my shoulder as I pulled up the camera on my phone. When he left the nursery, Angus stopped in the middle of the walkways that led to the different areas of the Sanctuary.

“Hey Eion. I look forward to meeting the bears and spending time with you. I hope you like the brownies.” He lifted his hand and gave a little wave.

“Did you see that? He knows I watch the cameras, and he waved. Did you see the smile? It’s a nice smile.” Orlando nibbled a little on my hair, which I am sure meant he agreed. Once my heartbeat returned to normal, I got back to work. The rest of the day, I felt a little off. Usually, I spent days thinking only of the animals and their needs, but now Angus would slip into my thoughts. He was already doing so much for me, and I wondered what I could do for him. I knew he would love to feed the bears, and I could let him name them. I doubted he would say yes, but I could invite him to join me for lunch near the deer. It was pretty there, and we could watch the herd at the watering hole. He could meet my girl.

That night, I sat at my table and made a grocery list for a picnic. While I thought about our options, I enjoyed the brownies Angus had made me. I would ask him about the picnic the day we fed the bears. This felt like a date. Was this a date? Could I recommend it as a date? Did I want it to be a date? I thought about all those questions and decided I wouldn’t mind if we labeled it. There would be a point at which I had to tell him that I wasn’t a complete man, but right now, I could lean into the fantasy that he liked me.

My dreams that night were about Angus. In them, he accepted me as I was. That’s how I knew it wasn’t real.

Chapter six

ANGUS

After visiting with North and South, I made sure to tell Eion how excited I was to meet the bear cubs. If I had known giving the man baked goods would get me bear cuddles—well, probably not cuddles—I would have doubled up on what I brought him.

When I didn’t find my boys in their cage, I had a little freak-out. His reassurance that they were in the nursery was such a relief. It was natural to go to him—not sure how that became a thing. What surprised me was that he actually pulled me tighter, and it was perfect. I pulled away first, which I regret because I wouldn’t mind if we were still standing there. Eion felt so good in my arms. I loved that his body was hard from shoulders to thighs—and I was sure there was something quite significant in the middle.

While he held me, I felt safe, which was a rare thing for me. Now, I was addicted and couldn’t wait for it to happen again. Eion had a quirkiness about him that made me want to know more. It was the way he seemed to try to keep me at arm’s length, but then showed me little glimpses of his squishy underside. As I worked my shift, thoughts about the man I seemed more attracted to every day went through my head, and by the time I left for home, my brain had moved into much naughtier thoughts.

Once I climbed into bed, there was no way I would fall to sleep since thoughts of the sexy vet had me rock hard. With my eyes closed, an image of him was easy to conjure up. He had dark hair and eyes, and he always had a bit of a scowl, but I’d seen the corners of his lips turn up, and it was sexy. I was determined to get a full smile from him one day, and I already knew how it would affect me.

My shaft moved at the thought, and I squeezed myself. Then I rubbed my thumb up and down the sensitive underside; a bead of precum formed at the tip, and then it slid down the head. A soft moan escaped. My wish was to have him there, touching me. I knew Eion’s hands would be gentle but somewhat rough from all the work he did outside. Another bead formed at the tip as I stroked myself. The fluid dribbled down my shaft, and I used it as lubrication. I imagined how he would feel under my palms, and it wasn’t only his cock I wanted to feel. The idea of running my hands over his chest and down his abs made me throb. I wondered what I would find under his shirt: would he have a lot of chest hair, would there be a solid line to his cock, or only a whisper of fuzz?

These thoughts only made me ache more as I ran my hand over the taut skin of my erection. I knew if I had the chance, I would take him in hand and make him crumble for me. I’d stroke his length while I teased the slit. I longed to drop to my knees for him and let him use my mouth. An unexpected lightning bolt ran through my body. When it hit my groin, I exploded. Pulse after pulse covered my chest, and the intensity was almost too much. I had come a lot harder than usual, only thinking about getting on my knees for the sexy vet. I knew I would be having more fantasies as I was around him more. What would happen if I thought about him fucking me? I might die.

Completely satisfied, I cleaned myself up before I returned to bed. Eion had become a situation. I wasn’t certain it was a bad problem, but one I needed to further examine and maybe put away. Apparently, logic wasn’t going to rule here, as I thought about what treat I would make him next. I hoped maybe he would see me as more than the strange guy who dropped off some raccoon kits.

“You’ve been smiling a lot the last few weeks. What’s that about?” West asked me while I looked over security tapes from the night before.

“Have I?”

He rolled his eyes. “Not going to work, Angus. You know I’m right. Don’t try to pretend you haven’t.”

“I guess? I’ve been visiting the raccoons every other day, and there are tons of amazing animals at the Sanctuary. They make me happy.”

He didn’t say anything, just waited for me to say more. When I didn’t, he sighed. “And?”

“I like raccoons?” I hoped that answer was enough for him to drop it, but I should have known better.

“Angus, we have been friends for years now. I know the things that make you smile like that. So who is he?”

At that moment, I loved and hated my friend. When someone knows you so well, there is no way to hide, and my crush on Eion apparently showed. “I might like visiting the man who takes care of the raccoons.” I could feel my blush. There had been a few men I’d been interested in since becoming friends with West, but never had I found it difficult to talk about.

“Angus!? Holy shit, you’ve got it bad.” He grinned at me and laughed a little.

There wasn’t much I could do but embrace the truth. He was right; I did have it bad, and until now, I didn’t even realize it. It wasn’t something I couldn’t really explain because my mind and heart wanted to know Eion more intimately. His quiet nature, how he genuinely listened when we talked, those tiny smiles I sometimes got, and the way he cared for the residents at the Sanctuary. Those animals were his entire life, and he clearly loved each of them. All of those things not only touched my heart but turned me on.

This wasn’t the time to get aroused, but I found it more difficult to keep my attraction under control. Thinking about how cute he was when he petted North and South made my heart do a little leap, and my cock wouldn’t be left out. “Maybe?!” My voice betrayed my feelings by rising as I said the word. “He is really nice, and I don’t know him very well, but he invited me to meet the baby bears on Saturday.”