Chapter Two

Merc waited for him in the reception area, tail whipping against the chair legs and creating a musical tune. He'd been named Gary by the staff, but he didn't respond to it. He didn't respond to much.

Chad had bought a few books about dog training and presented them to Romeo.

Romeo threatened to throw them on the fire.

The woman holding onto his collar was Sally. She may've been a small woman, but she held onto Merc like he was nothing. She cooed at the dog before turning to Chad with twinkling blues and asking, "Is dad ready?"

Dad

He'd never felt like he was the dad to Toby. Toby had been his protector, his companion, the only thing that gave Chad's life any spark. This dog was different, he was the added spark, rather than the only one burning.

Chad nodded, and she released the collar. Merc tried to launch himself across the room, paws slipping in his desperate attempt, like a cartoon character.

"He's been whining and anxious all day," Sally said, smiling. "He knew something was different."

Chad dropped to his knees and accepted the kisses on his face. Merc's thick skull knocked into Chad's jaw, his chin, even his nose, but the small pains were almost welcome with Merc's obvious enthusiasm over his new owner. Chad stroked him and cooed into his ears that he was a good boy.

"I've just got some paperwork for you to fill out, then he's all yours."

Chad stood up and tripped his way to the desk with Merc pawing at his legs. Sally had the clipboard ready, and after a few quick signatures, she handed over Merc's lead with a bright smile.

"Any problems, give us a call."

"I will."

Merc settled down as Chad clipped the lead on his collar. He gazed up at Chad expectantly, big silver eyes wide with excitement.

"Shall we go home?"

His words got a tentative tail wag. Chad smiled and led Merc to the door. His tail picked up the pace, battering the door frame as they made their way outside. Merc dragged him in the direction of the car, not stopping at the trunk, he bounded up to the passenger side and covered the door with muddy paw prints.

Ever since Josh had given him Gary's leaflet, Chad had only imagined Merc as his and Romeo's dog. Merc's grey coat, with a white tummy, and two dazzling silver eyes had hypnotized him. Sally had told him they thought he was only a year or so old, still young in the face, eager to please and brimming with a need to express affection.

Merc sat on the passenger seat for the drive home, watching out the window while holding Peter Rabbit in his mouth. Chad didn't have the heart to take it off him, having forgotten he'd left the stuffed toy in the car.

Merc's tale twitched every so often, with pent-up excitement or a tad of nerves, Chad didn't know, but when he talked to him, two big eyes found his and stayed there.

"I'm your dad." Chad snorted. "But you've got another dad to meet, too."

Merc cocked his head, still watching.

"I'm not sure how he is with animals. I mean, he likes the magpies … at least I think he likes them, and he's got an attachment to them." He shuddered. "You're cuter, and way more affectionate, and I'm hoping… I'm hoping you'll keep him company when I'm at work, distract him from the … monster, give him something else to focus on."

They hit a bump in the road. Chad cursed, adjusting the mirror, and there it was.

The red truck behind him.

His stalker in pursuit.

He slowed, hoping to catch sight of the plate but the truck slowed, too, keeping its distance.

"Stop it," Chad growled to himself. He curled his hands around the wheel. "It's paranoia."

Keeley's paranoia diagnosis came after Chad had told her he thought a red Toyota Hilux was following him, before changing his mind to a Ford Ranger, then back again.

Another red 4x4 passed him going the other direction and he slumped.

Merc dropped Peter Rabbit and climbed onto Chad's lap.

"Easy," Chad blurted, shifting to adjust for the dog.

When he glanced at the mirror again, the truck had gone.

"I'm losing my mind."

Merc licked him under the chin.

Chad chuckled and patted him on the head. "I hope Romeo likes you."

He turned onto the track road that led to the house. "And I hope you like Romeo."

The car bounced as they rolled closer. Merc's ears were up as he fixed his eyes on the house in front of them.

"Home," Chad said, opening the door.

A flash of black appeared in the corner of his eye. Wings swooped on top of the outhouse, and feet clacked as the bird landed. Chad couldn't see it, but he knew it was up there.

Not a blackbird or a crow or a magpie, but something else.

He heard the machine gun call from the field, and knew Romeo must've been feeding them.

They clucked and cawed, and Chad gritted his teeth as he walked Merc around the side of the house. Romeo stood in an oversized trench coat, pockets weighted down by seed, doing his best impression of the reaper with his hood over his head. He had his back to Chad, but one bark from Merc and he spun around, wide-eyed.

Merc wagged his tail, and jumped on his lead, eager to greet the strange man with his army of feathers.

"Hi," Chad blurted.

"That's him then…"

"Yeah," Chad petted Merc on the head. "This is Merc … you're going to love him, Romeo."

"That's very optimistic. It took me long enough to get comfortable with the idea of loving you, but I will tolerate that scruffy thing."

Chad leaned down to cover Merc's ears. "You're not scruffy."

"Bring him over," Romeo said, gesturing with his hand.

Chad moved towards Romeo with Merc at a stalk beside him. He tripped on a stray rock, and the lead slipped from his hands. Fuck. Chad reached for the lead but missed.

Merc took off barking at the magpies, chasing them around the field. Romeo's face paled before his eyes sharpened on the dog, and Chad's heart punched out danger over and over.

"Romeo…"

"He'd dead." Romeo hissed through his teeth, setting off after Merc. Chad near-flat lined at the promise in Romeo's voice, but he only took two strides over the mud before falling over and landing on his face.

A nervous laugh crept past Chad's lips.

He tried to cover it with his hand as Romeo got to his feet, but he knew it was obvious by the death glare he received. The side of Romeo's face was covered in mud, along with both of his hands. He flexed his fingers in front of himself, targeting Merc in the field with his glare. The mud was too slippery for Romeo to pursue him and too slippery for Merc to catch a bird.

Romeo trudged back to the house while flinging the mud from his hands.

Undeterred, Chad whistled, and Merc gave up chasing the magpies, and bounded towards the house, flicking up mud in his wake. He knocked into Romeo's legs as he rushed inside, stamping mud all over the place and eliciting another growl of outrage from Romeo.

"Chad!" Romeo snapped, "We need the chain."

"No, we don't."

Merc skidded through the kitchen and into the hall.

Chad grabbed Romeo by the wrists and squeezed until he stopped miming strangling Merc. He got to the door first and shut Merc in the living room before coming face to face with a raging Romeo.

"You've got to calm down."

"Calm down!"

"If you have a heart attack you know I can't call an ambulance, right?"

Romeo took a deep breath, pushing out his pecs. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

"Yes, and no, but you've got to calm down, count to ten."

"Chad," he snapped the name, and Chad winced. "Shove him in the outhouse."

"It's cold out there."

"I don't care."

"Please," Chad tried, pulling Romeo's hands towards him. They stiffened and refused to hold onto his waist like he wanted. "It's warm in here, he can't sleep outside."

"Then I'll sleep outside."

"But then I'd get cold. I need you to keep me warm in bed." Chad said, brushing his hands through Romeo's hair. One side of his hair was easier to get his fingers through, the other was clumpy with earth. Anger continued to flitter over Romeo's face, but he no longer stared Chad in the eye, he looked at his mouth and watched as the begging words came out.

"Please, Romeo. Please let me keep him."

"He went after the magpies."

Chad pouted. "But they're just so tempting … he probably thought he was protecting you."

"He did it for fun."

"Don't take it personally," Chad leaned in to kiss Romeo's throat. One kiss. Two kisses. "You said we could keep him. You told me to get him."

"I've changed my mind." Romeo lifted his chin, encouraging more.

Chad obliged, running his lips down Romeo's neck. "Please." He tried again, gripping the sides of Romeo's trench coat. He eased it over Romeo's shoulders, and let it fall to the floor, scattering seed all over the tiles. Romeo tensed his jaw, but more kisses from Chad relaxed his expression, and moments later, he tilted his chin back again and let out a blissful sigh.

His eyes fluttered shut, and Chad pressed forward with his advantage, pulling Romeo's t-shirt over his head.

The clothes had saved Romeo's chest from the mud. Chad leaned in just to lick his chest, moaning at the masculine taste of a sweat slick Romeo. Romeo produced heat like a furnace, particularly when he was angry or turned on. Chad didn't know which one was affecting his skin, but it was the latter that was speeding up his breathing and making him fidget.

"Say we can keep him."

"You think you can suck my dick, and I'll be fine with that thing in the other room."

Chad shrugged. "I don't see the harm in trying."

"You're playing dirty."

Chad licked a wet stripe between Romeo's pecs, down to his belly button. Dropping to his knees, he took hold of Romeo's hips.

"That dog's probably got mud all over the sofa."

Chad bit his lip. "No probably about it."

"Pawprints up the walls."

"Most definitely."

Romeo flared his nostrils and shot daggers with his eyes at the living room door.

"You know something else," Chad spoke closer to Romeo's naval. "He's probably ripped up one of your magpie cushions, too, and thrown the stuffing everywhere."

Romeo glared at Chad on his knees, but Chad could see the desire before the anger. No monster lurked in his eyes. He was irritated, no doubt about it, but it wasn't the need that had him stiffening and relaxing his jaw. This was a Romeo issue, not a monster one.

"You could go in there and stop him."

Romeo exhaled heavily.

"Or you can stay here and let me kiss you some more."

Romeo could never resist the touch of Chad's mouth, especially when he'd been made to wait while Chad worked a case. They'd had sex the day before, but it had been weeks since Chad had wrapped his mouth around Romeo's cock and pleasured him that way.

"More."

He squirmed when Chad kissed his stomach, whined when he brushed his lips featherlight over the V of his hip, and when Chad unbuckled him—he moaned. A deep rumbly moan that traveled down his body.

Romeo stepped backward, dragging Chad with him until he met the wall with a thump. Chad tugged down Romeo's jeans and boxers, all the way to his mud-covered boots. He exposed Romeo's hard cock. It jolted. Chad caught it in his hand, flexing his fist around the wide girth.

Romeo huffed. "I hate that you can do this to me."

"You love it, too." Chad reminded. He touched his lips to the head of Romeo's cock, and kissed away his pre come, "See."

"It's unnerving."

Chad nuzzled with his face, then whispered, "You love that I make you feel out of control."

Romeo made a noise like he disagreed.

"You do because you love the feeling that you're hanging on, that you want to take me, but you fear the monster might misread the signals and come out to play. You've told me before, that danger, that excitement, it's addicting and goes straight to your cock. It's the same reason you like strangling me while we make love. The contradictions of man and monster add to it."

The deep thump of Romeo's Adam's apple made Chad smile.

"I like it, too," Chad admitted on a whisper before swirling his tongue around Romeo's crown. He groaned at the muskiness, and his taste buds tingled for more.

"Your idea of foreplay is dangerous," Romeo muttered.

"Sex with you always has a bit of risk involved."

There was only one way Romeo could feel in control again, and that was by taking it, and Chad pushed him towards it, teased, and smirked, kissing and lightly licking, but never enough until a firm hand gripped his hair.

Chad looked up at Romeo, dark and handsome, with a gruff beard, and pupil-blown eyes.

"Show me how much you want that dog."

Chad sucked in as much of Romeo's cock as he could. It wasn't enough proof for Romeo, he pressed himself deeper, slipping too far until the evitable happened, and Chad choked.

His fingers twisted in Chad's hair. Romeo rolled his hips forward and his cock thrust into Chad's mouth. Not as deep, but with added urgency, and an animalistic quality to his actions. Not a need to kill, but one to satisfy himself using Chad's mouth.

Chad's jaw ached, his tongue tingled, and the drool running from his mouth down his neck made him feel so dirty. It itched on his throat, and his cheeks burned with embarrassment, but he loved it. He loved being stuffed full and used by Romeo.

Chad licked, lapped, twirled, and fluttered his tongue against Romeo's sliding cock until a hitch in Romeo's breathing confirmed he was doing something right. The angle changed. Chad gripped onto Romeo's hips to steady himself. He couldn't lick or suck anymore, could only take, and Romeo made him take it, thrusting into him with the same power he'd used the day before in the bathroom.

Chad's eyes watered, his throat ached, and the lack of oxygen numbed his fingers and toes. The dribble on his neck no longer bothered him, he couldn't feel much of anything as black crept into the edges of his vision, tunneling so all he could see was Romeo's dark eyes watching him.

Romeo's cum rushed over his tongue. He swallowed it down despite his lungs burning with the need for air. Romeo slipped out, Chad fell back on his ass, wheezing for breath. He gasped for it at Romeo's feet while he watched with an emotionless expression.

"Romeo?"

Chad couldn't help the croak or the fear that crept into his voice.

Romeo swooped, dropping to his knees, and lifting Chad's chin. He pressed his lips against Chad's softly and slipped his tongue into Chad's mouth in what felt like an apology.

Chad sighed into it. Shuffling forward on his knees, he gripped Romeo's shoulders for balance as they kissed.

When Romeo pulled away, it was only to murmur out, "Sometimes I think you're suicidal."

Then they were kissing again, slow lingering kisses where time seemed to stop.

Romeo's tongue brushed against Chad's lazily, like he was savoring Chad's mouth. No longer brutal, but sensual. Chad clutched onto the gentleness, the easy way he teased his mouth, and the way his mind filled with a pleasant fuzz.

Romeo was hard and dangerous, but he could be sweet and soft, too, and Chad loved the combination of both.

Romeo broke away. "He chased my birds."

"We'll teach him not to." Chad bit his lip. "You weren't really going to hurt him, were you?"

"I have no desire to kill the dog despite it chasing my magpies."

"You said you'll give him a chance."

"Coming in your mouth is not a substitute for me saying I'll give the dog a chance."

Chad shook Romeo's shoulders. "Please, Romeo."

"I hate it when you use that tone. It hits me right in the gut, feels like the organ is malfunctioning or something." He shuddered. "What is this, guilt?"

"Please. It was your idea in the first place."

"You had the leaflet."

"You told me to ring the number."

Romeo groaned.

"Ha. I win the argument." Chad announced, bouncing to his feet. His head drifted with the lack of oxygen, and Romeo steadied him before he could fall.

"You okay?"

"Stood up too quickly. Come on," Chad pulled Romeo's arm. "Let's give you a proper introduction."

Romeo didn't reply, he stood up while continuing to stop Chad from falling. Once he knew Chad was steady, he pulled up his jeans and fixed his buckle.

"He better not have torn up my cushions."

Chad smirked, linking his fingers through Romeo's. He pulled Romeo over to the living room door, opening it enough for Merc to squeeze out and waddle over.

"Merc, meet Romeo."

Merc sniffed Romeo's muddy boots before sitting in front of him, swishing his tail against the ground. His long tongue dangled out as he panted up at Romeo.

"Romeo, meet Mercutio, or Merc for short." Chad pulled Romeo's hand down to Merc's head and made him pat him. "Your new best friend..."