When Opportunity Knocks - 2. Chapter 2

Kyle’s arm snaked out from under his covers to smack at his phone as he tried to shut off his alarm. It was a task made more difficult by a big furry face with a wet nose trying to lick his arm.

“Rosie, back!” Kyle commanded. Rosie, a mostly Golden Retriever with a little Irish Setter mixed in, let her tongue hang out of the side of her mouth and backed up a couple of steps before sitting down, her tail swishing back and forth behind her.

“Good girl.” He stretched and threw the covers back and reached out to scratch Rosie’s head. Standing up he padded across the room and into his bathroom. Fifteen minutes later he was showered and dressed, heading to his kitchen. He popped an English muffin in the toaster and got some coffee brewing in the pot on the counter.

He let his thoughts drift back to the evening before. Damn, he really liked Jett. The man was a handsome, tall drink of water, one he could sip from all day long. Kyle felt like they really hit it off, something he hadn’t felt in a really long time. Even his ex, Mike, hadn’t come even close to throwing off the sparks that Jett ignited in him. Mike turned out to be quite the asshole and he wished it hadn’t taken him so long to realize it. He tended to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Kyle glanced at the clock on his microwave. He still had almost twenty minutes before he had to leave to pick up Jett and Bruce. Just the thought made him smile. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so excited about something. His muffin popped up and he spread some peanut butter and raspberry preserves on it, then poured some coffee into his big travel mug. By the time he had eaten and washed his plate off it was time to go.

“Come on Rosie, we’ve got a date!” Kyle whistled and Rosie trotted after him, her fluffy tail swaying back and forth in that happy-go-lucky manner that all Goldens have, with a smile on her furry face. He opened the back door of his truck and clipped her harness to the tether on the seat. Better safe than sorry. Kyle and Jett had realized last night that they lived just a few neighborhoods away from each other so it only took Kyle a few minutes to get to his house. As soon as he pulled into the driveway of the well kept duplex, the front door opened and Jett stepped out, Bruce right at his side. Kyle heard Rosie’s tail start smacking the backseat as she caught sight of Bruce. Kyle got out and opened the door so Rosie could hop down and she and Bruce could do their doggy greeting in the driveway.

Jett stepped up to Kyle and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, blushing as he stepped back. Two thoughts hit his mind simultaneously. That was so freaking adorable. The man smelled amazing.

“Hi.” Kyle said and smiled brightly.

“Hi. I, um, just need to grab my cooler out of the house. I packed some snacks and water for us.” Jett told him.

Kyle nodded and watched as Jett turned around to go back in the house. Kyle’s eyes widened slightly as he took in Jett’s ass, hidden beneath a pair of black cargo shorts. He shook his head and turned to watch the two dogs get to know each other. Rosie’s nose was currently sniffing Bruce’s rear end and he chuckled when Rosie tucked her tail in close to her when Bruce tried to return the favor.

Jett came back out, closing the door behind him. In addition to the cooler he also had a medium size backpack. Kyle admired the overall picture. Along with his black cargo shorts Jett wore a gray t-shirt with a goofy cartoon dog with a large bone in its mouth. The caption underneath said ‘I found this humerus’. Kyle laughed as he read it.

“Nice shirt.” he quipped as Jett set the cooler in the truck bed.

Jett shot him a lopsided grin and replied “You like that, huh?”

Kyle rolled his eyes and answered “It’s funny. What can I say? So, I thought we could take a trip up to Liberty Reservoir. The trails aren’t too difficult and there’s not a lot of ups and downs for the dogs, so it won’t put much stress on their joints.”

“I’ve never been there, so I’m game. It sounds good, let’s go.” Jett gave a short, clipped whistle and Bruce immediately stopped his sniffing and hopped up into the back when Jett opened the door.

“There’s an extra harness back there that should fit him so you can tether him to the seat.”.

Jett got Bruce clipped in while Kyle did the same for Rosie. As soon as everyone was buckled in safely Kyle backed his truck out of the driveway and they were on their way. Sunday morning traffic was light on the Beltway and they made good time. The reservoir was popular with fishermen and the parking area was nearly full with boats and trailers. Kyle found a lone spot just barely big enough for his truck at the far end of the lot. Jett’s side was close to a tree but he was able to open his door just wide enough to squeeze out. The rear door wasn’t blocked and Bruce jumped down as soon as Jett unclipped him.

Kyle joined Jett at the back of his truck after letting Rosie out. Both dogs were on ten foot leads and both seemed eager to get going. The weather was perfect for a fall day. The leaves were just barely starting to turn and the temperature was mild and wouldn’t get above the low 70’s later in the afternoon.

“The trailhead is over there.” Kyle pointed off to the left where a large sign covered by plexiglass showed a map of the reservoir. Looking it over they decided to do the whole loop which was just under eight miles.

Conversation flowed as easily as it had the evening before, pretty much picking up right where they left off. Laughter happened often and Kyle loved the way Jett’s face lit up when he laughed.

They stopped for a rest at an area overlooking the reservoir. They could see several fishing boats in the distance. Jett pulled off his backpack and took out three water bottles. He handed one of the bottles to Kyle and then pulled out an expandable plastic dish and poured some water into it for the dogs.

The liquid was still cool and felt good going down Kyle’s throat as he tipped his head back to drink. When he stopped and lowered his head again he noticed Jett staring at him. Kyle winked playfully, figuring that Jett had been watching his throat as he swallowed. Hell, he would’ve done the same. Jett retaliated by not-so-subtly adjusting himself. Cheeky.

The dogs slobbered all over the place while lapping up the water. “They seem to be best friends already.”

Kyle smiled. “Yeah, Rosie gets along great with other animals. She seems to think they were put here just for her. These two remind me of the dogs my best friend and I had growing up. They were inseparable. Hell, so were we.”

“Tell me about them.” Jett asked as he sat on a large rock just off the dirt area of the overlook and Kyle sat down next to him.

Kyle gave him a lopsided grin. “Where to begin? I guess at the beginning. When I was four or five a new family moved in next door to us. They had a little boy just my age. Noah and I, according to our moms, we were two peas in a pod. Growing up I was at his house or he was at mine. Our parents ended up taking out part of the fence that separated our backyards and put in a gate, which was rarely closed, by the way. When we were seven our neighbor down the street got a litter of puppies when one of their kids accidently left the gate open when their dog was in heat. Of course we both started hounding our parents for a puppy as soon as we heard the news. Our birthdays are a few days apart and our parents finally relented and said we could each get a dog, as long as we took care of them. Needless to say, we were thrilled. We hightailed it over to the neighbor’s house as soon as the pups were ready, which was a week or so before our birthdays. Their bitch had a litter of eight, and we knew that at least three or four had already been claimed. They were the cutest little balls of fluff. We sat there watching them, trying to decide which one we each wanted.”

“That must’ve been hard. What if you both wanted the same one?”

“It was hard, but it ended up being a no-brainer when our neighbor told us to go in the playroom she had them in. She told us to sit quietly. Which is really hard when you’re almost eight by the way. The puppies were lab and shepherd mixes and there were probably a few other breeds thrown in. The mom was a purebred yellow lab and the dad was probably the mutt from a couple of streets over. He was the only male not neutered that we knew of. Anyway, next thing I know this little ball of yellow and white fluff waddled over to me and crawled on my lap. I had been chosen, not the other way around. Noah ended up with a black, brown and white furball chewing on his sneakers. So neither of us had to choose. Our neighbor was pretty savvy.” Kyle smiled with the memory.

“So what did you guys name them?”

“Ahh. So that’s where the battle began. It took three days and we finally settled on Cal and Brooks.” Kyle laughed.

“You named them after Orioles players? Sweet! So who got who?” Jett wanted to know.

“I got Cal and Noah got Brooks. We were true to our word and took care of the dogs like we said we would. I have a feeling though that our moms spoiled them both when we were in school. The four of us were tight. Cal and Brooks were with us all the time we were home. Man, did we have some adventures. By the time we graduated high school the dogs were ten and just starting to slow down. I think they appreciated the less hectic life they had when we both left for college. Neither of us went far, University of Maryland. I studied biology, knowing I wanted to apply to vet school. Noah went into electrical engineering. In the middle of our senior year we went home one weekend and both dogs were pretty lethargic. Cal had developed some tumors and Brooks had an enlarged heart. Cal died that Sunday morning and Brooks was gone by the afternoon. Noah and I cried all evening and we both skipped classes the next day. It didn’t surprise us that the dogs died on the same day, like I said, they were inseparable.” Kyle stopped, his eyes had gotten watery remembering losing his beloved pet.

“So is Noah still around here?” Jett gently asked, as he tried to steer the conversation in another direction.

Kyle cleared his throat. “Um, no. He’s in Japan right now. He works for a big electronics company and he was accepted into their specialized training program for creating circuit boards or some shit like that. When he starts speaking about work it’s like another language. We text each other often and Skype or Facetime as much as we can, but with our schedules and the time difference it’s maybe once a month or so. He’s supposed to come home for Christmas this year too, like your brother, I’m looking forward to it.”

“You must really miss him.”

“Yeah, it’s been a rough year or so and he’s always had a better voice of reason than I have. What about you? You got any besties in the picture?” Kyle asked.

Jett shrugged his shoulders, “Eh, I never really had just one best friend, Bo was the built-in variety. There was a group of five or six of us that hung out throughout middle school and high school. I still keep in touch with them, but all of us haven’t been able to get together at the same time for quite a while. At this point I’m probably closer to my next door neighbor than anyone else, other than Bo, he's always been my rock when I need it. Kim and I sit out on the deck several times a week when the weather is nice, just shooting the shit. Kim’s pretty chill. Bruce and her dog Tater Tot get along great.”

“Tater Tot? What a great name!” Kyle snickered.

“Yep, he’s a cute little rascal.”

“Yeah? So are you.” Kyle watched as a pink flush made its way up Jett’s neck and then tinged his cheeks. That was more than cute, he thought. It was downright sexy. Kyle leaned in and captured Jett’s lips with his own, nipping slightly at the bottom one. He glided his tongue across the sensitive skin and immediately those lips parted, allowing him entrance. His own skin seemed to buzz with electricity and his sudden arousal quickly made itself known. Their tongues danced around, tasting the uniqueness of each other. Kyle shivered as Jett’s arms came around him and stroked his back through the shirt he wore. Fuck, he wanted those hands on him.

Before things got too heated they were interrupted by a loud ‘woof’ from Rosie. As they broke apart they could hear the sounds of other people as they made their way up the trail toward them. A minute later a group of four came into sight. They looked like college age kids, two boys and two girls, out for an afternoon hiking trip. They waved and said hi as they passed by, continuing down the trail, going back the way Kyle and Jett had come from.

When they were gone, Jett gave Kyle a wink and said “C’mon, break’s over.”

Reluctantly, Kyle got up and took Bruce’s leash while Jett emptied the remaining water and slobber from the dog’s bowl and then collapsed it before tucking it and the empty water bottles back in the pack.

This time when they continued down the trail, Kyle reached out and took Jett’s hand and they let the dogs lead the way. They continued to learn about each other, discovering quickly that they both had a warped sense of humor.

After a hearty bout of laughter over some stupid bathroom humor Kyle commented, “Y’know, I’m glad you laugh at the same things I do. I don’t think I could date someone who couldn’t find humor in the same things I find funny.”

Jett’s expression turned quizzical, reminding Kyle of a puppy about to get into mischief. Jett gave him a little quirky grin and said “Is that what we’re doing? Dating?”

Kyle bit his bottom lip and then answered, “I think I’d like to.”

Once more Jett leaned in and ghosted his lips over Kyle’s and whispered “Me too.”

In response Kyle deepened the kiss, a groan slipping out as Jett’s hands reached down and pulled his ass closer. Kyle could feel Jett getting hard up against him and there was no way that Jett couldn’t feel the same from him.

Jett broke the kiss and Kyle couldn’t help but feel disappointed, but out on an open trail was not exactly the place to start getting down and dirty. Jett winked at him as he started back on the trail. They still had a couple of miles to go by Kyle’s estimate and he figured they’d be back at the trailhead in an hour or so, depending on how leisurely they hiked and if they stopped again. The sun was starting to lean more toward the western horizon and sundown was only a few hours away. Kyle once more slid his palm along Jett’s and was pleased when Jett intertwined their fingers.

Arriving back at Kyle’s truck, Jett once more gave the dogs some water and handed another bottle to Kyle.

“Thanks.” Kyle said, downing most of the bottle.

It wasn’t long before they were on the road heading back toward home.

Kyle snuck a glance at Jett. “I had a great time today and most importantly…”

“Yeeesssss?”

“Rosie got tired out pretty damn good!” Kyle laughed.

“Wiseass.”

Kyle settled down and said “I really did have a great time today Jett. I don’t want it to end.”

“Does it have to? How ‘bout stopping for an early dinner? There’s a great Mexican place in Severna Park that has an outdoor patio with tower heaters. They allow dogs.”

“Mexico City?” Kyle confirmed.

“Yep, amazing burritos.” Jett practically drooled.

“Sold.”

They ended up being one of two tables that were occupied on the outdoor terrace. A young couple with a corgi mix were enjoying their food on the other side of the tower heater. The heater threw off enough warmth to banish the early evening September chill. The corgi was cute and would army crawl toward them each time its owner looked away. Both Rosie’s and Bruce’s ears twitched forward, watching as he or she got a little closer.

“Corky!” The little dog froze mid-crawl which made Kyle and Jett laugh. Rosie’s tail started swishing back and forth and she whined.

Kyle leaned back and said “It’s OK if your dog wants to come say hi.”

The guy holding the leash smiled and stood up. “Hi! I’m Bryant and that’s Rena. This is Corky, rascal extraordinaire.”

Kyle introduced himself, Jett and the dogs, letting him know that Bruce was a police dog. Corky’s whole body shook with excitement as the dogs did their doggy thing. Without a tail, the little Corgi’s entire back end wriggled furiously.

“So is he really a Corgi and Blue Heeler mix?” Kyle asked.

“Yeah, how’d you know?” Bryant asked.

“I’m a vet and it seems every Corgi mix I’ve ever seen has been a Corgi body with the coloring of whatever other breed is there. It’s the wildest thing. You just need to be really careful and make sure that you have Corky checked every year. Unfortunately “designer” dogs tend to come with designer health issues too.” Kyle noted.

“Thanks, I’ve only had him a few months. He’s a cute little guy, but a lot of energy. That’s why his last owner gave him up. I’ve been working with a trainer and we’ve started doing obstacle courses. He seems to love it and it’s great exercise for all of us. I’m lucky I can work from home most of the time and he doesn’t have to be alone.” Bryant explained.

Just then Kyle and Jett’s meals were brought out. Bryant and Corky went back to their table, but not until after Bryant got Kyle’s card from him.

Kyle had ordered the enchilada trio and Jett had gotten a loaded chicken burrito. They had also ordered a couple of beers and conversation slowed to a crawl as they enjoyed their meals. They waved at Bryant and Rena when they left with Corky, the dog kept turning his head, reluctant to leave, clearly wanting to spend some more time with his new friends.

Kyle finished his last bite and after the last of his beer chased the food, he wiped his mouth on his napkin and sat back, happily full and content.

“That was amazing. I was only here once before and it was a while ago. I don’t remember it being so good.” he remarked.

“The place changed owners about three years ago, I think. They revamped their menu and changed some of the recipes, so yes, they are a lot better than they used to be.”

“That explains it.” Kyle said.

Their waitress came back to clear Kyle’s plate and ask if they wanted anything else. They both declined and Jett asked for the check.

They were both shocked when she told them their meals had been paid for with a message to enjoy the rest of their evening and a thank you to Bruce for his service from Corky.

“That was unexpected, but really nice of them.” Jett said.

“Yeah, we’ll have to pay it forward as well one of these days.” Kyle answered.

When Kyle pulled up into Jett’s driveway behind his police SUV Jett asked “Would you like to come inside?”

Kyle’s immediate instinct was to say yes. He looked at Jett and said “As much as I would love to, I think we both know where we’d end up and I’m just not quite ready yet. I’m sorry Jett.”

Kyle sighed as Jett’s hand snaked around his neck and Jett pressed his forehead up against his own. Jett’s breath was warm and his scent intoxicating. His fingers gently ghosted over the nape of his neck and Kyle gave a quick shiver at the sensation.

“Don’t ever be sorry for being truthful. I don’t want a quick fuck buddy to play around with. If you’re not ready it’s alright. I can wait. Whatever it is that you need to work through, I’m here for you. I really like you Kyle. I don’t want to mess things up between us.” Jett told him.

Fuck. If that wasn’t just the perfect thing for Jett to say. Kyle needed to hear it.

“Thanks. I just need a little time. I jumped into a relationship last time and ended up getting burnt, so bear with me. I really like you too. How ‘bout this? When can we get together again?” Kyle asked.

Jett kissed him lightly and then pulled back to his side of the truck. “What time do you usually take your lunch?”

Kyle answered “I try to go at noon. You know how it is though, shit happens.”

“Why don’t I bring lunch by one day this week? My work gives me a lot of flexibility, but you know as well as I do that when duty calls, you can’t ignore it. I’ll text you on Tuesday. If it doesn’t work out, there’s always Wednesday or Thursday.” Jett offered.

“That would probably work for me. The office staff doesn’t schedule any appointments between 11:30 and 1:00, but you’re right, emergencies do come up.” Kyle agreed.

“In the meantime we can always text.” Jett suggested as he leaned over once more to kiss Kyle goodnight.

Jett pulled back and got out of the vehicle. He opened the back door so Bruce could hop down and said “Bye Kyle, I’ll see you soon.”

Kyle returned the sentiment and waited until Jett and Bruce disappeared into the house before backing out of the driveway. Even though it was a short drive home, he heard Rosie start to snore from the backseat. He was disappointed that he had chosen not to stay at Jett’s, but he knew he would be better off. Monday mornings were busy at the clinic which is why he usually went in early, meaning he would need to get up around 4:30am.

Kyle pulled into his own driveway and parked his SUV in the garage. Rosie woke up and jumped down once her harness was removed. She went straight to the soft dog bed on the living room floor and Kyle knew she’d be out cold for the rest of the night, probably too tired to even jump on his bed like she usually did. He made sure she had some kibble in her bowl in case she got hungry later.

It was still relatively early so Kyle took a quick shower and then settled down on his couch. He randomly channel surfed, his mind not really focusing on anything. His thoughts kept drifting back to the past two days. Jett intrigued him. He couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but all he knew was that he really wanted to see more of him. He just hoped he could guard his heart so it wouldn’t get crushed again.