Something else Brad had conditioned in him. Wipe the tears and he would cause more.
“Fuck.” When Ash reached for him, Danny instinctively let out a high-pitched whine.
No hesitation. Ash damn near curled his massive body around Danny, cocooning him inside the shelter of his arms. Danny was hiccupping so fast and hard he couldn’t breathe.
“You’re safe.” Ash’s voice scraped out in a desperate plea, as if he was holding Danny together by sheer will. “Breathe in my scent.” His arms tightened a fraction. “Sink into my warmth, cub, and tell me three things you can hear.”
Danny desperately latched onto the familiar exercise, surprised and grateful Ash even knew about it. But he wouldn’t be able to speak if he didn’t slow his breathing.
“I promise you’re safe.” Ash rubbed his cheek over Danny’s in a way that felt like scent marking. “Breathe with me, Danny. Nice and slow. There’s no rush. We can stand here all night if we have to.”
After a few minutes of matching his breath to Ash’s, Danny was finally able to take deep breaths.
“The leaves. They’re rustling from the faint gust of wind that just wound past us.”
“You’re doing good, baby. Can you tell me one more? It’s okay if you need a minute.”
Danny’s mind filtered through the surrounding noises—birds, car door slamming shut, distant dog bark—but only one caught and held his focus. “Your heartbeat. It’s strong and steady as it pounds against my ear.” He closed his eyes, the other noises fading into the background. “It’s a soothing rhythm.”
As he listened, he breathed in Ash’s earthy scent, smoky like a campfire on a warm summer night. For a long moment, neither said a word, as if Ash was using his heartbeat to anchor him.
It was working.
“Just one more, Danny. Listen for a sound that focuses you. Something that tethers you.”
He didn’t have to search for the sound. It had been there the entire time.
“Your voice.” He curled his fingers into the soft fabric of Ash’s shirt.
“You like my voice?” Ash brushed a hand over Danny’s back, his arms tightening just a little more.
“It’s comforting,” he admitted. “A deep rumble of thunder. Not the frightening kind. The kind that wraps around you like a weighted blanket despite the menacing storm it brings.”
“You’ll never feel its destruction.” Ash rested his chin on top of Danny’s head, the facial hair prickling his scalp. “I’d never weaponize it against you, Danny.”
“Not even if I accidentally made your helmet part of a pinball machine?” Danny still couldn’t believe the abuse that poor helmet had suffered. “It was as if the universe saw it fly out of my hand and decided chaos would be fun to unleash.”
Ash snorted, confusing Danny. “Do you know how many times I’ve dropped that damn thing?” He chuckled, but it sounded more like relief. “One night I was heading to Aiden’s and dropped it as I was locking my door. I reached down to grab it, only to kick it under my truck. When I lowered to my stomach to retrieve it, a raccoon snatched it by the chin strap and hauled furry ass. It took me two goddamn hours of threatening then bribing the critter to get it back.”
Danny let out a shaky breath that was almost a laugh. He stayed tucked against Ash’s chest, refusing to move. “You actually bribed a raccoon? What could you have possibly offered it?”
If a raccoon had stolen something of his, it could keep it. Whenever Danny saw one, he gave it a wide berth. Those razor-sharp claws and beady eyes scared the bejesus out of him.
“A pound of grapes and the leftover meatloaf I’d cooked for dinner.” Ash continued to softly stroke Danny’s back, the vibration of his voice settling the last of Danny’s nerves. If they had been lying down, Danny would’ve dozed off five minutes ago.
For a year he’d struggled to accomplish what Ash had done in under ten minutes. The guy was comfort personified, and Danny was certain he would need daily doses from this flannel-wrapped weighted blanket.
Prescription: Bear.
Side effects: naps, trust, accidental laughter, emotional safety.
“At least you got your helmet back and the raccoon got a good meal out of it. The bribery worked.”
“A little too well.” Ash’s hand stilled. “Now he shows up at my backdoor every night, scratching on the wood to let me know he’s there.”
That was the most adorable thing Danny had ever heard. “Do you feed him?”
“Stripes knocks politely on my door. You gotta reward good manners.” Ash chuckled, the sound wrapping around Danny like another dose of addicting comfort.
