Training Command [Hard Hits 16] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Read online

  Hard Hits 16

  Training Command

  After only two days partnered together, K9 Officer Dusk Command has fallen hard for the sexy and mysterious Detective Sergeant Shane Saxton. He wants Shane as his Dom. He just has to get the courage to make the first move. Distracted by their sexual chemistry, Dusk knows he needs to make his move fast.

  Shane has one job: train and protect his new SWAT recruit, Dusk Command. When they go to serve a warrant, Dusk is gravely injured in the line of duty and falls into a deep coma. Unable to leave his side, Shane waits for him to wake up.

  After waking from his coma, the only thing that should be on Dusk’s mind is getting back to work. But all Dusk can think about is having Shane as his Dom. Now that they’re finally together, will Shane have him—or will this submissive be without a Dom forever?

  Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), BDSM, Contemporary

  Length: 26,561 words

  TRAINING COMMAND

  Hard Hits 16

  Tatum Throne

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  TRAINING COMMAND

  Copyright © 2017 by Tatum Throne

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-292-7

  First Publication: April 2017

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  For the Throne boys. Always.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Tatum Throne has a master’s degree in social work. She left the field of medical social work to be a stay-at-home mom and to pursue her dreams of writing romance. She has three rambunctious boys with her husband, Mr. Throne, two rowdy rabbits named Coco and Fluffy, and one hamster named Scampers.

  When not indulging her fantasies, Tatum enjoys baking chocolate-chip cookies, hiking, spending time with her family, and spreading awareness of eosinophilic disorders.

  You can find Tatum all over the web at:

  www.tatumthrone.com

  www.tatumthrone.blogspot.com

  Find her on Facebook!

  For all titles by Tatum Throne, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/tatum-throne

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Landmarks

  Cover

  TRAINING COMMAND

  Hard Hits 16

  TATUM THRONE

  Copyright © 2017

  Prologue

  Sexual energy buzzed through K9 officer Dusk Command’s body as he sat in the passenger side of Shane’s unmarked vehicle. He’d been doing a ride-along with Detective Sergeant Shane Saxton for the last few weeks. As a new transfer to District Two, Dusk was still learning the ropes and how the department ran.

  From the first moment he’d met Shane, he’d been held captive by the man. Muscular, tall, handsome, and really intelligent, Shane was everything Dusk wanted in a man. Too bad nothing would be happening between them anytime soon. Still, that didn’t stop Dusk from jerking off every night and morning to the thought of Shane taking control of him.

  “Ready?”

  The unmarked police vehicle pulled to a stop on the darkened street in the shitty part of downtown. They were serving a warrant to a known drug dealer.

  A shiver raced down Dusk’s spine as the deep guttural tenor whispered across the small space that separated them. They locked eyes within the darkness of the car. For the briefest of seconds, Dusk thought he saw Shane’s eyes move down to his lips. That move made his heart hammer.

  Shane’s guarded eyes suddenly narrowed. “You solid?”

  With his thoughts racing away about the naked heat they could ignite in this car, Dusk licked his lips. God, he wanted him so fucking bad. He wanted the deep, raw, passionate heat of finding new love. “Getting there.”

  And he was. His prick was filling fast and hard behind the zipper of his tactical pants. Within the safety of the darkened car, Dusk moved his hand over his throbbing prick, adjusting his dick as he mentally adjusted his balls. He needed to get his head back into the game.

  At that moment, a truck zoomed by the car, snapping him out of his thoughts. Shane’s gaze moved down his body, catching his hand still adjusting his painfully hard shaft.

  The scorching path of those beautiful eyes made Dusk’s junk contract hard, sending a shot of spunk into his boxer briefs. In the back seat, Colt whimpered. His K9 partner was anxious to get out. He knew they were working.

  Shane leaned across the seat, getting in his face the way a trainer would push around a trainee. “We’ll deal with this later. This is not acceptable.”

  Dusk swallowed hard, unable to pull his gaze away from those brilliant blue eyes. Shane’s dark black hair fell forward over his face. There was a five o’clock shadow on his strong, broad jaw. Temptation had Dusk letting his eyelids go heavy, even allowing them to drift down to those full lips he was so desperate to kiss. They were inches away.

  “Fuck.” The word snapped out of Shane’s mouth like gunfire. “This is going to be a problem.”

  “It’s not.”

  Shane frowned hard, edging back a little. “We have a job to do. Get Colt leashed up and let’s go. We’ll talk about this later.”

  Fear sliced down his spine when he caught the cool edge of Shane’s voice. Relieved to have his work to hide behind, Dusk got out of the passenger side. He opened the back door and whistled low for Colt to get out. His German shepherd jumped out of the backseat and sat at his feet on the sidewalk. Dusk snapped on his leash, determined to make it look like he was just out for an early evening stroll.

  Shane circled around the back of the unmarked car and came in close. He had a good four inches of height on Dusk, and that made Dusk’s submissive side want to swoon at Shane’s feet.

  Shane took the lead as they headed down the block to the red brick apartment building. “Let’s do this.”

  The echo of a shot fired out into the night. At first, Dusk thought it had been a car backfiring. He was wrong. Another round of gunfire cracked out.

  “Get down!” Dusk yelled.

  It wasn’t Shane he should have been worried about.

  Dusk felt the burning sting of the bullet strike him, causing him to take a step back. Blood flowed down over his face. He didn’t understand
how it had happened or why.

  He looked down, seeing his uniform stained with blood, and he swayed forward, falling to his knees with his hands hitting the pavement hard. At his side, Colt whimpered, licking his face.

  Darkness teased his peripheral vision as he tried to stay conscious. Everything around him started to go black and there was nothing he could do to stop it from happening. The cool pavement hugged his face. How had he gotten there?

  He was flipped over. Strong hands dragged him off the sidewalk, taking cover behind a car. Shane hovered above him. When had he raced to his side? From far away, he could hear Shane calling to him, begging him to stay. He wasn’t sure if he could. Right then, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

  Life had gotten so far out of whack and so far out of reach. He wasn’t happy with the life he had or the life he was living. He was a closeted gay man and there was nothing he could do to step out and be happy. Now that he lost the chance, there was nothing he could do to get it back.

  Shane was above him, pleading. “Stay with me. Help is coming!”

  Then there was nothing but dark, starry sky. He was lost and there was nothing he could do to find his way back. A strong hand gripped his and for a moment he focused his eyes. They locked in the swirling depths of the deepest blue he’d ever seen.

  Tingles raced down his spine. Dusk was going to use Shane as a lifeline to hold on for just a few minutes longer. Movement blurred around him and he felt that hand slip away.

  * * * *

  What felt like hours later, Dusk was awake and staring at the white ceiling of a hospital. His mouth was dry and his body was stiff. He had trouble getting his brain to catch up with his body.

  For the briefest of seconds, he thought he was paralyzed and started to panic. He moved his hands and feet. A palpitating relief moved through his body, making the heart monitor jump to life.

  Still, the panicky edge of being alone lingered within. He felt weak and confused. Dusk didn’t understand what was going on.

  Dusk reached for his head, relieved to feel that there was no bandage there. He hadn’t been struck in the head, or had he? There was a jagged scar down the side of his face and an oxygen tube sitting in his nose that he pulled out. Tubes ran from his arm. Frantic, Dusk pushed aside the blanket, seeing a catheter in his dick and a peg in his stomach with a tube running to a feeding pump. Holy shit.

  His heart raced as he reached for the catheter, slowly pulling the tube out of his dick. How long was he out? How long?

  Something was very wrong. He looked through the hospital window, seeing a wash of spring rain hitting the window. It looked as though a season had gone by.

  With that thought in mind, he struggled to sit up, reaching for the bedside phone. He knew he should have just called for the nurse but wouldn’t just yet. He wasn’t ready to deal with what he was about to find out.

  With a shaky hand, he dialed District Two and heard the front desk officer answer. “Cincinnati Police, District Two.”

  “Can I speak with the chief?”

  He was quickly patched through.

  “This is Chief Rask.”

  Confusion swam through Dusk as he tried to catch up with what he was hearing. What had happened to Chief Anderson? How much time did he lose?

  “Hello?”

  He couldn’t speak. He felt as though the room was spinning. It was a nightmare. At any moment, he was sure he’d wake up.

  The handle of the telephone slipped from the tips of his fingers and clattered onto the floor. From very far away, he was aware a heart monitor started sending off an alarm. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the door to the room push open. A nurse raced across the room, reaching for him before he fell to the floor.

  They were too late.

  He fell hard to the cold tiled floor, trying to make sense of the nightmare he was in. It was very clear that too much time had gone by.

  “What day is it?”

  “It’s May.”

  May? As he was helped back onto the bed, his gaze glanced the digital clock on the wall. The year. It was wrong…how could it be? It took everything for Dusk not to burst into tears. The life he wanted was gone and there was nothing he could do to get it back.

  Two years.

  He had been in a coma for two long years. He wanted the time back. He saw the nurse pick up the phone, putting it to her ear. She started speaking to whoever was on the other line. Concern whispered through her voice but Dusk couldn’t make sense of what she was saying.

  Right now, he was too tired to care. He pressed his palms to his eyes as he rolled onto his side. Hot tears stung his eyes. All he wanted was to go back to bed and wake up from this nightmare.

  Chapter One

  Detective Sergeant Shane Saxton was passing by Chief Rask’s office with his K9 partner, Colt, when he glanced inside.

  The chief was on his desk phone but pulled it aside to bark, “Get in here, Saxton.”

  The chief went back to talking on the phone. After years of giving out bad news, Shane knew how to spot when someone was on the receiving end of it.

  Colt took a seat on the floor by his feet. After two years on the job, Colt was one of the best drug sniffing dogs they had. Most days he ran with his handler, and at night, he went home with Shane.

  The chief hung up the phone and their gazes locked. “What’s going on?”

  “You may want to sit down.”

  Shane didn’t bother taking the order. He just wanted the news. “Is it about Dusk?”

  “That was the hospital. Dusk is out of his coma.”

  The room suddenly tilted as his heart started to race. “I better sit down. Is he okay?”

  “They’re bringing the doctor in to see him now.”

  Hope swelled within Shane’s chest. He’d waited two long, agonizing years for Dusk to wake up. He still visited three times a week and stayed for two hours each night, reading to him. Every evening, he’d end it the same way. He’d squeeze Dusk’s hand and tell him it was okay to wake up. Finally, the man had listened.

  “You okay?”

  Shane nodded. “Yeah. I just wasn’t expecting…”

  “Truthfully, neither was I.”

  That night still haunted Shane like nothing ever had before. Shane knew for a fact that it kept Chief Rask up at night, too.

  After Dusk was injured, Shane spiraled into a deep depression. It had nearly killed him to know that he couldn’t protect one of their own. Now, he felt as though he needed to make everything right. It was as though life was giving all of them a second chance.

  “Did he say anything?”

  “No. He was pretty confused about what was going on. The nurse said that he just woke up.”

  Relief poured through Shane as he leaned back, running both hands through his hair. Chief Rask circled around his desk, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

  “It wasn’t your fault. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”

  “I do.”

  “You need to let this go or you’ll never be able to move on.”

  It was true.

  Shane didn’t want Dusk to remember the fact that he was the one who had gotten him shot. It felt petty and ridiculous, but Shane didn’t want it to affect Dusk’s recovery.

  “Are you still taking care of his place?”

  “Yeah. What do you want me to do?”

  “I’m going to the hospital and you’re coming with me,” Rask said.

  It was an order and he had no option but to do as his chief asked.

  Nervous energy pumped through Shane’s blood as he thought about what he needed to do. The thought of going to see Dusk so that he could be there for him was too much to handle. This was the only thing in his life he felt as though he’d failed royally at but he quickly got over it. He wasn’t about to let his thoughts to go down that road again.

  As a Dom, he always took care of the people he cared deeply for. He had to step up today and take care of the man who needed him.

  �
��What’s on your mind?”

  “I’m worried about how he’s going to handle the fact that I was the one who got him hurt.”

  “I don’t want you talking that way ever again. You and I both know what happened that night. It wasn’t your fault and we’re lucky we got the guy who did it.”

  Still, Shane was shaken by the thought of how Dusk would react when he found out the whole story—and that Shane was the one who’d put him in such a dangerous position in the first place.

  “Let’s go. He’s awake and he needs us there.”

  As Shawn got into the passenger side of the car, he was barely aware of the way the Cincinnati skyline faded behind them as they drove to the long-term care facility. He couldn’t hide the fact that he was nervous about what he was going to find at the rehab center. He didn’t like hospitals. It was the smell and the ambience that always got him down. He didn’t know how to handle anyone who was sick either. He was out of control and that bothered him. He liked to be in control of everything in his life.

  Before he knew it, they were pulling up to the entrance of the center. The chief parked his car and they got out, heading inside. As the sliding doors swooshed open, Shane felt every one of his nerves pluck hard. How was Dusk going to react when he saw him for the first time in almost two years?

  He tried to visit a few times a week but it was hard to see Dusk that way. As they went up to the fifth floor of the long-term Rehab Center, the nurse immediately recognized Shane.

  “He’s awake. The doctor just finished talking with him.”

  “How’s he doing?”