At Peace (The War Trilogy #3)

by Andria Large

  Duke drops his face into his hands and makes a pained noise. “She’s like the perfect woman. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted,” he says, sounding so torn, so tortured. It breaks my heart.

  “Maybe you’ve finally found the right one then,” I offer.

  Duke shakes his head. “I don’t have another heartbreak in me, Tuck. I know I look all tough and shit, but I’m just a big pile of goo inside.”

  I chuckle. Leave it to Duke to lighten the mood. “I know you are. I also know you aren’t the type to play it safe, either. You take chances, sometimes stupid ones…”

  “Hey!”

  “…But a lot of the time, you come out on top because you took a chance. You can’t live in fear of falling in love again, Duke, because you could miss out on something really special.”

  Pot meet kettle. If I hadn’t let fear take over a few weeks ago, Dennis and I wouldn’t be where we are right now. We would be happy and secure in our relationship.

  “I’m still hurting from Aimee and that was over a year ago.” Duke sighs.

  “So maybe you need Arianna to help you heal, to show you that love still exists.”

  “I don’t know, man. What if she’s not feeling the same?”

  “What if she is?”

  Duke shakes his head. “I can’t. I can’t do it again,” he insists.

  There’s that damn pang again.

  “Don’t let fear keep you from finding your forever person,” I tell him seriously. “I bet you and Arianna are really great together. And I don’t think she would ever hurt you the way your exes did because she’s not heartless like that. She’s been hurt, too, in the same way that you have. I don’t think she would ever do that to you. You deserve to be happy, Duke. And if Arianna makes you happy, then you need to take a chance with her.”

  Duke takes a deep breath and blows it out. “Maybe.”

  I reach over and give the back of his neck a squeeze. “She’s a good girl. She would be good for you. And I would know,” I say, giving him a teasing wink.

  “Shut up, fucker. I don’t want to hear about how you slept with her, too,” he grunts.

  I laugh.

  “Hey, did you know Keith is gay?” Duke asks, abruptly changing the subject.

  I smirk. Oh, god, where is this going? “Yeah.”

  Duke gives me a dirty look. Uh oh. “You could have given me a heads-up, asshole. Dude tried to put the moves on me.”

  I bark out a surprised laugh. “How was I supposed to know that he’d find you attractive?”

  “He assumed that since I hung out with you, I was gay, or at least bi,” he mutters and rolls his eyes.

  Stupid me thought that I could take a sip of beer. I almost spit it out and start choking. Duke snickers as he claps me on the back.

  “Oh god, that’s so funny!” I cough.

  “He kissed me…on the lips.” Duke shudders.

  I laugh so hard that I have tears rolling down my cheeks. I can picture it in my head and it’s fucking hilarious!

  “I obviously don’t see what you see,” Duke scoffs.

  My laughter dies with a sigh. Shit, I needed that. There really hasn’t been too much laughter in my life lately. “Yeah, well, maybe Keith isn’t the right guy for you,” I tease.

  “No guy is the right guy for me.” He laughs.

  We continue to drink and tease each other. It feels good to get out with just Duke. We haven’t done it in so long. Both of us have been so busy lately. After a moment of comfortable silence, Duke drops the one question I knew was coming at some point.

  “So, how are things with you and Dennis?”

  I haven’t talked to Duke too much about what’s been going on between us. I feel like it’s something that’s private and should only be between Dennis and me. I’m guessing that Dennis hasn’t said anything to him either, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked.

  I sure as hell don’t want to tell Duke about what Rhys did today. He would have an aneurysm and then try to shove Rhys’ dick up his own ass. Plus, I’m still so freaking livid that I’ve been fighting the urge to drive down to Philly myself to beat his face in.

  “We’re not here to talk about Dennis and me,” I say with finality to let him know that the subject is not up for discussion.

  When I glance at him, he’s frowning at me, but he doesn’t say anything else about it, which I’m thankful for. We drink a few more beers and bullshit for the next two hours before leaving. I stop at Duke’s apartment for a minute to see what he’s done to it, which isn’t too much. After saying goodbye, I head out.

  On a whim, I decide to drop in on Dennis at work. I just want to make sure he’s okay. I know what my brother did pissed him off and upset him. Plus, I want to do everything I can to assure him that I’m not going anywhere. I feel like he’s starting to believe me, so this can only help.

  I park my bike out front of O’Reilly’s Pub and walk up to the door with my helmet tucked under my arm. It’s a Friday night, so there’s a decent amount of people milling around outside, and there’s a small line forming at the door. I can see Denny just inside the door, checking IDs with a little black light then stamping the backs of peoples’ hands. He looks livid as shit, though. His mouth in a thin line, his jaw is clenched tight, and he’s barely speaking a word or looking at anyone. He’s definitely struggling to keep his anger in check.

  I get in line. When it’s my turn, Dennis doesn’t even realize it’s me.

  I stick my hand out. “Stamp me, baby,” I purr.

  His head shoots up and his eyes widen slightly. A small lopsided grin spreads across his handsome face. He stamps my hand without a word. I send him a wink then head over to the side of the bar closest to the door and grab an empty stool. I look over my shoulder to find him sneaking glances at me in between checking IDs. I blow him a kiss, which makes that cute lopsided grin return. It makes me happy as shit that I can still make his smile.

  “Hey, Tucker! What’ll ya have?” Britney, the bartender, asks.

  I turn toward her and give her a smile. “Hey, Brit. Just a water, please.”

  “You got it.”

  She grabs a glass with ice and fills it with water before setting it in front of me.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem!” she chirps then moves on to serve someone else.

  I settle in since I know I’m probably going to be waiting a little bit for Dennis to get a break.

  ~ Chapter Six ~

  ~ Dennis ~

  Tucker looks sexy as all get out in his leathers, sitting at the bar. I’ve been taking things in the sex department kind of slow since he’s come back, but after my little epiphany earlier, I think it’s time to get back to normal. And by normal, I mean I want to fuck him until he’s screaming my name. Shit, I need to stop before I pitch a tent and scare people away.

  “Oh, you weren’t kidding, this place does have the hottest bouncer,” a male voice says quietly, pulling my gaze away from Tucker.

  In front of me are a young girl and guy, both of them looking at me appraisingly. I feel heat crawl up my cheeks. I don’t think I’ve ever been so blatantly ogled by a couple of strangers before. I check the girl’s ID first. She looks familiar and I’m pretty sure she’s been here a few times. I hand her back her ID and I stamp her outstretched hand.

  I take the guy’s ID and look it over, checking his birthdate. He’s 23. I hand him back his ID and he purposely brushes his fingers over mine. He gives me a suggestive look and holds out his hand. I return his suggestive look with a bland one and stamp his hand. He’s a good-looking guy, tall and blonde with a square jaw and deep brown eyes. He’s got an athletic body and is dressed really nice for his build. Everything fits perfectly.

  He moves out of the way of other people but stops next to me.

  “What’s your name, handsome?” he asks.

  I cock an eyebrow and give him a sideways glance. “Really? You just got here, you think it’s smart to hit on the bouncer?”

 
He sends me a sexy smile. “Oh, I haven’t even begun to hit on you.”

  I bark out a laugh and shake my head. “Get outta here, kid,” I say and shoo him away with my hand.

  He grins at me as he obediently walks away.

  As I swing my gaze back around toward the door, I catch Tucker’s eye. He has an eyebrow cocked as if to say, “What the hell is going on over there?”

  I shake my head and roll my eyes. My mood has definitely lightened since he got here. I was really starting to brood over the whole Rhys thing. Then Tucker walks in being silly, telling me to stamp him, and all my anger just melts away. That’s what he does to me…always has.

  My break comes about twenty minutes later. The other guy working tonight is Josh, and he takes over door duties. I whistle at Tucker to get his attention. When he looks over at me, I mouth that I’m going to the bathroom and he gives me a nod.

  I walk into the bathroom and up to an unoccupied urinal. In the midst of relieving myself, someone sidles up next to me in the space between the stall and the urinal that I’m using, their body brushing against mine. I glance over and much to my disappointment, I see the blonde kid that hit on me earlier.

  I give him a bored look. “Seriously? I’m trying to take a piss," I groan, letting my irritation seep out in my tone.

  He makes no attempt at being subtle when he glances down at my dick in my hand before lifting his gaze up to meet mine, straight up lust in his big brown eyes.

  “I am serious because you are freaking gorgeous and I would give anything right about now to have that huge cock of yours in my ass,” he purrs, his eyelids dropping to half-mast.

  I can’t tell if he’s drunk or really fucking bold. After my standard two shakes, I tuck myself away.

  “Listen, kid…” I start.

  “Drew.”

  “Drew,” I huff. “Do you come onto guys like this often? Because if I were anyone else, I’d kick your fucking ass,” I tell him.

  He shrugs nonchalantly. “Sometimes. Only when I see someone I’m really interested in.”

  “Well, it’s not smart.”

  “I’ll take my chances. Usually works out pretty well for me,” he answers, wagging his eyebrows suggestively at me.

  I fight off a smile; this kid is unbelievable. I decide that he’s definitely just bold.

  “And don’t even try to tell me you’re not gay. I saw you eyeing up that guy sitting at the end of the bar,” Drew says.

  “I was.” I nod in agreement. “And as flattered as I am by your offer, that’s my boyfriend,” I reply.

  “Are you guys happy?” he asks. “Or do I still have a chance?”

  I shake my head. “No chance, very happy.”

  Drew’s face falls. “Damn, that sucks for me.”

  I clap him on the shoulder. “Better luck next time.” I chuckle and start for the door.

  Just as I’m about to push the door, it swings open to reveal Tucker’s grinning face.

  “What the hell is taking you so long? You take a shit or something?” he quips.

  I chuckle as I put a hand on his chest and shove him back and away from the door. I keep pushing him until he bumps into the opposite wall. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

  “Hello.” His mouth kicks up into his naturally cocky grin.

  I press my body against his and lean my face in close to his. “I was just getting hit on in the bathroom,” I murmur, my lips brushing against his.

  “What? By that kid that was behind you?” Tucker asks softly as he snakes his hands around my waist.

  “Yeah.” I grin against his mouth.

  He smiles, too. “I hope you let him down easy.”

  I nod. “I did,” I whisper before nipping at his bottom lip.

  Tucker moans low. His hands slide down to my ass. He cups both cheeks and yanks me more snugly against him. I feel his erection press against my own. Humming my approval, I capture his lips in a dirty, hot-as-hell kiss.

  ~ Tucker ~

  Dennis must be trying to make up for lost time or something. He’s kissing me with a passion that I haven’t felt coming from him in the past couple of weeks. But fuck, it feels so good. I hold onto his ass, keeping his cock tucked nicely against mine. I roll my hips forward, pulling needy groans from both of us.

  Dennis drags his mouth down to my neck, just under my ear. “I want to fuck you tonight,” he breathes, his lips whispering against the shell of my ear.

  I shiver. Holy hell! Where did this Dennis come from? I fucking missed him something fierce. I’m so glad he’s making a comeback.

  “I’m all yours,” I gasp.

  “Shit, I don’t know if I can wait,” Dennis growls.

  He lifts his head from my neck and looks around in consideration. I can see the moment he makes his decision.

  “Jim’s not here. We can use his office,” Dennis says.

  My breath catches. “Are you serious? You want to fuck in your boss’ office?”

  A sly grin curls his lips. “Not up for it?”

  “Oh, I’m up,” I scoff, making Dennis snicker. “Just don’t want you to lose your job.”

  He shakes his head. “He’ll never know.”

  “There’s no cameras or anything?”

  “Not back here, no.”

  “Well, that’s dumb, this is a dark hallway.” I frown.

  “I got like twenty minutes left on my break, is this really what you want to be doing? Talking about why there are no cameras back here?” Dennis huffs.

  “Point taken. Let’s go.”

  Dennis leads the way to Jim’s office and pulls out a set of keys from his pocket. He’s head security for the bar, so I’m not surprised that he has the keys. He glances around before unlocking the door. He lets me slip inside the dark office first then follows me in. Shutting the door behind him, he locks the knob then grabs me and shoves me roughly against the wall next to the door.

  His mouth is on mine in an instant, ravaging, dominating. He shoves one of his hands into my hair and grips it tight. The other moves down to grip me through my pants. I gasp into his mouth as he gives my rock hard cock a firm squeeze.

  Dennis pulls back, giving my bottom lip a bite. I suck in a sharp breath at the little bit of pleasurable pain he causes. Using his grip on my hair, he yanks my head back, exposing my neck to him.

  “I fucking love it when you’re rough like this,” I pant.

  “Oh, yeah?” he drawls, his voice low and gravelly.

  “Yeah,” I say, swallowing hard.

  The hand on my dick squeezes again as his hot mouth finds my neck. I let out a low moan. While Dennis is kissing and sucking and licking my neck, his other hand starts to unbutton my pants. Once unbuttoned, he lets go of my hair and starts shoving my pants down. I do as much as I can to help him out; I kick out of one of my boots and pull my leg out of my pants entirely. Dennis grunts his approval then seals his mouth over mine.

  “Turn around and spread your legs,” Dennis commands, giving me one more hard kiss before backing up just enough for me to turn around.

  I place my hands on the wall for support and widen my stance. I can hear the swish of Dennis shirt coming off, then the scratch of his zipper coming down.

  “You’re lucky I have a little packet of lube in my wallet still,” he mutters.

  I rest my forehead against the wall, my body coiled tight with need and desire. I would have let him fuck me without lube, that’s how much I want this right now. I reach down and wrap my hand around my aching cock, tugging lazily while I wait for Dennis to be ready.

  A minute later, Dennis’ fingers are at my hole, spreading the cold slippery lube around. I blow out a harsh breath and push back against him.

  “How bad do you want my cock?” Dennis rumbles, slipping a finger inside of me.

  A whimper escapes me. “So bad, baby.”

  Another finger.

  I moan and speed up my hand, jacking myself off a little faster.

  “Come on, Denny, fuck me,”
I hiss into the darkness.

  Dennis removes his fingers. The next thing I feel is his hot swollen cockhead against my hole. I moan. He pushes forward, breaching the tight ring of muscle quickly. I gasp at the burn and fullness that I haven’t felt in a few weeks. In one quick thrust, he completely seats himself inside of me.

  “Fuuuuck,” I groan.

  He grips my hips tightly as he slowly pulls back before slamming forward again. He does this a few more times before finding a faster and harder pace. The only sound in the room is the sound of our bodies slapping together and our panting breaths with the occasional gasp and moan tossed in.

  Dennis grabs a handful of my hair and yanks my head back hard enough that I’m forced to follow with my body. So now my back is arched and only my fingertips are touching the wall.

  His lips brush the shell of my ear, his heavy breaths tickling the side of my face. “You like it rough like this?”

  “Fuck, yes,” I rasp.

  “I’ve missed you,” he whispers in my ear.

  “I’ve missed you, too, Den,” I reply.

  “I’m not going to last much longer,” he grunts.

  “Me neither.”

  I feel Dennis’ rhythm falter before he pumps a few more times then slams home with a low growl. His cock pulses inside of me so I know that he’s coming. Then the next thing I know, he’s pulling out, spinning me around and on his knees sucking my cock into his mouth. I’m so shocked and overwhelmed by the pleasure that I instantly lose it. I grab onto his head as I come into his mouth. Dennis swallows and moans as he continues to suck me, making sure he gets everything.

  He finally lets me go once I’m soft. He gets to his feet and takes my face in his hands, tenderly pressing his lips to mine.

  “I love you,” he says.

  “I love you, too.”

  “Let’s right ourselves and get the hell out of here before someone comes looking for me,” Dennis says, and I can hear the smile in his tone.

  “Okay.” I sigh breathlessly. “I don’t know if I can move, though.”

  He chuckles.

  “That was hot,” I murmur as I push away from the wall.

  Dennis hums his agreement. “Mmm, yes, it was.”