From War to Forever

by Andria Large

  “Working,” Tucker replies shortly.

  There’s that damn jealousy again, turning my stomach.

  “You can’t tell me?” I ask tightly, glancing at him so he can read my lips.

  Tucker sighs. “It’s not my business to tell.”

  Just like he didn’t tell Duke why I was in the hospital. Guess I gotta respect that. It’s a nice day; the sun is shining through the windows of the car, which feels good on my face. Also the traffic is minimal. Can’t beat that.

  “Fine.”

  “He’s a really great guy once you get to know him, Denny.”

  I snort. “Yeah, sure.”

  “I’m serious. He likes to fuck with people.”

  I grumble to myself. I still don’t like the guy.

  “Can you try to like him, for me?” Tucker asks, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout.

  I roll my eyes. “Dammit, all right.” How could I say no? My best friend—who I just kissed the shit out of—is asking me to try to like his other best friend. Great! Fantastic!

  “Thank you, Dennis,” he replies sincerely.

  I glance over to see him smiling softly at me. His gaze dips to my lips, and I can’t help but laugh. “Tucker! You’re going to make me crash!”

  He bursts out laughing. “I’m sorry!” He turns to stare out the window. “I won’t look at you while you’re driving.”

  I shake my head. He’s too funny.

  The rest of the ride is silent, and all I can think about is that searing kiss we shared only minutes earlier. What did it mean that we kissed? Does it have to mean anything? Are we going to continue to kiss? Are we eventually going to do other things? Is that what Tucker wants? Is that what I want? Again, too many questions with no answers. Not to mention the sliver of guilt that’s worked its way in, killing some of my excitement about the kiss and what it could mean.

  As soon as we walk in the door, my cell phone rings. I pull it out of my pocket and see it’s Lizette. “Hey, Lizzie.”

  “Hi, Denny. Are you home yet?”

  “Just walked in.”

  “Oh good.” She sighs. “Tucker picked you up?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m glad you’re out of there.”

  “Yeah, me too,” I murmur and flop down on the couch.

  “So, Mom called me,” she says.

  I’m actually shocked by the statement, because the last time either of us heard from our parents was when my mom slapped Lizette and told her it was her fault I had gone into the VA hospital last year. My parents are alcoholics and only talk to us when they need money for booze.

  “Oh yeah? What did she have to say?” I ask.

  “They need money, of course. I told her no, and she cursed me out. So you might be getting a phone call. Sorry.”

  “Great,” I grunt.

  “I know. I wish they would just forget we exist.”

  “Mmm, that would be nice.”

  “I’m glad you’re home. Let me know if you need anything, okay?” Lizette says.

  “I will, Lizzie. Love you.”

  “Love you too, Denny.”

  We hang up, and I look over at Tucker, who is in the kitchen. He’s making sandwiches, which is fine by me because I’m starving. The food at the hospital sucked ass. Tucker glances up as if he can feel me watching him. He gives me a smirk and a wink.

  “You should call work, let them know you can come back,” he says.

  “Shit, yeah, you’re right.” I groan and pull up my boss’s number on my phone.

  Thank God he’s a stand-up guy. He totally understood my need to take time off and said my job would still be there whenever I was able to return. I call him up and let him know I will be back at work on Monday. By the time I hang up, Tucker is sitting next to me, handing me a plate with a turkey-and-cheese sandwich on it. I thank him and dive right in.

  “So how long is Duke staying for?” I ask.

  I realize a minute later that Tuck didn’t even know I spoke. He’s too busy eating and watching the TV.

  I nudge him with my elbow. He turns to look over at me.

  “Hmm?”

  “How long is Duke staying?” I ask again.

  Tucker shrugs. “Until he’s done doing what he came here for,” he replies, a hint of sadness in his tone.

  I don’t question it because he already made it clear he isn’t going to tell me why Duke is here in the first place.

  “Ooookay.”

  “Knowing how good he is at his job, it won’t be too long,” Tucker says.

  I nod. I hope it’s not too long. I want my condo back to just Tucker and me. I don’t want to have to worry about someone walking in and catching us kissing or something. Especially when I’m not even sure what’s going on between us. It’s weird how we kissed earlier and are now back to our normal comfortable selves. Like we didn’t share one of the hottest kisses ever.

  Chapter Five

  TUCKER

  I’M RUNNING… again. This time Duke is dragging me by my arm. I can’t hear a thing. I can feel blood trickling down the sides of my neck from my ears. I keep stumbling as I try to keep up with Duke. We are trying to get away from the insurgents chasing us. We are the only two to survive that attack, and they want us dead. I’m so disoriented. I can’t hear a damn thing. I have no idea what Duke is yelling at me. I can see his lips moving, but I don’t know what he’s saying. Duke pulls me behind a building and slams my back against the wall. He grips me up by my collar and shakes me as he barks something in my face. I blink up at him.

  “I can’t hear anything you’re saying,” I yell… or I think I yell.

  He stares at me, glancing over the blood dripping from my ears. He hangs his head. When he lifts it back up, his lips move, and I know exactly what he says.

  “Well, shit.”

  Exactly. Shit. I don’t know how we’re ever going to get out of here alive.

  MY EYES fly open with a gasp. I feel my bed dip, and I whip my head around to see Dennis climbing in next to me.

  “You were whimpering in your sleep,” he says.

  “How did you hear me from your room?” I ask, looking at him over my shoulder.

  “I went to the bathroom. Heard you when I came out.” He frowns.

  He lies down on his side facing me, so I turn my body to face him. He rakes his fingers through the hair falling over my forehead, pushing it back.

  “Nightmare?” he asks.

  I pull in a deep breath and nod.

  “Want me to stay?”

  I nod again. Desire immediately flares. The kiss we shared earlier flashes through my mind, and my cock hardens. What will become of our friendship if we do this? I hope we’re not ruining what we have. I slowly, hesitantly slide my hand over Dennis’s hip. He’s only in his underwear, as usual. He doesn’t stop me, and if anything, the moonlight shining in from my open curtains makes it possible to see his green eyes darken. I scoot closer. Dennis searches my eyes for a second before he leans forward and kisses me, just a light kiss, as if testing the waters.

  “Again,” I whisper.

  Dennis practically attacks me, shoving me onto my back as he climbs on top of me, his mouth immediately finding mine. His kisses are aggressive and needy. His large, muscled body fits against mine with our chests and stomachs pressed together, our legs tangled around each other. I grab his hips and hold on to him as I roll my hips forward, rubbing our equally hard cocks against each other. Dennis gasps against my mouth, which spurs me on. I do it again, this time making myself moan.

  Dennis pulls back from the kiss to stare down at me, his eyes holding a mixture of desire and confusion, which I totally get because I feel it too. “What is going on?” he asks, his brows furrowed.

  I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

  Dennis opens his mouth to say something else, but I’m not in the mood to talk right now. I grab his face and kiss him as I roll us over so I’m on top. He immediately wraps his arms around me. Using my thighs, I shove his le
gs apart and settle my hips against his. I rock my hips, thrusting against him. Our dicks rub together through the layers of our underwear with each thrust, and it’s causing the most delicious friction.

  I pull away from our kiss when I feel Dennis trying to shove my briefs off. I agree; they have to go. I push up to my knees and help him out. I kick away my underwear, then rid him of his. I drink in the sight of him, naked and aroused. He’s beautiful. He reaches for me, so I cover him with my body again. Damn, does it feel right. The loss of material makes everything so much better. My cock glides easily along the length of his—all hot, hard, and silky-smooth.

  I bite out a curse as I continue to grind against Dennis. His hands find their way to my asscheeks, where he grips me so tight I think I might have finger-shaped bruises in the morning. I’m getting close. Just as I’m about to ask Dennis if he is too, his body tightens up beneath mine. His head slams back into the pillow, and I feel the warm jets of his orgasm shoot between us. That sends me over the edge, and I add to Dennis’s load. I sag against him. His hands smooth up my back to grip my shoulders. I have my face tucked in the side of his neck as I try to control my breathing. My emotions are all over the fucking place.

  When I’m ready, I slowly push up to my hands and knees. We look down at the mess we made between us. I lift my eyes and meet Dennis’s. He’s fighting off a smile. I chuckle and shake my head. I climb off the bed, grab the box of tissues from the nightstand, and wipe off as best as I can before pulling on my underwear.

  “I’ll grab a rag,” I tell him before heading for the door.

  I go to the bathroom and wet a rag with some warm water. After washing myself off, I rinse it and rewet it. I bring it back to my bedroom for Dennis and toss it onto his stomach before climbing back into bed next to him. Dennis cleans himself up, then slings the rag onto the pile of my dirty laundry on the floor in the corner. He grabs his underwear off the floor and pulls them back on. It’s only then that I realize he’s had his prosthetic off the entire time. I glance past him to see it’s leaning against the nightstand on his side of the bed. He must have taken it off before waking me up.

  Lying next to him, staring up at the ceiling, I’m wondering what Dennis is thinking. Does he feel like he cheated on Zara? That’s my biggest worry. Did we fuck up our friendship? Is he going to hate me? I turn onto my side to face him, because I can’t take it. I need to know where his head is.

  “Denny?” I whisper into the silence.

  Dennis turns to look at me. His face is blank, void of emotion. My heart leaps up into my throat. God, no!

  “Dennis,” I croak. “What are you thinking?”

  A small smile curls his lips, and his green eyes warm as he scans my face.

  “Nothing,” he says.

  “Nothing?” I ask, bewildered.

  “My mind is blissfully blank, for once,” he replies, and his chest heaves as he breathes out a sigh and closes his eyes.

  I blink at him in shock. Blank is a good thing for Dennis.

  “So you’re okay with what just happened?” I push.

  He nods, keeping his eyes closed. “Yes.”

  I watch him as he dozes off. I can tell, because his face goes slack and his breathing slows. He looks peaceful. My chest swells with a growing emotion I can only identify as love. But I already love Dennis. Is it possible I’m falling in love with him? I’ve been in love before—with a woman obviously—and this feels a lot like that but deeper, I think. I roll onto my back and stare up at the ceiling. Fuck me.

  DENNIS

  I WAKE up the next morning alone. Tuck is gone. I glance at the clock. Holy shit! It’s 11:00 a.m. No wonder I’m alone. Tucker never sleeps past six, even on the weekends. I sit up and rub the sleep out of my eyes. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and put my prosthetic on. I stand and stretch, my joints cracking as I do. Shuffling to the door, I yawn and scratch my bare chest as I step out into the hall. I can hear voices from the living room, so obviously Duke is still here. I go to the bathroom, take a piss, and brush my teeth before heading into my room to put on a pair of running pants.

  I make my way into the living room, where Duke and Tucker are standing at the breakfast bar huddled close together, viewing pictures on a professional-looking camera. I clear my throat to let Duke know I’m there. He glances up. His expression has me doing a double take. Christ, he looks like he’s ready to kill somebody. His eyes are cold as ice, his face hard as stone. His mouth is set in a thin, angry line. What the hell is going on with this guy? A tiny beep sounds as he sets the camera down. Tucker glances up, his expression angry as well. Not in the same “I’m about to slit your throat” way, but angry just the same.

  “Uh, sorry, am I interrupting something important?” I ask hesitantly. “I can go hang in my room if you need—” I hike a thumb over my shoulder.

  “No, it’s fine,” Duke says. “This is your place. You’re allowed to roam free.”

  “Really, I can go….”

  “No, we’re done,” he insists. He turns and covertly signs something to Tucker before scooping up the camera and making his way down the hall toward the spare room.

  I watch him disappear. When I turn back to Tucker, he’s looking more sad than angry now. He gives me a tight smile.

  “Hey, buddy. Want a cup of coffee?” he asks.

  I nod and move toward the kitchen. “Thanks.”

  Tucker spins and grabs a mug from the cabinet. I sit down on a stool and check him out while his back is to me. He is shirtless and in a pair of low-slung, black sweatpants. The waistband of his underwear is showing, which I find extremely sexy. I watch the muscles in his back work as he reaches for the mug and pours me a cup from the carafe. This newfound attraction I’ve got going on with Tucker is still weird, but I don’t want to fight it. It feels too right. Though a part of me is ashamed I’m feeling this way about someone other than Zara. Can I be happy and love someone else while still loving her?

  “I can feel you staring at me,” he murmurs and peeks over his shoulder at me, amusement in his blue eyes.

  I smile sheepishly and shrug. He turns and slides the mug of coffee across the counter to me. He leans forward, propping himself up on his forearms on the counter. He laces his fingers together and worries his bottom lip between his teeth. I take a sip of my coffee and wait. I know he’s got something to say.

  “Are we… okay?” he asks quietly.

  I frown and set my mug down on the counter. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t we be?”

  “Well, I just didn’t know… after last night… where your head is at when it comes to Zara and doing that type of stuff with someone else?”

  At first I don’t understand what he means, but after a minute, realization dawns on me. He’s thinking because we did something sexual, I may feel like I cheated on Zara.

  I reach across the counter and grab his wrist, needing some kind of connection with him. “In a way, it does bother me. Like I betrayed her trust somehow,” I admit. “But I enjoyed it, and I don’t regret doing it.”

  Hope brightens his eyes. “Yeah?”

  I smirk. “It was fucking hot, so, yeah.”

  Tucker grins. “Yeah, it really was.” His smile quickly fades. “You know I would never expect you to stop loving her, right? If we continue whatever this is….”

  I swallow hard. Damn, this guy is something else. “I do now. Thank you,” I say and give his wrist a squeeze.

  “So what are you ladies doing today?” Duke asks as he appears from the hallway.

  I slowly slide my hand away from Tucker’s wrist. I’m sure if I snatched it back, Duke would find that suspicious. He plops down heavily onto the stool next to me. I take a quick sip of my coffee before answering.

  “I should spend some time with my sister,” I say, making sure I’m mostly facing Tuck so he can read my lips.

  “Yeah, you should,” Tucker agrees.

  “So it’s you and me, then, Helen Keller?” Duke says to Tucker.

  I pra
ctically choke on my coffee, causing Duke and Tucker to chuckle. Once I know I’m not going to need mouth-to-mouth, I turn to gape at Duke.

  “Dude, did you seriously call him Helen Keller?” I sputter.

  Duke shrugs. “Since the day he lost his hearing, bro.”

  I gawk at him. “He’s deaf, not deaf and blind, asshole…. That’s so fucked-up,” I say, fighting off a smile.

  “I don’t know, man. You should have seen a few of the women he’s picked up,” Duke replies with a grimace. “Woof.”

  I bark out a laugh.

  “Hey!” Tucker protests. “They were never that bad!”

  Duke may be a massive tool, but that was pretty funny… and bad.

  “Let me go get dressed. Then we can go grab some lunch,” Tucker says to Duke.

  I brush off a twinge of jealousy. It’s stupid for me to be jealous of Duke. They obviously don’t have the same kind of relationship Tucker and I have, so there’s nothing to be jealous of. I take another sip of my coffee as Tucker leaves the kitchen and goes to his bedroom to get dressed. I can feel Duke staring at me.

  “Problem?” I ask, turning to him with a raised eyebrow.

  Duke gives me a smug smile. “Nope.”

  Sending him a bored look before finishing my coffee, I put my mug in the sink, then leave Duke to go to my room to get dressed too. I call Lizette to see if she will be home so I can stop by. She is ecstatic and insists on dropping everything so we can spend time together.

  DUKE

  “IS THERE something going on between you and Dennis that I should know about?” I sign as I munch on a fry. We’re having lunch at some diner Tucker likes.

  Tucker freezes midbite into his grilled-chicken Caesar wrap and lifts his eyes from my hands to my face. I watch him patiently as I continue to pop fries into my mouth, making sure my face is giving nothing away. I totally heard him and Dennis fucking around last night. I don’t know exactly what they were doing, but from the moaning I was hearing, it was something of a sexual nature.