War Torn (2 page)

I schedule the surgery for two weeks from today. As Dennis and I leave the office, I’m flying high. Excited doesn’t even seem like a strong enough word for what I’m feeling right now. When we step out of the building and onto the sidewalk, Dennis grabs my arm and yanks me into a big bear hug. I sigh against his neck, knowing that he’s just as happy as I am. This is going to change so much.

~
Chapter
Two ~

~ Tucker ~

I walk into the condo much later than I normally get home after work. I drop my gym bag to the floor next to the door, drop my keys onto the little table, and hang up my leather jacket on the hook mounted on the wall. I went right from work to the gym today. The past week I’ve felt jittery and nervous. Understandable, since the surgery for my ears is only a week away now. So, I was trying to expend some of my pent up energy.

Dennis is in the kitchen when I walk into the living room. He looks up from where he’s wiping off the breakfast bar. “Where ya been?” he signs.

“At the gym,” I reply shortly.

“A heads up would have been nice.”

“What are you? My fucking keeper now?” I snap and start down the hallway toward the bedroom that we now share. 

Obviously, I’m not in a great mood. I just feel irritable. I know I shouldn’t take it out on Dennis, but I can’t really help it. I live with the guy; of course he’s gonna get the brunt of whatever I’m feeling. I tug my tank top over my head as I walk into the bedroom. It’s soaked with sweat. I toss my shirt into my hamper then go to my side of the dresser and pull out a clean one. Movement catches my eye. When I look up, Dennis is leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Want to tell me what your problem is?” he asks, looking calm, not angry like I expected him to be after I snapped at him.

I sigh and take a seat on the edge of the bed. Dennis pushes away from the doorframe and comes to sit down next to me. He clasps his hands together in his lap and waits for me to answer his question.

“I’m just…I have no control over anything right now. I don’t know if the surgery will work. I’m just anxious about the whole thing. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be a dick to you.” I sigh.

Dennis wraps his arm around my shoulders, uses his other hand to grasp my chin, and turns my face toward his.

“I know you’re stressed out, but everything is going to be okay. If the surgery works, then great. If not, then nothing will change. We’ll still be us and I will still love you.” I watch his lips say.

I nod and lean my forehead against his. I sigh heavily, blowing out some of my frustrations. Dennis is right. Everything is going to be fine, no matter what the outcome of the surgery is. Still holding my chin, Denny leans forward and places his soft lips against mine. I reach up and cup his cheek, stroking his scruff with my thumb. Dennis pulls back far enough so that I can read his lips.

“And you do have control over something.” He smiles mischievously.

I quirk an eyebrow. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

“Being top or bottom.” He grins.

I stare at him for a second. Dennis always tops. I’m not sure if he even has any interest in being a bottom. I like bottoming, so I never question it. But if he wants to switch it up, I’m always willing.

“You want to bottom?” I ask him.

“If you want to top.” He smirks.

A huge grin splits across my face. “Hell, yeah.”

Dennis chuckles and pulls me into a heated kiss. I hum my approval and kiss him back. After a minute, I shove him away and motion for him to move up higher onto the bed. He does as he’s told and lies down at the head of the bed with his hands tucked behind his head. I can see that he’s already partially aroused. I kick my shoes off and crawl up the bed to cover his body with mine. His green eyes darken with desire.

I settle myself between his spread thighs. Holding myself up on my hands, I stare down at the man I love. God, he’s gorgeous. He gives me a soft loving smile and it means everything to me. I lean down and take my time kissing and tasting him. I drag my mouth down to his neck, nipping and sucking over the spots I know drive him crazy. Gliding a hand down his side, I grasp his hip as I grind myself against him, rubbing our now fully hard erections together. Dennis’ throat vibrates under my lips, letting me know that he’s moaning. I pray that I will be able to actually hear him moan in a week.

I push his t-shirt up so I can kiss his chest. I flick my tongue over his nipples, making him squirm under me. Dennis’ hands tangle in my hair as I kiss my way down his chiseled abs. Slowly, I undo his jeans and pull them down his long legs, leaving him in is gray boxer-briefs. I move back up to tease him through the cotton. Dennis rolls his hips under me, trying to get me to do more. I flip my eyes up to look at his face. He’s watching me, his jaw locked, his eyes blazing. That look has my dick pulsing in my sweatpants.

I shed my pants and briefs then get rid of Dennis’ underwear. I cover his body with mine and claim his mouth. Dennis’ hands roam over my back and down to my ass cheeks where he gives them a good squeeze. We smile against each other’s mouths. He gives one cheek a sharp smack, causing me to yelp and him to laugh.

I grind against him, rubbing our aching cocks together. He gasps against my lips, making my stomach flutter with anticipation. I’m going to make this so fucking good for him. I’m going to have him begging me to fuck his ass. Dragging my mouth down to his neck, I reach between us and wrap my hand around his length, stroking slowly. I lick a line up to his ear and nip at the lobe.

“I can’t wait to be able to hear you moan,” I breathe, my lips brushing against the shell of his ear.

Dennis shudders under me. I make my way down his body to settle my shoulders between his legs. His cock still in hand, I swirl my tongue around the head before pulling him completely into my mouth. Dennis’ back arches and his hips thrust forward. I suck and lick at him, driving him crazy.

I let my mouth pop off him. It’s time to turn the pleasure up a notch. I glance up at him. He’s panting hard, his fists balled up in the sheets. He looks at me. His brows are knit together, his need clear on his face. I move to grab the lube off the nightstand. We don’t even bother to put it away anymore.

I kneel between his legs. I pour some lube in my hand, snap the cap closed, and drop it on the bed next to my leg. I push his left leg up so that it exposes him to me better. A glance at his face lets me see that his eyes have widened slightly. A mixture of emotions flit through his eyes - apprehension, excitement, trust.

I rub my slick fingers over his tight hole. I haven’t even played here yet, so I’m excited to see how he will react. I give Dennis time to relax against my touch before doing anything else. His breathing evens out and his eyes lock onto mine. I raise a questioning eyebrow, silently asking if he’s okay. He gives me a nod. 

I slowly push my finger past the tight muscles. Dennis bares his teeth then drops his head down to the pillow. I take his cock in my hand again and start stroking slowly as I push my finger deeper inside of him.

“Denny?” I rasp.

Dennis lifts his head to look at me.

“You okay?”

He nods before dropping his head back down. I take that as a good sign and slowly start to fuck him with my finger. I lower my eyes to watch. I can’t help the moan that slips past my lips, the sight is just so sexy. Dennis seems to be enjoying it because his hips are moving in time with my hand, and his hand has made it’s way down to cup his balls, his fingers rubbing the area in between them and his asshole.

Drizzling a little more lube on my fingers, I insert a second to help prepare him for what’s to come. He’s really tight. I don’t want to hurt him. I look up at him to check and make sure that he’s doing okay. His head is back, digging into the pillow. His breathing has become erratic and he’s taken over jerking himself off. Smiling to myself, I think he’s doing okay.

After working him over with two fingers for a minute, I’m so revved up that I can’t wait any longer. I need to be inside of him. I remove my fingers and grab the bottle of lube. Dennis lies there panting with his eyes closed. The hand that is around his cock slows down as he waits for me to get into position.

I hook his left leg over my elbow as I shuffle closer on my knees. Taking my cock in hand, I guide it to his hole. I rub a generous amount of lube around before pushing forward. I watch Dennis’ face for any signs of distress since I can’t hear him.

~ Dennis ~

Tucker’s fingers felt so fucking good and I was so ready for more. But now, I’m afraid. Afraid it’s going to hurt and I’m not going to like it. Tucker’s cock is much bigger than his fingers. He pushes forward, using his hand to guide himself. Oh Jesus! He feels huge.

“Bare down a little, it will let me in easier,” he whispers.

I do as he says. My eyes are squeezed shut; I don’t need him to see the uncertainty in them. I want to do this for him, and I don’t want him backing down. I hiss as the head of his dick pushes past the muscles trying to keep him out. Fuck! It burns a little, but that’s nothing compared to the fullness that I feel. I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s an odd sensation that borders on seriously uncomfortable. Tucker hooks my other leg over his arm, lifting them both up and out. He pushes forward, making me take more of him an inch at a time.

“Christ, you are so fucking tight, Denny,” Tucker grits out.

I open my eyes and am met by Tuck’s blazing blue ones. He’s breathing hard and he’s biting his bottom lip as he continues to push forward. He looks so fucking sexy right now. I glance down to where we’re joined and moan. Shit, that’s hot.

Finally, he sinks all of the way in. He bites out a curse and lets my legs go so that he can drop his body to mine. His mouth crashes into mine as he starts to move, slowly pulling out before thrusting back in. I gasp into his mouth as pure pleasure shoots through me. He smiles and threads his fingers into my hair.

“Oh my god,” I moan, my eyes practically rolling back in my head as Tucker moves at a slow and sensual pace.

I wrap my arms around Tucker’s neck and hold onto him. It’s no longer uncomfortable. It is all pleasure and it’s taken over my entire body. Tucker can’t hear me, but each of his thrusts is causing me to moan or gasp or grunt, because it just feels so fucking good. Now I understand why he likes bottoming so much. I can feel my orgasm building and it feels a bit different from normal, more intense maybe? I know that if I touch myself, it will all be over and I don’t want it to be over yet.

Tucker lifts his head, moving far enough away to see my mouth.

“Feel good?” he asks.

“So fucking good,” I pant.

He smiles.

“I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you, too,” I reply with a small smile.

With that, Tuck picks up the pace. He pushes up to his hands as his hips pump faster. I cry out and move my hips in time with his. I can’t take it anymore, I’m ready to explode and need relief. I wrap my hand around my cock and start stroking furiously. My free hand finds Tucker’s chest. I grip it hard, digging my short nails into his skin.

“Do it, baby. Come for me,” Tucker growls, sending shivers of pleasure down my spine.

My orgasm hits me hard and fast. A guttural shout rips up my throat as I shoot my load all over my chest and stomach. My body twitches and trembles as Tucker continues to pound into me, looking for his own release. Tucker comes a moment later, crying out with a few final thrusts.

He drops down to rest on his forearms. We are both panting heavily. Tuck carefully pulls out and rolls off to my side.

“Damn, that was good,” Tucker rasps.

I can only nod. The rest of me isn’t working yet.

“How’s your ass? Need some ice?” He chuckles.

I smirk and turn my face toward him so he can read my lips. “I’m still basking in the post-sex glow so I can’t really feel much at the moment.”

Tucker grins and gives me a lazy kiss before grabbing the box of tissues so we can clean up.

After we’re cleaned up, Tucker snuggles up against my side, wrapping his arm around my waist and throwing his leg over mine. I run my fingers up and down his forearm, which is draped over my stomach. I turn my face toward him and kiss his forehead. Damn, I love him. So fucking much.

~
Chapter
Three ~

~ Tucker ~

I start visiting my mom once a week. I also go to give my dad a little bit of a break. The poor guy is emotionally and physically spent. He’s lost weight since we were together at my brother’s house, and the bags under his eyes just keep getting worse as my mother’s health declines.

I walk into the living room from the kitchen, carrying a glass of iced tea. My mom is sitting on the couch watching reruns of the
Golden Girls
. I place the iced tea in her hands, making sure that she has a good grip on it before letting go.

“Here you go, Sherry,” I say.

I call her by her name now, because every time I call her “mom,” it just confuses and upsets her, so it’s not worth it.

She smiles sweetly up at me. “Thank you.”

It’s just the two of us right now. I make my dad go to the grocery store since they are basically out of everything. He’s hesitant to leave but I assure him that I will be fine with mom. As he is leaving, I can see the relief in his eyes to have the opportunity to go out and have some time alone. The only thing that’s difficult with me watching my mom is that she doesn’t realize that I’m deaf, so I try to make an effort to keep glancing at her in case she speaks.

I watch her as she takes a sip of her iced tea. “Is it okay?” I ask her.

She nods. “Delicious. Where’s Tom?” she asks, blinking innocently at me.

“He went to the store to get some food; he should be back soon,” I tell her, patting her knee reassuringly.

“Oh, okay,” she chirps.

Her eyes study me and I wait to see what comes out of her mouth next. Her brow furrows in confusion.

“Don’t I know you?” she asks.

I give her a soft smile. “Yeah, you know me.”

“What’s your name again?”

“It’s Tucker.”

She smiles. “Tucker. I’ve always liked that name. Whenever I have children, if I have a boy, I’m going to name him Tucker.”

I give her what I hope isn’t too sad of a smile. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Do you have any children?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No. I have a boyfriend, though,” I tell her.

Her eyebrows shoot up before her expression turns to one of contemplation. “I believe there was a nice young man that I met once who was gay. He was such a sweet boy. Oh, what was his name?” she huffs, more to herself than to me. I’m pretty sure she’s talking about Dennis, which makes me smirk. I’ll have to remember to tell him that she kind of remembered him.

“Anyway, so you have a boyfriend? Is he a good man?”

I smile wide, unable to help myself. “He is.”

She pats my knee. “Good. I’m glad.” She smiles.

I smile. She may not be specifically approving of her son being with another man, but her acceptance of someone being gay means a lot to me, nonetheless. She turns away to watch the TV for a few minutes. She then gets up from the couch and goes into the kitchen. I follow her because I can’t see what’s she’s doing from the living room, and my dad says that she has a tendency to turn the stove on to try and make dinner.

She sets her glass on the counter then starts opening and closing cabinets and drawers as if she’s looking for something. The more she looks, the more aggravated she becomes. She starts slamming the doors closed. That’s when I step in. Coming up beside her, I place my hand on her shoulder.

“Is there something I can help you find, Sherry?” I ask softly.

She makes an irritated noise and shoves her hands into her hair. “I came in here for something and now I can’t remember what it was,” she grits out.

“It’s okay…”

“IT’S NOT OKAY! NONE OF THIS IS OKAY!” she screams at me, banging her frail fist against my chest as she bursts into tears.

I pull her into my arms, and thankfully, she lets me. She buries her face against my chest and sobs. My heart breaks into a million pieces at the anguish pouring out of her.

“What’s wrong with me?” she cries, looking up at me with tears streaking down her face.

“You have Alzheimer’s, mom,” I whisper, hating the devastated look those words bring to her eyes.

She lets out a heart-wrenching wail before dropping her forehead back to my chest. I hold her tightly, trying to soothe her as best as I can, while fighting back my own tears. When she finally calms down, she has me take her upstairs so that she can lie down for a while.

As I come back down the steps, the front door opens and my dad walks in carrying a ton of bags. I grab some from him and start for the kitchen. I set them down then go grab the rest from his car. When I get back into the kitchen, he has already started putting things away.

He glances at me. “Where’s your mother?” he asks.

“She’s resting upstairs. She had a little melt down just before you got here,” I tell him.

He frowns and stops what he’s doing. Coming to stand in front of me, he grabs my shoulders. His concerned blue eyes meet mine. “Are you okay?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know how you do this every day,” I croak, raking a hand through my hair.

He gives me a sad smile. “What choice do I have? She’s my wife, I love her, and I vowed to be there for her through sickness and health, till death do us part. There’s no way I would ever put her in a home. She belongs here with me.”

I nod and he gives my shoulders a squeeze.

“Whenever you find the woman you want to marry, you’ll understand.”

I sigh. Oh, if he only knew. Now isn’t the time to tell him either. He’s got enough of a burden with my mother, he doesn’t need my shit on top of it. Especially since I don’t know how he’s going to take the news.

“Help me put this stuff away then you can go.”

~ Dennis ~

“Hey, Denny. Your boyfriend just sat down at the bar. He’s looking kinda bummed,” Jim, the owner of the pub I’m head bouncer at, calls down the stairs to the basement where I’m helping the female bartender - Britney - bring up cases of beer.

I frown. “Okay, be right there,” I call back.

Wonder what Tucker is doing here and looking bummed about? He doesn’t usually come here to hang out, so something must be up. I prop the case of beer in my hands onto my shoulder and carry it up the narrow stairs. I set it behind the bar as I glance around looking for Tucker. He’s sitting at the far end of the bar, his head down, and his hand wrapped around a bottle of Heineken. His motorcycle helmet is sitting on the bar next to him.

I skirt the bar and make my way toward him. Everyone I work with knows about our relationship and they’re all cool with it, which I’m happy about. I slide onto the stool next to him and wrap my arm around his shoulders. He jerks in surprise, his head shooting up as he nearly tumbles off the stool. He probably would have if I weren’t hanging onto him.

“Fuck, Denny! You can’t just sneak up on me like that!” he barks angrily and shoves at my chest.

Normally, I would laugh about scaring the shit out of him, but he’s angry instead of just startled, which isn’t normal for him either. Instead, I frown at him.

“I’m sorry,” I sign.

“Fuck,” he breathes and shoves an agitated hand through his curls.

I give him a few minutes to calm down. He’s obviously riled up about something. And the fact that he’s here lets me know that he needs me to be there for him. I slip my hand to the back of his neck and give it a squeeze to get his attention.

“What’s going on?” I ask when he looks over at me.

“I went to visit my mom after work today,” he says.

That’s all he really
needs
to say. Whenever he goes to visit his mom, he always comes home in a shitty mood. Not that I can blame him. I can’t imagine how he feels. I met her not too long ago, so I know how out of it she is.

“How is she?” I ask.

He shakes his head and takes a long swig from his beer. He looks at me after setting his beer down and his eyes say all that needs to be said. 

“Not good, huh?” I murmur sorrowfully.

“No.”

“I’m sorry.”

“She still sorta remembers you, though,” he says with a tight smile.

I shake my head. “That’s wild.”

“Yeah, I don’t get it.”

“And you probably never will.” I sigh.

“I hate seeing her suffer like this. Not that I want her to die, but I just feel like she would be better off,” he whispers, his voice trembling.

I tighten my grip on his neck and pull him closer. Tucker leans into me, dropping his head onto my shoulder. I feel so helpless. There is literally nothing I can do for him or his family other than be supportive. Tucker sighs heavily and straightens back up. He finishes off his beer and signals Britney for another one.

I pat his forearm to get his attention. When he looks at me, I ask, “Are you hanging around for a little bit?”

“Yeah, I’m just gonna have a few beers then go home.”

“Okay, make sure you find me before you leave,” I tell him as I slide off the stool.

He nods. “I will.”

I give him a chaste kiss on the lips before getting back to work. As I walk back toward the basement door, I catch the smirk that Britney aims at me.

I give her a curious look. “What?”

“You two are just so cute together,” she replies.

I smile and roll my eyes. Tucker and me are cute? I don’t know about that.

I bring up a few more cases of beer from the basement for Britney. When I look up, I see that the resident flirt has taken a seat next to Tucker. I smile and shake my head. Tucker is so in for it. One of the regulars at O’Reilly’s Pub is a guy by the name of Kevin. He’s probably in his mid-forties, single, and a drunk. He hits on everyone, doesn’t matter if you’re a guy, girl, married, single, not interested, he doesn’t care. He’s usually not a problem, unless he hits on the wrong person, and they want to beat his ass. He’s here almost every night of the week. It’s pretty sad actually.

Kevin leans into Tucker’s personal space as he talks to him. Tucker is leaning away, giving the guy a disgusted look. I bet his breath smells horrendous. I walk by to give the other bouncer - Evan - who’s working the door tonight, his break.

Tucker gives me a look that says, “Who the fuck is this guy?” I bite back a laugh as I shrug. My attention is diverted by having to check IDs at the door. It isn’t until about fifteen minutes later that I hear a commotion behind me. That lasted longer than I’d expected. Tucker’s raised voice has me glancing over my shoulder.

“Man, get the hell away from me,” Tucker barks at Kevin and shoves the guy away, making him fall off his stool to land on his ass on the floor.

Tucker looks seriously pissed. Great. That’s not going to be good for me later. Kevin staggers to his feet.

“What? I just offered you a blowjob! Who the hell doesn’t want a blowjob?” Kevin slurs loudly.

I sigh. This is not going to end well for Kevin. Idiot. Luckily, Evan comes back to man the door so that I can deal with the drunken idiot. Before I can reach them, though, Kevin makes the mistake of putting his hand on Tucker’s thigh. Tucker moves so fast that my eyes barely register what he does. In two seconds flat, Tucker has Kevin’s arm twisted up behind his back and his face smashed against the bar top. Everyone in the place stops whatever they’re doing to watch the scene.

“What part of get away from me don’t you understand?” Tucker growls, hiking Kevin’s arm up a little higher, forcing a high-pitched, pained shout to escape from him.

I come up next to them and place my hand on Tucker’s shoulder. Tucker swings his livid blue gaze around to look at me.  “Alright, Tuck, let him go,” I say.

Tucker pulls Kevin up off the bar before shoving him at me. “I’m not in the mood for this shit,” Tucker snaps.

“I know.” I nod solemnly, catching the smaller man from falling flat on his face.

I have Kevin grab his jacket before I lead him toward the door. It’s time for him to go. I walk him outside and pull out my phone to call him a cab. The frigid air has me wishing I’d grabbed my jacket, too.

“That guy was hot, Denny. I would have totally sucked his dick,” Kevin mutters, swaying on his feet next to me.

I snort. “Yeah, better luck next time.”

Kevin turns his glassy brown eyes to me. Kevin’s not a horrible looking guy, but he’s nothing special either. He’s a little on the heavy side, and no more than 5’9”. He lifts a suggestive eyebrow at me.

“You’re hot, too, Denny. Wanna a blowjob?” he offers.

I bark out a laugh. “I do, but not from you. I’m gonna get one from the hot guy at the bar when I get home.”

Kevin’s brow furrows. “Not cool, man. I saw him first,” he slurs.

I shake my head. “No, I did because he’s my boyfriend.”

A slow grin forms on Kevin’s face. “Even better. Take me home and I’ll suck both your dicks.”