At Peace (The War Trilogy #3) (9 page)

She gives me a kiss on the cheek before letting me go to give Dennis, who stands with Max, a hug and a kiss. I turn to my dad, who hasn’t said a word yet, to find him standing by the sink, watching me with teary eyes and a watery smile. I go to him and he wraps me up in a tight hug.

“Congratulations, son. Mom would have been so proud of you,” he says softly.

Dammit, he just had to go there, didn’t he? My eyes immediately tear up as I thank him.

When we separate, he goes to Dennis and gives him a big hug and whispers something in his ear that has Dennis tearing up also. Dennis nods and says a quiet thank you.

After they separate, Dennis puts Max down and comes to me, pulling me into a tight embrace. He gives me a peck on the lips then tucks his face in my neck. I hug him to me and kiss his cheek. God, it feels good to be out and honest and accepted.

We stay for another hour before leaving to go to Lizette and Beau’s. I didn’t tell Dennis that Lizette already knows. I can’t wait to see his face when we walk in and her excitement from yesterday explodes. We step into the elevator and Dennis hits the button for the fifteenth floor. He then grabs my hand and pulls me against him so that we’re touching from chest to thigh. His arms wrap around my waist and hold me to him. I slip my arms around this neck. I’m only a couple of inches shorter than him, so our bodies line up perfectly.

“I think I’m still in shock,” Dennis murmurs, dropping his forehead to mine.

“That we’re engaged?” I ask, unable to stop the smile that curls my lips.

“Mmm hmm,” he hums.

“Yeah, it hasn’t really sunk in yet for me either,” I admit.

Dennis leans in and kisses me tenderly on the lips. The elevator dings and the doors open, forcing us to separate and exit the car. I slip my hand in his as we walk down the hall toward Lizette and Beau’s condo. Dennis gives it a squeeze before knocking on the door.

Lizette flings open the door with a huge smile on her pretty face. She looks at me first and I give her a subtle nod, letting her know that I already proposed. She then squeals and flings herself into Dennis’ arms. Dennis looks confused as hell when he looks at me over her shoulder.

I shrug and tell him, “I showed her the ring last night.”

He rolls his eyes as he hugs his sister.

“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you, Denny!” Lizette exclaims, grabbing his face and kissing him on the cheek.

“Thanks, Lizzie.” Dennis grins.

Next she grabs me and hugs me tightly, her belly making it difficult. When she lets me go, she moves aside to let us walk past her. As soon as we step out of the entryway and into the living room, the place explodes into cheers. I look around in shock to see all of Beau’s friends/bandmates and Beau’s mom and siblings standing there. I had no idea that they were all going to be here. As I look around, I see that there are balloons and signs that say “Happy Engagement!”

Beau greets us with flutes of champagne. We each take one then give him one-armed hugs. I glance at Dennis just as he looks at me. He looks just as stunned as I feel.

“Congrats to the newly engaged couple! May you have many years of love and happiness!” Beau toasts, holding up his own flute.

Everyone raises their glasses, clinks them against each other and drinks. Dennis and I follow suit. After taking a sip, Dennis leans down and gives me a chaste kiss on the lips, which makes everyone hoot and holler. I turn to look for Lizette and find her standing behind us, her hand over her mouth, tears running down her cheeks.

“I can’t believe you did this.” I smile, pulling her in for another hug.

“You guys deserve it,” she croaks.

"Where's Duke? I don't see him." I look around after I let her go.

"I called him to invite him, but he's in Baltimore with his family and Arianna."

"Ahh, gotcha."

Dennis moves further into the room to greet everyone. Just as I’m about to follow, there is a knock on the door. Lizette grins and motions with her head toward the door.

“I think that’s for you,” she says softly.

I frown in confusion but move past her to answer the door. I open it and blink in shock when I see my dad, Selene, and Max.

“Wha…what are you guys doing here?” I ask in confusion.

My dad smiles. “Lizette invited us over. She called last night saying that she’d love for us all to be together for Christmas dinner, so here we are.”

“Looks like it’s turned into an engagement party.” Selene smiles as she looks past me into the condo.

I step aside to let them in. “Yeah, it has.”

I give my dad a hug.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I whisper to him.

“Me, too, Tuck,” he murmurs, giving me a couple solid pats on the back.

I give Selene and Max a group hug since she’s holding him, which makes him giggle. When I let them go, Max spots Dennis and squirms to be put down. Selene lets him go and he takes off running toward Dennis, yelling, “Uncle Den! Uncle Den!”

I watch as Dennis turns with a confused frown on his face, but when he sees Max, he lights up and a loving smile curls his lips. He scoops him up and gives him a hug before propping him on his hip and says something to him that has Max laughing. That sight right there just made my entire year.

“Dennis looks good with a kid in his arms,” Selene muses.

I smile and nod. “Yes, he does.”

“Maybe you two could adopt? Or find a surrogate?” Lizette offers.

I roll my eyes at her. “One day at a time, Lizzie.”

She snickers and gives me a side hug. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and walk with her into the crowd so I can greet everyone and introduce them to my family.

~ Chapter Nine ~

~ Dennis ~

I’m sitting next to Tucker on Duke’s love seat, my arm around the back of the couch behind Tuck’s shoulders. I’m watching Duke and Arianna, who are sitting on the couch adjacent to us. She’s snuggled up against his side, and her head is tilted back to look up at him with goo-goo eyes as she feeds him a cookie that she made. I had one, they are delicious. This on the other hand…those two…they are ridiculous. I fight off a smile and lean closer to Tucker.

“Is that what we look like?” I whisper to him.

Tucker shakes his head, his eyes watching them also. “No fucking way,” he whispers back. “They are sickening.”

I snicker. Hey, I’m glad as hell that Duke has finally found his person, but do they have to be so lovey dovey in front of us? They are being
that
couple. You know that couple, everyone knows at least one, that are so over the top in love with each other that you just want to strangle them. I get it, it’s new love, and they are still in la-la land and excited to be together. But please, for the love of God, tone it down!

“Have you forgotten how to feed yourself, Duke?” I ask, quirking an eyebrow in his direction.

His eyes flick to mine and widen slightly as if he’s just realizing what he’s doing. He snatches the cookie out of Arianna’s hand and shoves the rest of it into his mouth. “No,” he grunts around a mouthful of cookie.

Arianna rolls her eyes at him before turning to look at me and Tucker. “So, have you guys made any wedding plans yet?”

Tucker and I will be engaged for a full week tomorrow, since tonight is New Year’s Eve.

“Not really. We’re just thinking of doing something small,” Tucker says.

“Please tell me I can do the cake,” Arianna says hopefully.

“Of course.” Tucker smiles.

“Yay!” she exclaims and shoots a fist into the air.

“You should make the cake topper two guys; one bent over in front of the other and have both of them making “O” faces.” Duke laughs.

I flip him the bird while Tucker laughs and tells him to shut up.

“We’re going to at least wait until after Lizette has the baby. This way we don’t have to worry about her going into labor during it,” I say.

Arianna chuckles. “That’s probably a good idea.”

Tucker shifts on the couch next to me. He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together. “Duke, I was hoping you would be my best man.”

Duke’s eyebrows shoot up. “What? Really? What about your brother?”

Damn. Apparently, Tucker hasn’t told him about the issues we’ve been having with him.

Tucker sighs. “We don’t talk anymore. I doubt he will be there at all.”

Duke’s eyebrows crank back down as he frowns. “Still?” 

“Yeah, long story. Besides what you saw at the funeral, he did some other fucked up shit recently. I’ll tell you about it another time. So, what do you say?”

“Shit, yeah, of course I’ll be your best man!” Duke grins then looks in my direction. I can see the dig coming before it even leaves his mouth. “So are you wearing the wedding dress and having a maid of honor then?”

“You’re such an ass,” I grunt and shake my head.

He laughs. “No, for real, though, are you having a best man, too?”

“I’m going to have Lizette stand for me.”

Duke smiles softly. “That’s really nice.” His sincerity has a lump forming in my throat.

I asked Lizette a couple of days ago and she agreed, of course, and then bawled her eyes out. I can’t even begin to explain what it means to me that she’ll be standing by my side when I marry the love of my life. Even if I were marrying a woman, I’d want her to be my person. When I married Zara, I regretted not having her there, but I really didn’t have a choice. Plus, I always thought we were going to have another wedding at home, before that plan died along with her.

I think about Zara at least once a day. Usually something will bring up a fond memory of the short time we had together. As much as I love her, I honestly feel like I’m with the right person. I’ve definitely come to terms with the fact that she died for a reason. She died so that I could find Tucker.

~ Tucker ~

“3…2…1…Happy New Year!”

I grab Dennis by his face and pull him in for a kiss. The four of us are standing out on Duke’s balcony, freezing our asses off just to celebrate the New Year with the rest of New York City. Dennis wraps his arms around me and slips his tongue in my mouth. I moan low, gliding my tongue along his. Our kiss is slow and sensual and I want more. Dennis nips at my bottom lip, lighting me on fire. The cold wind ain’t got nothin’ on Dennis and the way he sets my body aflame.

He pulls back slowly. When I can see his eyes, I just know that the sex tonight is going to be phenomenal. There is a dark promise in those green eyes of his and I can’t fucking wait.

We leave Duke’s around 1:00 am and walk the couple of blocks home. There are drunken people everywhere, celebrating and making a ruckus. I’m pretty sure I saw one couple fucking up against the side of a building.

I open the door to our condo and Dennis follows me in, shutting the door behind us. Before I can even go anywhere, Dennis wraps his arms around me from behind and plasters the front his body against my back, his hard-on prodding my ass. He brings one hand up and wraps it around the front of my throat while the other splays across my stomach. My breathing hitches when his lips brush the shell of my ear.

“Get undressed,” Dennis murmurs, his tone soft yet demanding.

He nips my ear hard, sending an electric shock right to my cock. I gasp and stumble forward as he suddenly releases me. I turn to stare at him through the dark. An excited thrill flutters my stomach when I see the hungry look on his face. Without breaking eye contact, I let my coat slide from my shoulders. After tossing it aside, I start unbuttoning my shirt. I can hear his breathing pick up. Unable to help myself, I let my mouth curl into a cocky grin. I love that I have such a blatant effect on him.

I discard my shirt then pull off my undershirt and toss them both away. I stand there for a moment, naked from the waist up, and just watch as Dennis’ eyes roam over me. My skin heats everywhere his eyes touch. He palms the front of his jeans, gives his dick a squeeze, and lets out a small moan.

“Keep going.” His voice is low and raspy.

I bite my bottom lip as I start on my belt buckle. My hands are starting to shake from excitement and anticipation of what he has planned. I get rid of my belt then move onto the fly of my jeans. I pop the button before slowly lowering the zipper. Dennis growls his impatience, but he’s the one who started this game, so I’m gonna take my good ol’ time.

Toeing off my shoes is next, followed by dragging my jeans down over my hips and thighs. I kick them aside and wait for Dennis.

“Underwear off.”

I gladly oblige. A low moan rumbles up his throat.

“Fuck, you’re so gorgeous,” Dennis hisses.

My whole body flushes at the compliment. I look down at my cock, which is standing achingly at attention and already leaking. My breathing kicks up a notch as I wait for Dennis to do something…anything. I need him to do something soon; the desire to have him touch me is almost overwhelming. I’m just about ready to crawl out of my skin when Dennis finally moves. He crashes into me, his mouth finding mine in a frenzied kiss. His hands are everywhere, and it’s still not enough for me.

I tear at his clothes, stripping him as fast as I can without actually ripping anything. He walks us, while still ravaging each other’s mouths, toward the couch. I’m walking backwards, inwardly praying that I don’t trip and fall over something. When my ass hits the arm of the couch, Dennis plants a hand on my chest and bends me backwards over it.

Just as I’m about to ask what he’s doing, he takes my cock into his mouth, down to the hilt. I let out a choked cry and clutch at the couch cushions for something to hold onto. This position I’m in gives me no leverage, I can’t even thrust my hips. The only thing I can do is surrender.

Dennis’s nails dig into my chest as he continues to suck me, hard and fast. My breathing is labored to the point that I’m feeling lightheaded, or that could be all the blood rushing to my head. As if he’s reading my thoughts, Dennis’ mouth pops off of me and he gruffly tells me to turn around. He helps pull me upright before immediately spinning me around and making me bend over the arm of the couch again.

His big hands spread my cheeks apart. I let out a surprised shout when his tongue finds my hole. Again, Dennis isn’t going at it softly or lightly; he’s going all out, licking and biting my ass cheeks, fucking me with his tongue and fingers, while he continues to lick around my hole. I’m to the point where I can’t take it anymore.

“Fuck me! Please, just fuck me!” I sob.

Dennis’ tongue and fingers leave me and I groan at the loss, but I really need more. He drapes his body over mine and shoves his hand between the couch cushions. We’ve had sex on the couch enough times to know to store a bottle of lube between the cushions. I hear the snap of the cap, and then jolt when the cold lube is dribbled between my cheeks.

~ Dennis ~

I close the cap of the lube and lob it onto the couch. Taking hold of my cock, I use it to spread the lube around Tucker’s ass. Tucker is killing me, he’s so responsive and compliant, it’s so hot. I’m probably going to have a headache later after sucking his dick and eating his ass, that’s a lot of work for one’s jaw. But it was worth it. It was worth having him beg me to fuck him and knowing how much he was enjoying it all.

I line my cock up with his hole and push forward. After all the prep I just did, I can easily slide right in. Tucker lets out a strangled cry that sounds more like relief than anything else. One side of my mouth lifts into a partial smile. He is definitely more of a bottom than I am. As much as I enjoy it, I’d rather top, and Tucker is always willing to let me.

I grab onto his hips as I take him hard and fast. The noises coming out of him are enough to make me lose it, but I hold back because I’m not ready for this to be over yet, it’s too good. Tuck pushes up to his hands and looks over his shoulder at me. Holy fuck. I’ve never seen him look this sexy. His dark mop of curls is all over the place with some pieces sticking to his sweat soaked forehead. His eyes, which are normally a light blue - even in the dark - now, look black. And his plump lips are parted as he breathes heavily and moans.

Shit, I want to watch his face when he comes, and this position isn’t cutting it. I pull out, getting instant protests from Tucker. I move around him and sit down in the middle of the couch. I motion him over with a jerk of my head. He slowly pushes himself up from the arm of the couch and comes over to me. He steps onto the couch, straddling my lap then crouches down so he can impale himself onto my cock. He lets out a guttural moan and leans back, putting his hands on my knees. My eyes practically roll back in my head at the sight before me. Sexy isn’t a strong enough word for the way Tucker looks right now. Erotic maybe? I don’t fucking know. I can’t think straight right now.

Since Tucker is using both of his hands to hold himself up as he rides me, I take it upon myself to jerk him off. As soon as I touch him, he moans long and low, throwing his head back.

“Oh god, Denny, I’m so close.” His rocking hips falter, so I tighten my grip and speed up my strokes.

I watch his abs contract as his cock swells in my hand. A litany of curses pour out of his mouth as he drops himself down on me, forcing my cock inside of him as deep as possible. A harsh shout rips up his throat as his cock explodes in my hand. His body trembles and his ass pulses around my cock as warm white jets land on my chest and stomach. It’s a beautiful sight.

I gather Tucker’s slack body in my arms and turn us so that I can lay him back on the couch. Keeping myself inside of him, I cover him with my body and press my lips to his. Tucker moans again and wraps his arms around my neck, holding me to him. I start to move my hips, pulling back and pushing forward, fucking him slowly. It doesn’t take me long to get back to teetering on the edge.

I drag my lips down to his neck and place soft kisses there before burying my face in the crook where his neck meets his shoulder. I pick up speed as I feel my orgasm closing in. With a few final thrusts, I empty myself inside of him, moaning his name against his neck.

We lie there, sweaty and panting, for a good five minutes before going into the bathroom to clean up. Not bothering with showers at the moment, we both crawl into bed naked and curl around each other. Sleep comes easy after the sexcapades we just had.