26. Declan
26
DECLAN
I rushed through the gates at the dock, worried I’d be late. I was fucking livid Hayden hadn’t told me when they were returning. I’d only learned about it because of a news story the night before. We’d been emailing back and forth regularly without any issues, so I didn’t know why he hadn’t said anything.
When I ranted last night, Walker reminded me I needed to at least join the social media group for his unit and the boat he was assigned to. I knew I did, but I felt weird doing it. It was stupid and illogical, but it felt like I’d be the token gay guy in a WAGs group. Statistics told me that was idiotic, but I couldn’t get my head out of my ass.
Now, I was kicking myself because I didn’t know all the details I needed to know until the last minute. A chopper lifted off from the deck of the ship just as I merged with the frenzied chaos of the crowd. There was a band playing, children screaming, crying, and laughing as adults were doing the same, and while I’d never experienced anxiety in my life, this was close to pushing me into a full-blown attack.
I waited and watched, but the tall, muscular man I married never walked off the ship. I pulled out my phone, dialing his number, but it rolled to voicemail immediately. Sighing, I glanced around, searching for him, but he’s not here.
I turn to walk away when someone taps my shoulder. A gunnery sergeant stands before me, and his face fades from anticipation to apology.
“Sorry, sir, you looked like someone I know.”
I laughed, trying to cover up my disappointment. “No worries.” Scanning the crowd again, I sighed and turned to walk away, but turned back. “You wouldn’t happen to know Sergeant Marin, would you? Hayden Marin?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You wouldn’t happen to know where he is, would you? Is he still onboard?” I asked, glancing up at the amphib docked in front of us.
“I do. Can I ask who you might be?”
Fuck. I didn’t know if he’d told anyone about me, us.
His face split into a grin as he snapped his fingers, then pointed at me. “You’re the care package guy.”
Heat fills my chest, neck, and cheeks at the label, but I ignore it, praying it will go away before anyone figures out it’s not the sun.
“He’s not here. The unit that deployed before the float flew back to Pendleton.”
“Dammit. Looks like I’ll head to Pendleton.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“What? Why? Are they being redeployed?”
“No, but if you go to Pendleton, you’re going to miss him because I heard he’s heading to your place.”
Realization dawned. “Thank you.”
“No thanks needed. Just tell Colonel Holt that Gunnery Sergeant Tazwell Roos said hello.”
“You know Walker?”
“Not sure if you could say I know him, but I served under him.”
“We’re having a get-together at the house to welcome Hayden home. Why don’t you come? I mean, if you’d like. It’s nothing formal. Just some people getting together for food and booze. Walker would love to see you. He lives in the Seattle area now, but he loves being here near so many Marines. Between you and me, I think he misses it.”
He looked hesitant. So I relented, pulling out a business card, scrawling the address as legibly as possible. My normal handwriting was barely legible to me. Heidi refused to read anything I wrote and made me email or text her.
“Here. Feel free to drop by anytime this afternoon. I won’t mention I invited you, only that you said to say hi, so there’s no obligation to attend if you have plans or just plain don’t want to.”
He took the card with a smile, patting me on the shoulder as he said, “Thanks.”
He faded into the crowd, and I took off back the way I came, sliding into my car when I got there. Traffic was a nightmare. I finally managed to get out of the snarl of sailors and Marines looking to disappear behind the doors of their homes for what I hoped was all happy homecomings and some much-needed peace.
Once out on the open road, I pushed the SUV hard, risking a ticket, but if Hayden was going to surprise me, I fucking wanted to be there when he arrived.
Thirty minutes later, I roared up the street toward the beach house. A grin to rival the Grinch’s curled my lips up until a full-blown smile exploded across my face. My dimples deepened until they tugged at my cheeks.
He was here.
His car was in the driveway, and he stood halfway between it and the house. Heidi was on the front porch. She waved at me and turned back into the house, shutting the door behind her.
I whipped into the last free spot in the driveway and slammed the car into park before jumping out. Music playing out back turned up by several decimals, but I ignored it. I rounded the front of the SUV, weaved between the other cars in the driveway, and moments later, Hayden wrapped me in his long, thickly corded arms, pulling me off my feet—a feat, given the miniscule difference in our sizes. I’d never had anyone manhandle me the way he did. That first night, it scared me, not that I thought he’d hurt me, but because of my body’s reaction to him doing it.
“Fuck, Papi. It’s so fucking good to see you,” I said when he lowered me back to my feet.
My eyes drank in his beautiful face, noticing the darker tone to his skin from living on a ship in the Pacific for weeks on end. I loved it. The coloring was something people the world over risked skin cancer or paid out the ass to achieve.
My hands moved from his face down his freshly shaved face and neck to his broad shoulders. I grasped his biceps to put some space between us to take in the uniform. Fuck he was smokin’ in civvies, but the khaki, blue, and red uniform looked like it was custom designed for him alone.
“Damn, no wonder you lifted me so easily. Did you live in the gym? You’re beefier than you were.”
He smirked, snaked an arm around my waist, and tugged me against him. My nipples tightened, and my dick twitched as our bodies aligned. He stared down at me and licked his lips as his gaze moved to my mouth.
“A guy can only beat off so many times. I had to find another outlet to blow off steam.”
I preened a little at his words. Yeah, we were married, but we hadn’t talked about exclusivity. Silent laughter rumbled in his chest, pressing his ribbons into my chest.
“Were you worried, vato?”
“No,” I lied.
“Liar.” He smirked, then sombered. “So was I. We hadn’t talked about it, but your comment about limits had me on edge.”
“Let’s talk about it now, and get it out of the way. I don’t like limits or labels, but unless we choose to open things up and are both fully onboard with the idea, then you’re it for me. I might not’ve had a relationship before, but I was raised to respect my partner and the sanctity of marriage.”
“Sanctity of marriage and open relationship…”
“Don’t go there, Papi. You can respect the sanctity of marriage without being monogamous. It’s what the people in the relationship choose as limits for their union. Don’t get stuck on what societal norms say a marriage is ‘supposed’ to be. It’s about open, honest communication, respect, and love.”
“You shock the shit outta me sometimes, you know that?”
“This shit would get old quick if I didn’t. Besides, I could totally get off on the two of us sharing someone we could both dominate in bed.”
His cock twitched against mine as he ground our pelvises together.
“Fuck! As if I wasn’t already hard as a rock, you gotta go talking about threesomes,” he half growled and half groaned, his mouth slanted over mine, and I melted into him.
He took control of the kiss like a platoon storming an enemy stronghold. He advanced, leaving no option for me but surrender or retreat. Fuck retreat, I wanted whatever he wanted me to take.
“Hey! Don’t make me get out the hose like Nana would,” Heidi yelled from the porch.
We parted, not as fast as she wanted or as slow as I did, but enough so our lips brushed together when he asked, “What the hell’s that mean?”
I laughed, kissing him again and fighting to keep it as chaste as Hayden and I were capable of. He chased my mouth when I pulled away. As much as I wanted to say I was too manly to giggle, it was a bald-faced lie because that’s exactly what I did as I bent back over his arm to avoid getting lost in him again. For now, at least.
Twisting from his arms, I threaded our fingers together and tugged him toward the house. He planted his feet and didn’t budge.
“C’mon, Marine, there’s food and booze inside.”
He shook his head and cleared his throat, his eyes darting around the house. “Just call me, and we can meet up after your party is over.”
I moved closer, circling his waist with my arms. “Papi, this is for you. To celebrate your homecoming. It would be odd for us to eat, drink, and be merry without you.”
I could see the hesitance in how his gaze bounced between me and the house and how his hands gripped my hips as if he was moments from pushing me away.
“Declan… I appreciate this, but I don’t fit in here.”
Before I could answer, a car stopped in the cul-de-sac in front of the house, and a car door opened and closed. I glanced over Hayden’s shoulder, laughing when I had to lift on my toes to do so. Seeing the newcomer, I slid around Hayden with a smile on my face.
“Gunny, I’m glad you could make it,” I said, reaching out to shake his hand as he approached.
“Please, call me Taz.”
Hayden mumbled, “What the fuck,” behind me. When I looked over my shoulder, he stood at attention, saluting the gunnery sergeant.
“At ease, Sergeant.”
I stepped back next to Hayden and took his hand, hoping that with Taz here, he’d be less resistant about going inside. I nodded toward the house and said, “The food should be about ready. Y’all hungry?”
“After the chow from the mess, always,” Taz said.
“All right. Let’s eat.”
I led them through the front door and across the open-concept kitchen, living, and dining room to the wall of patio doors pushed back to remove the wall separating the inside from the outside. It was a perfect California day. The sun was shining, the grass looked like we’d robbed it from a golf course, the waves rolled in, cresting white to break the blue expanse of the Pacific, and the pool sparkled like diamonds. Music played, people were talking and laughing, and the sea air was filled with the smell of smoking meat so that if you closed your eyes, you’d think you were at a Texas barbecue.
“Holy fuck!” Hayden exclaimed.
“Amen,” Taz agreed.