Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Tanner’s phone rang while he was busy folding laundry. He’d left Lance’s house about two hours before. Thinking it might be Lance calling to—well, maybe shoot the shit, Tanner didn’t even bother checking the caller ID before hitting accept.
“Canterbury Morgue. You stick ‘em, we fill ‘em. Tanner speaking,” he said with a quick laugh.
“Ewwwwww,” a little girl’s voice replied as Tanner finally glanced at the caller ID. Shit! Not Lance, his sister.
“Dude, don’t say things like that! She’s only six!” Cameron scolded as she picked up the phone after her daughter dropped it in disgust.
“Sorry, I thought you were—” he stopped, took a breath, and sighed. “Never mind. What’s up?”
“You sound really chipper for once. Does that mean you went out and got laid last night?” she asked, whispering so her daughters wouldn’t hear.
“None of your business,” he answered in a singsong voice.
“Oh, come on! There’s no way you’re this chipper this early in the morning for no reason at all.”
“When did you become such a gossip goblin?” he asked mockingly. “But the simple truth is that I just got a good night’s sleep,” he confessed with a pleased smile. He really had slept like a baby, just as he’d written in the note to Lance. He hadn’t felt so at peace in years. It had become second nature to be perpetually sleep deprived and constantly on edge. The break from that felt great, however short-lived it might be.
“So, you’re feeling rejuvenated?” Cameron asked. If Tanner hadn’t been so distracted by sorting staticky socks and bath towels, he would have gone on high alert at her chirpy tone. As a result, his early warning system failed to activate.
“Actually, I feel fucking amazing!”
“That’s great!” Cameron declared, right before she lowered the boom. “So, I need you to babysit the kids today. We bought a bunch of all access, all day passes to the zoo and the waterpark. They’ll be run right off their feet from doing both, so they’ll fall right to sleep on the way home. Could you pick them up around 10:00?”
“Wait! What?” Tanner shouted in abject terror. He had nothing against watching his adorable nieces for the day. But there was a huge difference between watching them in their own home, with all doors locked and escape routes fully secured, and watching them in a ginormous amusement park where he was far too likely to lose them. How in the hell could he be expected to keep up with those two in a goddamned zoo and waterpark complex? It was a fucking impossible task for anybody, let alone for someone with only one good leg. Good God! What the hell was she thinking?
“Listen, I know it’s a lot to ask, but I forgot the guys were coming to install new flooring in the living room today and having the girls in the house would be a nightmare. Besides, Mark bought me a day at the spa, and I really need a day off to just—” she sighed, and Tanner sympathized with her, knowing those two kids ran her ragged all day, every day. He did owe it to her to help out, since she rarely asked him for favors.
“Okay, okay, I get it. But I’m not sure I can herd your kids with an arm in a sling and a fucked-up leg. If even one of those little monsters gets away from me, I’m never gonna catch her. You know that, right?”
That gave Cameron pause.
“Hmmm . . . How about taking a friend with you? You got some of those around town, right? You used to always talk about sleeping at so-and-so’s place whenever I offered you the spare bedroom. Call one of them up? I’ll pay for dinner and cover your bar tab!”
She was obviously desperate.
Tanner didn’t want to reveal the truth about his lack of friends. There were no friends. None. It was a quick, made-up excuse that he’d used to get out of sleeping at her house. He hadn’t spoken to any of his old friends since he’d been back. Anyone he did know probably thought he was still dead. But he couldn’t tell her that. First, because she’d know he’d been lying to her all along, and second, because he hated to let her down.
“I guess I could call a guy I know who might be free to help out,” he said, glancing at the desk he’d bought from Lance. Had it only been six days since they met? Could he reasonably expect Lance to want to spend all day hanging out with him at an amusement park and chasing after Cam’s two kids? He sighed inwardly, wondering how much groveling he’d have to do to get Lance to go with him. But in the end, all that really mattered was making his sister happy.
“Thank you! Thank you! I owe you big time!”
“What are came-back-from-the-dead brothers good for anyway? I’ll try to be there by 10:30.”
Cameron squealed with delight just as they disconnected.
Tanner thought about texting Lance, but he didn’t think that was the best way to go about asking for a favor this big. He’d never been a fan of texting, and after being gone for three years, his new smartphone was like an alien lifeform. He wouldn’t know how to interpret Lance’s answer if he dealt with this by text. It seemed much easier to call him.
Lance picked up on the third ring.
“Yellow, Tanner!”
“Hey,” he replied, and then struggled to think of what to say next. Calling Lance out of the blue to ask for help babysitting two kids all day while they zoomed around an amusement park was damned awkward.
“I think you’re supposed to say Green—” Lance instructed him with a chuckle.
“Maybe—but since I’m not 89 years old—” he shot back without thinking about it.
Lance’s snort was amused.
“Now, see, that’s just mean! Guy sleeps on your couch twice, and he thinks he can take a dig at your age,” Lance mumbled disconsolately.
“Sorry, I should have known the elderly were sensitive.”
“Were you just calling to make fun of little old me? Or is there something I can help you with on this fine, sunny Saturday?” he asked, jovial as usual. He was such an easy-going, generous person. Tanner was pretty sure he could have asked Lance to donate a kidney, and he’d have answered, “Sure, which one?”
“Actually, I need to ask a huge favor. My lovely sister just asked me to babysit her kids for the day. We have tickets for the waterpark and zoo. But, as you know, I’m basically as agile as a hippo on skates—so—”
“You need someone to run after them if they escape,” Lance surmised, laughing like he could picture it perfectly.
“Exactly!” Tanner was insanely relieved to know that Lance understood his dilemma. “I know it’s not the greatest Saturday plan ever, but dinner and beer are included, along with my eternal gratitude.”
“You had me at hippo on skates—lovely image right there! What time?”
Tanner glanced at the clock. It was only 9:45. He could swing by and pick him up on the way to Cam’s house.
“Would 10:15 work?”
“Sold!”
“Oh—and don’t forget there’s a waterpark, too.”
“Damn, and I was just thinking about how much I wanted to go hang out in a pissed-filled pool packed with screaming kids whacking me in the head with rubber toys!”
Tanner busted out laughing and when he got his breath back, he replied, “Guess you’ll be living the dream, then! See you in a few.”
The flicker of nervous excitement Tanner felt made no sense as he got ready to leave the house. The closest he’d ever come to this feeling was in his early teens, preparing for his first real date. Hell, he even spent time in front of the bathroom mirror to check his appearance. His hair had grown too long. He’d always kept it really short, but then he’d been stuck in a hole for several years, and it had grown past his shoulders. They’d had to cut a few inches of it in the hospital to get rid of knots and tangles, but he’d refused their offer to shave it off completely. He wasn’t military anymore. Getting a crewcut didn’t sit right with him if he couldn’t fulfill the role that went along with it. So—he had a shaggy mess of brown not-quite-curls that he could never figure out how to wrangle. Usually, he didn’t really give a fuck, but today—. Tanner chuckled to himself as he fussed with his hair in the mirror. What in the ever-loving hell had gotten into him? Giving up, he grabbed his keys and limped his way to his truck. He chalked up his bizarre behavior to finally getting a full night’s rest combined with the anticipation of a day of fun in the sun. If he only half believed it, no one had to know.
Tanner pulled up in Lance’s driveway at 10:10 and saw him walk out his front door wearing a pair of navy board shorts and a bright red t-shirt. He looked relaxed and handsome. His Badgers cap was turned backwards and his sunglasses hung from the collar of his shirt. He waved and stopped to pick up a backpack and some type of scooter leaning against his front porch steps. To Tanner’s surprise, he then carried it over to the truck and placed it gently on its side in the truck bed.
“What the hell is that?”
“It’s a knee scooter,” Lance explained as he climbed into the passenger seat. He was wearing the kind of toothpaste ad smile that indicates you’re about to get conned into doing something that you might not like.
“What’s it for?” Tanner asked with a pointed stare.
“You,” Lance replied succinctly, but before Tanner could object, he explained its purpose. “See, a couple of years ago, Parker broke his ankle while goofing around at a neighborhood football game. It was the middle of the summer, and he hated using crutches but wanted to hang out with some friends in town. So, when I saw him continually jumping around on just one foot, I got him this knee scooter. He totally loved it! You basically just rest your injured leg on it and go wherever you want.”
Oh, hell no! Lance’s cute little sales pitch didn’t mean squat. He’d hated using crutches and canes, so he sure as hell wasn’t about to—
“Look. You want to keep the leg, right? So, you have to take care of it. This frigging amusement park is huge. Your leg is barely healed. I’m not saying you need to use a scooter every day, but for days like this? With having to keep track of two kids running amok?”
Any protests that Tanner could possibly make faded away. Lance had touched on something he couldn’t dispute. The same point had been made by Dr. Williston when she’d recommended injections. Keeping his fucked-up leg required him to avoid undue stress and strain, thereby keeping the muscles healthy and joints supple. Ridiculous looking as it was, the knee scooter would help. He sighed in resignation.
“Remind me again why I invited you?” Tanner muttered with a mock frown.
“I assume it’s my charming personality and dazzling smile,” Lance replied, pulling his sunglasses from his collar and slipping them on as he relaxed in his seat.
“Delusional personality, more like,” Tanner growled as he pulled out of Lance’s driveway. Although he kept his eyes on the road heading to his sister’s house, he caught Lance’s smile in his peripheral vision and felt a twinge of pleasure deep inside.
At first, Tanner was reluctant to use the scooter and mostly just rolled it along beside him. But as they traveled from one animal enclosure to another, weaving through the Saturday crowd, he realized it was a godsend and put it to good use. He’d forgotten just how big the fucking zoo was. Without the scooter, he’d have been in agonizing pain by the time they reached the giraffe enclosure. And the day was still young.
“Uncle Nanner,” Lucy, the younger of his two nieces, called out, pulling on his pants leg. “Do giraffes lose their spots?”
Sometimes Tanner had a tough time understanding her, but he was getting better.
“Nope. They keep ‘em forever.”
“What if they don’t like the color?” Clara, her older sister, asked while staring up at the giraffe closest to them.
“I don’t think John the Giraffe is bothered by the color of his spots. It’s not really a fashion choice,” he replied, snorting.
Clara and Lucy both scrunched up their faces in confusion.
“Then why does he have spots?” Clara asked.
“It’s for camouflage,” Lance replied.
“Camflace?” Lucy said, stumbling over the word. Lance looked down and smiled. He reached out and twirled one of her blond curls around his finger before sliding it behind her ear.
“Camouflage,” he repeated slowly.
“Clamflage,” she repeated.
“Cam-ou-flage, stupid,” Clara corrected impatiently, muttering the last word under her breath.
“Hey!” Tanner snapped in disapproval. “We don’t use that word.”
“Sorry,” Clara said, and patted Lucy on the head like she was a dog. Tanner bit back his laughter.
“What’s camouflage?” Lucy asked, finally getting it right, as she gazed in fascination at a mother giraffe and her baby.
“It’s when you use different colours to blend into the background so you can hide better. Like when a chameleon changes colour. The spots on giraffes help them to blend in with the trees on the savannahs of Africa.” Lance explained things patiently, never talking down to them. Tanner found he loved his approach. He remembered all too well how annoying it had been when adults had used baby-talk when he’d been a kid. No wonder his nieces had taken to Lance so quickly.
Lucy laughed and Tanner gave her a quick poke in the ribs.
“What’s so funny?”
“She’s too tall to hide!” Lucy explained. “Like when daddy hides behind the tree in the backyard!”
The image must have been especially funny because Clara giggled right along with Lucy.
“Alright, that’s enough of making fun of Miss Giraffe,” Lance said. “How about we join the line over there to give her something to eat?”
Both girls squealed and ran to get in line to feed the giraffe some fresh acacia leaves, listening in fascination as the zookeeper explained why the giraffe’s tongue was blue. When Lucy got scared during feeding time, Lance put her up on his shoulders. That made Clara jealous, so he had to give her a turn on his shoulders as well. At first, Tanner was envious of Lance’s ability to carry them around like that, but it didn’t last as he realized just how much fun Lance was having playing dad.
“They’re adorable,” Lance told him, as they headed over to see the hippos.
“Hard to disagree,” Tanner said, as he watched the girls skip along the pathway. They were being incredibly cooperative. They hadn’t even tried to run away once, which had to count as some kind of miracle. “I try to spend time with them when I can,” he said, not sure where that confession came from nor why he felt the need to share. “But I’m like a stranger to them. Lucy wasn’t even born when I left—” he stopped, and took a deep breath, regretting the loss of those years.
“I don’t think that’s true at all,” Lance refuted, brow furrowed.
“What?” Tanner couldn’t figure out how Lance had reached that conclusion.
“They don’t see you as a stranger,” he clarified, shaking his head.
“Maybe not a stranger but—”
“Uncle Nanner? Can we go to the pool now? It’s really hot out here,” Clara said, spinning around and stopping so suddenly he almost ran into her. She looked up with her big blue eyes, batting her eyelashes like a pro.
“Of course, pumpkin. How about we check out the hippos, get some inspiration watching them splash around, and then head on over to the waterpark?”
Clara and Lucy jumped up and down in excitement and raced off to see the hippo pool.
“The girls adore you, and—in case you haven’t caught onto this yet—they have you wrapped around their teensy-weensy pinkies,” Lance said, laughing and wiggling a pinky finger at Tanner. “Think the estranged feeling is in your head, there, Private.” Lance bumped his shoulder against Tanner’s teasingly before striding off to catch up with the two little hellions.
“Hey! It’s Chief Warrant Officer, thank you very much!” he called after him.
“Changing rooms are over there.” Lance pointed to them as he dropped into the lounge chair next to Tanner. Lucy and Clara were playing in an area designed for children, with shallow pools, fountains, mini-slides, and water cannons that splashed them at random intervals. The water level was about four inches throughout the Kids Fun Zone, so Tanner and Lance could finally take a break. Clara was running around one of the fountains with a boy about her age while Lucy was busy dodging the random cannon shots.
“I didn’t bring my swim shorts today,” Tanner replied, kicking back in a poolside lounger, enjoying the sun’s rays on his pale skin. He’d covered Lucy and Clara with sunscreen before slathering it all over his chest and back. Once upon a time, he’d been tanned, but after three years spent underground—
A wad of fabric landed squarely on his face, making him sit up in surprise as he yanked it off.
“Call me a genius, but I brought an extra pair,” Lance said with a smug grin. Tanner frowned and tossed the suit back.
“Nope. I’m not wearing those.”
Lance rolled his eyes and threw the red trunks at him again.
“You can’t wear jeans all day; you’ll die from heat stroke. Besides, water therapy is good for muscle recovery and—stuff,” Lance informed him authoritatively.
“Yeah? You know a lot about muscle recovery and leg injuries?” Tanner taunted him.
“I didn’t before today, but after applying my advanced Google search skills early this morning, I do now,” he stated.
Tanner somehow looked both surprised and skeptical, but Lance just smiled modestly.
“I’m a classic accountant. I’m logical and boring that way. I need to understand things, or they keep bugging me.”
Tanner frowned, extremely uncomfortable with this topic of conversation. “What did you Google exactly? How to take care of busted legs?” He threw the swim shorts back at him. Lance caught them before they could hit him in the face.
“Mock me all you want, but moving through water has proven to be good exercise. You spent all day using the scooter, so now you can do an easy work out,” he reasoned.
Tanner huffed in annoyance, even while silently acknowledging that Lance was right.
“What are you? My mother?”
“How about—personal trainer. That has such a nice ring to it. I like it,” Lance replied with a smirk, throwing the trunks at Tanner’s face again.
“More like professional pain in my ass,” he said with a defeated sigh. His teeth worried his bottom lip as he considered Lance’s valid argument for going into the water.
“I’ll watch the girls so you can go change,” Lance said, and though it wasn’t a direct order, it was damned close.
He found a free stall in the changing room and pulled the curtain closed. After taking off his jeans and pulling on the swim trunks, he avoided looking at the scars on his left leg. He wasn’t going to worry about them. He just needed to focus on getting back out there and enjoying the water park.
Lance looked extraordinarily pleased when he saw him emerge wearing his borrowed shorts. Tanner might have been annoyed if he didn’t get such a kick out of seeing Lance sit crossed legged in the paddling pool, with Lucy on his shoulders and Clara braiding his hair. Lance’s gaze swept over him, lingering for a few seconds on his left leg and the mess of scars there, but his smile never faltered.
“Ready for the big boy pool, now?” Tanner asked with a laugh.
“I was born ready!” Lance exclaimed confidently as he carefully got to his knees and lifted Lucy from his shoulders. He’d taken his shirt off before heading into the water, so his incredible upper body was on full display. He’d continued to keep himself fit, even though he didn’t play football anymore. Broad and muscular, he still looked like the star athlete Tanner remembered. Tanner felt ashamed about the decline of his own fitness in recent years. As soon as he got medical clearance, he’d head straight for the gym.
“Did you bring a spare shirt?” Lance asked. The girls went back to playing around the fountains, screaming and shouting whenever the sprinklers shot water up and over them.
“No—because I didn’t intend to get in the water.”
“Then you should probably take yours off, unless you want to drive home with it soaking wet.”
“It’s a pain to try to take it off because of the sling. I’ll just keep it on.”
“Seriously, nothing is worse than sitting in wet clothes—just come here. I’ll do it for you.”
Before Tanner could object, Lance closed the distance between them and swiftly went to work. His fingers connected with the bottom of Tanner’s shirt, brushing lightly against his stomach. Apparently, he’d just lost his damned mind because he suddenly forgot how to breathe the moment Lance’s hand touched his bare skin.
“It’ll only take a second,” Lance said, as he began to pull off the shirt. Lance smoothly maneuvered the fabric of his sling over his head while preventing the shirt from catching on it. Tanner stood there, feeling discomfited—and something else he didn’t know quite how to describe. He concentrated on what his nieces were doing to distract himself, but he was hyperaware of every brush of skin and movement that Lance made. Finally, as Lance readjusted the sling around his neck, Tanner managed a quick laugh.
“I usually ask for a drink before I let a guy strip me.”
Lance stepped back and tossed him his shirt.
“You get to sleep on my couch on the regular now,” he reminded Tanner. “Think we’re a little past first drinks,” he snorted and gave him a playful wink. Tanner wasn’t sure what to think. Was Lance flirting with him? No—he couldn’t be, right? Neither of them was gay and—well, why would a guy like Lance ever be into someone as messed up as Tanner?
Then again, and this was the most confusing part of all, why was he even thinking about this? He’d never dwelled on the intentions of his friends before. And he’d certainly never given any thought to his level of attractiveness to one of his friends. The only thing he knew for certain was there was an intense wave of heat surging through him as he looked up and got caught up in Lance’s bright blue gaze. He coughed to distract himself and turned around to look for the girls. Maybe putting a little distance between them would help him think more clearly.
“Alright,” he said, clapping his hands together as he limped towards his nieces. “Who’s ready for some slides!”
After spending four hours racing each other down slides, the tide pool, and the jungle river ride, they stuffed themselves with chicken nuggets and ice cream until Clara and Lucy finally ran out of gas. They fell asleep within seconds of climbing into the backseat, with Lucy drooling all over her plush baby giraffe, and Clara snuggled up to her giant hippo.
“Dude, I don’t know how parents do this full time,” Lance said, yawning from the passenger seat. “I’m exhausted.”
“You’re good with them,” Tanner remarked, shooting him a sideways glance.
“They’re great kids. It’s easy when they’re like these two.”
“You’d be a good dad,” Tanner said with a smile.
Lance shrugged and looked out the window.
“Is that anywhere in your plans?” Tanner asked, his own curiosity catching him off-guard.
“My mother would certainly like it to be. She’s been hounding me for grandkids since I graduated from college.” Lance’s tone was so flat that Tanner could tell there was a lot more to this story.
“And . . .” Tanner pushed for more details.
“I thought I might, with my ex, but—” he shrugged. “I did a whole lot of thinking after Julie left, and the only thing I figured out is I don’t really know what the hell I do want. All I’m pretty clear on is what I don’t want, and I’d like to think that if I found something worth keeping, I’d be smart enough to recognize it, but—” he shrugged then turned to Tanner. “I’m not going to lie. It feels pretty stupid to be turning 30 and not know what the heck I want out of life.”
Tanner couldn’t help but chuckle at Lance’s choice of words. Not because they were funny, but because he wouldn’t have expected them from oh-so-organized-and-well-put-together Lance, with his own accounting firm, his gorgeous brick house with a picket fence and big yard, and his perfectly pressed, color coordinated clothes.
“Hey! No laughing, buster!”
Tanner shook his head, coughing to disguise his laugh.
“I’m not! I swear! I just think it’s kinda funny—coming from you. I mean—you look pretty figured out to me. Nice to know I’m not the only one feeling—lost.” Lance studied him in silence, waiting for an explanation.
“I lost five years of my life because of the sandbox. Five years when I couldn’t save money, date, make friends, plan for kids. I was 24 when I deployed, spent one year flying in and out of war zones, then I spent three years in a hellhole, and another year trying to recover from said hellhole. That’s five years of nothing. Having nothing when you’re 24 is perfectly normal, you know? But now? I’m 29—I don’t even have a career plan. I rent a tiny condo I can barely afford.” He sighed and paused before continuing. “Right now, the only things I can call my own are a shitload of trauma and medical bills and my truck Big Blue,” he added with a snort, shooting Lance a quick grin to ease the tension. “My sister and I fought a lot in the beginning, because she wanted me to live at her house. I couldn’t—not with kids in the house, so I kept telling her I was sleeping at a friend’s house—someone I knew from high school or the military. I didn’t want her to know that on those nights I usually just went to an all-night diner or slept in my truck. The truth is, I haven’t spoken to any of those guys for years. They probably still think I’m dead, and it’s mostly because I’m—” he shrugged, searching for the right way to put it.
“Ashamed?” Lance said gently, carefully.
“Yeah. That’s the word,” Tanner acknowledged with a twisted smile.
Lance nodded and looked thoughtful. For a few minutes, the only sounds were the rumble of the engine and soft snores from the back seat.
“By the way, my sister thinks you’re some old high school buddy of mine.” Tanner thought it best to warn him of what was ahead when they dropped off the kids.
“Right—just so you know, I’m a terrible actor,” Lance admitted with a wry grimace.
“Nah, don’t worry about it. No need to lie. I just don’t want you to be surprised if she starts interrogating you. She’s Ms. Nosey Parker. With me, anyway.”
“You know—” Lance began, hesitating for a second. “I haven’t made a friend in a long-damned time either,” Lance said, as though reading his mind. He gave his shoulder a quick fist bump and said, “I’m glad you invited me to the park today, T.”
And Tanner didn’t doubt him at all.
By the time they got to Cameron’s house, the workers were done and gone, and she was hanging out in the backyard with a glass of wine. Tanner and Lance helped the girls get out of their car seats, and they ran to show her their new toys.
“Hey,” Cameron said and gave him a big hug. “Thanks again for this.” Tanner gave her a quick nod.
“Had a good time at the spa?”
“It was perfect!” Then her gaze moved from Tanner to Lance as he strolled towards them, a car seat under each arm. Tanner snickered as he noted her open curiosity and admiration. After all, Lance was quite the looker with his bright blue eyes, warm smile, and flexing biceps. Even Tanner could admit to that.
“Cameron, this is Lance. He’s the poor guy I chose to help play zookeeper for the monsters all day,” Tanner said by way of introduction.
“He’s exaggerating. They were great,” Lance said with a rueful smile.
“Please, I gave birth to ‘em. I know exactly how they get!” She glanced between them inquiringly.
“I’m sorry, but I really don’t remember you from high school.” Tanner guessed that Cameron was confused only because she couldn’t figure out how she could have possibly missed seeing him in the school hallways and hitting on him.
“That’s because we didn’t go to high school together. I met Lance last weekend. He’s a good guy, so I gave him a call.” Tanner played it off very casually.
“That’s—” she looked between them for a second, obviously surprised. “It was good of you to help on such short notice. Thank you very much. I owe you big time,” she told Lance.
“You’re welcome. I had fun,” he answered, with a warm smile.
“Well, I don’t want to hold you up. I’ll see you around?” She gave Tanner a hopeful look. He nodded and leaned down to give her a big hug.
“I sent you dinner money by Venmo this afternoon,” she whispered while they were hugging. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered thanks before stepping back.
Tanner and Lance waved goodbye as they backed out of the driveway.
“I think I owe you dinner,” Tanner said, right before giving in to a jaw-breaking yawn. The sun was dropping below the horizon, and the excitement of the day had taken its toll.
“How about getting takeout and hanging out on my magically awesome couch instead? I must be getting old. I’m dead on my feet right now, and it’s not even dark yet.”
Tanner chuckled and nodded in agreement.
“We can swing by your place to get you some clothes if you want,” Lance offered. He’d grabbed his phone and was swiping through his apps looking for takeout options.
“I’m not sleeping on your couch again,” Tanner said resolutely.
“Oh, yes you are,” Lance responded firmly.
“No, I’m not,” Tanner corrected. “Like I said yesterday—”
But Lance jumped in with both feet and shut him down.
“Either you sleep on my couch, or I call your smokin’ hot sister and tell her you lied about sleeping at an old friend’s place to avoid going to her house,” he threatened, giving Tanner a sharp look.
He wasn’t being serious—at least, Tanner didn’t think he was—but before he could call him out on it, Lance continued.
“You’re not going to kill yourself with sleep deprivation. Certainly not on my watch.”
“Kill myself with sleep deprivation?” Tanner replied. “Don’t you think that’s overly dramatic?”
“Not even a little bit,” Lance responded with a stern look. It seemed that Tanner had lost this little skirmish, since Big Blue was now headed in the direction of his condo. Lance 1, Tanner 0.
“How do you feel about Asian?” Lance asked, eyes on his phone.
“Depends. Are we talking women? Or food?”
Lance’s boisterous laugh sank deeply into his soul and instantly lifted his spirits. A little voice told Tanner that he was going to need some more of that—whatever “that” was.
That night, Tanner tried something new.
After an evening of pleasant conversation, Chinese food, and good company, Tanner had easily fallen asleep on Lance’s couch. Unfortunately, several hours later, he was awoken by sharp pains in his left leg. Clearly, it was payback for his long day at the zoo. He popped some Tylenol and laid down again, looking around at some of Lance’s pictures while waiting for the pills to kick in. His intentions had been perfectly innocent as his gaze wandered over framed pictures displayed around the living room. But there was one that he kept returning to for some reason.
It was a picture of Lance during his college football days. He looked like a stereotypical jock, but there was also something so remarkably warm and open about his smile that it captured and held Tanner’s attention. It was the same smile he gave Tanner whenever he was looking out for him. He looked so strong, handsome, and charming. Those killer dimples added the perfect touch of humor to his rugged exterior. He caught himself smiling at the picture, just as he noticed a powerful sensation of warmth spreading southward. WTF? Tanner was more than a little shocked to see how his sleep pants had tented. He felt like he was 12 again, discovering that big boobs and fat asses pleased him, except now—neither one of those appeared in this picture. Wasn’t that just a mind fuck? Maybe he should thank Dr. Jones for yammering on and on about the need to do some branching out. Because instead of being put off by this new reaction, he reveled in it.
Reaching for his erection, he focused on Lance’s handsome face, recalling his smile while they were in the pool, his hard chest glistening with beads of water, and that nice six-pack and silky treasure trail.
Fuck.
Fuck.
A whimpered moan escaped, so he bit his bottom lip trying to keep silent. He sped up his strokes and smeared precum all down his shaft to make the glide smoother. The sensation was overwhelming after going so long without any desire for sex. He felt like he couldn’t quite catch his breath, and like maybe, he might not want to. He vividly remembered Lance touching his stomach and shoulders as he’d helped him with his shirt, and how his skin had tingled long afterward. He wanted Lance to touch him again, but this time he wanted those touches all over his body. Desperately. Completely. Fuck.
Before he knew it, his orgasm came rushing up on him. Like a wave crashing upon the shore, it rose and fell, and then it swept him down deep in the undertow, making spots dance behind his eyelids. He trembled in the aftermath. As he slowly recovered, he thought maybe that was the best orgasm he’d ever had.
“Holy fuck!” He whispered and snickered to himself as he cleaned up using his discarded t-shirt.
He’d just come while fantasizing about a man.
Not just any man—
He’d gotten off to Lance fucking Kingsley.
Maybe Tanner had lost his mind. But, hey, the good news was that he’d finally branched out and discovered a new kink. Just what the doctor ordered. Exactly what he was going to do with that knowledge—well, that was the million-dollar question, now wasn’t it? But for now, he’d gotten back a part of himself that he’d thought lost for good, and that had to count as a win.
As he drifted off to sleep, it was to the image of Lance’s exceptional assets.
*****
Lance woke up in the middle of the night with a vague recollection of a strange dream involving giraffes and footballs. Since his mouth was drier than the Sahara, he clambered out of bed, craving a tall glass of lemonade. Still half asleep, he slowly made his way towards the stairs. On his way down, he glanced over the balustrade into the living room to check on Tanner and came to an abrupt halt. The repetitive movement of Tanner’s right hand under the blanket was a dead giveaway. Tanner was jerking off. That wasn’t a problem. What was a problem was that Lance felt like such a fucking creep for just standing there, watching Tanner. He knew he should turn his ass right back around and go back to bed, thirsty or not. But he was helplessly fascinated by the thought of Tanner’s capable hand wrapped around his leaking cock, pleasuring himself.
Jesus-fucking-Christ.
Tanner’s low moans turned into a smothered growl. Lance still couldn’t move, eyes locked on Tanner as he chased his release. He hung on to every little sound he made. His conscience screamed at him that it was so very wrong, but at the very same time, he felt inexplicably drawn to Tanner. Never had he fantasized about another man. Not even jokingly, but in this moment, it took every ounce of control not to race to Tanner’s side, to watch that sinfully beautiful mouth as he moaned, and to trace his tattoos glistening with sweat.
Fuck. Lance couldn’t remember the last time he’d been quite this turned on. Certainly never from watching another man rub one out. It was like his very own live porn show. The forbidden nature of it did nothing to quench his sudden rousing desires. It was mindboggling to discover this new side of his sexuality, but it was also undeniable. As Tanner reached his climax, Lance pressed his hand against his own hard on. He strangled a moan as his hand connected with it, knowing he was already far too close. Turning, he stumbled back to his room as silently as possible. Diving under the covers, he yanked down his briefs and wrapped a hand around himself. He barely needed the touch—already hanging on the edge from just watching Tanner. After just a few tugs he erupted, stars clouding his vision as he fought to catch his breath. Satiated and confused, he passed out while imagining how much better his release would have been if Tanner had been there with him.