Chapter 34
Chapter
Thirty-Four
W hen they got back to Torres’ place, Leo groaned as he slumped onto the couch. “I love that kid, but damn, I need a nap.”
Torres chuckled, as he sat next to Leo. “I was exactly like him when I was that age.”
“Good god,” Leo muttered. “You can take me to the bedroom and have your wicked way with me as long as you do all the work.”
Torres jumped up and grabbed Leo, then rushed to the bedroom. “Deal.”
“And they say romance is dead.” Leo said around a laugh that turned into a moan when Torres bit down on the tendon in his neck, sending waves of pleasured pain wracking through his body. He laughed when Torres tossed him on the bed, but he enjoyed the show of Torres stripping his glorious body from his clothes. God, he hoped he’d never get used to seeing this man naked, that it would always make him catch his breath, and lust boil in his guts.
“What ya want?” Torres asked, laying his body over Leo’s, and kissed him.
“You pick.” Leo grunted, arching his back and raking his nails down the man’s back.
“Ride me.” Torres whispered, flipping them and settling back as Leo settled on top of him. He loved the look of Leo on top of him, that mop of blonde hair, and his blue eyes that darkened with lust. It was one of his favorite positions with him.
“Where’s the lube?” Leo gasped as Torres thrust up against his balls.
“Nightstand drawer,” Torres grunted.
Leo leaned over to grab the lube and hissed when Torres leaned down to bite his hip. “Got it!” He held it up like a trophy. He dribbled some onto Torres’ erection and poured some on his fingers, before reaching back and prepping himself. He had no patience to wait on Torres to do it. He gripped Torres with his slick hand and gave him a few pumps before he moved up on his knees to lead him into his body.
Torres had to use all his self-control not to thrust up as he was taken into Leo’s heat. He was so hot and tight that he wouldn’t last. “Fuck.”
Leo threw his head back, and he felt every inch of Torres slide into him, every vein, every pulse. Fuck, it always got better.
As soon as Leo settled, Torres grabbed his hips. “Fuck, baby, can I move now?”
Leo rolled his hips, grinning as Torres’ eyes rolled into the back of his head. “What was that about, baby?”
“Fuck baby, you’re killing me.” Torres grumbled, making Leo laugh.
Leo grabbed Torres' wrists and held them down next to his head. He knew the man could easily get out of the hold, but he loved that he let him do it. “That’s my job,” He whispered in Torres’ ear as he blew warm air over his neck, causing the man to hiss and buck his hips.
“Fuck, baby, move faster please.” Torres begged. He hated the slow build, it drove him crazy.
Leo laughed and snapped his hips.
“Fuck, cumming.” Torres grated, his back arching as he flooded Leo’s ass with his cum.
Leo laughed. “Really, baby, you couldn’t hold on?”
“Fuck you and your magic ass.” Torres grumbled, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks.
Leo laughed so hard he lost his hard-on and Torres pushed him off his dick.
“Asshole,” Torres growled.
“Oh my god, this is perfect.” Leo squealed.
“I think we should see other people.” Torres sniffed.
Leo chuckled and threw his arms around Torres’ neck. “I love you so much.”
Torres grinned. Every time Leo said that it made him fucking melt. He tossed Leo back and took the man’s dick into the back of his throat before Leo could even utter a word.
“Fuck.” Leo hissed, gripping Torres' hair hard.
Torres groaned. Fuck, he loved it when Leo got rough with him. He sucked harder just to feel Leo’s body shake as he was battered with pleasure. He wasted no time. His ego was on the line and he needed to make Leo cum quicker than he did. It didn’t take long before he figured out Leo’s sweet spots and a warm mouth on his dick and a hand squeezing his balls and he exploded.
Leo shouted Torres’ name as he came down his throat. “Dick.” Leo panted.
“That’s payback,” Torres snickered.
Leo gasped out a chuckle as his body still shook from the power of his orgasm. “Fuck me, that was fun.”
Torres chuckled. “Yes, it was, but now I need a nap.” He grumbled, pulling Leo close and settling down.
Leo chuckled and snuggled in close. “Love you, baby.” He said sleepily.
“Love you too.” Torres kissed his forehead as he let sleep claim him.
Leo awoke first, his throat feeling as dry as the Sahara desert. He smacked his lips. “Baby.” He shook Torres’ shoulder.
“Huh, what, what’s wrong?” Torres asked as he sat straight up, his hair wild and eyes droopy.
Leo snorted. “It’s all good, baby, I was just wondering if you wanted me to grab you water?”
Torres mumbled unintelligently as he rolled over and went back to sleep.
Leo grinned. His man was not a morning person. He checked the time and yawned. Fuck, it was already nine o’clock, and he had a deadline. “Shit.” He threw the covers back and ran to his office to wake up his computer. “Shit, shit, shit.” He had less than two hours to send his draft off to his publisher, and he wasn’t done with it. Fuck him. His publisher was going to kill him. He set a timer on his phone and ran to take a piss and grab a bottle of water before he sat at the desk and started. He only had one more chapter. He just hoped he’d be able to finish it in time.
Torres rolled over and rubbed at his eyes. He fell across the bed and blinked when he found Leo’s side cold. He groaned and rolled out of bed, put on sweatpants, and grabbed his phone to go find his wayward boyfriend. “Baby?” He checked Leo’s office and had to smile when he saw Leo curled over his laptop, his eyes glued to the screen as his fingers flew across the keyboard. He shook his head and backed away. He’d made the mistake of disturbing Leo once when he was writing and he’d never make that mistake again. He ambled into the kitchen yawning as he started coffee. He pulled out his phone and called Saint.
“Hey man, what’s up?” Saint’s voice was muffled.
Torres chuckled. “Are you stuffing your face, man?”
“Of course. Have you met my mother and had her cooking?” Saint demanded. “Why did you call me? Just to make fun of me?”
Torres leaned back against the counter and sipped his coffee as he switched his phone to the other ear. “I didn’t. I called to check on Kade. I wanted to see if you noticed anything off with him?”
“He’s been extra cranky lately, but otherwise I don’t know. Hold on, let me ask Ram if he noticed anything.” Saint mumbled.
“Ram?” Torres asked, confused.
“Yeah, he was talking to him yesterday.” Saint said before he pulled the phone away and shouted for his uncle. “Did you notice anything off with Kade yesterday?”
“Yeah, he got a call early this morning before Valk dragged him in here. He seemed upset. He didn’t eat after that.” Ram said, his voice deep and scratchy through the phone.
“Did you overhear the conversation on the phone?” Saint asked and when there was nothing but silence, Torres snorted.
“He’s giving you the look, isn’t he?” Torres asked, trying to stifle his laughter.
“Yup,” Saint said, popping the last syllable.
“I’ll see what I can figure out. I’ve got to go peel your brother away from his computer.” Torres said as he made Leo’s coffee just the way he liked it.
Saint snorted. “I’ll have Kade plan your funeral.” He said and hung up without waiting for a reply.
“Dick.” Torres muttered, grabbing both mugs and heading back to the office to Leo, who hadn’t moved. He smiled. He loved this man so fucking much, it was insane. He gently set the mug down by Leo’s left arm and waited. Watching him come out of his fantasy land was both adorable and hilarious. Leo blinked several times as he sniffed the air.
“Coffee?” Leo mumbled, looking down in shock at the mug before his eyes met Torres, who was grinning at him over the rim of his own mug.
“Figured you could use some.” Torres said smugly. Leo was a slut for some good coffee. “How long have you been at this?”
Leo looked over at his phone to see he still had another half hour before he had to submit it. “About an hour or so. I’m almost done. I have to submit it today at eleven or I’ll be killed.”
Torres snorted. He’d met Leo’s publisher Anna. The tiny woman was scary as hell. Now put her and Kade together, and that was a recipe for disaster. “Ok, I’ll leave you to it. I’m going to go and see Gabe. Paul called and left a message that he was struggling with nightmares.” He tugged on Leo’s hair until he leaned his head back and kissed his forehead. “I’ll be back shortly. Love you, baby.”
“Love you too.” Leo waved as Torres left before he cracked his knuckles and got back to work.
“Hey, buddy,” Torres said softly when he got to his parents and saw Gabe. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest, his son’s eyes were bloodshot, puffy, and watery, and instead of his usual excited greeting, he just crawled into Torres’ lap and hugged his neck hard. Torres looked at his brother, who didn’t look like he’d fared much better, to his parents and Catherine, who looked unfazed and put together. His lip curled. He fucking hated his parents. He stood carrying Gabe with him and he walked around the room, easing his son as he rocked him as he walked. “What’s the matter, bud?”
“I tried to be brave, Dad, I swear.” Gabe started his words hiccuping as he tried to hold back his tears.
Torres shushed him as he urged his son to lay his head back down on his shoulder. “You were, buddy, are you kidding me? You were so brave. Even Ali said you showed no fear. I’m so proud of you, Gabriel, and I would be proud of you even if you had been scared. Fear is a natural reaction and you should always listen to it. It can save your butt one day.”
Gabe sniffled as he played with the collar of Torres' shirt. “But you’re never scared, and neither is Kade.”
Torres glared at Catherine when she made a rude sound when Gabe mentioned Kade’s name. “We do get scared, buddy. What we have is called courage. Even though we’re scared, we still do what we need to. We work through the fear, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t scared, buddy, we just don’t show it.”
“Promise?” Gabe asked, his voice slurring as his eyes drooped and he had trouble keeping them open.
“Yeah, buddy, I promise.” Torres said softly, kissing his son’s warm forehead as he pulled his phone out and dialed.
“Hey, man, how’s it going?” Doc greeted.
“Good, I have a favor to ask?” Torres said softly. He really didn’t want to wake Gabe up.
“What do you need, man?” Doc asked immediately, the easygoing tone in his voice going hard.
“Gabe is having reactions. I need to see if he has PTSD, and if he does what I can do to help him.” Torres said, trying to swallow his tears.
“You at your parents?” Doc asked.
“Yeah,” Torres cleared his throat.
“I’ll be there in a few.” Doc said and hung up.
Torres looked over at Paul. “I have my buddy Doc coming by. He’s going to check Gabe and see what we can do to help him.”
Paul nodded gratefully, anything to help his kid sleep peacefully.
“I don’t think that’s necessary.” Catherine said, crossing her hands over her chest.
“I don’t care what you think.” Paul grunted. “I am still legally his father and am in charge of his medical needs.” He turned his furious gaze on her and his parents. “You didn’t sit up with him last night as he screamed and fought men in his dreams. You didn’t do shit, but leave our son by himself to just deal with the problem.” Paul shouted. “Fuck both of you!” He roared at his parents. “And you,” he jabbed a finger in Catherine’s direction, ignoring his parents’ gasps. “Don’t you dare make me fight you for custody. I will not allow my son to suffer.”
Torres held Gabe close, covering his ear that was not crushed on his chest to help, but the kid was so worn out the shouting didn’t even phase him. The rest of the wait for Doc was silent and stilted.
“Hey,” Doc shook Paul’s hand as he entered the house. He ignored the tension and focused his gaze on the boy, who was limp in his father’s embrace. “I’ll need to wake him up. I have to ask him questions to best help.”
Torres nodded. He hated the fact but the sooner they caught this, the better chance his son would have. “Hey, buddy,” he gently shook Gabe and smiled when those eyes, so much like his, cracked open. “Hey, bud, look who’s here.” He turned so Gabe could get a look at Doc’s goofy grin. Doc had a doctorate in psychology and he would always take the man’s advice in the matters of the mind.
Gabe smiled softly at Doc as he reached out a hand. “Hey, Doc,” he mumbled.
The catch in his son’s voice made Torres want to punch something.
“Hey, kiddo, I need to ask you a few questions and check you over. I hear you’re having some trouble and I’m here to help fix it.” Doc waggled his brows, making Gabe giggle tiredly.
“Kay,” Gabe mumbled and kicked his feet so Torres would set him down and grabbed Doc’s hand. “I’ll show you my room.”
“About dang time, kid, I ain’t getting any younger.” Doc griped, tickling the boy as he led him away.
Torres felt a little better after hearing his son’s laughter, but he still ached that he couldn’t just fix the problem immediately. He rubbed his hands roughly down his face as he leaned against the island in the open-plan kitchen and living room to wait. It only took about half an hour, but when he saw his son come back in with Doc and he saw the tears and worry on his son’s face, he reacted. Pulling Gabe into his arms and holding him tight, he met Doc’s eyes. Doc did nothing but nod, and Torres’ heart sank. “What can I do?” He asked softly.
“We can try meds, but I don’t really think that would be good for him. Most of the meds have brutal side effects and will stunt him in other ways.” Doc handed him a piece of paper, then spoke in German knowing Torres was the only one in the room that could understand him. “This is the number of a guy I know who trains Service Dogs and personal protection dogs. I think getting Gabe a companion will help him.” Torres looked at the paper and noticed the name. “Owen Casey? That’s the guy that Ram uses, right?”
Doc nodded. “Try him. He may be able to help. We can try that before we try the medication.”
Torres nodded and looked over at Paul. “I know a guy that trains Service Dogs and Personal Protection dogs. We think getting him a companion will help.” He shifted to allow Gabe to slump into his as he fell back asleep.
“I will not allow dogs in my house, Judas.” His mother snapped.
“Then you won’t see Gabe again.” Paul replied immediately. “Do it and let me know.”
Torres nodded. “Would you like to come?”
Paul shook his head. “I would love to, but at this point, I’m so worn out I don’t have the energy.”
Torres nodded understandingly. “I get that.”
“Take Gabe with you.” Paul held up his hand when Catherine and his parents tried to intervene. “He needs the time with you, and I need to put things in place so that you have a say in what happens with him.”
Torres pulled his brother close. “Thank you.”
Paul snickered at the emotion in Torres' voice. “No problem, brother,” he shooed them out of the door and turned around, ignoring the others. He needed a fucking nap.
When Torres got Gabe settled in the back seat of his car, he called Ram.
“Dr. Willis.”
Torres rolled his eyes. Even the man’s greeting sounded cranky.
“Ram, it’s Torres. Doc gave me the number of the guy you work with for Service Dogs. Do you know if he has any available?”
“May I ask what for?” Ram asked, his tone more cautious.
“My son, he’s having some issues dealing with what happened. I called Doc to look at him and he recommended we try a companion before we go straight towards the medication route.” Torres sighed, raking his hand through his hair and tilting his face towards the sun.
Ram hummed. “Yes, it’s not really a good idea to, but kids on mood stabilizers that young, I think he has a couple older dogs looking for homes. One’s a retired bomb dog and one is a service dog whose owner died. I’ll call Owen and give him a heads-up that you’re coming. He’ll be able to pair with the dog that will help the most.”
Torres breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem. Gabe will bounce back, Torres. He’s young it’ll take time but with you catching it so quick it’ll give him the best chance to move forward.” Ram told him seriously. “You did good.”
Torres snorted. “Gee, thanks, man.”
Ram gave a dry chuckle. “I’ll call him now when are you planning to go by?”
“Now, if he’s available.” Torres muttered.
“Sounds good I’ll call him and send you a green light if he is.” Ram said.
“Thank you.” Torres pursed his lips. He would not cry damn it.
“You’re welcome.” As soon as Ram hung up he dialed Leo, hoping to hell he wasn’t interrupting.
“Hey baby,” Leo’s happy voice soothed some of his raw nerves.
“Hey, what’re you doing?” Torres asked.
“Just finished up and I’m waiting to print off the draft as soon as it gets back from my editor.” Leo said excitedly.
“They’re gonna read and edit the whole book in a few hours?” Torres asked, shocked.
Leo snorted out a laugh. “No, after I finish each chapter I send it off so all but the last chapter is edited and ready to go.”
“Congratulations, baby, I’m so proud of you.” Torres said grinning. He was so fucking proud of Leo, the man was amazing.
“Thank you.” Leo said smugly. “Now, what are you up to? Did you see Gabe?”
“Yeah, I have him with me we’re going to see if Ram’s friend Owen has a dog that would be a good fit for Gabe.” Torres said looking at his son sprawled across his backseat, he reached in and turned the car on, and set the air to low. It was hot out and he didn’t want Gabe to be uncomfortable. His son needed some good sleep, and he wanted to make sure he got some.
“He’s not doing good, is he?” Leo asked softly.
“Nope,” Torres tried to keep the tears out of his voice.
“When are you going over, I’ll meet you there.” Leo demanded.
“You don’t have to, baby.” Torres said, clearing his throat.
“Fuck that, I’m taking your Z though, that’s the only car here.” Leo said as he made a cute grumbling noise.
Torres snorted. He had an old Nissan 350Z he kept in the garage and Leo acted like driving it was the worst thing in the world.