Page 20 of Warrior's Walk

My dick is rock hard now, and my fist moves up and down in lazy strokes as I stoke the fire slowly building in my groin. I tip my head back, resting it against the edge of the tub, and draw another humid breath deep into my lungs.

I fantasize about an intense dialogue between us, where our verbal sparring has a flirty edge. Rhett seems like he could go toe-to-toe with me and hold his own, which I find incredibly hot. When he’s not depressed and grieving, or in unimaginable pain, I bet he’s a hell raiser. I have no idea if he’s into guys or not, but in my dream, he’s totally into me. Fucking me with his eyes, teasing his bottom lip to make me want to suck on it. If I ever got him beneath me, I would fucking wreck him. Rhett looks like he’s built sturdy enough to take a good pounding.

The combination of the warm water and teasing bubbles and my strong grip brings me to the edge quickly. I imagine sinking my teeth into his lip, sucking his tongue into my mouth, and drinking up his sweet flavor. The muscles in my stomach contract and roll in a wave of pleasure. My tight fist milks the thick seed from my shaft as I shoot into the warm water with a satisfied grunt.

My body sags like an empty sack.

I feel loose. I feel satisfied.

Fuck, that was great. Rhett Marsh would be an incredible lay. I carefully tuck that fantasy away with the others and pretend that my mind never went there.

I pull my truck into the parking lot of the NC Mountain Region branch of BALLS and hustle inside. Margaret Anne is always ready with a smile and a warm cup of coffee. She heads the volunteer services department, but you can’t pull her away from the front desk. She wouldn’t dream of not being there, front and center, to greet someone when they came through the front doors.

“Afternoon, MA,” I greet, taking the proffered cup of coffee.

Her sleek gray bob bounces as she smiles. “Afternoon, Riggs. Welcome back.”

Sipping on the coffee as I make my way down the long corridor to Brewer Marx’s office, I pass several veterans and staff I recognize and wave hello. His door is open and I slip inside, tossing my empty paper cup in his trashcan.

“You ready for lunch?”

He’s seated at his desk going through patient files. Brewer looks up, removing his reading glasses, and smiles. “Back so soon? Feels like you just left,” he teases.

“That’s what I want to talk to you about. Come on, lunch is on me.”

He chuckles, pushing to his feet. “You realize they serve free lunch here, don’t you?”

Of course, which is why I offered to treat. “What can I say? I’m a big spender.”

BALLS serves a hot meal every afternoon to vets and their families free of charge. On the menu today is a hot, open-facedroast beef sandwich with a side of mashed potatoes, gravy, and steamed vegetables. I snag an extra slice of bread so I can make a proper sandwich out of it. We take a seat, and I dig into my sandwich with both hands when I notice a man and his son seated two tables away. The boy smiles at me and waves.

“Hey, Dylan,” I mumble around a mouthful of roast beef. Shyly, he waves back, his big grin showing off his two missing front teeth. He comes in here just about every day to eat with his dad, who attends physical and occupational therapy. “I’ll be right back,” I tell Brewer. The east wall of the cafeteria is lined with vending machines. I slip a dollar in the slot and press the buttons for a chocolate chip granola bar. It drops into the bin and I retrieve it and make my way back to Dylan. “Here ya go, kiddo,” I offer, messing up his hair. He grabs for it happily. “Not until after you finish your sandwich,” I insist. Dylan’s father salutes me and I return the gesture.

I’m not a big fan of standing on ceremony, especially when I’m away from base, but I recognize the gesture as his way of saying thank you while still maintaining his dignity.

When I sit down, Brewer snickers. “What?” I ask. He just shakes his head. The downside of having a best friend who’s a shrink is knowing he always sees right through you.

“You’re such a Daddy,” he whispers. His grin is decidedly mischievous.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment, and hope that you meant I’ll make a great father someday.” Brewer is aware of my sexuality, despite the fact I never date.

His snicker turns into a deep, shoulder-shaking laugh. “Take it however you want.”

I spare him a glare before picking up my sandwich. “Just because I’m a hard ass with a soft heart doesn’t mean that I…” I can’t even finish defending myself because he’s laughing so hard tears come to his eyes, and I’m just becoming more pissedwatching him. “Fuck off, Brewer.” Taking a huge bite of beef, I ignore him as I take my time chewing, and it isn’t until I swallow minutes later that I continue. “I had a reason for asking you to lunch.”

Brewer sobers, taking a sip of his tea. “What’s going on?”

I take a deep breath and put my sandwich down, wiping my fingers on my napkin. “I’m leaving Womack. I put in my resignation this week.”

He looks as surprised as if I had told him I was getting married tomorrow. “Wow, didn’t see that coming. Ever since you got back from this last deployment, I’ve noticed a change in you. Is everything okay?”

I breathe out a heavy sigh and lean back in my chair. “You’re right. I guess I’ve come to a crossroads and my deployment made things very clear to me. I don’t know… I feel like I’m chasing my tail trying to treat the problem and not the solution. Placing bandages on cuts so they can go back out and blow off their whole fucking leg. I’m just feeding the war machine.”

“Riggs, being a combat medic and an Army nurse is important work. Someone has to be there to save them and patch them up so they can return home to their families.”

“I’m not saying it isn’t important work. I get the purpose of the role and the good it does. I’m saving lives, but at the end of the day, they’re still putting their lives at risk. I’m a healer more than I’ll ever be a soldier. I’m tired of just stemming the flow of blood and stitching cuts. I want to heal. I want to change lives instead of saving them.”

“That’s… powerful. I know you didn’t come to this decision lightly. Did something happen over there?”

---