Page 22 of Tempting the Tender Guy: Imperfect Heroes

She’s squeezing me so hard I’m worried the condom is going to come off my softening cock. Regretfully, I withdraw from her and grab at the drenched and heavy condom. I keep my other hand on her clit, wanting to ensure she finishes.

“Whoa,” she breathes and shoves at my hand. “That was crazy.”

Grinning, I grab some tissues and pass them to her and take care of disposing the condom in the waste can.

“If by crazy you mean wonderfully intense, then yes, it was crazy,” I say, gently helping her down from the vanity.

Sadie looks up at me. “Mack, you’re crazy too.”

“And so are you,” I say, claiming another kiss.

CHAPTER TWELVE

MACK

Staring in shock at the ENT, my thoughts race. He’s not much older than me and the compassion on his face is hard for me to stomach.

“I’m going to recommend you see an audiologist,” he says, moving away from me and making it harder for me to understand all he’s saying.

It stings my pride to ask, but this is important. “Can you face me when you talk, please?”

A flare of understanding lights up his face. “Of course, sorry about that.” He hands me several papers along with an attached business card. “With moderate hearing loss there’s no cure. I don’t want to give you false hope. Today’s hearing aids are state-of-the art and will help you to navigate better.”

“What about implants? Don’t they do that?”

His lips pinch into a thin line. “There are cochlear implants. Those are more for people with profound hearing loss.” He smiles. “Thankfully, you’re not at that point.”

The unspoken ‘yet’ scares me.

This entire appointment and the tests the staff put me through scared me.

It was obvious I was failing a lot of the tests. Which was thoroughly depressing. Even more so than hearing the diagnosis was the lack of a firm reason why this was happening to me. Notthat it would have mattered. The damage was done. Nothing was going to undo or fix it.

Thanking the doctor, I leave the ENT center uncertain where I want to go.

My first thought is to seek out Sadie. Talking with her makes me feel better. How can I talk to her about this, though? Our relationship is so new.

Crumbling over the steering wheel, I work to collect myself.

Finally, I get the opportunity with the woman I want, and this happens! I strike out at my leg, pounding my fist into my thigh. Fuck, life is unfair!

I drive home and immediately start looking up hearing loss on my laptop. It’s pretty much what I expect and a grim reality that this isn’t going to magically go away or fix itself. The thought of hearing aids is depressing. When I think of those, I think of old people and of them fiddling with them and loud whiny noises blasting out and drawing people’s attention.

Attention is the last thing I want.

Running my fingers through my shaggy hair, I wonder if I should grow my hair out to hide the chunks of plastic that will soon be in my ears.

If I get hearing aids.

Sighing, I tug at my hair and drop my head. I want to hear Sadie. To have conversations with her. It’s been frustrating not being fully able to do that.

Slowly, I raise my head.

Will Sadie still want to be with me?

A man that’s losing his hearing and going deaf. A man with a disability that’s going to affect not only his life, but her life as well, if she stays with me.

Would any woman?

---