Hi all! I've decided to add a little more to this. Major thanks to Eunice339 for mad beta skills and general advice and guidance. Hope everyone enjoys this!
xXx
When Tobias turned around, his eyes widened and he nearly spit out the mouthful of beer he'd just swallowed. Seeing the look on his partner's face, Amar followed Tobias' gaze only to sigh deeply. "Aw, shit," he mumbled.
Tobias shook his head. "I don't fucking believe it," he murmured, shoving the beer bottle into Amar's hand. "Hold this."
Amar sighed again. "Don't do anything stupid, kid," he said, but it was too late. Tobias was already stalking up the porch stairs, determined to intercept Marlene before everyone gathered in the backyard of Shauna's parents' house could see her. He grabbed her arm when he reached her, pulling her into the kitchen as the porch door slammed behind him.
"Are you fucking crazy?" he hissed. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
Marlene looked up at him, "I..."
"She's here with me." Tobias looked over Marlene's blonde curls to see Lynn stalking towards them, her face set in mutinous lines.
"Yeah, I figured that," he spat, sarcasm thick in his voice.
Lynn stepped up to Tobias' chest. She was several inches shorter, but she looked up at him with defiance in every line of her body. "This is my parents' house, my sister's engagement party, and Marlene is my girlfriend."
"And Zeke is Uriah's brother. You're not on some moral high ground here, you know." He looked from Lynn to Marlene. "I can't believe how fucking selfish you both are. Nothing good can possibly come out of this. You know Uri's here."
Lynn crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "I don't care."
Marlene stepped in between them, lightly placing a hand on Tobias' chest while gently moving Lynn aside. "Let's not do this," she said quietly, then turning to Tobias added, "Tobias, I don't want to cause trouble, but I really need to see him."
"Absolutely not."
"Please," she entreated, her light blue eyes echoing her plea. "We haven't spoken since he found out. He won't take my calls. He even moved his stuff out while I was in class."
"I know." Tobias' face was stone as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Zeke and I helped him."
Marlene sighed, tears filling her eyes. "I never meant for him to get hurt." Behind her, Lynn snorted. Tobias' eyes flared, but before he could retort, Marlene turned to Lynn. "You're not helping," she admonished gently.
Lynn looked hurt. "We wanted each other and he was in our way. It wasn't fair..."
"Yeah, it wasn't fair – to Uriah!" Tobias shot back.
"It's okay, T." All three of them turned around to see Uriah standing in the doorway, his expression grim. "I'll talk to her."
Tobias moved over to him and put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "You sure?" Tobias searched his eyes and saw anger and hurt, but also determination in their dark brown depths.
Uriah nodded, his eyes not leaving Marlene's. "Yeah." His voice was flat, almost hard, and Marlene flinched slightly. "We'll go into the living room so nobody will hear," he said gesturing for Marlene to move towards the hallway ahead of him. Lynn turned to follow her, but Uriah stopped her, his eyes dark as he looked at Lynn. "Alone."
"No way in hell!" Lynn yelled.
"I'm not discussing shit with you," he said, a look of disgust on his face. Tobias moved forward to flank his brother, but stopped when Marlene put her hand on Lynn's arm.
"Baby, please, let me do this," she said quietly, stroking Lynn's arm. Uriah's jaw tightened and he strode down the hallway towards the living room, not looking back. Lynn stared after him for a minute then looked at Marlene and visibly softened.
"Okay," she conceded, "but call me if you need me." Marlene nodded and followed Uriah.
Tobias checked the urge to scream at Lynn. "My brother is a good man. Marlene is in no danger."
Lynn snorted. "We'll see."
Tobias' hands clenched into fists that he had to consciously relax. "Now you're just being a bitch. He's never been anything but nice to you. He saw you as a sister every bit as much as he sees Shauna as one," he said quietly. "For you to do this is low and selfish and beyond forgiveness. We were supposed to be family."
She scowled, Tobias' jab had hit its mark.
Satisfied, he turned on his heel to leave, shoving open the screen door with a little more force than necessary. Lynn followed, studiously ignoring him as they both entered the backyard. Zeke and Shauna looked up and Shauna paled when she saw her sister. Zeke frowned as Lynn breezed past her. Shauna ran after her sister, tugging her arm to halt her movements.
Zeke turned to Tobias. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded.
Tobias sighed and shrugged. "She brought Marlene." He grimaced when Zeke swore. "Yeah, I know. She's in there now with Uri."
Zeke ran a hand across his head. "Fuck. Just...fuck." He looked across the yard to see that Shauna had dragged Lynn to a corner and was talking to her quietly. Even from a distance, he could see that Shauna was furious. People were glancing over at them and had begun murmuring, wondering what was happening. Zeke groaned. "This is going to turn into a fucking mess."
Amar joined them. "Where's Uriah?" he asked quietly. He and Tobias had been partners since Tobias had made detective nearly two years ago. They'd clicked immediately and in her usual fashion, Hana, Tobias' mother, had essentially adopted Amar and his long-time boyfriend, George. He handed Tobias a beer, but Tobias didn't drink it. He was pretty sure he'd be leaving soon and wanted to be sober.
"In the living room with Marlene," Tobias responded.
Hana appeared over his shoulder. "What's going on, boys?" she asked having sensed the increased tension. She was shorter than either of her sons, but both of them wilted under her maternal gaze. Even Amar shifted around nervously.
"Lynn brought Marlene. Uriah is in the living room talking to her," Tobias informed her. Hana closed her eyes with a sigh.
"Well shit," Hana said when she opened her eyes.
Just then, they heard the screen door open. Uriah stood in the doorway, his face twisted in fury as he stormed down the stairs, heading towards his family.
"I want to get the fuck out of here," he fumed. He was so upset he didn't even notice that he'd cursed in front of his mother. Then turning to Zeke, "I'm sorry, bro, I just…" he added, his voice trailed off.
"It's okay." Zeke shot a look over his shoulder to his furious fiancée. "I think things are going to just get worse around here."
"I'll take you home, Uri," Tobias offered. Hana stood on her tiptoes to kiss Tobias' cheek, then leaned over and gave her youngest son a fierce hug. She whispered something in his ear and Uriah buried his face in her neck for a moment, nodded, then let her go.
"Let's go take care of your fiancée," Hana said to Zeke, inclining her head. Zeke looked over to see that some people had begun to stare as the argument unfolded on the other side of the yard. Lynn and Shauna's family had now moved over to them.
Tobias led his brother to his car and they piled in. The entire way home, Tobias listened to Uriah vent out his anger, hurt, and frustration. By the time they got home, Uriah said he just wanted to be alone. Tobias nodded and watched until his brother was safely inside their childhood home before backing his truck out of the driveway.
He thought about returning to his apartment, but realized there was only one place he wanted to be.
xXx
Tris gritted her teeth as she felt a hand squeeze her behind. She looked over her shoulder to see Eric moving to the other side of the bar, a smirk playing on his face. She took a deep breath and promised herself that if he did it again, she'd punch him in the junk.
Saturdays were usually Tris' nights as a waitress rather than bartender, so she didn't normally have to put up with much of Eric's flirting. But Edward, their other Saturday bartender, was out of town for his mother's 60th birthday party so Tris had, reluctantly, agreed to tend bar with Eric when her uncle called her for the favor.
She sighed a little to herself as she mixed a Cosmopolitan. It was partially her own fault, she knew. A few months earlier, they had all gone out to celebrate one of their waitress' birthdays and she and Eric had indulged in an awful lot of flirting. She'd accepted his offer for a ride home and let him walk her up to her apartment. The kiss at the door hadn't surprised her, but she'd pulled back, gently explaining to him that she didn't think it was such a good idea for them to date. She didn't want to mix her business and personal lives. Eric had seemed to understand, but every once in a while he thought he could get Tris to change her mind.
Tris thought about asking Bud to fire him, but since she knew he wanted to turn the bar over to her when she was ready, she wanted to prove she could handle employee issues. Not to mention, Eric was, unfortunately, the best bartender they had. He had a flair for mixing drinks and his good looks helped draw in more women than they had before he'd come to work there.
Eric sent her a flirty wink as he turned to a female customer at the other end of the bar. Lauren walked up, rolling her eyes. She'd clearly caught Eric's wink. "What a dick," she mumbled.
Tris shrugged. "I can handle him."
Lauren grinned. "No doubt, but I'd be more than happy to pour some ice down his pants for you." They laughed together at the idea before Lauren put in her customer's drink order. "I need a Glenlivet 12, neat." Tris nodded, pouring the Scotch into a glass and handing it to Lauren who shook her head. "He wants you to deliver it personally," Lauren explained as she inclined her head towards the booth in the back corner.
Tris' smile grew absurdly wide when she realized who was in the booth. Lauren chuckled, "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"Hey, Eric, I'm taking a break," Tris called out. Eric looked up in surprise, but said nothing as Tris carried the highball glass towards the man sitting in the booth.
Tris took a deep breath as she made her way across the bar. It may have been wishful thinking on her part, but she'd hoped Tobias would show up tonight. She knew tonight was his brother's engagement party, but still she'd hoped. They'd only managed two actual dates between his daytime shift and her classes and nighttime work schedule, but they'd talked on the phone every night since they'd met, usually hours at a time. Their two dates had been casual, fun, and left them both wanting more.
Tobias smiled as she approached. "Hey," he said softly, smiling at her.
"Hey, yourself." She placed the glass in front of him and slid into the booth across from him, smiling when he reached his hand out to grasp hers. "I was hoping you'd come by tonight."
He ran his thumb over the back of her hand. "I needed to unwind and the only place I could think of was with you."
Tris' smile turned soft. "I take it the engagement party didn't go well?"
With a sharp bark of laughter, Tobias lifted the glass to his lips for a sip. "Oh, you have no idea. How about I take you out after you get off and tell you all about it?"
"We don't close until one and then I need to help clean up," she warned.
Tobias gestured to his phone on the table. "I've got enough to keep me occupied for a couple of hours. I'll be fine," he insisted when she frowned. "Really. Go on."
"Okay." Tris slid out of the booth and leaned down to brush her lips across his, a small reminder of the passionate kisses they'd shared during their last two dates.
The next couple of hours passed faster than Tris thought they would. Just looking over at Tobias sitting in the booth made her smile. At a couple minutes after one, she turned the lock on the glass door. She glanced over at Tobias who winked at her and she made her way to the bar, intent on cleaning up as fast as she could.
Lauren, seeing the hungry exchange between them, grinned. "Hey, Tris, why don't you guys get going? Eric and I can take care of closing out." She shot Eric a death glare when he started to protest.
"You sure?" Tris asked. Tobias, having overhead Lauren's offer, slid out of the booth and headed towards Tris. She looked up at him, at the slight smile on his face, and any guilt about leaving them to close up without her vanished. "Okay, thanks," she said, "I owe you one." Taking Tobias' hand, she led him to the back lockers where she picked up her purse.
Entwining their fingers, she led him out of the back door. "Where'd you park?" she asked.
"Down the street. Do we need to get your car?"
She shook her head. "Lauren was going to give me a lift."
A delighted light entered his dark blue eyes. "Convenient. Hungry?"
Tris nodded. "How do you feel about pancakes?"
A smile tugged at his lips. "Amenable."
"Then, I know the perfect place."
The 24-hour diner wasn't terribly far from Tris' apartment and, according to the sign in the front window, boasted 'The best hash browns in Chicago'. Tris eyed Tobias' plate when the waitress placed them on the table. She looked at her stack of pancakes then at his diner special of eggs, hash browns, bacon and toast before announcing, "I'm going to eat some of those hash browns, you know."
He laughed, sipping his orange juice. "I'm going to eat some of those pancakes, you know," he parroted.
Nodding in satisfaction, she reached for the syrup. "So, the party was a bust?"
Tobias nodded and as they ate, regaled her with tales of the party and the aftermath. Tris, reaching across the table to snag a piece of his bacon, asked, "So, you never liked Marlene?"
"No, not really. She made such a big deal out of the fact that I was adopted when she met us. Like I'm the first kid to be adopted by their aunt and uncle." He speared half a link of Tris' turkey sausage.
"Wow, that's rude." Tris said, pouring more syrup on her pancakes to Tobias' grimace. He'd snagged a few pieces of pancake earlier, before they were drenched in syrup, but had pretty much given them up. He knew he had a sweet tooth, but his had nothing on Tris'. She looked at him. "You were adopted when you were nine, right?" At his nod, she shook her head. "God, at this point, they are more your parents than your birth family."
Tobias sipped his orange juice. "Well, honestly, it was more why I was adopted." He hesitated for a second then continued. "My father shot my mother then himself."
Tris put down the forkful of pancakes dripping with syrup and reached across the table to cover his hand with hers. "Oh, Tobias, I'm so sorry." She didn't ask for details, but he decided to continue anyway.
"My father used to beat my mom. He'd been hitting her one night when she decided she'd had enough and pulled out a gun she'd bought. Best the police could figure out was she pulled it on him, they wrestled with it and he shot her. Somebody had already called the police, having heard them yelling at each other beforehand. He shot himself right before they came busting in." Tobias shrugged and this time, gulped down more orange juice. He hated telling the story, hated remembering, but Tris was important enough to him to tell her the real truth behind his adoption.
"Anyway, I spent a few days in a group home before my aunt Hana, my mother's half-sister, found out and came to get me. She and Uncle Joe adopted me and that was that. I had an instant stable family, complete with real parents and two brothers."
Tris ate her bite of pancakes and chewed contemplatively. "Were you there when they died?" she asked tentatively.
He nodded, spying a relatively dry piece of pancake on her plate. "My father used to throw me in the closet when they fought. Or when he felt like it, really." He shrugged. "I was in there when it all went down, so I heard everything. One of the neighbors told them my parents had a kid, but it was almost an hour before they searched and found me."
"I can't imagine anything more horrible." Tris' large grey eyes were filled with sympathy. "So, is that why you became a cop?"
Tobias nodded, pleased she'd guessed. "That's why I became a cop."
Tris laced her fingers with his. "You know, it takes strength to overcome something like that." She smiled, hoping to break the seriousness of their conversation. "Strength is really sexy."
Tobias' lips slowly curved into a smile. "So, you almost done?"
"Yeah." She signaled the waitress. "Why don't you take me home?"
They talked all the way back to her apartment, Tris directing him to the guest spaces in the parking lot. He followed her upstairs, intent on making sure she got inside safely. She unlocked the door and turned to say to him, "I had a good time as usual."
Tobias smiled back at her. "Me, too. Thanks for breakfast." He stepped closer to her. "And for helping me unwind."
"Anytime," she breathed, looking up at him, inviting him to kiss her. Tobias cupped her face in his hands and slowly bent his head to brush his lips against hers. Tris' hands curved around his biceps, pressing herself closer to him and deepening their kiss. Tobias' thumbs gently caressed her cheekbones as their lips clung together, parted, then came back together again. They were so wrapped up in each other neither noticed they were still outside her apartment in the hallway. The only thing they could feel were each other's bodies as the heat gradually built between them. As Tobias moved against her, his tongue caressing hers, Tris realized they'd passed the point of no return.
Tris wasn't sure if she moved back or Tobias moved forward, but the next thing she knew, they were inside her apartment. Pulling away from him, she flipped on the overhead light and leaned back against the door. Tobias rested his hands against the door on either side of her, caging her between them. He leaned down, his lips a hairsbreadth from hers. "Would it be too forward if I asked to spend the night?" he asked, his voice deep and husky.
In answer, Tris ran her hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck as she pulled him the last couple of inches to her, plunging her tongue into his mouth. When they finally broke for air, she reached down for his hand. "Follow me," she said, leading him down the short hallway to her bedroom. He stopped, watching as she moved to the bedside table to flip on the lamp. She turned to him and crooked her finger. With a grin, he sauntered over to her. She looked into his eyes as she reached up and began to unbutton his shirt. Over breakfast, he'd rolled the sleeves up, so Tris easily pushed it off his shoulders. Without breaking eye contact, she let her fingers trail to his jeans. She unbuckled his belt, slowly unfastening the button and lowering the zipper. Tobias stopped her hands when she went to push them down so he could step out of his shoes. Together, they pushed his jeans and boxer shorts down his legs. He kicked them and his socks aside while Tris stood and looked her fill.
Dusky gold skin stretched over his defined pecs and abs. A sprinkling of hair dotted his chest, and Tris' eyes followed the line of muscles all the way down. Returning her eyes to his, she noted his dark blue eyes had darkened to nearly black and she could see his jaw was tightly clenched. She smiled at the obvious desire etched on his face. She cleared her throat and hoped her voice wouldn't crack. "You should get into bed."
Tobias smirked. "And you should get undressed," he returned, turning slightly to pull the covers down the bed. Tris was mesmerized as she watched his strong legs move as he climbed into her bed. He lay on his side, propped on his elbow and raised his eyebrows. "Well?" he drawled.
Tris pulled the clinging black t-shirt over her head, dropping it to the floor next to her. She shimmied the black pants over her hips. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to the Goddess of Lingerie for the impulse she'd had earlier in the day to wear a matching lace bra and panty set. With his dark eyes glued to her, Tris felt unbelievably sexy as she reached behind her to unhook her bra. Tobias licked his lips as she pushed her underwear down her legs and stood before him naked. "Like what you see?" she teased.
Without a word, he held the covers up so she could slide into the bed next to him and he immediately hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her beneath him. Fire engulfed them as he bent his head and kissed her fiercely, their hands roaming, caressing, squeezing. This time would not be soft and gentle; neither of them seemed to have the patience for a slow seduction. Tobias' lips trailed down her body, licking and nipping at the flesh. Tris moaned and arched beneath him as his tongue swirled around one nipple, then the other. Her fingers tangled in his hair, urging him further down her body. Tobias happily complied, his hands parting her legs and opening her to him. His tongue snaked out, the first firm lick causing her back to arch from the bed.
Tris' high moan was very nearly his undoing. Tobias couldn't remember if he'd ever been this hard, this ready for a woman before in his life. Her taste was incredible and the scent of strawberries, vanilla and her went straight to his head like a shot of pure alcohol. He clutched her thigh in one hand while the other traced over her. He slowly slid two fingers inside her, moaning at the moist heat that clung to him.
"No, now. Tobias, please, now." She pulled him up. Tobias let his lips trail up her body until he was stretched out on top of her.
"Condoms?"
"Drawer."
He reached over to the drawer beside the bed and fumbled inside until he found the unopened box. He grinned at her. "These are new."
She grinned back. "Let's just say, I had a sense of optimism." Tobias chuckled and eagerly tore into the box, yanking out a condom and dropping the box on the bedside table. He sat back on his haunches and tore open the package. Tris sat up and took it from him. "Allow me."
They reversed positions, Tobias laying on his back. She unrolled the condom over him, smiling as she watched his hands clutch the sheets next to him. Throwing one leg over him, Tris began to lower herself. She moved slowly downward, pausing to allow herself time to adjust. When he was fully seated inside her, she let out a pleasured grunt.
Tobias grasped her hips and looked into her stormy grey eyes. "Tris," was all he could say. She occupied his every thought, his entire world had narrowed down to her. Her breasts swayed gently as she rose and fell over him. She let her head drop back, her golden hair trailing down to tickle his thighs. Tobias was sure there wasn't a more erotic sight in the world.
She moved, undulating her hips, as she leaned forward. Tobias tangled his hands in her hair, kissing her deeply, rising up to meet her downward thrusts. They moved together, their bodies in sync as though they'd done this a thousand times before. Tobias felt her getting tighter, her inner muscles squeezing him. Knowing she was close to unraveling, he moved faster, his hands wandering down her back to grip her hips and pull her tightly against him as they moved. He loved the soft, breathy sounds she made as she got closer and closer to her peak. He knew she was there when her eyes squeezed shut.
Tris braced her hands against his shoulders, her fingers digging in as she felt her entire body shake. She didn't even try to muffle her moan as multicolored lights exploded behind her closed eyelids.
Tobias waited until her legs stopped shaking, trailing his hand down her thigh, encouraging her leg to straighten. He deftly flipped them over, bracing his forearms on either side of her head, and allowed himself to get lost in her body. He moved fast, almost brutally, unable to stop his frantic movements. Tris regained enough of her senses to run her hands down his back, grasping his behind in her hands and giving it a healthy squeeze.
Tobias felt like he'd lost all control. His lungs burned, his body shook, but nothing in the world could make him slow down. He was a complete slave to the sensations she invoked in him. He felt her legs squeeze his waist and he finally let go, waves of unrelenting pleasure washing over him. He froze, his body locked until he was drained, collapsing on top of her. He gasped for breath for a moment then summoned the energy to flop on his back next to her.
Tris pulled herself across his chest, resting her head over his heart, reveling in the fast beat from their exertion. She traced a finger around his nipple and he gave a weak laugh.
"Gonna need a minute, babe," he teased.
Tris laughed. "Don't worry, so do I." She propped herself up and soaked in his relaxed features. She traced his full lips with her finger. "I love your mouth," she murmured.
He kissed her fingertip. "I'm feeling quite fond of just about every part of your body." He ran his hand down her back and squeezed her butt. Reaching his other hand up, he brushed her hair away from her face. "Tris," he started.
Her smile turned soft. "I know, me too," she said, bending her head to kiss him. With a contented sigh, she rested her head against his chest once again. "Think you can stay tomorrow night, too?"
He ran his hand softly over her hair. "I think I can stay every night," he vowed. He felt her smile against his chest as his heart picked up its pace once again, but this time not from their exertion.
"That sounds like a good deal," Tris responded, her heart beating in time with his.