Free War Torn by Andria Large Page A

confined to a wheelchair, which he absolutely despises. But he’s got a cast on his ankle and no prosthetic. It’s not like he can use crutches because he’s not allowed to put weight on his casted ankle. To say he’s a miserable bitch would be an understatement. Currently, he and Tucker are in the bathroom trying to give him a shower. I laugh to myself because I can only imagine the scene going on in that bathroom. I can hear them bickering from the living room.
    A knock on the front door has me cocking an eyebrow. Wonder who that could be? I shove to my feet and go to the door. I pull open the door to see a gorgeous brunette standing there. Her long, dark mahogany hair is laying in waves over her shoulders. Her eyes are big and a chocolatey brown color. Her lips are pouty, bow-shaped, and the prettiest shade of pink I’ve ever seen.
    I let my eyes drift down her body. She’s beautifully curvy. I wouldn’t call her heavy, but she’s not super thin either. Voluptuous. That’s a good word for her. She’s wearing a pretty floral blouse under a gray pea coat. Her dark jeans are formfitting and tucked into a pair of high-heeled black leather boots that come up to just under her knees.
    I see that she’s checking me out, too. Her eyes drift over my naked torso before dropping down to the front of my low-slung jeans before coming back up to my face. I fold my arms over my chest and lean against the doorframe. I give her a cocky smirk.
    “Hey, beautiful. What can I do for you?” I ask.
    I’m far from looking for a woman, but I wouldn’t mind getting into her pants.
    She frowns up at me. “I might have the wrong condo. I was looking for Tucker and Dennis.”
    “You got the right place. I’m Duke,” I say and hold out my hand to her.
    She shakes it. “Arianna.”
    “What do you want with Tucker and Dennis?”
    “Well, my brother told me that Tucker got his hearing back and that Dennis was in a bad car accident. I just wanted to stop by and bring them a little something that I made as a congrats and a get well,” she says and holds up a casserole dish that I didn’t even notice that she was holding before.
    I step aside and wave her into the condo. She walks in and I shut the door behind her.
    “Who’s your brother?”
    “Keith Bennett,” she replies as she makes her way toward the kitchen.
    “No shit? You’re Bennett’s little sister?” I ask in surprise.
    Keith Bennett was one of Tucker and my Marine buddies. I knew he lived in New York, but we were never that close. Tucker was always friendlier with him than I was.
    Arianna glances over her shoulder with a fond smile before putting the casserole dish in the fridge.
    “Yep, that’s me.”
    “Good to know that you don’t look anything like him.” I smirk.
    She laughs. “Thanks, I guess. How do you know my brother?”
    When she turns to face me, I have to bite back a groan and fight off the hard on that threatens to embarrass me. Damn, she’s straight up beautiful.
    “I’m a Marine. I was in the same unit as Tucker and Keith.”
    She nods in understanding.
    “So where are Tucker and Dennis?” she asks, looking around.
    “Taking a shower,” I reply.
    She blinks at me. “What?”
    Oh, shit. She doesn’t know that they’re together.
    “Uh, well, I mean that Tucker is helping Dennis take a shower. He really can’t do it on his own right now.”
    She narrows her eyes at me. “Oookay,” she drawls.
    Just then the bathroom door opens, which is at the beginning of the hallway that leads to the bedrooms, and Tucker walks out with Dennis riding piggyback. Both of them in only their underwear. Dennis with no prosthetic and a cast on the other leg. Of course, Arianna is directly facing them. I roll my lips in to keep from laughing as her mouth drops open. Both Dennis and Tucker seem frozen as they stare at her.
    A slow smile curls Tucker’s mouth. “Hey, Arianna.”
    I cover my mouth to help stifle my laughter. Tucker, that cocky bastard; I knew