Kindle Alexander - Up In Arms (18 page)

“Well, now this is a very hard question. There are so many delicious flavors... Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Almond, Cheery Garcia...” Reed cut another bite, lifting it to Trevor.
“I’ve always wanted to try Cherry Garcia. I think it would probably move to the top of my list. I like cherries. Can’t see how that would be anything but great,” Trevor replied, before opening for the bite.
“It’s very good. We’ll pick some up tomorrow on the way home. It may just become your favorite. Now, what’s your preferred way to eat your eggs?”
“Scrambled, and you?” Trevor answered quickly, then chewed as Reed took the opening, and stuck another bite in his mouth.
“Also scrambled. What’s your favorite color?”
“Camo, duh.”
They both laughed. Reed handed Trevor his drink before gathering up the dishes onto the tray. Scooting to the end of the bed, Reed got up. “Would you like another plate? There’s plenty.”
“No, I’m good. I’m full and it’s delicious. I need to call your mom.” Trevor dusted off the duvet, pulling it up to cover his boxers.
“Here, keep your tea. You have medicine to take. Mom and Dad as well as Elise stopped by. They send their love. No one wanted to wake you. They’ll come by tomorrow night,” Reed called over his shoulder as he left the room with the tray.
“What’s your favorite color?” Trevor asked when Reed came back in the room. He came to stand by the bed, with a handful of medicine.
“My new favorite color is Cerulean Blue, which coincidentally is the color of your eyes handsome. Ah...and there’s my reward, my second favorite, the color of your very sexy blush. Now here you go, beautiful. Let’s see here, we have all the colors of the rainbow...a huge red one, a tiny purple one, and this odd shaped peach one. Which first? Or are you man enough to take them all at once?”
Trevor grinned, raising his eye brows in challenge. Reed dropped them all in Trevor’s hand. He swallowed them all in one drink.
“Now there’s a big boy. Trevor West, I do believe you’re an expert swallower. Now I’m excited to know for sure. We’ll test the theory again later.” Reed winked and kept going, not giving Trevor time to truly absorb the words. “The tiny purple one is a badass antibiotic. The red one is a pain medicine. The odd shaped one is an anti-inflammatory for your leg.” Taking the tea, Reed placed it on the nightstand before turning to his closet. “It’s been a long day and this medicine will make you tired. Do you need to use the restroom again?” he asked, making his way to his closet, pulling his shirt free of the waist band of his slacks.
“I can wait, just maybe before bed. You look tired.” Trevor’s eyes followed Reed while he opened the door to his closet. Reed stepped in, but didn’t shut the door behind him. Trevor could see him clearly, pulling his clothes off. Reed shook out a pair of pajama pants, pulling the new tags free of the fabric. Trevor could see Reed’s brow narrowing as he held the pants up, letting the legs fall down while they unfolded. Reed’s muttering made him smile. “Why would people wear such a thing to sleep in?” Laughing, Trevor forced his eyes away, and realized now why he may have been put to bed with no clothes on after the bachelor party.
“I’m tired,” Reed finally said from the closet. “I wanted everything to be ready for you so I took a couple of weeks off work. I spent last night transitioning files. It didn’t go so well. I wasn’t as thorough as I thought. I got several phone calls today. I may be pulled away now and again answering questions for my staff, but my time should easily be yours.”
“It’s fine. I hate to be a burden to you.”
“You couldn’t be a burden, handsome.” Reed came from the closet, the pajama pants hanging low on his hips, his lean, muscular chest bare. The small patch of hair leading down into the pajama pants showed just enough to make Trevor want to see more.
“Come, let’s get you to the restroom,” Reed said, helping him up and across the room. The movement became easier each time they did it. Trevor’s shoulder and arm were sore, more sore than before, but being able to use the arm was critical to his success in getting in and out of bed. After everything was done, Reed settled Trevor back in bed before grabbing a few pillows from the guest room. Turning off the lights, Reed climbed in the other side of the bed.
“This is another first for me, handsome. I’ve never slept with a man in my bed. It feels comforting to have you here with me.” Reed stayed on his side of the bed, adjusting the pillows behind his head. He pulled the duvet up around him.
“It’s new for me too,” Trevor said. He could feel his eyes were already drooping again. The medicine was making him drowsy. Reed leaned in on one elbow and kissed Trevor lightly on the lips before turning the TV off, plunging them into darkness.
“Good night, sexy. Wake me up if you need anything. Promise me.”
“I will. Good night. Thank you for everything, Reed. I don’t know how I got so lucky to have you in my life...” Trevor’s voice trailed off, becoming soft and quiet as he fell asleep.

The blinking of the clock seared into Reed’s brain. It was now three fifty-three in the morning, and he wondered if anyone knew the clocked blinked approximately thirty three blinks every single minute. Over and over, the clock blinked thirty three times before the next minute started. Only to blink another thirty three times before the next minute started. Reed knew this because he lay in this bed at ten forty-five, ready to sleep and now, five hours and eight minutes later, he was still awake. Awake with a raging hard-on and stupid pajama pants that kept twisting around his ankles.

All Reed wanted to do was sleep. After the first hour and a half, he snuck to the bathroom, quietly relieving himself, hoping the release would make him sleepy. No such luck. Every time Trevor exhaled, his dick thought it was time to stand up and take notice. Approximately an hour and a half later, Reed repeated the bathroom run trying to find relief yet again. At one point, he drifted off to sleep, but the terrible pajama pants, which Reed decidedly determined should be outlawed by the federal government, tangled around his ankles every time he turned. Seriously, who really wore these things and why would anyone invent something as dumb as pajama pants? Well, the answer was clearly no one in their right mind! And he felt certain of that with each passing minute. His normal sleeping habits included no clothing at all, the way normal people should sleep every single night.

Lifting his hands up, Reed ran his palms over his face.
What am I doing? What was I thinking bringing him to my bed?
The feel of Trevor’s body next to his, so close yet so far away, had him tied up in knots. Reed didn’t know if he were coming or going. Every one of his thoughts centered on making sure Trevor West was taken care of. Hearing Trevor’s laughter or seeing his brief smile when their eyes met felt like some great reward to him. A reward he felt completely undeserving of, which made it that much more treasured.

Truly, every one of Reed’s goals in life changed the moment he watched Trevor enter the grand hall at the rehearsal dinner party. Now all he wanted in life was to have Trevor stop thanking him so much and commit himself to their relationship and to him forever. Hell, if Trevor would just admit there may be an opportunity for a relationship, he may just fall to his knees, thanking the good lord for the blessing.

Frustrated with his whole line of thinking, Reed kicked the sheets and duvet off his body and pushed himself from the bed. His gaze lowered to Trevor, who continued to sleep like a baby as if it were perfectly normal to be lying in bed with your clothes on next to a man you wanted desperately to touch but didn’t want to freak him out. God, he wished he was the blanket covering his Trevor. That blanket got way more action than he did, and jealousy spiked through his heart. As Reed stood there, he knew without question when Trevor was well he would spend every night wrapped in his arms. He would tuck his body close so Trevor would never have need for another blanket again. Or sleep wear. Reed needed to add that to the wish as well. Trevor would be naked in his arms to never need clothing or blankets again.

Pushing the frustratingly binding material down his legs, Reed kicked the pajama pants into the air toward the waste basket close to the bathroom. Reed felt the cool air conditioning hit his lower body, and he began to pace the room. His eyes stayed on the sleeping Trevor. Trevor looked so beautiful lying in his bed, sleeping so peacefully.

Reed had always considered this room to be his one true private space. No one came in this room. Most only made it as far as the guest room of his home. It was the reason he selected this house because the guest room lay so strategically close to the front door.

Now, everything changed for Reed. He felt a small prickle of insecurity ripple through his heart. Fear of losing Trevor worried him. It caused him to doubt himself, and question the signals Trevor put out to him. Reed needed to get the guy talking about them, but he needed to wait until Trevor was healthy again. Reed absolutely did not want a pity or appreciation style relationship from Trevor. Right now that seemed to be where Trevor’s thoughts rested. So he would wait to define them, to secure the words of commitment his heart desperately needed to hear from Trevor. Until then, he would help Trevor as best he could.

Resolve for his plan filled his heart, making him strong again. Now, in the meantime, if he slid into bed with nothing more than a grin surely Trevor wouldn’t mind. Reed would easily explain it, talk it through with him, and make Trevor understand how the evil in the world certainly must have created the concept of pajama pants. And if he scooted close to Trevor in the middle of the night, maybe lying against his good side while maybe resting his head on Trevor’s good shoulder breathing his scent deep into his body, Trevor would just have to accept his irresistibility. And not be freaked out too badly when Reed licked his way up Trevor’s neck on occasion or nipped at the sweet lobe of the man’s ear. Truly, it was all Trevor’s fault anyway. The man was just too hot for his own good.

With those crazy thoughts running rampant through Reed’s mind, he lifted the covers and carefully crawled into bed. After a moment, Reed inched himself against Trevor’s right side. He loved the feel of Trevor’s skin against his. He then tugged his pillow over right next to Trevor’s pillow. He placed a kiss on his shoulder, checking the urge to lick any part of Trevor’s chest. The feel of the man against his body was better than any sleeping medicine he could have taken. Reed gave a yawn, closed his eyes, and fell asleep with his hand tucked sweetly into Trevor’s.

Trevor woke to the sounds and smell of sizzling bacon. He looked up to see the sun beginning to filter through the window shades. It seemed early. The clock on the opposite bedside nightstand was turned away from the bed, so Trevor couldn’t see the time. Turning his gaze down to the bed, Trevor looked over at the side Reed slept on. The linens were barely crumpled and the spot was empty. Reed’s head print was still in the pillow, but the pillow was pushed closer to his. It looked like they both slept on the same side of the bed.

Trevor brought the pillow to his face, breathing in Reed’s delicious scent, letting it fill his soul, caressing and comforting like nothing had ever before. Trevor loved the smell of Reed and loved the idea of sleeping all night in bed with this man. He envisioned himself to be a cuddler. He liked the thought of lying wrapped up with someone, and he hoped Reed might someday sleep tucked in his arms.

The tug in his shoulder wasn’t terrible as Trevor pulled up against the headboard. He rotated his shoulder. The movement hurt this morning, but the pain felt more like an over-worked, sore muscle, not that of the injury. Trevor assumed it to be a good sign, but he really didn’t know for sure. He rose quietly, trying to be as careful as he could. The pain wasn’t bad, a little worse than last night, but he managed through it. He found the equilibrium of his balance easier than any time before, and he held on to the bed for leverage, slowly scooting his leg along the carpet. The pain grew, but he forced himself through it, causing a sheen of sweat to cross his brow while he moved along. He anchored himself across the furniture. Trevor used his arms to pull himself along to the bathroom, doing it all while pushing through the pain. The effort caused all the muscles in his leg and arms to quiver. Reaching for the door, Trevor looked down at the waste basket and saw the pajama pants Reed wore to bed last night. He laughed to himself. Apparently, they must not have been a big hit if they were already in the trash can.

Once inside the bathroom, Trevor sat on the side of the tub, catching his breath, while trying to work out the strain in his shoulder. The entire left side of his body hurt under the exertion of getting into the bathroom. Every muscle was tight, pulling and tugging with each of his movements. Trevor let his gaze fall to his leg. It still took some getting use to, not seeing a foot attached. Self-pity filled him and tears came, but he pushed those away. At this point, it was nothing but counterproductive to focus on what he used to have.

Trevor rose with the help of the expensive looking granite counter top. Looking around the bathroom, he realized again that Reed lived a very comfortable life. This bathroom was spacious and large, very modern with lots of granite tile and polished marble. The color choices were the same patterns as his bedroom, which included lots of red jeweled tones with deep purple and golden hues as accents. The house wasn’t a sprawling mansion by any stretch of the imagination, but it was large, highly decorated, and very comfortable. Reed had to make good money to afford something this nice.

Balancing himself, Trevor made his way to the shower, trying to reach the soap and shampoo. Trevor couldn’t get his leg wet. The rest of his body was still heavily bandaged, but he needed to clean himself as completely as possible. He made it to the sink, leaning his hip against the counter. He washed his body with a hand towel before ducking his head under the sink, washing his hair under the spray of warm water. Trevor liked to be clean. Under normal circumstances, he showered a couple of times a day, every day. Cleaning himself now gave him a sense of normalcy back into his life. After brushing his teeth, Trevor pulled the shaving gear from the drawer. He did a quick shave before running his towel over the water droplets on the counter.