“What are you doing?” he asked Nysys.
Nysys ignored his question. “What will you do after the date? He’s coming to pick you up, right?”
“Yes.”
“So he’ll bring you back home too. Are you thinking about having sex with him tonight?”
Trevor blushed. “I don’t know.”
“That means yes. Okay, so should we have him change his boxers to something nicer? Sexier?” he asked Keenan.
Trevor looked down. What was wrong with his boxers? All the ones he owned were similar to the one he was wearing.
“I don’t know. They’re very Trevor, you know?” Keenan answered. “But, I brought a new pair, just in case.”
Nysys sighed. “You know me so well.”
“Of course I do.”
Trevor felt oddly out of place, almost like he was in the middle of a couple. He watched Keenan dig into the pile of clothes. He made a victorious noise and help up a pair of boxers that were surprisingly tame next to what Trevor had expected, coming from them.
It was black, smaller than what Trevor was used to, but he could wear it, as long as he didn’t have to wear it in front of Nysys and Keenan.
Keenan handed them to him and he looked at it. No tags. “Are you sure those are new?”
Keenan rolled his eyes. “Of course I am. I laundered them. Couldn’t let you wear them unwashed.”
“Yeah, okay. What do I wear over them?”
Nysys looked at the piles on the bed and tsked. “Jeans. Micah didn’t hit me as the posh type, so my bet is that he’s going to take you somewhere normal, maybe a bar, or the theater.”
“Then a T-shirt with the jeans?” Keenan asked, already digging in the piles.
“Do we have a nice one?”
“No glitter,” Trevor added, just in case. “And no orange, pink, or yellow. No bright colors, period.”
Nysys eyed him. “You’re boring.”
“I know, but that’s not going to change right now. I want to feel comfortable tonight.”
Nysys sighed and kissed Trevor’s cheek. “I was joking, Boo. You’re not boring, just not quite as colorful as I am. But it’s fine. Life would be boring if everyone had pink hair and tattoos. I wouldn’t stand out anymore, and I can’t have that.”
Trevor smiled. “Too right. Now come on, help me. Micah will be here in an hour.”
“How long have you been trying outfits on, exactly?”
“Uh, about half an hour?” It was closer to an hour, but Nysys and Keenan didn’t need to know that.
Nysys nodded and sauntered closer to the bed. He started separating the piles of clothes, throwing what Trevor assumed he didn’t like on the floor. When he was done, the only things left on the bed were three pairs of jeans and five T-shirts. None of the clothes belonged to Trevor, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He’d analyze his feelings tomorrow, when the date was over.
Nysys handed Trevor one of the jeans. “Try these on.”
Trevor took them and scurried to the bathroom. He took his boxers off, put on the ones Keenan had given him, then slid into the jeans. They were tighter than he was used to, but not so tight he couldn’t breathe. He could still move easily, so he decided they’d do—if they passed Nysys and Keenan’s inspection. He wouldn’t go far with them if they didn’t.
He opened the bathroom door, wishing the guys had given him a T-shirt. They had one ready for him when he stepped back into the bedroom. It was red, still too colorful for Trevor’s taste, but he put it on without protesting.
Nysys looked at him critically. “Turn around.”
Trevor obeyed, not even trying to protest.
“Yeah, the jeans are fine, but I don’t like the T-shirt,” Nysys said.
“What about this one?” Keenan asked, and Trevor turned around to see him holding up a light blue T-shirt with a black design on the front. “It will bring out his eyes.”
“Mmm.” Nysys turned back to Trevor. “Try it.”
Trevor took the red T-shirt off and put on the blue one. Nysys made him turn around again, twice. He looked satisfied, though, so Trevor thought he was ready.
He sat on the bed and put on socks, then shoes, but when he reached for his jacket, Nysys stopped him. “Wait until Micah gets here. Come on, we’re going to watch TV. Me and Keenan are missing a few episodes of the ghost-hunting brothers series.”
Trevor followed them, knowing he didn’t really have a say in it. “Maybe I should clean up my room first.”
“We’ll do it for you once you’re gone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course we are. We helped you make the mess. Besides, you can’t really do it when you come back, not if you need the bed.”
Trevor swallowed. He hadn’t had sex in years. He’d tried, but it had felt too much like cheating on Micah, and Trevor’s cheetah hadn’t been happy at all.
They’d barely settled on the couch when Trevor’s cell rang. It was Isaiah. “Micah Riggs at the gate for you,” he said.
Trevor looked at Nysys and Keenan and swallowed.
* * * *
The gate didn’t open, but the guy who’d answered had told Micah Trevor was coming out, so Micah turned the car around and waited. It didn’t take long.
The sound of the smaller gate opening made him turn from where he was leaning against his side of the car. Trevor stepped out and closed the gate behind himself. He was wearing jeans and a leather jacket, and he looked edible.
Micah walked around the car and stopped a few inches from Trevor, wondering if kissing him hello was okay. Trevor was doing what he could to avoid looking at Micah, so Micah decided to just go for it. If Trevor didn’t want to kiss him, he’d push him away.
He leaned forward and pressed their lips together. When Trevor didn’t push him away, Micah grabbed the lapels of Trevor’s jacket and pulled him closer, plastering their bodies together. They were almost the same height, and Micah loved it. He didn’t have to stand on tiptoe to kiss Trevor like he had with Erik. He was just a bit taller, but not enough that he had to lean down. They fit together perfectly, and damn, Micah sounded cheesy even to his own ears.
“Hi,” he whispered when Trevor leaned back.
“Hi,” Trevor answered, a small smile playing on his lips.
“I like your jacket.”
Trevor blushed. “It’s not mine. Well, it is now, but Nysys and Keenan chose it for me. They chose the jeans and the T-shirt too, actually. And I probably shouldn’t have said that. Now you’re going to think I can’t even dress myself.”
Micah laughed and kissed Trevor again. “No, I don’t think you can’t dress yourself. I get that you needed a little help. It’s a first date, right?”
“Yeah, but I’m sure you didn’t need help,” Trevor grumbled.
“Actually, I called Casey a few hours ago.”
Trevor’s brows rose in surprise. “You did?”
“Yeah, I asked him if there was anything you’d rather eat or do. He wasn’t very helpful.”
Trevor chuckled. “What did he say?”
“That you weren’t allergic to anything and that you liked meat. That’s all.”
“It leaves you quite a bit of possibilities.”
Micah finally moved away from Trevor, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. “That’s why I chose a steakhouse for dinner. They serve meat there.”
He opened the passenger door and waited until Trevor had slid in, blushing, to close it and walk around the car. Once they were back on the main road, he tried to think about something to talk about. He really wanted to kiss Trevor again, but he was driving, and they couldn’t only kiss. Micah wanted to get to know Trevor, and that implied talking.
“Can I ask why you look so young? I mean, you’re Casey’s uncle, and he looks barely four or five years younger than you. Was his mother much older than you?”
Trevor squirmed in his seat, as if Micah’s
question had made him uncomfortable. Micah realized too late that maybe his date didn’t want to talk about his dead sister. “Sorry. You can forget my question. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, it’s fine. Yes, she was older than me. By fifteen years. I’m the youngest of my siblings.”
Micah whistled. “Fifteen years?”
“Yes”
“And you have another sister, right?”
“Elena. She’s ten years older than me.”
“I think you said she lives with you?”
“In the same house, yes, but we both have our own rooms. Everyone in the house does.”
“So you don’t have to share?”
“No. We can, well, later tonight, if you want, I mean—”
Micah took Trevor’s hand. “It’s fine. I get what you’re saying, and we’ll see later, huh?”
Trevor relaxed and twined his fingers with Micah’s. “Yes, all right. What about you? Do you have siblings?”
“What, you don’t know?” Micah teased Trevor.
Trevor blushed. “I don’t. It’s not like I stalked you or anything.”
“I know. Sorry.”
“I just didn’t know how to talk to you, and I thought the cupcakes were a cute idea.”
“It was, but it would have been cuter if you’d left a note or your phone number along with them.”
“But then it would have trumped my secret admirer plot.”
“True. You know, my father thought it was a woman leaving them.”
“Why?”
“I guess he has that idea that women are better than men in the kitchen.”
Trevor snorted. “Please. Some of the greatest chefs are men, and the cupcakes were made by Darin, one of my very male friends.”
“I know, I went to his shop, remember?”
“Yeah. He’s really good at what he does, and he helped me with your cupcakes. Bought the boxes for me and everything.”
Micah parked in the restaurant lot and they got out. He held his hand out, wondering if Trevor would take it, and pleased when he did. “I don’t know many of the people who live with you, but from the way you talk about them, you sound like a big family. I didn’t think it was possible with so many people.”
Trevor nodded. “We are. Most of us didn’t have the best of starts in our lives, and we built our own family. We love each other.”
“I think that’s great. I only have my father, and it gets a bit lonely sometimes, like at Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Trevor peered at Micah as they were showed a table and sat after taking their jackets off. Micah didn’t say anything until they were alone again, or at least as alone as one could be in a restaurant. “What?”
Trevor shrugged and played with his fork. “Just, well, I know it’s only September and we’re on a first date, but you and your father could come celebrate Thanksgiving with us at the house. There’s always a lot of people around, and it’s noisy and full, but we have fun.”
Micah wasn’t sure how to answer that. He didn’t want to say no, and not only because he didn’t want to hurt Trevor. He wanted to celebrate with people, but they weren’t his family. “We’ll see, yeah? Lots of things could happen by then.”
Trevor seemed satisfied with the answer. “All right.”
Micah grinned. “So, when did you decide leaving me cupcakes would be more effective than talking to me?”
Trevor blushed and looked down. “I didn’t know how to talk to you. You’ve seen how I am. I don’t know how to do these things. I even needed a book to ask you out.”
“I think it’s cute.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. Loud guys like Nysys aren’t really my type. I like cute, quiet guys, maybe because that’s the way I am too.”
“I don’t think you’re quiet.”
“But you do think I’m cute.”
Trevor blushed again. “Yeah. I thought that was obvious.”
“It’s always nice to hear. And by the way, I think you’re cute too, and I’m wondering just how far down you blush.”
Trevor’s blush deepened, which was why Micah had told him that.
“You’ll need to be a good boy tonight if you want to find out,” Trevor said boldly, even though he was still blushing.
Micah beamed. “Oooh, I like this side of you.”
The waiter came by with their drinks and they ordered food. Trevor got steak, and Micah made a mental note to thank Casey later. With any luck, he’d see his friend tomorrow morning for breakfast, or at least that was what Trevor had more than hinted at. Micah hoped he wouldn’t have to do the walk of shame to the door. Trevor didn’t seem like the type who’d make him do that, but Micah couldn’t be sure.
He leaned forward and put his hand on Trevor’s. “So, when did you first notice me? Where was I?” For some reason, Trevor became cherry red. “What? What did I say?”
“I, well, I hope you won’t get angry, but I actually noticed you while you still lived in Canada. I used to live in Orston, and one day I brought my computer to your shop.”
Micah tried to remember, but he couldn’t. “How is it that I can’t remember you?”
Trevor shrugged. “I think your mother was sick at the time, and you weren’t even the one who helped me fix my computer.”
“Okay, but how is it that we both live here now?”
Trevor blushed again. “When I moved here, well, I didn’t want to be away from you. I know it sounds crazy, but I knew there could be something good between us. Dominic, the man who owns the house I live in, helped me.”
Micah leaned back in his chair. “Do you mean I got the job here because of you?”
“Kind of. You were qualified for it, of course. Dominic just asked them to check you out. That was all. They wouldn’t have hired you if you hadn’t been good.”
Micah wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He knew he should be angry, but the job had been a good one, and if Trevor really had just brought him to the firm’s attention rather than pushing them to hire him... “Okay.”
Trevor looked up from the napkin he was torturing with his fingers. “Okay?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure I like this entire thing, but it’s done. I don’t even work there anymore, so there’s no use being angry.”
* * * *
Trevor cracked his knuckles and twined his fingers together in his lap. There was tension in the car, and he knew Micah could feel it, just like he could.
The date had gone well, better than Trevor would have thought, especially after he’d confessed the bit about stalking Micah for years. Well, he hadn’t really stalked Micah, but Micah could have seen it that way if he’d wanted to. Instead, he’d accepted Trevor’s explanation, and after asking a few questions, had stopped talking about it.
Now he was taking Trevor home, and they hadn’t yet talked about the fact that they both knew they’d end up in Trevor’s room. Trevor wanted that, so much it hurt. He’d been watching Micah from afar for years, and the fact that he was finally close enough to touch and kiss made him want to bare his neck, even though he knew Micah couldn’t claim him, not that way. He wanted to be with Micah, and his patience had ran out.
Micah stopped the car in front of the gate and Trevor used the remote he’d grabbed from his car before leaving the house earlier to open it. He didn’t ask Micah if he wanted to leave him there, and Micah didn’t protest. He drove and parked in one of the free spots in front of the house.
It wasn’t that late, so there were still a few lights on in the house. Intermittent light came from the living room, so someone was watching TV, and Trevor had a pretty good idea of who it was.
He got out of the car and waited for Micah to follow his lead and lock it. Micah walked around the car and stopped by Trevor’s side, looking at him. “You sure about this?” he whispered, as if he was afraid he’d spook Trevor if he talked normally.
“Yeah. I can’t wait, actually.”
Trevor started to walk toward the house, but Micah stopped him with a hand on his arm. “We don’t have to rush. I’ll be here tomorrow and the following day too. You don’t have to be afraid I’ll disappear if we don’t sleep together.”
Trevor chuckled. “Isn’t it the contrary, usually? Don’t guys disappear as soon as the sex is over?”
Micah looked at Trevor in a way that made Trevor want to undress right there in the driveway and sprawl on the car’s hood. “I don’t think once will be enough with you.”
Trevor blushed. He was getting used to talking to Micah already, but anytime Micah said something like that, Trevor couldn’t help it. “Good, because I don’t think once will be enough for me either.” He swallowed. “I know we only met yesterday, but I want this to last. I want this to—”
Micah shut Trevor up by kissing him. Trevor made a mental note to tell Micah to stop doing that, but he didn’t resist. He wrapped his arms around Micah’s waist and pulled him closer instead, and Micah made a small surprised sound against Trevor’s lips.
Trevor smiled and nipped at Micah’s lower lip. “I know you don’t think I can take the lead, but you’re making me bold. I’m tired of waiting, even though I was the one who didn’t talk to you for so long. And yeah, I probably won’t take the lead that much, but sometimes I might go a little crazy.”
Micah smiled. “I like it. I like that you’re unpredictable like that.”
Trevor laughed. “It’s only like that, believe me. I’m pretty boring the rest of the time.”
Micah looked at Trevor, his eyes narrowed. “I don’t think that can be true. I certainly wasn’t bored tonight.”
Trevor swallowed. “And I hope you won’t be as the evening continues.”
“I don’t think it’s possible to be bored with you, no matter what you think. I feel this crazy need to be close to you, and I don’t understand it, but it makes you even more interesting.”
Great. Now Trevor felt guilty, because he knew exactly why Micah felt the way he did, and he knew he needed to tell him. No matter what Nysys had thought, Trevor didn’t think he’d be able to keep the fact that he was a shifter to himself. Micah deserved to know, especially if they were going to have sex.
Trevor Page 5
