Kindle Alexander - Up In Arms (15 page)

The drive to Reed’s house was almost comical. Reed took every back road he could find. If he got over thirty miles an hour, Trevor would have been shocked. Like normal, Reed kept a steady stream of conversation going, but Trevor’s thoughts stayed on his surprise of seeing Reed standing at the bottom of the airplane ramp. Reed Kensington totally shocked the shit out of him. Reed was the last person he’d expected to see waiting for him after the torturous flight.

In Germany, traffic was a bitch and he arrived late to the airport; he expected to be taken back to the hospital for missing his flight. To his utter surprise, Anthony wheeled him into a private section of the airport and loaded him straight onto a private jet. Shock couldn’t even begin to describe those first few minutes of realizing he would be alone on the flight. Trevor couldn’t quite wrap his mind around it and the questions flowed from him, but Anthony brushed it off with some dribble about how all officers and VIPs got this treatment. Anthony effectively moved his mind away from his questions by showing him all the cool gadgets he found when preparing the plane for this flight. Trevor could see it was all very strategic on Anthony’s part.

Ayoung female flight attendant came out of a front cabin to help secure his chair in place before liftoff. During introductions, she mentioned Mr. Kensington’s name, helping everything fall into place. Trevor assumed she spoke of Rylie’s dad. Mr. Kensington was a UN ambassador and completely connected to pull together a hook up like this one. Both the attendant and Anthony tried to cover her mistake, and he let it stay hidden. It was such a nice gesture; Trevor didn’t want to ruin Rylie’s father’s surprise.

Almost immediately after takeoff, Trevor’s leg began to hurt. Anthony told him something about the pressure of the altitude and it all being normal. About six hours into the flight, the outgoing Anthony began to openly pray. The flight attendant stayed belted down, locked in her seat. The weather raged around them outside and they couldn’t seem to get high enough to get out of the storm. The turbulence kicked Trevor’s ass, slamming his leg and shoulder hard against the seat, over and over. Trevor tried to man up, gritting his teeth, and refused to take the pain medicine. An hour later, when they did an emergency landing to wait the weather out, Trevor caved and took the medicine.

He had no idea how long they waited to resume the flight. His pain medicine was strong; he passed out for several hours. When he woke, his thoughts stayed on what an excellent gesture this turned out to be by Mr. Kensington. One he wasn’t sure he could ever repay. Now, while Trevor sat in the back of this SUV, he realized Reed was the true Mr. Kensington and, without question, he could never repay this.

All Trevor’s emotions churned through his heart. His leg lay carefully propped on pillows Reed placed underneath him. The relief of seeing Reed at the end of the ramp staggered Trevor, making it hard to think things through properly. Earlier this morning when the plane first took off, Trevor’s heart ached because Reed hadn’t call. As he’d flown away, it only grew worse. His heart grew heavier with each passing mile. Trevor didn’t understand how he could be so attached after such a short time. The long flight helped convince Trevor he would never see Reed again.

Regardless of having Rylie and his parents in his life, Trevor decided he would go out of his way to make sure he never ran into Reed. He just didn’t think his heart could take seeing the guy ever again. Then when the plane landed and he realized who waited for him, his heart went into summersaults. Trevor had to remind himself to breathe. In those first few seconds, Trevor wondered if he’d taken too much medication. But when Reed’s lips touched his, and his scent filled him, he knew it wasn’t a figment of his imagination. The real thing stood there waiting for him.

Now, sitting in this back seat, driving twenty five miles an hour, listening to Reed talk about nothing at all, Trevor realized all his care was carefully and completely orchestrated at the hand of this striking man sitting in front of him. Reed drove so very slow and too cautiously so he wouldn’t risk further injury. This gesture sealed the deal. Trevor would be forever devoted to this one man. A staggering amount of love poured through his heart. Never did he ever experience this magnitude of feeling for another, and it took his breath away.

Fear set in. Trevor thought loving Brody from afar was bad—that had nothing on what could go wrong in this deal. Dear God, when Reed got through with him... It would feel like losing another appendage. Reed sat up there, making conversation, not requiring him to speak at all, acting as if he had no idea he just rode up and became Trevor’s knight in shining armor.

About twenty minutes into the drive, Reed reached back to hold Trevor’s hand. He brought his gaze back to the front of the SUV, meeting Reed’s stare in the rearview mirror. Trevor didn’t hesitate. He reached out and took what was offered. He ran his thumb over the palm of Reed’s hand. His knight in shining armor wanted to hold his hand, it was the least he could do in return.

“I like touching you, handsome,” Reed said with a wink in the rearview mirror.
Reed watched him through the mirror for the length of the stoplight. A blush spread across Trevor’s cheeks. He gave a grin, holding Reed’s hand tighter while he spoke. “You didn’t listen to me at all when we were in Germany, did you?”
“I hear everything you say, Trevor. I just retain the parts I like.” Reed grinned and kept one hand on the wheel, the other in the backseat holding Trevor’s. If it were possible, Reed went even slower as he drove on.
After a time, Trevor lowered his head, kissing Reed’s hand. “Thank you for this. I didn’t realize how much I would miss you. I stared at that dumb phone all night. I was so afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
Trevor looked up to see Reed watching him in the rearview mirror. Trevor moved his eyes, looking out the passenger side window. After a minute, he finally answered. “I was so afraid I ran you off. And I didn’t like it.” It came out in little more than a whisper. Trevor was surprised Reed heard him at all.
“I told you that you were mine...I meant it. I always go after what I want, and I always get what I go after. And I want you, Trevor.”

Asoccer ball flew across the windshield of the Escalade, forcing Reed to jerk the steering wheel to the right to avoid hitting the ball and any children running after it. He never got over ten miles an hour on the neighborhood street, but he tore his eyes up to the rearview mirror, silently praying the sudden movement didn’t jostle Trevor too much. After running a concerned gaze over every part of Trevor’s tempting body he could see in the small mirror, Reed looked over his shoulder to see first hand if he was hurt. All Reed saw was a small wince, but Trevor’s face quickly relaxed when their eyes met. If Trevor was hurt, he hid it well, but stayed braced with his right arm on the passenger side seat, holding himself in place. After the minute long assessment, and feeling reasonably sure Trevor wasn’t hiding the pain, Reed looked back out the front window over the children. He let the SUV idle in place while he calmed his nerves and settled his pounding heart.

Many young faces stared back at him. One grabbed the ball that came to a rolling stop in the middle of the street in front of the SUV. The little one scurried to the sidewalk with their other teammates. One side of the street looked happy, jubilant, and ready to keep playing, waving Reed on with a sense of urgency. The other side all glared at him with deep distain. All Reed could do was chuckle at the intensity of their disappointment. Rolling down the driver’s side window, Reed yelled a quick apology and a wave for driving through the weekly Saturday morning kickball game. He gave an apologetic smile to the disappointed children standing on the other side of the street as he drove by.

Yesterday morning when first arriving home from Germany, Reed was met at his front door by the captain of the underdog team, the ones who now stared Reed down with their sad, little, dejected faces. Every stare made it clear their defeat rested on his shoulders. They came to him prepared, using all possible tactics to draw him into their desired result, including having one of the girls carry a cute little puppy. Their worried faces and sweet little voices begged him to play with them in today’s game, like Reed did occasionally when time permitted. They explained how they strategized for days, following him inside his house and pulling out several pages of playbooks they created throughout the week. They showed Reed very clearly how they needed him to be their secret weapon in winning this week’s contest. They even pulled out a half used ten dollar gift card to Starbucks—one of their mother’s donated to the cause—because they knew how much Reed liked his morning Carmel Macchiato.

The children were completely convinced Reed would be their only hope. But their eager little faces became increasingly dejected and disappointed when Reed told them he couldn’t play this weekend, but promised to make it up to them the following Saturday. By the looks Reed received now while driving through the game, he assumed they were correct in their assumptions about this game and were losing badly.

Continuing to drive slowly down the tree lined street, Reed brought his eyes up to the rearview mirror every few seconds, watching Trevor much as he’d done the entire ride from the airport. He stayed quieter than normal, staring out the passenger side window. Trevor’s face was masked, showing very little emotion. Reed wished he knew what might be going on inside that handsome head. He prayed it didn’t have anything to do with second thoughts. Perhaps thinking back on it now, Reed never really gave Trevor an opportunity to say no, or digest what might be happening to him. Reed desperately hoped Trevor’s quiet demeanor wasn’t due to regretting his decision to come home with him.

Making an exaggerated wide right turn, Reed navigated the massive SUV into his driveway. Pulling forward up the long drive, he came to a stop at the sidewalk leading to his front door, and lifted the gear shift into park. He didn’t move from the seat right away. Instead, he looked out the front window, scanning the construction crew in his yard. Several men of various ages and races were in their blue jeans and tool belts, just finishing the ramp leading to the front door. The crew looked to be in the cleanup stage, loading their equipment in the back of a couple of pick-up trucks, sitting out along the street, preparing to leave. The projects this construction crew were hired to do today cost a small fortune, but they were good to their word. Not a petal of the landscaping looked harmed or out of place in the process of building the outside ramp. Reed hoped the inside looked as good.

His mother, Olivia, stepped out the front door, dressed in her tailor made business suit. She walked down the wrap around front porch and he could hear her high heels clicking on the wood as she made her way toward them. She waved with a big smile on her face. Reed grinned back at her and pulled himself from the SUV. Opening the passenger side door, he stuck his head in, whispering quietly.

“I couldn’t hold her off, I hope you don’t mind. Mom’s been here for hours trying to help get everything ready for your arrival. Dad could barely keep her from coming to Germany.” Reed didn’t wait for Trevor to answer, but disappeared only to arrive back in just a moment with the wheelchair from the back hatch. Trevor’s unload was a little more tricky, having to pull him forward from the back seat. No matter how he tried, he just wasn’t able to get a good grip to help Trevor out without causing him discomfort. Slowly, they worked him out of the truck. Reed’s mother stopped at the bottom of the ramp, watching them closely, with her hand shading her eyes from the bright May sun. Once settled in the chair, Reed came to the front, leaning in to look directly at Trevor to assess his pain level. Only the smallest of ticks in Trevor’s tightly clenched jaw indicated there might be discomfort.

“I think future trips should be with me riding in the front,” Trevor finally said, adjusting himself in the chair.
“The hospital advised that to be a rather bad idea. If we were to be involved in an accident, you could be further injured. We can’t have that, now can we, handsome?” Reed said while locking all the pieces of the chair in place, then going to the back of the chair and pushing Trevor up the walkway to his waiting mother.
“Yeah, I’m not sure a car accident’s possible, Reed. You drive like you’re ninety. I think if you’re the driver, we’re safe from any future injuries there, Grandpa.” Trevor smiled as he spoke, finally chuckling, looking up over his shoulder, giving Reed a wink and a clever grin.
“Say what you will, but I think the backseat is the safest place for you, handsome. Regardless of what that wink does to the pitter patter of my heart.” Reed looked down at Trevor’s smiling face and checked the urge to run his fingertips along his jaw and cheek. He knew Trevor would be uncomfortable with the PDA in front of his mother. Instead, Reed just returned the smile with his own cocky grin.
“Mom even cooked for you. I can’t remember her ever cooking for me. I think that definitely means she likes you better than me,” Reed said loudly, ensuring his mom would hear.
“Reed Kensington, you know that’s not true. I cooked you a special grilled cheese sandwich when you came home from camp with a broken leg when you were twelve years old. I can’t believe you don’t remember me slaving over the stove for you. How very ungrateful of you, young man. I taught you better than that!” Olivia remarked in her Southern accent, her high heels again clicking on the concrete as she walked quickly toward them.
“Oh, Trevor, I’m so glad you’re home,” Olivia said, bending down to take Trevor in a careful hug. He lifted his right arm and hugged her tightly back. “You scared me to death, son. Please don’t ever do that again.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused.” Trevor held her a minute longer while she kissed his cheek. Before she rose, she used her thumb to wipe away the pink lipstick left behind. Tears swam in her eyes.
“Trevor, honey, you’re no trouble at all. I’m so proud of you. Rylie said you saved dozens of women and children. I’ve been watching the news about it all, talking to Reed and Rylie when they called. Everyone is calling you a hero. Of course, they aren’t saying your name, but I know who they’re talking about. I’m so proud of you. You were brave and selfless and very fearless.” Olivia began to run her fingers through Trevor’s short military cut and then along his shoulder. Emotion played across her face while she tried to keep herself together. Finally, she reached down to kiss his cheek again. This time she left the evidence behind on Trevor’s cheek.
“I didn’t do anything more than anyone else did that night. Every member of my team would have made those same decisions if they were in my shoes. I’m no hero,” Trevor responded. Reed could see his mom ready to argue the point. Not wanting any reminders of what his man went through that fated night, Reed began to push Trevor forward again, up onto the ramp. The construction crew did a superb job. There wasn’t even a jostle when the wheels hit the small incline.
“Mom, is Dr. McBride on his way?” Reed asked, making his way up onto the front porch. Olivia took Trevor’s hand, walking along with them.
“Yes. I called him a little while ago. He’ll be here soon. Trevor, I brought dinner; your favorite chicken enchiladas with that special Spanish rice you like. Everything’s in the fridge, ready to pop in the oven to warm. I hope you’re hungry. I made enough to feed an army, but I have to run now. I just wanted to say hi and welcome home. We’re so glad you’re here with us. Dad and I will be back tonight when he’s off. We love you two.” Bending down again, Olivia kissed Trevor sweetly on the lips, giving him a tight hug before turning to hug Reed, whispering as she held him. “Son, you make me so very proud.”
“Thank you,” Reed said, as she turned to leave.
“Thank you for the food and for being here, Mrs. Kensington,” Trevor added, watching Olivia retreat.
“Honey, I’ve told you to call me Olivia, and there’s no place I would rather be,” Olivia called back, almost to her car. “Rest, Trevor. We’ll see you tonight.”
Pushing Trevor through the front door, Reed eyed his home closely. Everything in the entry way was moved out of the way, as per his instruction. Furniture, tables, and plants all shifted, making room for Trevor’s wheelchair. From the corner of his eye, he could see the first guest bedroom off to the left of the entry way. A new ramp covering the few steps down into the room looked completed. Pleased, Reed looked around his newly designed entry. Reed wanted a seamless transition for Trevor; nothing that would jostle the chair as he entered any room, including the front and back doors.
The contractors did excellent work, even matching the hardwood throughout the room. Both the ramps he could see looked as if they had always been a part of his home. From this vantage, Reed could see the room looked ready for his guest. Originally, Reed did have every intention of giving Trevor his own space in the room right off the entry, but things changed radically when he first saw Trevor exiting the plane. Reed wanted Trevor with him, in his bedroom, forever. He didn’t even want to offer the guest bedroom to Trevor for fear he might want to take it.
All his new found nurturing instincts slammed forward, kicking into place the moment he’d received word of Trevor’s accident. How could a chance meeting have changed his heart and life so drastically? Now, overwhelming need coursed through him. He had to keep Trevor close so he could protect and care for him. Grinning at all these primal urges and feelings he never felt before, Reed resisted the impulse to caveman out, pound his fist against his chest, and demand Trevor stay by his side.
“You went to a lot of trouble, Reed. Building ramps, moving your house around...you shouldn’t have done all this. I could have stayed at a hospital.” Trevor craned his neck, looking into the guest room. Reed bypassed the room all together and took him around the house, through the kitchen, to the hall separating the master bedroom from the rest of the home. Reed continued pushing Trevor through the kitchen and down the hall to his bedroom, stopping momentarily at the door.
“It was no trouble at all, Trevor. We needed to make the house easier for you to use until you’re back on your feet. I won’t dominate this decision, it’s too important. I’ll let this be your choice. I prepared the guest bedroom for your stay. I didn’t want you to feel like I was pushing you into my house, or my bed.” A thoughtful smile slid across Reed’s face as he looked down. Trevor looked up and over his shoulder. Their eyes met, holding while Reed continued on. “But I find now that I really want you in this room with me. I want to be there if you need me. And yes, although that is the truth, I would also just like you there with me even if you don’t need me. So you decide, handsome.”
Trevor dropped his gaze, but lifted it quickly again, looking back at him, uncertainty filling his eyes. The uncertainty melted Reed’s heart for it seemed they were both in the same place with their feelings. Reed leaned down to brush his lips softly against Trevor’s in a tender kiss. “I’ve been waiting to do that since we got home.”
“I don’t want to be in your way, or be a burden. It’s my biggest concern about this whole deal.” Trevor kept his eyes intently focused on Reed, waiting for his answer.
“You can never be in my way. I want you here with me. It’s my choice to have you here. Now decide. Forward into my large, spacious, well decorated bedroom with the softest plush rugs you have ever walked upon and a rather large plasma, flat screen television, or back to the smaller, conservative, but still very nice guest bedroom.”
“It’s your home, Reed. You decide.” Trevor turned his gaze back to the front. Reed didn’t say another word, just pushed him forward into his room, moving directly to the bed.
“I’ve been told you need to stay down, get rested up today from the flight. Dr. McBride will be by here to change your bandages and check your wounds any time now. He’ll also leave us antibiotics and pain medicine for you. He’s spoken to the treating physician in Germany and with the hospital here.”
“Reed...” Hesitation laced Trevor’s voice. Reed didn’t pay him any attention, but went to pull him from the chair into a sitting position on the bed.
“I bought you a few things. Rylie helped me with the sizes. We can get you more when you can go with me, and pick what you like yourself. Rylie’s bringing your belongings home when he comes in the next day or two.”
“Reed, listen to me,” Trevor hissed, and held in a breath. Reed could see the jerking in his left shoulder and arm while lowering his body onto the bed. After a moment, Trevor lifted his pain filled eyes up, looking directly up at him. “I have some money saved. I can pay you back for this. Or when you want me to leave, I’ll be okay, you need to know that.”
Reed smiled back at Trevor, running a finger along his jaw. “I knew you were going to say something just like that, so I was ignoring you on purpose, handsome.” After pulling Trevor’s shoe off, Reed began to work the t-shirt over his head. “Trevor, babe, I don’t have any experience in this relationship business as I’ve never had one before, so I’ve been watching happily married couples almost since first meeting you. It’s interesting how much I want to now be one someday. One thing they all seem to share in common is they blissfully ignore each other when they don’t want to hear what the other is saying. Who am I to doubt the strategies of all those happy couples? Now, as I was saying, Dr. McBride will need to examine you. I’ll work your sweatpants off next so you can get comfortable in bed. Now lift your arm so I can get this shirt off.”
“Just tell me you heard what I said.” Laughter tore from Trevor’s lips when Reed tickled his chest and under his arm with his fingertips while removing the shirt.
“Okay, I see you heard me and you don’t play fair.”
“Handsome, fair is a relative thought. I think it’s completely fair to get to run my fingers over those tight, hard stomach muscles of yours, which continue to invade all of my thoughts and most of my dreams.” Removing Trevor’s pants became a whole ordeal in itself. Reed’s voice lowered as he spoke. His eyes focused on Trevor’s cock, grinning as he watched it grow more rigid each time he touched Trevor.
“Are you teasing me, Mr. West? You should know I’m very happy having you here in my bed.” It excited Reed to know that just his touch brought on such a visual reaction. He so desperately wanted to have Trevor’s thick, hard-on back inside his mouth again. Trevor tried to cover himself, tried to keep his hard dick lowered, but there was no way to hide it. Reed slowly continued to tease Trevor’s black sweatpants off his body. Finally, Reed’s restrain broke. He slid his hands inside Trevor’s boxers, pushing them low on his hips while gripping him, stroking and playing with him until a firm blush stained Trevor’s cheeks. His hips rolled forward, urging Reed on.
Resting his free hand on the head board, Reed continued the steady stroke of his hand, loving the feel of Trevor’s satiny, hard as steel cock sliding against his palm. Keeping the delicious rhythm steady going from tip to base to tip again, Reed lowered his head, slowly making eye contact, keeping his strokes firm. He wanted Trevor’s pleasure, and Reed couldn’t help but smile as he watched Trevor’s perfectly pouty lips quiver just a little before parting slightly. A hiss of breath escaped as Reed’s hand twisted wickedly over his swollen tip.
“I’m very pleased you’re here with me. It’s exactly where you should be, Trevor.” Giving in, Reed decided a quick blowjob couldn’t hurt anyone. Besides, endorphins were great pain relievers. Leaning forward, Reed closed his eyes, slanting his mouth across Trevor’s. Trevor rolled his hips forward, again and again, and lay back against the headboard, wrapping his right arm around Reed’s back. Reed anchored a knee on the bed to slide in between Trevor’s parted thighs. It took a couple of loud rings for the sound of the doorbell to register in Reed’s very aroused brain, ruining all his fun.