Stubborn Heart (24 page)

Mark spit in his hand and then ran his fingers through the fluid pooling on Trevor’s belly again. He used the mixture of their liquids to coat Trevor’s shaft as he began to stroke it slowly. Trevor arched his back slightly, trying to pump into Mark’s hand.

“Rest your feet on my chest,” Mark instructed. “It will change the angle just a little bit.”

Trevor did as asked. The change in position was just enough that the friction against his prostate was almost constant. Mark jerked Trevor’s cock faster.

“Mark, please,” Trevor pleaded as he moved his hips beneath Mark. His knees drifted to the sides as he gave in to the assault on his body.

“Cum for me, baby,” Mark urged as he pumped Trevor’s shaft faster. He rocked his hips, driving in and out of his Trevor’s tight hole.

Trevor yelled Mark’s name as ropes of semen erupted from his cock, covering his chest and abdomen. The contraction of Trevor’s sphincter muscle was all it took to send Mark over the edge to meet him. Mark arched his back and roared as he dumped his load into the condom still buried deep inside Trevor’s body.

Neither man moved for a few minutes, both panting and struggling to come down from their orgasm-induced fog. Slowly, Mark eased himself out of Trevor and then lowered his lover’s legs to the bed. Mark stretched out beside Trevor and gently kissed his lips, holding his face with both hands. Grinning, he wiped a bead of cum from Trevor’s beard.

Chapter 23

“H
E
SAYS
he hasn’t decided, but I know he wants the position in Boston,” Mark said as he held up his plate for Carla to take half of the sandwich. It had been two weeks since Trevor had received the calls with job offers. “Hell, even I want the position in Boston for him. It’s a much better career move for him. He doesn’t really like working with the residents. In Boston, all he would do is operate. Most of the postoperative care is even done by other people. It would be his idea of heaven.”

“So what’s the holdup?” Carla asked as she shifted on the bench.

They were having lunch together in the hospital cafeteria, something of a rarity since Mark had accepted his promotion. He felt a little weird about it. Part of him missed having a friend at work he could talk to. On the other hand, he didn’t want other staff to think he treated Carla any differently than anyone else. She had been especially persistent today, so he had agreed to have lunch with her.

“There is no holdup,” Mark said quickly, trying to ignore Carla’s scrutiny. “When he makes a decision, he’ll tell me.”

“And what are you going to do?” She leaned forward, making it impossible not to meet her eyes.

“About what?” Mark snapped defensively.

Carla rolled her eyes and shook her head. “If he takes the job in Boston.”

“Rack up a lot of frequent-flyer points, I suppose. Over time, we’ll both move on.” Mark stared out a window.

“So that’s it?” Carla asked. “You’d just let him walk away. Not put up a fight or anything.”

“I already said that I want Trevor to take the job in Boston. It’s the best move for him.” Mark emphasized the word
him
. “That doesn’t mean that I should give up my whole life and go chasing after him.”

“Your whole life?” Carla made a face, shaking her head in disgust. “What do you have here, Mark?”

“A career. A home. Just to name a couple of things,” he started.

“Exactly,” Carla interrupted. “You have a job and a condo, where you live by yourself. Want to know what I think?”

“Would it stop you if I said no?” Mark rolled his eyes.

Carla waved her hands, shushing him, and continued. “I think you’re just making excuses. The man is getting too close to you, so you have to push him away. Just like everyone else.”

Mark glowered at her. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Just what I said,” Carla shot back. “If anybody tries to get close to you, you push them away.”

“Who are you talking about?” Mark asked, frowning.

“David and Michael,” Carla replied, looking him right in the eyes. “That’s two people in the time since I’ve known you.”

“They both cheated on me!” Mark protested, eyes wide in disbelief.

Carla sat up straight and leaned back against the bench. “People want somebody to love them. Maybe if you hadn’t been so busy trying to push them away, they wouldn’t have had any reason to go looking elsewhere.”

“That’s a hateful thing to say.” Mark lowered his gaze down to his hands.

“It might be what you need to hear,” she replied solemnly.

“Everybody has an opinion on how I need to live my life,” Mark complained, staring out the window.

“I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life,” Carla replied.

“Sure feels like it,” Mark said.

Carla huffed in frustration. “Do you really want to spend the rest of your life by yourself?”

“No. Of course not.” Mark shook his head and looked at Carla.

“Then do something about it,” Carla answered. “There are people who love you. People who want to be part of your life if you let them.”

“Like you?” Mark asked, grinning.

“Hell, no. Not me.” Carla twisted her lips into a sneer. “I can’t stand your silly ass.”

“Liar!” Mark quipped.

Carla looked at him seriously, almost pleadingly. “At least think about what I’m trying to say to you.”

Chapter 24

T
HE
week had finally come to an end. Mark and Trevor had seen very little of one another due to Trevor’s heavy surgery schedule. They texted one another as often as possible and even managed to get in a few telephone calls. There had been a couple of heated discussions when Trevor had wanted to talk about his job offers. Mark had refused to comment either for or against any of the positions. His only input had been that Trevor had to make his decision solely on the merits of the positions, independent of all other variables.

Mark had also spent a lot of time thinking about his conversation with Carla. He knew that on some levels, she was probably right. Still, how could he figure out what to do until Trevor made a decision? All in all, it had been a frustrating week. He hoped an evening out would improve his mood.

Mark showered, brushed his teeth, and then strolled into his closet. He pulled on a pair of faded, slightly tattered jeans. After thumbing through his clothes, he pulled out a white oxford shirt. He slipped the shirt on, then pulled it back off. He looked in the mirror and chuckled. His nipples were tight and hard from the slight chill in the air, even in his condo.
I definitely need an undershirt so I don’t freeze
. He walked over to his dresser and pulled a T-shirt from one of the drawers.

“H
URRY
up!” Trevor called from the kitchen. He was pacing back and forth between the kitchen and living room. He and Derrick had agreed to meet Mark for dinner and then go out for drinks afterward. Trevor had been dressed for half an hour, while Derrick seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace.

Derrick opened the door to his bedroom and walked out wearing only a towel. “I’m trying to hurry,” he said with a laugh. “You keep bugging me.”

Trevor stopped in midstride, staring at Derrick in disbelief. “You’re still not dressed?”

“Just relax,” Derrick said calmly. “We still have ten minutes before we have to leave, and I already have everything laid out.” He chuckled as Trevor turned and walked toward the kitchen, shaking his head. He quickly dressed and returned to find Trevor standing at the door, keys in hand.

“Good grief!” Derrick teased. “You’d think you were going on a date or something.”

“You know I don’t like to be late,” Trevor huffed as he opened the door.

D
ERRICK
pulled into the parking lot just in time to see Mark entering the restaurant. They met at the reception desk, and from there were escorted to a table. Trevor sat beside Mark. He reached up and placed a hand on Mark’s neck and then lightly massaged the slender muscles.

“Whatever you want, the answer is yes,” Mark purred as he relaxed into the touch.

“Maybe we can talk about my job offers?” Trevor asked hopefully. He immediately regretted bringing it up as he felt Mark stiffen.

“I already told you to take whichever position you want,” Mark replied quickly.

“And I have already told you that I need your input.” The exasperation was clear in Trevor’s tone.

“Fine,” Mark huffed, turning toward Trevor. “But can we please talk about it tomorrow? This is Derrick’s night out. Can we please just have a fun, relaxing evening?” He reached out and took one of Trevor’s hands.

“Okay,” Trevor conceded. He shifted his gaze, looking out a window.

No one said anything for a few awkward moments. A waiter came and took their drink orders.

Finally Derrick broke the silence. “So after dinner, I was thinking we could go to Kiddie City,” he said cheerfully, trying to dispel the tension.

“We don’t ever go there.” Trevor shot him a skeptical look.

“I’m in the mood for adventure,” Derrick said and wiggled his eyebrows.

“With a twenty-year-old?” Mark rolled his eyes.

“Hey!” Derrick said defensively. “They have to be at least twenty-one to get in the bar. Besides, I’m still in my twenties.”

“Barely.” Mark snorted.

“Still counts, old man.” He teasingly kicked Mark under the table.

“Fine,” Mark said in mock indignation. “You can just go by yourself.”

“Forget it.” Derrick grinned triumphantly. He leaned back and propped his arms across the back of the bench. “You promised me a night out.”

“F
IVE
freaking blocks,” Mark grumbled as he inched his car into the only space they had been able to find. They had been combing the streets for fifteen minutes trying to find a place to park the car. He looked again to make certain the cars in front and behind him would be able to move without hitting his car. Satisfied, he shifted into park and turned off the ignition.

“I’ll keep you warm,” Trevor offered as they got out of the car and locked it.

Like most March nights, it was cold. A light wind made it seem chillier. Side by side, they walked as fast as they could to get to the bar. They found Derrick waiting in the line outside the club.

“It looks packed,” Trevor noted as they took their place in line. Mark leaned against him, more for effect than any actual exchange of warmth.

“I know.” Derrick beamed. “Isn’t it great?”

I
NSIDE
the club, they made their way through the crowd to order drinks at the bar. Mark excused himself to go to the restroom. As he wound his way back through the room, he spotted Derrick standing by a window. Mark couldn’t see who he was talking to. Scanning the room again, he saw Trevor standing at the bar. He raised a glass when he saw Mark. Mark walked over to join him and took the proffered glass.

“Someone works fast,” Mark said, gesturing toward Derrick.

Trevor laughed. “The guy waved as soon as he saw Derrick. I guess they already know each other.” He placed an arm around Mark, and they stood together watching the crowd and sipping their drinks.

A few minutes later, Derrick worked his way over to them. He was holding hands with the guy he had been talking to by the window. Mark almost laughed out loud as he looked at the two men together. They were roughly the same height and build. Both men had the same strawberry-red hair and emerald green eyes. They could easily have passed as brothers.

“This is Terry,” Derrick said as he made introductions, everyone exchanging greetings and shaking hands. “Terry is a psychologist. He works as a student counselor over at Georgia Tech.”

“That sounds scary,” Mark said with a chuckle.

Terry laughed. It was a deep, rich sound. “An ICU nurse and a surgeon. Yeah, my job is scary in comparison to that.” He shook his head.

Mark looked over at Derrick and raised an eyebrow.
Terry sure knows a lot about us
, Mark thought.

Derrick grinned, but didn’t say anything. He draped one arm across Terry’s shoulder and hugged him loosely.