Simply Perfection

by Trina Lane

  In the past couple of months Trevor had actually spent more time at Niall’s place than his own. It no longer seemed massive and looming, but a comfortable place for the three of them to relax together. It felt like a home. He finally realised what Niall had been talking about the night they met. As individuals they stood alone, vulnerable and fighting against the world. As a unit, they ceased to merely exist. They thrived. They could support, defend, challenge and grow.

  Trevor’s chest hurt as something deep inside him cracked open. He remembered this feeling as a child, before everything changed. He remembered how his young heart would feel as if it was going to beat out of chest, he was so excited to play in the park with his mother, or the contentment he felt to sit on the couch, sharing cereal right out of the box with his dad while they watched cartoons together. His feelings for Matt and Niall were the matured version of the childish adoration for his parents.

  “I love them,” Trevor said with astonishment.

  “It’s about time. You cost me ten bucks!”

  “What in the hell are you talking about now? I swear your brain bounces around faster than pinball.”

  “The pool. Logan and I bet that the three of you would be moved in together by the New Year, The McGuires put their money on St. Patrick’s Day, and Ryan and Ethan took April Fool’s.”

  “You jackwagons! I can’t believe you all bet on our moving in together. Of all the low down, dirty, rotten—”

  “Um, Trev?”

  “What!”

  “Matt picked Valentine’s.”

  That did it. Take him off the spit and call him done. Trevor couldn’t stop his laughter from erupting for another second. He was bent in half, clutching his stomach as his entire body shook with hilarity. All the day’s emotions came out in the form of hyenic cackling. Joy, relief, fear, anger and love. Trevor tried to catch his breath. He sucked into a deep breath and slowly let it out until he stopped gasping. When Trevor opened his eyes, he saw that Clay was parked in the alley between his and Mr. Carlyle’s house.

  * * * *

  Trevor raced up the steps to his apartment. His heart and mind a little lighter now that he’d spoken with Mr. Carlyle and found that the old man was fine. Trevor’s first thought after mentally processing the images from the video was concern that whoever had murdered Mindy would now go after her owner. He’d grown quite fond of the old man over the course of hours together playing chess since Mindy’s passing. Trevor hadn’t been able to stomach the thought of Mr. Carlyle sitting in that house all alone.

  Trevor shoved the key into the lock and flung the door open. Clay was somewhere behind him, but Trevor didn’t pause in his mission. Without stopping he ran back to his bedroom, grabbed the duffle from the floor of his closet, shoved several changes of clothes into the bag, dashed to the bathroom, haphazardly threw together a toiletry kit—making sure to grab the new box of condoms in the medicine cabinet—dashed over the his bedside table, snagged the bottle of lube—you could never have too much lube—tossed the strap of the duffle over his head and skidded to a halt in the living room where he found Clay examining his DVD collection.

  “Oh good, I still have a job,” Clay grinned and pointed at the tower of cases.

  “Yeah, yeah. You ready?”

  “So this is chez Trevor?”

  Trevor looked around. “Yep. It’s small but better than a lot of the places I looked at.”

  “I like it. Functional and simple. Could do with a little personality, but—” Clay pointed at Trevor’s pride and joy. “—has all the essentials.”

  “I know. It’s awesome, right? I saved for months to get that TV. I’m so spoilt at work. It tore me up to come home to an old one that had a persistent green glow to the screen.”

  Clay glanced down the narrow hallway. “What’s back there?”

  “Bedroom.”

  “Where’s the bathroom?”

  Trevor backed up a couple of feet and pointed the opening in the wall to his left. Clay came towards him and peeked in.

  “Um, Trev? How in the hell do you accomplish anything in here?”

  Trevor sighed and shook his head. “I thought Logan had you potty trained at this point?” Trevor received a play smack up the back of his head for that comment.

  “I mean, does your ass even fit on that toilet seat? And if it does, how are your knees not punching holes through the dry wall. I’ve seen phone booths bigger than that shower stall.”

  “Well for those of us who aren’t six foot three inch, two hundred plus pounds, everything fits perfectly.” Trevor unslung the strap of his duffle from over his head and dropped it to the floor, pushed past Clay, stepped into the shower stall and danced in a circle. “See?”

  Clay laughed and waved his arm. “Come on, Thumbelina. Let’s take you to your princes.”

  “I’m gonna tell Matt you said he was a fairy prince.”

  “Well I got the fairy part right,” Clay snorted with laughter.

  “You didn’t,” Trevor said, dumfounded.

  Clay turned into a bobble-head right before Trevor’s eyes. “Oh yes, I did.”

  Trevor picked up his duffel then walked away. He waited at the front door. There was no way he was going to open the portal to the Arctic without Clay being inches behind him. A quick breath and Trevor braced himself for the freezing cold. He danced on his toes as he waited for Clay to exit the apartment, then locked the door as quickly as he could. Clay was slowly making his way down the steps.

  “Move it, you tortoise!”

  Clay stepped aside and Trevor took off. He reached Clay’s car and pulled the handle, but nothing happened. He tried again. He looked up at Clay, standing in the middle of the stairs waving the key fob to the car.

  “Clay!”

  “Ask nicely,” Clay yelled back.

  “Please open the car door,” Trevor grumbled.

  “What was that?”

  “I said, please open the door.”

  “What’s it worth to you?”

  Now Trevor was annoyed. “How about saving you the hassle of not having to remove my frozen carcass stuck to the body of your car?”

  “Mm, that would probably ruin my paint job. Fine then.”

  Trevor heard the click of the lock disengaging and dove inside. The interior was cool, but not as horrible as it was outside. At least there was no wind. The weatherman had predicted that today would be the coldest of the year, and Trevor had to concur. When he glanced back at Clay, Trevor’s annoyance rose as the man acted as though he was taking a stroll in the park on a bright spring day.

  Clay made his way to the car and slipped inside. “Trev, I know you’ve always been a little sensitive, but this seems bad even for you. You couldn’t tolerate the cold for less than a minute, how have you been walking home every night? Are you getting sick or something?”

  Trevor felt his forehead. “I don’t think I’m getting sick, but for some reason today it’s as though any tolerance I had has flown the coop. Normally when I’m walking home, I try to think of warm things to help. I think of how it feels to have Niall’s or Matt’s arms around me. How comforting and secure it is to sleep between them.”

  Clay rubbed his hands together then placed the back of one on Trevor’s head. He frowned. “I’m not sure. You do feel a little warm, and your cheeks are flushed but I can’t tell if that’s from the cold or a cold.”

  “I’ll be fine. Will you take me to Niall’s? The doorman will let me in, even if Niall’s not home. Then he can ply me with chicken soup, and if I play my cards right, a warm snuggle.”

  “Which way again?”

  “Fort Point. His place is on Wormwood.”

  “That’s like five minutes from our place!”

  “Yeah, if everything works out then I’ll be a Southie too.”

  “Oh please. Fort Point isn’t exactly South Boston. I’ve seen those new condos going up that area. Five minutes may as well be five hundred miles in terms of average income. You did well for yourself.
”

  Trevor jerked in his seat, his eyes burning into Clay’s. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You think I look at Niall as some kind of meal ticket? If—and I stress if—things go the way I hope, then I will be paying Niall rent, the same as I do here. You think I don’t know he makes more money than I’ll ever see in my lifetime? You think that doesn’t bother me, despite how much he assures me it’s not important? Well new flash, Detective…it does! And I resent the fact that you assume I’m looking for some kind of handout. You don’t know me at all. Logan may be my friend, but I guess I’m not yours.”

  Trevor shoved the car door open and took off. How dare Clay say that to him! Trevor had just started to think of Clay as a real friend, not only Logan’s other half.

  But you can’t be someone’s friend and still pity them.

  Clay had tried to put a positive spin on his reaction to Trevor’s apartment, but the eyes said what the mouth refused. Clay had been shocked by Trevor’s corner of the world. It was a nice place, dammit, and now…now Clay had the gall to say Trevor had ‘done well for himself’.

  “Trevor!”

  Trevor ignored Clay’s shout and kept walking. His duffle smacked the outside of Trevor’s leg with every step and the cold air chapped every inch of exposed skin, but he didn’t care. He would be fine on his own. He’d make his way to Niall’s, and the moment he saw his warrior, Trevor would jump into Niall’s arms because it didn’t matter where they lived. Matt and Niall were Trevor’s home.

  “Trevor Mitchell! Stop! Please!”

  Clay sounded genuinely upset, and Trevor remembered that erratic fluctuations in stress were probably not good for the recovering man. What kind of friend of Logan’s did that make Trevor if Clay got hurt chasing after him?

  Trevor stopped walking and looked across the Dorchester Avenue where Clay had pulled over.

  “Please, Trev, get back in the car. You will get sick if you stay out there. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  Trevor’s body trembled as his anger wore off and he was left with nothing but ice water running through his veins. Maybe he’d overreacted? Shit, he knew he had. Trevor’s concern about never being equal to Matt and Niall was a sore he hadn’t managed to heal yet, and today of all days, Trevor’s defences were down. Unfortunately, Clay had inadvertently found the pointiest stick to prod Trevor’s open wound.

  Trevor jogged across the street and around the front of Clay’s car. He climbed in and the door closed with a soft thud.

  “I’m sorry,” they both said.

  “I didn’t—”

  “No, Clay. It’s my fault. Obviously I have issues, and I’m trying to work through them. Matt’s suggested I see someone on my own, because he wants to be my partner, not my therapist.” Trevor looked at Clay and told himself that his eyes were watering from the cold. It wasn’t tears clouding his vision. “Probably not a bad idea, huh?”

  “I don’t know whether to hug you or beat the ever-loving shit out of you for scaring me like that. What were you thinking, taking off that way? You have an unknown psychopath on your trail and you simply high-tail it out in the city at dusk?”

  “I forgot about that. I wasn’t really thinking. I was mad.”

  Then Clay did pull Trevor into a hard hug. The stronger man refused to let go and Trevor accepted the gesture for what it was. Friendship. Clay’s arms were long and warm. There was no console in the car, so Trevor was able to rest his head on Clay’s chest. His chest! Trevor tried to scramble out of the embrace.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Your chest. You were shot, and my head—”

  “I’m fine, Trev. A hug won’t hurt me. Come back here.”

  Trevor sank back into Clay’s embrace. They stayed close together for another minute until Trevor’s shivers stopped.

  “Better?”

  Trevor nodded.

  “Okay, let’s get going.”

  Clay glanced behind him then pulled a U-turn to head back towards Niall’s neighbourhood. Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up in front of Niall’s building. Trevor tugged on the strap of his duffel that sat on the floorboard, his hand grasped the door handle and he paused.

  “Thank you. I’m glad I have you as a friend.” He jumped out of Clay’s car and jogged towards the lobby door.

  Chapter Twelve

  Niall hung up the phone with one of the organisers of the Sotheby’s commission. He was still floating on air that he’d gotten the job. He couldn’t wait to head over to England to do the shoot. He wasn’t looking forward to leaving Matt and Trevor, but if everything went well, he’d only be gone a month. While that would have seemed like a fantastic adventure a couple of months ago, now Niall wondered if there was any way he could convince his men to join him for at least part of the journey as a vacation. His flight was booked for the second week in April, and the job would take him to many corners of the United Kingdom. The collection was scattered south and north from Cardiff, Wales, to Aberdeen, Scotland, and from east to west from Norwich, Norfolk, to Galway, Ireland.

  Niall heard the door monitor go off and activated the control panel sitting on his desk. He hit the switch to see who had come to pay him a visit. The second Trevor’s image popped up on the screen, Niall smiled. This was an unexpected but pleasurable surprise. Niall pressed the intercom button.

  “Come on in, honey.”

  A few seconds later, Niall heard the front door close. He headed towards the living room to greet his lover, but before he’d taken five steps, Trevor came running down the hall and jumped into Niall’s arms. Trevor’s lips latched onto Niall’s as his arms and legs wrapped themselves around Niall’s neck and waist.

  Niall stumbled back a few steps then spun Trevor around to brace him against the wall. Niall’s hand came up to protect Trevor’s head from smashing into the brick, but he refused to let up on the onslaught of their kiss. Trevor’s tongue slid inside Niall’s mouth to mate with Niall’s. Trevor tasted of the cold winter air and desperation. Something had fuelled Trevor’s passion, and Niall would find out what…later.

  Their lips separated and Trevor moved to attack Niall’s cheeks, ear, and neck. Little bites scored Niall’s skin and he groaned with satisfaction. Niall swiftly carried Trevor down the hall to his bedroom. They landed on the mattress in a tangle of limbs. Trevor’s hands were a blur of motion as they attempted to strip Niall of every article of clothing. Niall worked just as quickly and soon they were skin to skin. Trevor arched up into Niall’s body, his cock already hard and starting to weep. Trevor shimmied out from underneath Niall and scooted up the bed, so Niall’s feet no longer dangled off the end.

  Trevor had lovely, pale brown nipples. Small and peaked against tight, rounded pectoral muscles standing out against the smooth plane of Trevor’s slender chest. Niall dipped down and teased the nubs with his teeth, lips and tongue. Trevor’s soft cries were music to Niall’s ears and Trevor’s hands buried in his long hair urged Niall onwards. He tormented and worked Trevor’s nipple until one stood out red and wet then moved to the other. Niall repeated his treatment but added the stimulation of his fingers pinching the abandoned side to keep Trevor on edge.

  Niall’s lips slid down the centre of Trevor’s body. Soft kisses and nipping bites landed across Trevor’s ribcage. Trevor squirmed and started to cuss softly. Niall moved down Trevor’s body to lave at the smooth skin around Trevor’s groin. His nuzzled into the patch of hair above Trevor’s cock and gently tugged on the strands with his lips. Trevor’s cock rubbed against Niall’s cheek, the skin hot and soft over the core of steel. It lay almost flat against Trevor’s stomach, twitching as Niall hovered over the head. Niall’s tongue flicked out to lick the slit and came away with a drop of sweet nectar. Trevor had the sweetest cum Niall had ever tasted. Trevor’s legs separated, and his hands guided Niall’s mouth to his prize. Niall chuckled and granted Trevor’s silent request.

  Niall opened his lips and immediately sucked half Trevor’s length down his th
roat. Trevor’s startled cry and jerk of his hips almost threw Niall off course, but his mission was set. Niall would make Trevor come, he would release whatever tension was eating away at Trevor’s insides, then slowly make love to his honey.

  Niall slackened his jaw and swallowed Trevor’s long cock to the base. He used every trick in his arsenal to bring Trevor to the point of no return, tight lips as Niall moved down and deep pulls as he moved up. Niall flattened his tongue and pressed against the vein on the underside of Trevor’s shaft then twisted it around the flange at the base of the wide, mushroom-shaped cap.

  Niall used a hand to jack Trevor off while he continued to concentrate on the top half with his mouth. Up and down he fisted Trevor’s cock, while his lover writhed and moaned above him. Niall used extra spit to slick up his fingers and slid one down to the sensitive dam beneath Trevor’s balls. He rubbed on the skin and flicked his nail at the edge of the ring guarding Trevor’s hole.

  Trevor’s breath hitched, and he tried to press down onto Niall’s finger. Niall circled and played with the wrinkled opening. A soft litany of curse words rose into the air as if they were in fact a prayer.

  Niall slid his mouth down the length of Trevor’s cock, while at the same time Niall breached Trevor’s body with his finger. He swallowed and stroked in opposite rhythms, sinking down on Trevor’s cock while retracting his finger then reversing the two actions. Trevor’s fists beat weakly on the comforter as if he were keeping time with Niall’s movements.

  Sliding another finger into Trevor’s body, Niall changed the pattern, and now mouth and finger moved together. Niall deep-throated Trevor’s cock while he simultaneously pegged Trevor’s prostrate. His fingers slid across the small gland repeatedly, while Niall swallowed around the head of Trevor’s dick.