Chapter 3
Trevor
I wake up feeling Liz’s body pressed against mine. Her small hand is tucked under her cheek against my chest; her thigh is over my hip, and my hand is full of her pink lace-covered ass. Yesterday, after she gave me directions to douchebag Bill’s house, and made me promise not to call him douchebag Bill to his face, we drove the thirty minutes a few towns over to his house. He lived in a newer neighborhood; the houses all looked the same. They call it “cookie cutter”; I call it lame. “This peach house is his?” I asked, looking over at Liz. “What the f*ck is wrong with this guy?”
“Trevor, please be nice, okay? He’s helping me find my brother.”
“You want me to be nice? There’s a f*cking Mini Cooper in the driveway, a yellow Mini Cooper, Liz. What man drives that kind of f*cking car? Jesus,” I said, shaking my head and looking back at his house.
“Please,” she whispered, her soft, sweet voice pulling at my heart. Looking into her beautiful eyes, I saw fear of rejection; she was still guarded. I f*cked up with her. I didn’t want to do that again; I needed her to trust me so we could move forward. I had been a coward, didn’t want to admit what I was feeling for her, so I took the easy way out, found something that I thought I didn’t like and latched onto it with both hands. Now, every time she said she wasn’t a virgin, I wanted to rip someone’s head off. No one should touch her but me, and from now on, no one would.
“I won’t call him a douchebag to his face,” I told her softly.
“Thanks,” she said quietly, leaning across the seat to kiss my cheek. Something about that small act gave me hope. When we got out of the car, the front door opened, and Bill walked out wearing a pink polo and plaid shorts. I looked at Liz to see her looking at me, her eyes telling me to remember my promise.
“You didn’t call me last night,” Bill said, walking towards Liz, his face red.
“Sorry. I got home and went to sleep.” She held out his hoodie towards him.
“You went to sleep?” His voice was sarcastic as he looked at her, then at me. “So you’re telling me that Trevor Mayson drove you home and you went to sleep?”
“That’s what I said, Bill.” With her hands on her hips, she looked at me when I took a step forward. “I just want to know what you found out about my brother,” she sighed in frustration. I knew she was upset, so I stepped towards her, pulling her into my side. Her body stiffened until I rubbed the smooth skin of her arm, listened as she let out a deep breath, and her body melted into mine. I couldn’t help but to kiss the top of her head in approval.
“So you’re with him now?” Douche asked, and I give him a smug look; my way of telling him to “suck it, she’s mine”.
“Yes!” I growled, at the same time she answered, “We’re friends, Bill.”
“Best friends,” I said. She glared at me and I shrugged.
“Is this a f*cking joke? I don’t even live in your town and I know about the Mayson brothers.”
“If you think he’s going to be faithful, y—” He didn’t get a chance to finish because I took a step towards him. He was starting to piss me the f*ck off, and it was taking everything in me not to lay him out on his own driveway.
“I came here to bring you this.” She shoved his hoodie at him while coming to stand in front of me. “I just want to know what you found out about Tim.” I could hear the shakiness in her voice and knew she was on the edge. This shit with her brother was completely f*cked up.
“I don’t have any new information,” Bill said.
“You told me last night that you had a new lead.”
“I don’t.”
“If this is about Trevor—” she started, but he interrupted her.
“It’s not about him; it’s about you being a tease.”
“I'm not a tease,” she hissed, taking a step towards him. I pulled her back by her sweats before she could get too far. She looked up at me with murder in her eyes. I had the urge to kiss the f*ck out of her, but I didn’t think she would appreciate it very much at that moment.
“I told you he was a douche,” I said on a shrug.
“F*ck you!” Bill said to me, and I laughed; this guy was a joke.
“Let’s go, baby,” I pulled on Liz’s sweats, causing her to step back.
“p-ssy,” Bill said low. I pulled Liz behind me; I was about five inches taller than him; I bent down so my face was in his.
“Listen here, you little bitch! I'm being nice, but you keep pushing me and I will be forced to teach you some f*cking manners. Don’t play with me; I guarantee that you will lose.” I bent deeper so only he could hear me, “Stay the f*ck away from Liz; no phone calls, no texts, no visits. I hear you’ve made contact, you won’t like what happens.” I stood and patted Bill’s chest. “Good talk,” I said. Turning around, I pulled Liz with me and opened the door to my truck, lifted her, and sat her inside. I gave her a soft kiss on her forehead. Walking around to the driver’s side, I slid behind the wheel, leaving douchebag Bill stunned and standing in his driveway, clutching his hoodie to his chest.
“Sorry,” Liz whispered. I looked over to her; her forehead was resting against the window. I reached up, running my fingers down her arm. She had no idea how sweet she was; it made me want to lock her away so the f*cked-up world didn’t have a chance to contaminate her. It was hard to believe that she hadn’t become jaded by the way people treated her when she was younger, or the way some still treated her. She’s honestly one of the strongest people I know. Nico showed me a yearbook picture of her in high school; even with short hair and bad clothes, she was still pretty. She just looked run down, like she was fighting against the world. But looking at her in the truck, I couldn’t help but appreciate her beauty, not only on the outside, but inside too.
“How ‘bout we stop for coffee before we head out to see July?”
“Sure,” she shrugged, keeping her head to the glass.
“How ‘bout a cinnamon roll with that coffee?”
“Sure.” She still didn’t make a move to lift her head.
“How ‘bout a quickie in the bathroom while we wait for our coffee and cinnamon roll?” Her head finally turned and she glared at me.
“I'm not sleeping with you.” She crossed her arms over her chest with a pout, but not before I saw a small smile.
“Yet,” I said, and she giggled. I don’t think I had ever heard her giggle before; my stomach muscles tightened at the sound. Being around her, I had a permanent semi, but her giggle, and knowing that she wore my hoodie to bed, then seeing her in nothing but a towel with water still beaded on her skin, made me want to lick every inch of her. She had me with the worst case of blue balls ever; even when I was younger, it wasn’t this bad.
“You’re relentless,” she said quietly, but she didn’t make it sound like a bad thing.
“Hey,” Asher said, answering the door. He didn’t have a shirt on and I looked over at Liz to see if she was checking him out, but she only had eyes for July, who was also shirtless against his chest.
"Can I?" she asked, finally looking at my brother. I could tell that he didn’t want to hand her over, but relented. I'm sure November told him that she would kick his ass if he didn’t share.
"Hey, beautiful. You look more and more like your mamma," Liz whispered, kissing July’s chubby cheek while walking into the living room. She sat on the couch; my heart squeezed at the sight of her holding my niece, her long blonde hair over the opposite shoulder that July’s head was laid against. To see the comfort and ease she had with a baby was surprising.
Asher cleared his throat; I looked at him, brow raised. His eyes went to Liz, and then came back to me in a silent question. I shook my head.
"Where's November?" Liz asked, looking around.
"Taking a nap. July's been giving us a hard time; she doesn't want the bottle, so November’s boobs are on tap, and it’s wearing her out."
"Let me see a bottle," I said, walking over to Liz, sitting next to her.
"You wanna try feeding her?" Asher asked, walking into the kitchen to get a bottle out of the fridge.
"Let me see her, baby," I said quietly, next to Liz's ear. I could smell her subtle scent and my mouth watered, making me want to put my lips all over her. I could tell she didn't want to hand July over. When she finally gave in, I ran my fingers down her cheek to her chin, pulling her forward, trying not to scare her off. I kissed her softly on the edge of her mouth. I was glad I was not the only one affected. The small gasp she made let me know a lot more that she probably wanted me to.
"You need to stop kissing me," she whispered, looking away.
"Never," I told her, putting July in the crook of my arm. Asher walked back into the room holding a bottle.
"She won't take it. I can't even get her to drink it and I'm her favorite person in the world." Asher said, looking smug. I shook my head and chuckled. I took the bottle from him, rubbing the bottle’s nipple across her lips while squeezing it so some of the milk came out, and after a second, she latched on. She struggled a little, but I could tell she wasn’t happy with the flow of milk, so I pulled it away when she started to fuss. I handed her to Liz, and headed to the kitchen so I could poke another hole in the nipple. When I was done, I took July back, and went through the same steps again. Once she latched on, I could see that she was content; I looked over at my brother, and he didn't look so smug anymore.
"Shit, bro. Why didn't I think of that? My poor wife has been exhausted, and I haven't been able to do a damn thing about it because she wouldn't take a bottle."
"What can I say? I know women," I shrugged. Asher looked over at Liz, who was watching July; he looked back at me and smirked. If I wasn't holding my niece, I would have punched him in the face. He thought this shit was funny. Ahh, f*ck, all my brothers did.
"Sure, you do," he chuckled, walking to the kitchen to pull out some sandwich stuff from the fridge.
"Do you guys want to eat?"
"No, thanks," Liz said, her eyes never leaving July.
“Do you want kids?” I asked, her eyes meeting mine.
“No,” she shook her head.
My heart froze. Looking at her, I could see the longing on her face with the way she looked at July. “Why don’t you want kids?” I knew the question sounded almost angry, but she caught me off guard.
“I just don’t,” she whispered. Standing up, she walked towards the back door where Beast was sitting outside, looking in through the glass. She opened the door and stepped out. I watched as she walked down the back steps to the yard, picked up a ball, and threw it for him.
“What did you say?” Asher asked, coming back into the living room with a sandwich and chips. July finished eating, so I put her against my shoulder to burp. I looked back out the door and watched Beast run up to Liz with the ball in his mouth, his tail going a million miles a minute as she wrestled the ball from him, and tossed it again.
“I asked her if she wanted kids. When she said no, I asked her why not. She said she just didn’t, and she got up and walked off.”
“Dude, what the f*ck?”
“What? It’s just a question; she f*cking shocked me saying that she doesn’t want kids.”
“Let’s say she has a reason for not wanting a child. Do you think that she would tell you the reason? And why would she, when you’re not someone she trusts?” He asked, shoving a huge bite of ham sandwich in his mouth.
I shook my head looking back out the window; she was now sitting on the grass, with Beast sitting on top of her. “I know it’s f*cked up, but she’s it.” He raised a brow at me. “I knew from the minute I saw her.”
“She’s your boom.” He nodded in understanding.
“Yeah, but some shit went down, and I used it as an excuse to avoid what I was feeling and pushed her away. I was still trying to hold on, but it didn’t work and blew up in my face. Now, I'm trying to figure out how the f*ck to get back to where we were.”
“The only advice I can give you is to stick with it, and it might not hurt to push her a little; it sounds like she’s not going to be very open to a relationship with you. But don’t give her a choice; play all your cards, even the ones that push her into a corner.”
“Is that what you did, Don Juan?” I asked, looking down at July who had fallen asleep. If I got this in the end, I would do whatever was necessary.
“F*ck yeah!” he said, making me laugh. He shook his head, shoving chips into his mouth. “Laugh all you want, f*cker, but look at my life. I have a beautiful woman wearing my ring in my bed every night, a little girl who couldn’t be more perfect, and if God’s feeling generous, I will have my wife knocked up before the years out.”
“You trying for another already?” I asked, slightly surprised. July was just two-months-old and I figured they would wait a year.
“I need a son, dude. F*ck, my wife is beautiful, my daughter is going to be a knock out…I’m f*cked unless I get another set of male eyes around here to help me out.”
“You do know that shit’s like fifty-fifty, right? You could end up with another girl.”
“Naw,” he shrugged, “I know it’s going to be a boy this time.” Shaking my head, I looked back out the window where Liz and Beast were laying down in the grass, her hand running over his head on her stomach.
I stood, taking July with me as I walked to the door, slid it open, and saw her head tilt back. “Come inside, baby; we need to go soon.” She didn’t say anything, but stood up, dusted her sweats and hands off while heading towards the house with Beast following behind her. She turned sideways to fit by me, and walked to the kitchen. She grabbed her bag off the counter, dug inside to pull out a box, and sat it on the counter while looking over at Asher.
“Can you give that to November for me?” Asher nodded, his mouth full of sandwich.
“What is it?” I asked, walking over to where she stood
“A pair of earrings that I know she will love,” she said, running her finger down July’s cheek. Her face changed so drastically that I couldn’t breathe; she wanted this. I could feel she wanted a family, or at least a baby; the longing in her eyes couldn’t be misinterpreted.
“Are you okay?” I asked. She startled, taking a step back.
“Yeah, just tired.”
“You wanna take a nap?” I asked, handing July to her. She didn’t answer, but her arms went around July, her head tilting down. “Do you?” I asked again, my lips going to her hairline, breathing in her scent. It was unusual, like musky vanilla; I wasn’t lying when I said that her smell makes me want to eat her. That smell, that’s all her, made my mouth water. Something about it made me hungry. I’d never been one for going down on a female, but I could see myself spending a lot of time consuming her.
“Yeah, I think I’ll just go home after this.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Trevor,” she shook her head; Asher’s advice came back to me.
“We’re still going to dinner tonight. If you want, we can go to your house, pick up some clothes, go to mine, and take a nap for a couple hours before we need to get ready for dinner.”
“I don’t think we should have dinner,” she whispered, looking over at Asher, who was sitting on the couch pretending not to listen.
“Too bad. Now, do you want to take a nap before, or not?”
“Geez, fine!” She glared, and I couldn’t help but smirk. She was f*cking cute as hell when pissed.
“Good. Kiss July and give her back to my brother,” I said. Her lips thinned, but she listened; taking July to Asher, she kissed her forehead, before handing her over to my brother. Then she walked back to the kitchen, grabbed her bag off the counter, swung it so it slammed into my stomach, and called goodbye to Asher as she walked out of the house.
“Jesus, you’ve got your work cut out for you, bro,” Asher said, laughing. I had to agree, but knew that in the end, if I got my way, it would be worth it.
*~*~*
When Liz walked out of my bedroom in the dress she was wearing for dinner, I felt my zipper imprint on my dick. The floral sundress that hugged her body, showing off every single curve, made me want to drag the dress up her thighs and slide into her. The front was low, showing a fair amount of cleavage; the bottom reached just above the knee. On her feet were a pair of cream high heels that wrapped around her ankle, making me think of nothing but feeling them in my back as I plowed into her. Her hair was down and wavy, laying over the tops of her breasts. It didn’t look like she had on a lot of makeup except for on her lips; they were shiny with pink gloss. “What the f*ck?”
“What?” she startled, looking down at herself. I didn’t even notice her looking at me while I was checking her out. I had on a pair of black jeans, a dark grey button-down shirt, and a black vest. This was me dressed up; I only wore a suit if forced, and there hadn’t been too many occasions where that was necessary.
“You look beautiful.”
“Oh, thanks.” She smiled, her cheeks turning pink. “You look very nice yourself, Mr. Mayson.”
I shook my head. “The only reason I'm going to look good tonight is because you’re on my arm.”
She smiled, shaking her head, “You really are good at that, aren’t you?” She grabbed some stuff out of her purse and put them in a smaller bag.
“Good at what?”
“Making a woman feel like she’s all you see.”
“You are all I see.” I told her truthfully.
“Whatever, can we just go?” Her eyes got wet, and my chest squeezed. I thought that we were making progress, but it seemed like we were stuck in limbo. I put my hands to her waist, lifted her onto the counter, stood between her legs, and fought the urge to look at where her dress had ridden up her thighs. “Now what are you doing?” she snapped, pushing against me. Taking her wrists, I held them behind her back.
“Baby, listen to me.” Her breathing changed.
“I don’t have a choice; you’re a bully and bigger than me,” she mumbled. She looked so cute that I leaned in and kissed her softly, before laying my forehead against hers.
“I know I f*cked up, but I want you to give me a chance. If this doesn’t work out, you don’t ever have to see me again. But try for me.”
I watched a tear slide down her cheek. I released her wrists, and holding her face, I slid the tear away with my thumb. “How do I know that you’re serious about this?”
“Have you ever heard of me being in a relationship?” She shook her head in response.
“I haven’t been in one. I never even thought about it until I saw you sitting on my parents’ porch with your legs to your chest, a cup of coffee in your hand, your hair in a crazy mess around you. You looked beautiful; then you laughed and I knew that it was you for me. I wondered who you were, and when I found out that you lived in town and I had never even seen you before, I was shocked. So I started hanging out with you and found out that not only were you gorgeous, but also sweet. I didn’t know what to do with how I was feeling about you, so I used the only thing I could to push you away. The problem was I didn’t like it much when you gave me what I wanted.” I brushed her hair back from her face; she still looked uncertain. So I walked over to the junk drawer and riffled through it until I found a pen and piece of paper. I wrote on it and handed it to her. She sat there, looking at it, and biting her lip. I handed her the pen; she took it, made a circle, and then handed the note and pen back to me.
Will you go out with me?
YES or NO
She circled yes. I smiled and she giggled, shaking her head. “You do know you’re crazy, right?”
“I figure I missed out on this when I was young, so I should start now.” She laughed, shaking her head again. I went back to her, and standing between her legs, I put my hands on her calves, running up her smooth silky skin to behind her knees. I pulled her deeper into me; I could feel the heat of her against me. Running my hands up her thighs, watching as they traveled up, then to her waist, I looked up to see her watching my hands too, while biting her lip. “You’re going to have to be patient with me and grade me on a curve.” I ran my thumbs on the underside of her jaw. “Can you do that?”
She swallowed. “As long as you don’t hurt me again.” I knew that until I fixed the trust I had torn apart with her, she would be on edge. But as long as she gave me the time, it was fixable.
“I can’t promise that things will be perfect, but I can promise that I will do my best to keep you happy.” I pulled back, kissing her forehead. “We need to get on the road so I can take you out on a date,” I told her, pulling her off the counter.
“Alright, but I need to be home kind of early. It’s my turn to open the store tomorrow.”
“I told you, you’re staying the night.”
She laughed, patting my cheek. “Awww, Trevor. You have so much to learn about dating; you’ll be lucky if you get to first base tonight.” She stepped around me, grabbing her purse off the counter. “Are you ready?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. I was stuck in place.
“You’re joking, right? I mean, you look like that and expect me only to kiss you?” She nodded. I know that I don’t know much about dating, but seriously, what the f*ck? Shaking my head, I walked to the back door and opened it for her to step out before me.
“I thought we were leaving?” She asked, probably confused that we weren’t walking out the front.
“We are, but I'm not letting you climb in my truck wearing that dress. We’ll take my car.”
“You have a car?”
“Baby, there’s a lot about me that you don’t know,” I told her, opening my garage. My black-on-black 1969 Chevy Nova was looking back at us. I drive my girl a few times a year; most people don’t even know she exists.
“Wow!” Liz whispered, putting my hand on the small of her back. I led her to the passenger side, helping her inside. Once I had her buckled in, I went to the driver’s side, sliding behind the wheel.
“You ready?” I looked over to where she was sitting; her fingers were running along the leather of the seat.
“Hmm?” she mumbled, her fingers running along the dash. I chuckled, watching her.
“You ready to go?” I asked again. This time, she startled, and her hand went to her lap.
“Oh yeah, sure,” she mumbled.
“You like my car?”
“When I was in high school, I wanted to buy an old car and fix it up. My friend Cassy and I used to talk about doing it all the time.”
“You know about cars?” I asked, surprised. My brothers and I are always doing something to our cars.
She started laughing, leaning her head back against the seat. The column of her throat was exposed, and my dick hardened while imagining her in that same passion underneath me, head thrown back, cheeks flushed, and eyes clouded with lust.
“I never said that,” she laughed harder, shaking her head, taking me out of my thoughts. “I just wanted to do it. Good thing I couldn’t afford to buy a car to fix up. God knows it would have ended up covered in house paint, and upholstered in old fabric with dogs or cats on it.”
Laughing, I reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling it to my thigh. Her skin is so soft. “I’ll tell you what.” I take my eyes off the road for a second to look at her. “You stay the night with me, and I’ll let you help me fix up a car.”
“Will you let me choose any fabric I want?” she asked. I can hear the smile in her voice.
“F*ck, no!” I shook my head. I did not need to have a car upholstered in kitten fabric.
“Sorry, then I'm going to have to pass.” She smiled, and I noticed she has two small dimples in the corners of her mouth. “So…you should call Nico and Cash and tell them that a girl at the bonfire is trying to get knocked up.”
“What?” I asked, laughing.
“This girl at the bonfire was saying that she wanted to get knocked up by a Mayson. She didn’t care which one, just as long as she ended up with one of you guys.”
“What the f*ck?” I yelled, causing Liz to jump.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I was going to call Cash this morning and tell him, but I forgot until right now.” She said quietly, trying to tug her hand away, but I refused to let up.
“Jesus, some of the women in this town are so f*cking whacked.” I looked over and saw Liz biting her lip. I let go of her hand and pulled down on her chin. “Stop doing that, baby. Your lips are gonna be hurting too bad to kiss if you keep it up.”
She took a breath. “Sorry about telling you like that; it just came out.”
I shook my head. “Since Asher settled down, things have gone from bad to worse.” It made me pissed to think of one of those bitches getting pregnant and one of my brothers being stuck with her. “Who was it?” I asked, grabbing her hand and putting it back on my thigh.
“Um…I don’t know her name. She’s really skinny and has long brown hair; she’s cute. She was wearing jeans and a white tank top.”
I nodded. I knew who she was talking about. “Jules. She has a thing for Cash, but he’s not interested,” I said, shaking my head. I pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant; it was a small steakhouse that was just outside of Nashville.
“Oh! I heard about this place. Old Mr. Deen said they have really great steaks here.”
She started to get out, but I held her hand, mumbling a soft “wait for me.” Hey, I may not have had a girlfriend before, but I know what the f*ck to do when you’re dating. My mom would kick my ass if I treated any woman wrong.
“Thanks,” she said softly, pulling down her dress. I grabbed her hand when we got inside the restaurant. They sat us at a small table in the back near a large window with a view of the forest beyond. “This is really nice,” she said, her eyes coming back to me. The waiter came over to take our order; we talked about town while we ate, we talked about her store Temptations, and I told her about the construction business and the new contract that we got. Everything with her was easy. I have never met a woman who I could laugh with and talk to about anything. I knew with her, her interest had nothing to do with money or my family name. I looked across the table, noticing her face has become red.
“You don’t look too good, baby.”
"I don't think you’re supposed to say that out loud," Liz said from across the table, a small smile on her lips.
"No, baby. I mean, you look red and puffy; are you allergic to anything?"
"I never was before." She opened her bag, pulling out a small compact and held it in front of her face. "What the hell?" she mumbled, turning her face right, then left.
"Let’s go. We can stop somewhere and get you some Benadryl; are you breathing okay?" I looked around for the waiter, trying to call him over.
"Yeah, but my mouth’s starting to feel a little itchy." She laughed, "Don't even say anything,"
"I won't," I chuckled, finally catching the waiter’s attention. He made his way over to us and I got my card back. Sliding it in my pocket and standing, I pulled out Liz’s chair. Her face was now breaking out in hives and my concern was starting to grow, so I picked her up, carrying her bridal-style out of the restaurant. When we got to the front door, I hurried to my car. Liz tucked her face into my neck; I was sure she could feel that it was swollen. I kissed her hair and placed her in the passenger seat, making sure to buckle her in. “I'm gonna take you to the hospital."
"No, please, I just need some Benadryl and I’ll be fine," she said on a wheeze, and I knew that she wasn’t fine. I pressed the gas, and once I reached the emergency room entrance, I slammed the car in park, ran around to the passenger’s side, and ignored the guy yelling not to park there. I pulled Liz into my arms. She passed out after two minutes in the car. I started running into the hospital; a nurse saw us and opened the door right away. I laid Liz on the bed, and then there was a ton of commotion around us.
I told them what she ate at dinner, and that she said she had never been allergic before. The doc gave her a shot and told me that it shouldn't take long for it to start working and for us to see some results. Looking down at her small body in that bed, my heart started beating out of my chest. I couldn't think of a time when I had been so f*cking scared. I ran my hands over my hair and face. I kissed her forehead, holding her hand. I called her mom to tell her what was going on; she said she and George would drive back from Alabama tonight, but it would take a few hours for them to get into town. I called Mike to let him know that she wouldn't be home, in case he got concerned. I hadn't expected a lecture, or the safety of my balls being threatened. I sent my mom and brothers a text, letting them know what was going on. They all loved Liz and were worried; I told them I had it and that there was nothing anyone could do. By the time I got off the phone, some of redness had reduced, and the swelling had gone down. I talked to the doctor about what happened; he said it could have been anything, but that she needed to be tested. He prescribed an Epipen, along with medication.
“Her breathing is now back to normal,” the doctor said. “All her vitals are great. Now we just need her to wake up so she can sign some papers.” I nodded, watching him walk off. I went to her bedside; running my hand down her face, pushing back her hair, her eyes started to flutter and I hold my breath. When I finally saw her beautiful green eyes, I let out the breath I was holding. “Hey, baby.” I said softly, bending and putting my mouth to her forehead. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“What happened?” she asked; I can hear the strain in her voice. I stood, reaching over for the pitcher of water next to the bed. I filled a cup, grabbed the straw, and held it for her while she took a sip.
“You had an allergic reaction to something you ate at dinner. The doctor said that you need to get tested to see what caused the reaction. He also prescribed you an Epipen so that if it happens again, you can take the shot right away.”
“I’ve never been allergic to anything before.” Her voice was quiet, tears started to fill her eyes.
“Hey, now, no crying. You’re okay, I…” Jesus, I was going to say I love you, but I don’t, do I? Shit, I do. I f*cking love her. I swallowed, looking down at her; it was too soon. I knew that it would happen, but it was too soon; my stomach was in knots, and I felt sick.
“Are you okay?” Looking concerned, she lifted her hand to my cheek. I was not okay, but I would be. I shook my head, grabbed her hand from my face, brought it to my mouth, and kissed her palm.
“Just worried, baby. I'm going to go let the doctor know you’re awake.”
“Okay,” she said quietly, laying her head back down on the pillow. After I found the doctor, he talked to Liz about seeing a specialist, and then went on to explain how to use the Epipen, and what she should do if something like this happened again. By the time we were pulling out of the hospital, it was after midnight. Liz was knocked out the minute I sat her in the car. Pulling up in front of my house, I carried Liz inside. She didn’t even stir when I took off her dress and put one of my tees on her. I covered her up, and then went to check around the house to make sure all the doors and windows were locked. I took off my clothes, left on boxers that I normally would have forgone, and then climbed into bed, pulling Liz into me.
*~*~*
Bringing me back to the present, my fingers flex on Liz’s ass in my hand. I look down at her; she’s still sleeping, and I don’t want to move, but need to get up and call my brothers to let them know that I’ll be in late. My cell phone is in my jeans that I had on yesterday, and they’re across the room on a chair. Like my thoughts make it happen, my phone starts ringing. Liz jolts, and then mumbles something, snuggling deeper into my side. I smile, slide out from under her, walk across the room, and grab my phone out of my pocket. “Shit,” I whisper, looking at the screen. Mom is on the display. “One second, Mom,” I whisper into the phone. I pull on a pair of sweats, holding the phone between my ear and shoulder. I look at the bed; Liz is still out, but now she’s dragged my pillow to her front and is wrapped around it. I bend, kiss her hair, walk out of the room, and make my way down the hall into the kitchen. I bought my house two years ago. It was the only property I found with the acreage I wanted. I like the house; it’s a fixer-upper with four bedrooms and 2500 sq. feet of ranch-style features. The kitchen is small, the living room is huge, the bedrooms are a good size, and it has a killer basement. Eventually, I'm going to tear down the kitchen’s wall and make it an open-concept floor plan. But I'm taking my time, doing little-by-little. “Hey, Mom,” I say into the phone, pulling out stuff to make coffee.
“Hey, honey. How’s Liz? Did she get home okay yesterday?”
“She’s still with me, Mom.”
“She’s still with you? It’s seven-thirty in the morning.” If it wasn’t for the concern in her voice, I would have laughed. “What’s going on, Trevor Mayson? So help me—if you hurt that girl...”
“Jesus, Mom, we’re dating. I took her to the hospital last night. I didn’t want her out of my sight, so I brought her here rather than digging through her shit to find her keys to stay at her place.”
“Oh…okay,” she pauses, probably stunned that Liz and me are together.
“Thanks for letting me know where your loyalties lie, Mom.”
“Oh, stop. She’s a good girl.” I know my mom is rolling her eyes; we have always been close. I see movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn my head to see Liz standing in the doorway. Her hair is all over the place; my shirt is too big for her—about the same length as her dress from last night—and she looks adorable.
“Hey, baby. How are you feeling?” She shrugs, looking at the coffee pot. I can tell she’s still half-asleep. “Come here.” I say softly, holding up my arm. She stumbles to me, rubbing her face into my chest, and I kiss her hair. “Did you sleep okay?” I ask quietly, and she nods her head. Then I hear my mom sob into the phone. “Mom, you okay?”
“Perfect.” She pauses a second. “Great, I’ll let you go and call your brothers to tell them you’re going to be late to the site.”
“Yeah, alright.”
“I'm happy for you, honey.” She says quickly before hanging up. I sigh, tossing my phone on the counter. Mom’s going to be flipping out. I lift Liz’s face, checking her over. There is no swelling or redness; she looks much better, but not knowing what her reaction was from still worries me.
“You look a lot better.”
“Why am I here?” she asks, then bites her lip like she didn’t mean to ask.
I want to say, “Because this is where you will be from now on.” But I know better. Plus, right now, she has her body pressed against mine, and I didn’t even have to corner her. “You were really sick last night. I didn’t want you to be alone.”
“Oh,” she mumbles. I smile, bending my head to touch my mouth to hers. When I pull away, her eyes slowly open. I love that look.
I pull her closer; both my hands go to her lower back above her ass. I pull up my tee. She shivers as my fingers run along her smooth skin. “You need to call the specialist and set up an appointment for as soon as possible while I make us something to eat,” I say. Her eyes narrow, then she scrunches her nose up, shaking her head.
“It’s too early for you to start being bossy.” I smirk, pulling her closer and noticing her breath smells like mint.
“Did you brush your teeth?”
“I found a spare toothbrush in your cabinet and used it. I hope that’s ok. I mean, you had like a hundred, so I didn’t think you would notice.” She smirks, and my gut clenches.
“My friend Frank is a dentist.”
“Uh-huh.” She shrugs, her eyes going over my shoulder to the coffee pot. She’s thinking I'm full of shit and that when a chick stays over, I offer them a toothbrush in the morning, but it’s not why I have them. I might be a dick, but I don’t lie.
“Look at me,” I say softly, pulling her attention away from the coffee pot. “You know my history, baby; it’s not some big secret.” Using her panties, I pull her deeper into me so she’s forced to stand on her tiptoes. “But just like when I was honest with you about what I wanted, I was honest with them.” I take a breath, kissing her softly. “I need to know now if you can handle that part of me.” I need her to understand that I'm serious; this won’t work if she second-guesses me. “I'm not going to be with you and feel like I need to tread carefully just because I have a past.”
She’s just staring at me, not saying anything. This goes on for a while. Finally, she says what I need to hear. “You’re right. I'm sorry; I can handle it. Just promise that you will always be honest with me.”
“Promise,” I say against her mouth, sliding my hands down the inside of her panties. Pulling her up, her legs go around my waist. Her breathing picks up as I set her on the counter; my mouth is on hers, tasting, licking, and biting. When she moans, I start to pull back, kissing her more softly, not wanting it to get out of hand when I don’t have time to thoroughly appreciate her. “Go get your phone while I fix us something to eat,” I tell her, running my hands along the smooth skin of her thighs. I'm torturing myself; I need to either go take care of myself, or take a cold shower.
“Fine,” she pouts, jumping off the counter. I grab her and give her a quick kiss, then go about fixing us breakfast.