Things That Go Hump In The Night (4 page)

Chapter Six: Meredith

Trevor was staring down at my body, and I knew what he was seeing that was making him look like he could kill someone.

“It’s all right,” I said soothingly to him, lifting my right hand and gripping his left forearm while he held the towel open.

“What the fuck did they do to you?” he asked me in a deep voice, the muscles in his arm flexing as I held on to him tightly.

“Cigar burns,” I whispered and he closed his eyes and let out a roar so loud that several of the other men came rushing in. When they saw me on the bed practically naked, they all averted their eyes.

“Dude, what the fuck?” one of them asked, as the others hovered and looked worried.

“They fucking burned her, Mikey,” Trevor responded to the blonde man. “With cigars. Twelve, no thirteen times!” he yelled and the blonde man came near the bed while the others hung back. “They broke her fucking ankle! She’s got bruises and welts all over her body!” I knew all of this of course, but I could see how it would be a shock for Trevor to realize it. He was breathing hard and I could see sweat on his brow.

“Trevor, it’s okay!” I said, my anxiety rising because he was upset. His eyes immediately swung back to mine and I saw the emotion on his face change from anger to sadness.

“I’m sorry,” he said to me softly, regret clear on his face. “I didn’t mean to yell like that.” I smiled gently at him, not capable of speaking right then. He was angry for me, angry at the way I had been treated by my captors. I stared into his eyes and felt butterflies in my stomach.

He’s a werewolf and I can’t stop thinking about how amazing he is. I am the new definition of a hot mess.

“You all right to clean her up, Trev?” asked the blonde man after many moments of Trevor and I staring at each other in silence. Trevor blinked his eyes and shook his head.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” He seemed to get ahold of himself while I still held onto his arm for dear life. “She needs some food, something easy to digest. And some clean clothes. And some water for pain pills.” The men all filed out to get what he requested and it was silent in the bedroom once more.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, leaning over me.

“Don’t be. It’s nice to feel cared for,” I whispered back, the butterflies in my stomach now doing acrobatics.

“I do care,” he said gruffly, and then he cleared his throat and moved away from me to pull some things out of the first aid kit. Neither of us spoke as he was cleaning and bandaging my burns. I stared at him as he worked over me, breathing in his smell and wondering why I felt so strongly about him. He was a werewolf, and I suspected the other men were, too. This should have scared me to death, especially after what I had just experienced at the hands of my captors. But as he worked I realized that the true animals were those cowards that had abducted and hurt me. Trevor and these other men were heroes. If it wasn’t for them I’d still be in that hole. Trevor was good and kind. I wondered what the story was of how he had become this way, but I didn’t think there was anything he could tell me that would change the way I was beginning to feel about him. I had seen his true nature and character, and he was more beautiful on the inside than he was on the outside, as impossible as that seemed.

“All done,” he said an hour or so later, after he had checked my entire body for other injuries and patched me up. I leaned up on my elbows again as he was reaching for some supplies on the bed next to me and his hand grazed the underside of my breast and we both stopped in shock. I felt his touch as a bolt of heat straight to my core and my nipples pebbled through the towel. His eyes focused on my nipples and his breath hitched. I shivered at his response.

“Trevor,” I whispered and he looked quickly into my eyes and then down to my lips. He slowly, oh so slowly leaned toward me and I waited for his soft lips to touch mine. When I felt his breath reach my lips I closed my eyes, and that is when he pulled back and stood up quickly.

“Michael’s coming with your food,” he said quietly as he packed up the first aid kit. Without looking at me again, he walked out of the room as the blonde man walked in.

“Hey Meredith, I’m Michael,” the blonde man said as he put a bowl of broth on the nightstand next to me along with a glass of water. He dragged a wooden chair in from the living room and sat down beside the bed.

“It’s not very exciting, I’m afraid. But I suspect you haven’t eaten much in the last few days so we don’t want you to get sick,” he continued, handing me the bowl and a spoon, and then covering me with the blanket and propping me up with pillows.

“Thank you, Michael,” I said to him and then took a sip of the broth. At the first taste of it on my tongue I realized how famished I was and I just tipped the bowl up and drank it straight down until it was empty.

“Okay then,” Michael said dryly as he took the empty bowl from me and I laughed softly, embarrassed.

“Sorry, I’m just really hungry.”

“Don’t be sorry. We like to see women eat around here,” he said with a sweet smile and I couldn’t help but smile back at him. He handed me a white pill and the glass of water and I swallowed it without asking what it was. “For your pain,” he said. Then he handed me a clean t-shirt and turned his back while I slipped it over my head.

“How well do you know Trevor?” I couldn’t help asking him when I was settled. I figured I could think about my capture and relive the nightmare or I could try and find out a little bit more about the man I was quickly becoming very attached to.

“Pretty well,” Michael replied, glancing out the door into the living room where Trevor presumably was.

“What do you want to know?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye and I realized he was a flirt. I smiled back because I couldn’t stop myself. He was a sweet guy.

“Does he have a woman back home?” I looked down at the blanket, trying to hide my blush.

I’m acting like a teenager, for God’s sake
.

“No wife, no girlfriend,” Michael said matter-of-factly and I glanced up only to see the twinkle in his eyes shining brighter.

“So you’ve got a thing for Trevor,” he stated, and I simply nodded my head. There was no use denying the obvious.

“He’s all right I guess,” Michael continued, “If you’re into nice guys that always do the right thing.” I just looked at him with my eyes half-closed in suspicion and he laughed. “I’m just saying! You could take a walk on the wild side, Meredith. With a guy that has no plans to settle down and dates as many women as possible. Like me,” he said with a wink and I laughed then.

“It’s a nice offer,” I said with a smile and he feigned clutching his heart as if I’d broken it.

“Trevor is a great guy,” Michael said, suddenly serious. “He’s my best friend, but more importantly he’s the best man and soldier I know. He cares about you but he’s scared.” My heart thumped at this confirmation that Trevor cared for me, but I couldn’t help hearing the slight warning in Michael’s tone. He didn’t want me to hurt him.

“I understand, Michael.” I’d been through a lot. Were my feelings real or just a reaction to my ordeal at the hands of my kidnappers? I wasn’t sure. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to lie down for a while.”

“Sure thing,” Michael said as he picked up the chair and bowl. “Should I leave the light on?”

“Yes, please,” I said, the thought of being in the dark not something I was ready for yet. He walked out of the room and kept the door open too so that I heard the quiet voices of the men in the living room. My ears honed in on Trevor’s voice, my stomach flip-flopping again as I rolled over slowly, trying to get comfortable.

Chapter Seven: Trevor

She had fallen asleep after Mikey came out of the bedroom. I’m glad he stayed with her for a bit because I needed to get the fuck out. When my hand touched her breast accidentally, I got so turned on it shocked the shit out of me. Her body was so hot with all of her curves and soft skin, and I was trying so hard to be a gentleman. Then she looked up at me with those blue eyes and whispered my name and I was almost gone. Almost. Luckily I was able to get a grip on myself and leave before I disrespected her and my job in the Delta Shift.

Fuck me
.

I never thought I’d be in this position. Saving a woman while on a mission and feeling such a magnetic pull toward her that I almost kissed her! And that magnetic pull was so strong that it almost brought out my wolf. That was some scary shit. When I was shifting in the living room, my wolf thoughts were simple – make her my mate. My mate! I don’t “mate” with women, I have sex with them. I’m a human first, and a werewolf second, or at least I’d thought so. And I could see in my mind’s eye what “mating” meant for my wolf – sinking my teeth into the back of her shoulder. What kind of barbaric shit was that? I’d never once had those thoughts before, and I didn’t understand them.

It was late now, and the other guys were asleep. I had spoken to General Lockhart again and we had a plan for extraction in 24 hours. A chopper would land nearby and we would be taken to a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Cyprus. There, Meredith would be taken care of and Delta Shift would be de-briefed. I just needed to make it another 24 hours with Meredith and then we’d be parted, and no matter what I might want as a man or as a wolf wouldn’t be relevant anymore.

Derek walked in from the bedroom and saw me sitting in a chair, one of my bent legs bobbing up and down from being keyed up. He walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water and sat down on the couch.

“You’re struggling over Meredith,” he said, surprising me. Derek never brought up difficult topics. He was a live and let live kind of guy.

“I guess,” I admitted, so keyed up now that I stood and started to pace the small room.

“Your wolf wants to come out and mate with her,” he stated, and I was so stunned that I sat back down again with a thud.

“What? How do you know that?”

“Because I’ve felt it before myself,” he replied, taking a long drink of his water.

“You have? When? With who?” I was babbling, but it was a lot to take in. Derek never spoke about seeing anyone, although I’m sure he did. And to hear that he had experienced this desire to “mate” was a relief, honestly.

“Her name was Cindy. I met her about six months after we turned. She and I dated for a while and I just couldn’t get her out of my mind. I wanted her more than I’ve ever wanted another woman, and my wolf wanted her, too. Then she died.” My heart dropped. Derek was one of the best men I’ve ever known and I hated that he hadn’t said anything.

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Nothing to tell. If she had lived, you guys would have met her. But she didn’t,” he said as if it was that simple. But I knew it wasn’t, because his hand shook a little as he took another drink.

“What are you going to do about Meredith?” he asked me, and I knew he was changing the subject on purpose.

“I don’t know. I want her, man. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted another woman in my life,” I said.

“My wolf wants her, too,” I continued softly, looking down at the floor. “I almost shifted earlier today; I almost lost control because of her. I can’t let that happen.”

“If you mate with her, it won’t,” Derek said, looking at me closely.

“How do you know? I didn’t even know this mating thing existed until today.”

“Because I mated with Cindy,” Derek said softly and I sat back in my chair, stunned again.

“I’m so sorry, Derek,” I said, not knowing what else to say.

“It’s okay. The important thing is that mating with a woman gives you control over the wolf again. The wolf is satisfied and you’re satisfied as a man.”

“I don’t know…Meredith is…”

“Beautiful, sexy, amazing?” Derek said with a sly smile and I laughed softly.

“Yeah, she is.” Just then we heard Meredith scream in her sleep again and I automatically stood up and started to go to her. I stopped suddenly, unsure, and looked back at Derek.

“Go, Trevor,” he said and I knew he was right.

***

I walked quickly into the bedroom and saw that Meredith had kicked off the blanket and was thrashing around again, like last night. I climbed up on the bed and stretched out beside her, gathering her body up against mine tightly.

“Shh, Meredith. It’s me, Trevor,” I whispered in her ear and she immediately stopped thrashing. I felt her heart beating hard against my chest and then her eyes opened against my face like hummingbird wings.

“Trevor?” Her voice was rough with sleep and my body thrummed from feeling her pressed up against me, practically naked with just the t-shirt and panties on.

“Yes, it’s me,” I whispered back, rubbing my hands up and down her back, her skin silky soft where the t-shirt had ridden up. My cock pressed against her stomach and I decided not to worry about it; I couldn’t stop my reaction to her.

She pushed her body harder against mine and moaned deep in her throat, and my wolf was there again, battling with the man inside of me. I rolled her over onto her back so I was lying almost completely on top of her, careful to avoid her burns.

“Meredith,” I said softly, looking directly into her eyes from an inch away. One of my hands was on her back and one was under her head, and I wanted her so much I ached with it.

“Do you want me?” she whispered, surprising me with her direct question.

“Yes,” I said, because lying would be stupid at this point. The evidence of my desire was pressing against her stomach.

“Good, because I want you too,” she said, her voice so gritty it made my dick swell even more. “You’re such a good man, and so kind, and you saved me…and you’re so hot…” I leaned down and kissed her then, and she moaned against my lips. I tilted her head to the side and thrust my tongue into her mouth, softly rubbing my tongue against hers over and over again. She clung to me and moved her body against mine, and I felt her nipples growing hard against my chest through our clothes. I ran my hands up her body, pulling the t-shirt up and exposing her breasts to my fingers. I tweaked her nipple and she moaned again and she reached down and stroked me through my pants.

“
Fuck
,” I groaned as I pulled back from the kiss. I leaned down and took her nipple into my mouth while she continued to touch me. I licked all around her nipple and then sucked on it hard, pushing it to the roof of my mouth. I used my hand to squeeze her breast at the same time, laving as much of her luscious flesh as I could. I reached up and kissed her again, so turned on I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop. The tip of my cock had come out of the top of my pants and she ran her fingers over it lightly, picking up some of my fluid and my wolf roared in my brain.

Mate with her. Mate with her!
It screamed in my head and I pulled away, breathing like I’d just sprinted a mile. She was breathing just as heavily, and was trying to pull me back to her.

“No, not like this,” I said softly, rubbing her back again.

“What do you mean?”

“We can’t do this here. I want to. God, I want to so much. But I’m on assignment to keep you safe. This isn’t right.” I was forcing my wolf down again and this time it was working. Just barely. But I could tell by Meredith’s silence that she didn’t understand and I could feel her hurting.

“Please, Meredith. I want you. But I don’t want a quick fuck in some shack in Syria. I want better than that. I want more than that.” I was trying to explain without using the actual words I felt, but I didn’t want to scare her away.

“How much more?” she whispered against my shoulder. Leave it to a woman to get to the heart of the matter.

“I love you,” I finally said after a few moments of silence. “I don’t want to scare you away by saying that too soon. I can’t explain it. I feel connected to you like I’ve never felt with another woman. You probably think I’m crazy.”

“No, I don’t,” she said and my heart started beating as hard as hers was against my chest.

“We should talk about the wolf part of me,” I said when she didn’t say more, and I tried to not be disappointed that she didn’t seem to reciprocate my feelings. But I knew she was affected by me, and I knew that she cared for me, and that was enough for now.

“Okay,” she said. So I explained what had happened to the five of us in Afghanistan three years ago, and what it meant for our lives today. I told her that what we did was secret, going around the world and rescuing American citizens and soldiers.

“You’re heroes,” she said when I was finished and I laughed softly.

“No, we’re not. We just - ”

“Save people with your super-human strength?” she interrupted, and I laughed again.

“Okay, fine. We’re heroes.”

“Good, I’m glad we agree,” she said and then she yawned hugely and snuggled into me.

“Goodnight, Meredith,” I said softly into her hair.

“Goodnight, my love,” she whispered back.