Chapter Three
L ater that night, Trevor sat in the hospital trying to figure out how the day had gone to hell in a handbasket.
One minute he and Logan were joking about being abandoned in the building in the event of an emergency, and the next Logan’s entire world had imploded with Clay being shot at the courthouse.
Trevor had recognized the signs of Logan slipping into a flashback the moment he saw Clay hit the ground on the live video feed projected onto the wall of the lab.
Trevor had tried talking to Logan, tried touching his friend to bring him out of the trance-like state, but nothing worked.
Trevor knew Logan would need Dr. Lincoln after an episode like that, so he’d snagged Logan’s cell, stuck it up in front of Logan's face to unlock the screen, and searched for Dr. Lincoln’s phone number.
Moments later, the man himself had rushed through the stairwell door, and Trevor’s jaw hit the floor at the sight of the dark-haired Goliath with the deep voice and gentle arms. Had he known just how studly the good doctor was, Trevor would have taken Logan up on his referral suggestion a long time ago.
Now Logan was back with Clay, and Trevor hung around the hospital for no other reason than he wanted to be near the doctor but was too afraid to approach him.
Trevor snuck a peek through the flop of hair that had fallen over his eyes and caught his breath at the sight of Dr. Lincoln on the other side of the waiting room.
He was stunning. Well over six feet tall and, as the saying went, built like a brick shithouse.
Trevor wanted to strip the esteemed doctor naked and lick every ridge of muscle he knew the conservative dress shirt and slacks hid from view.
As if Dr. Lincoln knew Trevor was thinking about him, his head turned, and Trevor quickly looked down at the magazine in his lap he’d been randomly flipping through.
Trevor saw the tips of black dress shoes heading in his direction over the top edge of the glossy paper.
Oh crud, he’s coming over here. I am so screwed .
“Trevor?”
He tried to appear nonchalant as his head tilted back to meet dark green eyes. “Yes, Dr. Lincoln?”
“Please call me Matt. How would you like to get a cup of coffee with me? I doubt we’ll see Logan again tonight.”
Trevor chewed on the inside of his lip for a second to keep himself from jumping out of the chair and wrapping himself around Matt’s tree trunk of a body as if he were a lemur.
“Sure. Should we go down to the cafeteria?”
“I thought we could go to the Dunkin’ Donuts down the street. It’s open all night. I don’t know about you, but I could go for some fresh air.”
Trevor thought for a second. He did a mental map calculation on how to get home from the hospital and remembered that he could catch the orange line at the Mass Ave station then transfer to the red line at Oak Grove back to his Dorchester neighborhood and walk home from there.
He knew he’d promised Logan that morning he would stop walking home late at night, but these were extenuating circumstances.
Logan needed to be with Clay in recovery, and he didn’t know any of Logan’s friends well enough to beg for a ride.
He could call a cab, but he only had five dollars in his wallet and there was no ATM in sight.
Stop stalling and answer the man already!
"That sounds good. I think the scent of antiseptic has permanently seared my brain at this point."
Matt chuckled. “Yes, it is rather pungent tonight.” He stood and offered his hand to Trevor. “Shall we?”
When Trevor’s hand landed in Matt’s outstretched palm, he received a jolt similar to earlier that day when Logan had dazedly introduced them.
Matt’s hand was warm. Maybe if they were naked, Trevor could suck up all of Matt’s glorious heat by osmosis.
As they walked out the sliding doors of the hospital, Trevor shivered.
The garage did nothing to buffer the chilly night air.
“Where’s your coat?” Matt asked.
“We ran out of the building so fast, I didn’t think to grab it.” He ran his hands up and down his arms. “I’ll be fine.”
They were still a few hundred feet away from where they’d left Matt’s car when the sound of an engine starting echoed in the near-empty concrete structure. Trevor noticed the motor apparently belonged to Matt’s vehicle and smiled.
“That’s a nifty trick.”
Matt nodded. “Gets the car warm quicker.”
Another chill racked Trevor’s body. “I’m all for that.” He looked up and smiled.
Matt unlocked the doors and reached inside the backseat. He placed a coat over Trevor’s shoulders. Trevor swam in the heavy black leather, but didn’t care because he was instantly warmer and the jacket carried Matt’s scent within the lining. “Thank you.”
Matt opened the passenger-side door for him, and Trevor slid inside the darkened interior.
They made their way down Mass Ave to the coffeehouse.
Trevor exited Matt’s car and dashed into the fluorescent beacon.
The scent of coffee and donuts assailed him, and Trevor’s stomach growled.
He realized lunchtime had been almost ten hours ago.
Matt placed his hand on Trevor’s shoulder. “I think that means we need to feed you,” he said light-heartedly.
Trevor smiled. “Apparently the natives are restless. You want a booth or table?”
“Booth sounds good. How about the one in the corner?” He pointed to the far side of the room.
Trevor glanced at the glass case filled with sugary goodness as they passed.
He was so going to get a big old bear claw.
To hell with worrying about carbs and sugars tonight.
He stepped up to the counter and placed his order.
When Trevor reached for his wallet, Matt stopped him.
Trevor was so taken aback by the feel of Matt’s hand on the right cheek of his ass he didn’t even notice the other man had placed his order and paid for both of them until the deed was done.
Trevor looked up at Matt as he collected his large coffee and snack. “Awfully presumptuous, don’t you think?” He grinned to take the sting out of the words.
Matt gestured to their selected booth. “Disappointed?”
Trevor slid onto the bench. “In the free treat? Or the cheap feel?”
Matt doctored his coffee without taking his eyes off Trevor. “Either?”
“Can’t say that I am.”
“Good. So if I can ask, how did you recognize the signs of Logan’s flashback?”
Trevor stirred his coffee for a few seconds, then blew on the steaming liquid for a moment before taking a tentative sip. The hot drink warmed his insides the way Matt’s coat, still encasing him, warmed his outside.
“My father. When I was a kid, he used to get them from time to time. He was a Green Beret. My mom used to yell and scream at him when they happened, but usually nothing happened until the flashback ran its course. I didn’t realize that that’s what was happening.
I just knew that dad kinda flaked out for a while then got real angry. ”
Matt placed his hand over Trevor’s. “I’m sorry. Did your father ever get help?”
Trevor shrugged. “Don’t know. He took off when I was seven. I haven’t heard from him since.”
He expected to see pity on Matt’s face, but found nothing but calm acceptance.
“Mom stuck around until I turned eighteen, then lit out for greener pastures. I get postcards from time to time. I think she’s in Colorado now. She never stays in one place for very long.”
“What did you do to support yourself when she left? Did she leave without notice?”
“No, nothing so dramatic. She told me when I was fifteen that after my high school graduation she’d be moving on. She gave me enough money for a couple of months’ rent, and I had already secured a job working full-time for a video production company, so I could pay my monthly utilities and stuff.”
“How did you go from video production to working for the police?”
“It wasn’t as big a leap as you would think.
I applied and got the job as an A/V technician five years ago, then got my certification in forensic audio and video analysis.
When the senior spot opened up, I applied, and since I was already familiar with all the equipment, it was a simple transition.
” Trevor realized he’d been talking non-stop.
“Okay, obviously you’re very good at your job.
It’s taken only twenty minutes, and you know my entire life story. ”
Matt frowned. “It has nothing to do with my job. I enjoy talking to you. My reason for wanting to know you is purely personal. I’d really like to learn more. Would you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
Trevor saw the heat simmering in Matt’s eyes, and his heart went thumpety-thump.
Well, maybe it was his cock, but the heart wasn’t far behind.
He couldn’t believe that this older, well-educated man was interested in him.
Trevor would not look a gift horse in the mouth, though.
If Dr. Lincoln wanted to go slumming for a little bit, and Trevor got the chance to kiss those lush lips and feel that hard body rub against him, then that was fine by him.
“I get off work at six o’clock.”
“Perfect. Tomorrow is the day I finish with patients early. I should finish by five. Do you want me to pick you up?”
“That’s kind, but unnecessary. As long as we go someplace I can take the subway to, I can find my way to you.”
“You don’t have a car?” Matt said, surprised.
Trevor shook his head. “Too cost-prohibitive. I’ve been thinking about getting a used one lately. Then again, I do every winter,” he said, smiling.
Matt frowned. “How were you planning on getting home tonight?”
“The ‘T’ stop is only a few blocks away. It’s how I normally get around the city.”
Matt’s jaw dropped, and his hand tightened around his coffee cup. “You were going to walk several blocks in this weather? Without a coat? At this time of night?”