Page 34 of Something Cryptid This Way Comes
I lift my head and give him a peck. “I’d say you’re better than fine.”
“Flatterer.” He jumps up, helps me stand, then brushes off his jeans. “I’ll start the fire and get the water heating. You get the bowls and the food.”
“You have yourself a deal.”
Being with him is a heady mix of old and new. I can’t wait to add new memories of us around a campfire, huddling together in front of the crackling flames. I’mso grateful to share this time with him now, and I can’t wait for the rest of our night together.
Stars dot the night sky, and the fire crackles, warming my side. My stomach is full and my head rests on Trevor’s lap as we lounge on the sleeping bag I laid out. After the chair fiasco, we decided the ground would be safer. Now Trevor’s fingertips are absently running through my hair as we enjoy the peaceful evening.
“That freeze-dried beef and noodles was better than I thought it would be.” He points to a shooting star, one of many we’ve seen tonight.
“It almost makes up for the chair.”
He snorts. “When I have you on your back, I don’t want your ass to be bruised.”
I sit up in a flourish. “What if I want you on your back?”
We’ve been getting each other off with our hands and mouths, but we haven’t had this conversation yet. Oddly, in all the years of friendship, Trevor has been closed-lipped about his romantic and sexual relationships. In fact, I can’t remember him talking about hooking up or dating. Not that I wanted to hear about that. And not that I shared anything with him. It always felt… wrong.
His eyes darken and he pulls me so I’m pinned to his chest. “Whatever you want, I want. You want to top, I’ll bottom. You want to bottom, I’ll top. If all you want to do is what we’ve been doing, then I’ll be the happiest man alive.”
“I have something for you,” I blurt out, then get up and run into the tent. If I didn’t already love the man, I would after that declaration. I drop to my knees, digging in my pack. When my fingers hit the pointed corner, I pull out the box and rush back out.
Remains of the fire smolder as Trevor stirs the ashes with a long stick.
“Here.” My teeth grazing my bottom lip, I hand the box to him.
Trevor gives me the stick. He lifts the box’s lid, and my heart stutters at the wonder on his face as he studies the gold medallion. He carefully lifts it from the bed of tissue paper. “Where did you get this? How? It’s been missing since that group vacation to Bermuda…” He looks up and I can practically see him doing the math in his head. “Sixteenyears ago.”
“It’s a replica.” The original had belonged to his grandfather, and Trevor wore it every day. Every day until he lost it thanks to me tackling him in the ocean during a game of football on the beach. “When we were in Italy this summer and saw that metal worker, the one I bought the ring for Agnes from, I got the idea of having this made.” He nods, but his gaze stays glued to the medallion hanging from its chain. “I know how much the medallion meant to you and how upset you were when it got lost. So I reached out to him before we flew home. He had other commissions he had to complete before he could start. It arrived in Philly yesterday. Charlie overnighted it to Ever, and I picked it up from him this morning.”
He traces his fingers over the intricate work. “I can’t believe it. Both that you’d do this, and that you remembered.” His voice rasps and his eyelids flutter like he’s fighting back emotion. He drags his gaze from the medallion. Glassy eyes meet mine. Tearing my heart from my chest and stomping on it would be less painful than making Trevor cry. “Thank you.”
“Are you upset?” Maybe I overstepped a boundary. Of course a replica can’t make up for losing the real thing. What was I thinking?
Trevor shakes his head, a watery smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Not at all.” He strokes my cheekand I lean into his palm. “This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me.”
His cold lips press to mine and I feel him tremble. I hold him close, slowing my breaths until we’re breathing in sync and his trembling quiets.
Resting his cheek against my chest, he continues tracing his fingers over the shiny disc. “We looked for the medallion for days. You were relentless.”
“I was so frustrated that we couldn’t find it. It’s always bothered me.” I felt like him losing it was my fault. But he never blamed me and instead insisted that a weak link on the chain must have snapped, causing the medallion to fall free. It’s probably still somewhere in the ocean.
Trevor sets the medallion in its box and tucks it to his chest. Eyes full of heat, he rises onto his knees and braces his hands on my thighs. “Finish putting out the fire then meet me in the tent.”
I gaze into those gorgeous eyes. “I can do that.”
He stands, long legs wrapped in worn denim, with a bulge that I long to touch. Grasping the box, he starts for the tent, slowing his steps to look over his shoulder. “Because I’m going to thank the hell out of you.”
I have never finished putting out a campfire as fast in my entire life. When I flip open the flap of the tent, a small lantern sits in the corner, illuminating the compact space. Trevor lifts open his sleeping bag and my mouth goes dry. But for the medallion resting on his chest and its chain around his neck, he’s wearing nothing.
I drop my sleeping bag and strip. Immediately, my nipples pucker. “Shit, it’s cold.”
“Get in.” He has his bag unzipped all the way, so I don’t have to worry about how the two of us will fit into it. Later, we can zip our two bags together, but right now, all I want is to feel every inch of his skin against every inch of mine. I wantto feel his thick muscles. The hard planes of his stomach and the soft skin behind his ear. I want to be engulfed by him.
I slide in and the warmth of his body heats the down fabric, creating a cocoon of comfort. “Hi.”
“Thank you.” He wraps an arm around my waist, kissing me, tugging until I’m on top of him and my chest is plastered to his chest. “Thank you for the gift.”Kiss.“Thank you for helping me with the haunted house this week.”Kiss.“Thank you for coming when Agnes needed you.”Kiss.
