Page 68 of Beta Team-The Saviors: Part One
Gavin gives me that lopsided smile again. “Okay.”
I slip back out of his room and quietly go to the kitchen. I grab a tub of chocolate ice cream, two spoons, and head back to my room. I stop just inside the living room, looking at Keon.That kiss before I went to bed kept me up for a while. He was so sweet and gentle with me, sensing that’s what I needed. Kissing him exceeded all of my expectations, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I want it to happen again.
Pulling my eyes away from Keon, I go to my room to find Gavin standing there. I motion toward the bed, and he climbs on, leaning against the headboard. He’s as close to the wall as possible, so I have room. I get comfortable beside him and hand him the remote. “You pick.”
Gavin flips the TV on to scroll through Netflix while I open the ice cream. He picks some random rom-com, and I hand him the other spoon. He chuckles and gets a spoonful. “Do you usually eat ice cream and watch TV at two in the morning?”
I shrug and take a bite. “Sometimes. When I first came home from rehab, I started having nightmares again. My only guess is that rehab was my safe place, and being around Kane brought back memories. Anyway. Whenever Blaze heard me, he would bring me chocolate ice cream and sit up watching TV with me until I fell asleep.”
Gavin eats a couple more bites before looking at me. “How did you make them stop?”
“The nightmares? I had to face what was making me have them. Which, for me, meant acknowledging there was nothing I could have done to prevent that fire. I still have them sometimes, but it’s usually after a huge change or something that would trigger them.”
Gavin sighs, and I give him a minute to see if he’ll talk to me. It’s silent for ten minutes with us enjoying the ice cream. “We had a mission go to shit. We had the wrong intel, and when we went in, it was nothing like we were expecting. There were these sick women, but what was worse were the sick kids.” Gavin swallows and takes another bite. “We got them out, then Keon had to start CPR on one in the back of the van.”
“What happened?” I can feel tears clogging my throat, but refuse to let them fall. Something tells me he’ll stop talking if they do.
“Keon got him back several times. We got the rest to a safe house and then took him to the hospital. He was maybe two years old, and we have no idea if he has a family, so he’s all alone.”
“Is that what the nightmares are about?”
“Usually. Ari said I need to face this shit head-on, but I have no idea how.”
“Maybe you just need to see for yourself that he’s alive. What else do you see?” I watch his entire face shut down and wish I could take that question back. “Are you done?” I ask, wiggling the ice cream. He nods, so I sit it on the floor by the bed.
We get comfortable on the pillows, tuning into the movie, and I feel myself drifting off. I’m almost asleep when I hear Gavin’s whispered words. “I see my father. He was a horrible fucking person, so seeing that little boy sucked me back to my childhood. Instead of saving them, he kills them all right in front of me.” I can’t stop the tears this time and look up at Gavin. He gently wipes them from my cheeks. “He’s dead, so I don’t know how to get them to stop.”
“You have to see you aren’t that little boy anymore,” I whisper. “That you turned out great without him. You turned into a hero.”
“We aren’t hero?—”
“You are. I know what you guys do, and that’s heroic in my book. You aren’t the sins of your father, Gavin.”
Gavin rubs a tear away that’s leaking down my cheek and stares into my eyes. It’s like he’s searching for something. He rolls over on his side to face me, and I suck in a breath when his lips almost touch mine. “You’re perfect, Kira.” He gently lays his lips against mine in a soft kiss and pulls back. “Thank youfor staying up with me.” I nod because words are locked in my throat. “Do you want me to go back to my room?”
The thought of him leaving makes my heart start to race. “No.”
Gavin gets comfortable beside me and is out within minutes. I think it will be impossible to fall asleep until my eyes start getting heavy.
Only to fall asleep and dream about being kissed twice in the same night.
By two different men.
The next morning,Gavin was able to sneak out of my room without anyone seeing him. Not that he wanted to hide that he slept in my bed. He was totally okay with anyone knowing. It was me. I finally grew the nerve to make a move on Keon and ended up kissing his best friend the same night.
The day flew by with my classes, and before I knew it, it was time for the party. I was two seconds away from saying I didn’t want to go, until I saw Keon dressed in a black button-up, jeans, and boots.
He smiles when he sees me walk into the living room. “You ready, Mama?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Keon grabs my hand and pulls me against him. “We can find something else to do if you want.”
“No. I need to stop being a chicken shit.”
He chuckles and kisses the tip of my nose. “Okay. But whenever you want to leave, let me know.”
Keon slings his arm around my shoulders and leads me to the door. The party is within walking distance, so we head that way.The more we walk, the more the guilt eats away at me. “I kissed Gavin,” I blurt out.
