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Authors: Shelli Stevens

Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Erotica, #Romantic, #Romance, #Contemporary

Command and Control (8 page)

BOOK: Command and Control
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After he’d left, Megan closed her eyes and slid down the door to the floor, curling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

She bit her lip fiercely, but it didn’t stop the sting of tears in her eyes.

Maybe it had felt natural waking up next to him this morning, and maybe every part of her begged to give them another chance. But with Trevor leaving, he’d just given her the brutal reminder of why she’d left
him
in the first place.

Trevor walked out this morning because he didn’t want to hurt her. The only thing he didn’t seem to realize was that every time he closed himself off and walked away, a little piece of her died.

Chapter Nine

Sunday on Main Street was quiet, with most of the folks in church or sleeping in. There were only two shops open right now. Kate’s Cakes and The Oceanside Tavern. Any other day Trevor would’ve chosen Kate’s Cakes, but today wasn’t any other day. Today was the day he’d woken up nearly choking to death the woman he loved. His stomach roiled and his teeth ground together. Sweat broke out on the back of his neck and he shoved open the door to the tavern with unsteady hands.

He strode inside, his unseeing gaze moving over the man sweeping the floor and moving straight to the alcohol behind the counter.

“Morning,” the man called out. “Cleaning up after a bit of a wild night. Bachelorette party.”

Trevor didn’t reply, just gave a slight nod.

“Oh, hey, didn’t recognize you at first,” the older man said coming around the counter. “Aren’t you the oldest Wyatt boy? I heard a lot about you. I’m Sam, new in town. Evan was real nice to give me a job.”

The idea of small talk wasn’t settling well in the least. Trevor forced a slight semblance of a smile and a gruff, “Welcome to town. And yes, I’m the oldest Wyatt.”

“And a soldier, I’m told. Army.” Sam gave a hard nod and wiped down the counter. “Me? I’m retired from the Marine Corps. I’ve got nothing but respect for you, son. What can I get ya?”

“Shot of Jack Daniels.”

Sam didn’t even blink or comment about the time of day, just grabbed a shot glass and poured the shot, before sliding it across to him.

Trevor lifted the glass and knocked it back, letting the whiskey warm his belly before setting the empty shot down again.

“You been over to Iraq? Afghanistan?” Sam asked quietly.

“Afghanistan.” He didn’t want to talk about himself or about Afghanistan. Wanting to divert the bartender’s attention he asked, “What about you? What kind of combat did you see back in the day?”

“First Gulf War. Somolia.” He shook his head and sighed. “I think you boys got it worse though now. Like I said, you’ve got my respect. And you’ve got another shot on me if you want it, son.”

Trevor thought about it, stared at the bottle on the other side of the counter and the amber liquid inside. Another shot wasn’t going to solve anything. Hell, the first one hadn’t even helped.

“Thanks, Sam. I’m good for now.”

“No problem. Well, then that first one was on me.” Sam paused and then said quietly, “Time does help with the healing, son. I promise you. Now I’ll leave you in peace, but you holler at me if you need anything.”

Trevor nodded as the other man walked away. Staring into his empty glass, he wondered if Sam had come back from combat as fucked up as he was.

The army had offered him counseling when he’d returned from Afghanistan. He hadn’t thought he’d needed it, but now, sometimes he wondered if maybe he should’ve.

Being with Megan last night had been so damn amazing. He’d begun to feel whole again, like everything was finally going to be okay and maybe he’d get the shot at happiness that seemed so damn unattainable. Falling asleep with Megan in his arms, hearing her soft breathing as she’d snuggled against him, he’d had so much hope.

But as he’d fallen asleep, guilt had sliced through any attempt at letting the past go and moving forward. And then he’d woken up from another nightmare to find Megan pinned beneath him, eyes wide with terror, struggling to breathe.

He’d left. Gotten dressed and run like hell. If he was smart, he’d run like hell back to Fort Lewis, stay away from Megan and the potential of causing her any more pain.

The door to the bar swung open, sending blinding light into the dimness and Trevor squinted, glancing away with a scowl.

“Hey, big bro.”

For fuck’s sake. Really? Trevor bit back a sigh at the sound of Todd’s cheerful voice and turned on the stool to face the door.

Only it wasn’t just Todd. It was Todd and Tyson. They stood in the doorway, arms folded over their chests, staring at him like they were about to stage an intervention.

“Kind of early to be hitting the bar, don’t you think, boys?” he drawled with a slight smile.

“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing,” Tyson said, striding across the bar and sitting to the left of him.

Todd took the seat to Trevor’s right.

“Megan called us,” Todd explained.

Trevor’s mouth slipped from the forced smile back into a grim line and his chest tightened with regret. Had she told them about what had happened? That he’d damn near killed her?

“Did she now?”

“She’s worried about you. We all are,” Tyson said softly.

Trevor gave a short, humorless laugh. “You’ve got a wedding coming up, Ty, the last thing you need to be worrying about is me.”

“Yeah, well I don’t have a wedding coming up,” Todd said, his mouth curving into that wide smile that had probably charmed half the women in town out of their panties. “In fact I have no intention of
ever
marrying. So that leaves me plenty of free time to worry about my big brother.”

“Good to know.” Had his brothers always been this determined to drive him nuts?

Tyson leaned forward and grabbed his shot glass, setting it farther away. “You need to cut with the alcohol, Trev. You seem to be seeking out the tavern every time you have a problem.”

The hell he did. He hadn’t turned into the soldier that turned to the bottle.

Or have you?

Anger and frustration brought a slow flush up his neck. His jaw flexed. “I won’t deny it. But I usually stop at a shot or two.”

“Even a shot or two isn’t the way to deal with whatever the hell’s going on in your life,” Todd replied, siding with Tyson. “You’re better than this, Trevor. You know you are.”

“How the fuck do you know I’m better?” Trevor finally snapped, letting all the anger at himself and his life explode. “Either of you? And what gives you the right to walk in here and tell me what I can and cannot do? If I want another shot of whiskey, who the hell’s going to stop me?”

“I am.” Tyson replied matter-of-factly, cocking his head.

“I’ll take that second shot now, Sam,” Trevor yelled, but kept his narrowed gaze on his middle brother.

Sam idled over. “Jack Daniels?”

“Actually, he’s going to pass,” Tyson said calmly. “And, yes, this time I am speaking as the sheriff.”

The hell he was. Trevor turned to Sam and repeated his request for another drink.

Sam’s gaze slipped between Tyson and Trevor and finally he sighed.

“Sorry, son,” he muttered. “But like I said, I’m new in town. Last thing I’m gonna do is piss off the sheriff. Even if he is your brother.”

Trevor saw red. Before he could think about what he was doing, he lurched off the chair at his brother, fists swinging. He got in one good punch before Todd jumped in, getting him in a headlock and pulling him off Tyson.

“Fuck you both,” Trevor choked out, struggling in his brother’s hold. “You have no right. No right to come in here and try and control me. Control my life.”

Tyson rubbed his jaw and glared at him. “We’re not trying to control your God damn life, Trevor, we’re trying to help save it.”

“Sorry about this, Sam,” Todd called out. “We’ll take it outside.”

Humiliation warred with the rage as Trevor was dragged outside by his youngest brother. Already he planned on getting in a punch on Todd the moment he let him go.

A few minutes later they stopped on a path that led to the Pacific Ocean. The warm morning sun beat down on them and the only sound came from the waves slamming into the beach.

Todd let him go and took a quick step backward, obviously sensing his intent.

Trevor dragged in a lungful of sea air and glared at the two. They were smart, keeping their distance now. The urge to fight and destroy was ripping through him, and he had to remind himself they were his brothers. They were blood.

He glanced at Tyson, saw the red mark on his jawline and hoped it wouldn’t be a bruise by his wedding day. Guilt pricked at him, not deep enough to make him want to apologize, but enough to make him regret not taking a deep breath before he’d attacked.

“You gotta calm down, Trev. I don’t really want to fight you.” Todd grinned. “Though, it might be a fairer fight now than when we were younger. Think I’m just about as big as you now.”

“Might even be bigger,” Tyson murmured.

Trevor muttered curses at them both and turned away to cast his glare at the ocean, anything so he wouldn’t have to look at the amusement on their faces. But he saw beneath it, could see the concern lingering, and for some reason that bothered him even more.

“Megan loves you, Trevor,” Tyson finally said tersely. “For the past couple of days you’ve been giving everyone hope that you two might be able to work things out.”

“Mom and Dad have been giddy with the idea,” Todd agreed with a sigh. “But you’re fucking it up. Sure as the sun sets, you’re fucking it up, Trev.”

Good.
He’d been stupid to think for one moment that he could make things work with Megan. What the hell had he been thinking? Sleeping with her had felt so right, so normal, but they could never have normal. Megan sure as hell couldn’t if she stayed with him.

“Megan deserves better than me,” he said wearily, the anger seeping from him like a tiny pinprick letting the air out of a balloon. “You know this. She knows. I know. Everyone needs to stop pretending that we’re meant to be together.”

Todd and Tyson both broke into laughter, like he’d just made a hilarious joke. Their amusement grew so loud that nearby seagulls took off into the air with a cry.

A moment later Todd shook his head and grinned. “That was a good one, Trev. Seriously. You and Megan go together like peanut butter and jelly.”

Nice. Only Todd, whose main thoughts tended to lean toward either food or women, would compare him and Megan to peanut butter and jelly. His lips twitched with a reluctant smile, and unfortunately his brothers saw it and they beamed, their posture relaxing a little more.

Trevor sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “You don’t understand. What’s between us, it’s not what it once was.”

“And it’ll probably never be. So you start over,” Tyson argued, glancing down and kicking a foot in the sand. “You’re going to have to do it with someone, why not Megan?”

Trevor didn’t reply, didn’t have the energy to keep up with an argument his brothers would never win. What was the point? But Tyson seemed to take his silence to mean he was thinking about it.

“You can earn her trust back, Trev,” he urged. “I know you can. She loves you. And I’m pretty sure you love her too.”

“Oh without a doubt he loves her,” Todd agreed.

Glancing out at the dark blue of the Pacific Ocean, Trevor clenched his jaw. The question wasn’t whether they loved each other. It had never been about that. Sometimes love just wasn’t enough. It was so much more complicated. He had to say something in response to his brothers. They wouldn’t leave him alone until he did.

“When the hell did my little brothers get so wise?” He allowed a fleeting smile. “Thanks for the talk, guys, but I’m going to head out. Skipped breakfast this morning.”

“Food? Great idea.” Todd slapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll join you. I’m starving.”

“I could go for something to eat, too,” Tyson added lightly. “I told Ellie to sleep in and relax and I’d grab something on my own.”

Trevor shook his head and gave a soft laugh. He shouldn’t have expected anything else. Maybe this was a good thing. Time with his family. If anything it would help keep him grounded.

“All right, guys,” he agreed with a nod. “Let’s go eat.”

Chapter Ten

Megan had just finished pouring herself a cup of coffee when the phone rang. She set her mug back on the counter and rushed over to answer.

“Hey, it’s Todd.”

She leaned back against the fridge, her fingers gripping the phone as she closed her eyes.

“Did you find him?”

“Yeah, we’re with him now at Kate’s,” he said quietly. “I took a moment to step outside and call you while we wait for our cinnamon rolls. He’s doing okay. Thanks for giving us the heads-up.”

“No, thank you. You and Tyson both. He needs to be with people right now…” She swallowed hard. “Even if it’s not me.”

“Don’t take it personally, Meg. Trevor’s going through some shit. Has been since Afghanistan. I honestly think if anyone can help him through this, it’s you.”

Her heart twisted and her stomach fell. “I don’t know, Todd. I just don’t know if I can go through this again. It about killed me the first time.”

“I know. Maybe we can figure out something. Find a way for you guys to spend a few days together alone. At least try and work things out. If I could arrange it, would you be up for it?”

Spend a few days with Trevor? Alone? Part of her thrilled at the idea. Images swirled in her head and her pulse quickened. But then the realistic side of her knew it could possibly end badly. She’d invest more of her heart over the few days, only to have it crushed again.

“I’m not sure,” she hedged. “It’s something I’ll really need to think about. Every time I reach out to Trevor, I inevitably get hurt in the end.”

“I know. And it kills me to see you hurt. But I’ve gotta say, he’s hurting too. Something fierce.” Todd sighed. “I want this to work out for you guys, Megan. I really do.”

Megan gave a sad little smile and glanced down at the mug in her hand, staring at the cooling coffee inside. Over the years she’d been with Trevor, his family had become like hers. They’d almost adopted her after her aunt died—the woman who’d been her last living relative, and the reason she’d moved to Wyattsville.

BOOK: Command and Control
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