Stubborn Heart (9 page)

Derrick’s bedroom was decorated much like the common living area. The furniture was big and bulky, filling most of the space in the room. Shelving, similar to what was in the living area, completely covered one wall. A fluffy duvet and four large pillows covered a queen-size bed. A large television sat on the dresser, surrounded by a neat stack of DVDs.

Trevor’s room also had a queen-size bed, along with two nightstands, a dresser, and a chest of drawers. The style of the furniture was similar to the furniture in Derrick’s room. There were no shelves or bookcases. A few nondescript pictures hung on the walls. Other than a laptop resting on top of the dresser, there were few personal items in the room. Mark recalled Derrick’s statement that Trevor had very little “stuff.”

They returned to the living area, where Trevor was still working in the kitchen. He looked over and smiled at Mark, then returned to whatever he was working on. Mark sat on the sofa, while Derrick chose one of the chairs. Derrick chatted about his job as the chief medical resident at the hospital where he worked. He asked Mark questions about his job. He offered Mark a glass of wine, which Mark accepted. Derrick excused himself to go and help Trevor in the kitchen. From where he was sitting, Mark could see them working on the meal together. He could see them talking and laughing, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Mark observed the way they stood side by side, shoulders touching at times. It seemed obvious that they were very comfortable with one another, and Mark couldn’t help but wonder about their relationship. Both men had broad, well-developed shoulders that tapered down to narrow hips and firm, round butts. Mark was definitely enjoying the view.

After a few minutes, Derrick excused himself and went to his bedroom, where he closed the door. Trevor walked over and sat down beside Mark on the sofa. He leaned in and kissed Mark gently on his lips. He stretched back against the sofa and tugged at Mark until he rested against Trevor’s shoulder.

“Sorry I’ve been ignoring you since you got here. Dinner is all set now. It will be ready in a few minutes.” He nuzzled against Mark’s cheek and then lightly tugged at one ear with his teeth.

Mark moaned at the nip and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He turned his head to kiss Trevor, and placed a hand on the back of his neck to pull him closer. The kiss started slowly, soft and warm. Both men parted their lips and used their tongues to tease and gently explore one another’s mouths. Mark felt his heat beginning to rise as Trevor reached up with both hands and began tracing his thumbs over the curves of his ears. Mark placed his hands on either side of Trevor’s waist to keep from falling over as he gave into the sensations overwhelming him.

“More than I wanted to see!” Derrick exclaimed in mock disgust as he walked into the room to join them. “Looks like this is the perfect time for me to leave,” he said with a wide grin. Mark flushed slightly, but Trevor just laughed and tossed a pillow at Derrick. He intercepted the pillow and threw it back at Trevor, who caught and set it to the side as he got up from the sofa. He pulled Mark up with one hand to join him.

“Have fun at the bar,” Trevor said. He walked over and gave Derrick a hug and a peck on the lips.

“Don’t wait up for me,” Derrick replied, smiling and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Mark, it was good to meet you,” he continued, giving Mark a big hug. “I hope I get to see you again soon.” He picked up his keys and cell phone and left the apartment.

“What bar is he going to this early?” Mark asked after Derrick closed the door.

“He’s not really going to a bar. He just said that,” Trevor explained, taking Mark’s hand. “I told him he had to make himself scarce. He was probably making some phone calls when he went to his room.”

“He could have stayed for dinner,” Mark offered.

“Nope!” Trevor said, releasing Mark’s hand. He walked back over and sat on the sofa. “This is officially our second date, and the last thing I want is Derrick hanging around.”

“So tell me about you two,” Mark said as soon he sat down on the sofa. He sat cross-legged on the sofa, facing Trevor. The light-handedness of his request did little to cover his eagerness for more information.

“What do you want to know?” Trevor asked openly.

“It seems obvious that you two are close. When you were in the kitchen working and talking back and forth, I felt like the third wheel or something. It was weird.”

“Come over here.” Trevor chuckled, taking Mark’s hands and then gently tugging at them. “Does that make you jealous?”

“No,” Mark huffed defensively. “I just felt uncomfortable, that’s all. And you kissed him on the lips.”

The smile left Trevor’s face. He placed his hands on either side of Mark’s face, forcing him to look into his eyes. “Derrick is my roommate and my best friend. There’s nothing more between us. We met six years ago in medical school. We tried to date for a little while, but we both decided we would rather be friends. That’s all there is to it. I don’t want you to ever feel jealous or uncomfortable. You’ll always know where you stand with me.”

“So did you sleep with him?” Mark pressed on.

“Three times,” Trevor answered, lowering his hands to take Mark’s again. “Although it was pretty much mutual masturbation. Neither one of us was willing to give in to the other one. And it was six years ago. Ancient history.”

“Okay,” Mark replied. He leaned over and kissed Trevor lightly. His openness and candor had somewhat mollified Mark’s discomfort. “Now, I believe someone promised me dinner. I’m starved!”

Trevor laughed and gave Mark another kiss before going into the kitchen to check on dinner.

Dinner was two huge steaks with baked potatoes, salad, and garlic bread. Trevor served up their plates and set everything on the table. He poured both of them a glass of wine and motioned for Mark to join him.

“Wow! That’s a lot of food,” Mark said as he took the seat Trevor indicated.

“Dig in. You did say you were hungry,” Trevor encouraged, grinning. He didn’t wait for Mark to respond. He picked up his fork and knife and sliced off a large chunk of meat.

Mark enjoyed watching Trevor eat. He approached food with the same enthusiasm that he did everything else. He practically attacked his food. Mark wondered if Trevor was always like that. He always seemed to be upbeat and positive about everything. Of course, he knew that Trevor was trying hard to make a good impression, but it always seemed honest, not forced or pretentious. It was very refreshing.

Trevor could feel Mark observing him. Periodically he would glance up and Mark would be looking at him, as if assessing him. That was perfectly fine, but it would have been nice to know what he was thinking. Trevor knew he wanted Mark’s approval, wanted to earn his trust.

“So, you like watching me eat?” Trevor asked with a wink. He only paused a moment and then returned to eating his food.

“It is entertaining,” Mark admitted with a chuckle. “You certainly gave that steak a black eye.”

“What can I say? I’m a growing boy.” Trevor laughed.

He practically licked his plate
, Mark noted with amusement as Trevor gobbled down the last bite of his bread. Even though he had only eaten two-thirds of his steak and half the potato, Mark knew he had had enough. He reached over, took Trevor’s hand, and gave it a light squeeze. “That was wonderful. I would not have guessed you’d be such a good cook.”

“My menu is pretty limited,” Trevor confessed. “I can’t cook nearly anything as fancy as you did.” He squeezed Mark’s hand in return and tenderly lifted it to his lips.

“Let me help you clean up,” Mark said as he gathered dishes and began carrying them into the kitchen. Trevor started to protest, but gave in when he saw that Mark would not be dissuaded.

Trevor wrapped up the leftovers and placed them in the refrigerator while Mark rinsed dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. Within a few minutes, they were done and the kitchen was clean. Mark refilled their wine glasses and carried them into the living area. Trevor turned on the television and sat on the sofa. Mark placed the glasses on the table and sat down beside him. Trevor extended his arm over the back of the sofa, and Mark curled into his shoulder, sighing contentedly. They flipped channels and finally decided on a romantic comedy.

Trevor took a big sip of wine, then shifted so that his back was positioned in the corner of the sofa. He drew Mark closer and wrapped his arms around Mark’s chest and arms. He rested his chin on top of Mark’s head. Mark reached up and began softly rubbing Trevor’s arms. A few minutes later, Mark started when he felt the tension leave Trevor’s arms. He shifted and looked up, noting that both Trevor’s eyes had closed and his head had slipped to one side. He chuckled and disengaged himself from Trevor’s arms.

Sitting up completely, he gently shook Trevor’s shoulder. “Trevor. I should get going.”

Trevor opened his eyes and grinned sleepily. “I’m sorry. I must have drifted off for a minute.” He reached over to pull Mark back to him.

Mark pushed back. “It’s no wonder. You were up most of the night in surgery, and we’ve had a busy weekend around that. You need to get some sleep.”

“Just stay until the movie is over,” Trevor coaxed. He made a sweet, pouty face.

“I should say no,” Mark conceded as he settled back on the couch. “Come here,” he said, coaxing Trevor forward until his head settled on Mark’s lap. “But this is only until the movie is over.

Trevor nuzzled his cheek against Mark’s thighs as he found a comfortable spot. Mark began running his fingers through Trevor’s hair, scraping his nails lightly on Trevor’s scalp.

“That feels really good,” Trevor purred. He rolled onto his back, and Mark moved his hand to rest on his chest. The last thing Trevor remembered before he fell asleep was Mark gently rubbing his chest in small circular motions.

Chapter 10

“T
HANK
you for setting the alarm on my phone,” Trevor said as he followed Mark into the supply closet. “You should have made me go to bed.”

“Fat chance,” Mark said jokingly. “I couldn’t even wake you up.”

Trevor smiled. “You must not have tried very hard.”

“No,” Mark admitted. “You looked so relaxed and peaceful, I didn’t have the heart to wake you. As soon as Derrick got home, I left. We decided to leave you where you were. He threw a blanket over you so you wouldn’t get cold.”

Trevor leaned back to block the door with his body and pulled Mark into his arms for a deep, passionate kiss.

“What was that for?” Mark asked, inhaling deeply when Trevor finally released his lips.

“I didn’t get a chance to kiss you good night,” he responded with a mischievous grin.

“Well, you can cut that out right now,” Mark said, half teasing. “The last thing I want is for everyone to see me running around here with a trouser tent.”

“Really?” Trevor chuckled. He pushed Mark back and looked down.

“Go away,” Mark said more sternly. Although his face was set, his eyes still showed amusement.

“Fine,” Trevor said, raising his hands in mock surrender. “But I want to see you later.” He turned, opened the door, and left.

Mark smiled and shook his head as he began gathering the supplies he would need.

T
HE
next few days seemed to fly by. The surgery schedule was heavy, so Trevor was rarely in the unit for more than a few minutes at a time. The attending surgeon conducted unit rounds with the residents, leaving Trevor free to concentrate on the operating room. Open-heart surgery was limited to two highly specialized operating suites. In order to accommodate the increased workload, Trevor and his team had to work longer hours. Two days in a row, he spent more than twelve hours performing surgery.

Mark was equally busy. Several nurses were out with the flu, so the unit was short-staffed. For two of his shifts, he was required to take a full patient load and function as charge nurse. He agreed to work overtime on Thursday to cover staffing shortages. That left Friday as his only day off. By the time Mark had completed all of his errands, it was late afternoon. At six o’clock, Trevor texted him saying he was prepping for his third surgical case that day. He also said he missed Mark and ended the text with a string of “xoxoxo.” Mark smiled as he read it and texted back “xoxoxo.” He put in a load of laundry and then took a long, hot bath. It felt good to relax and soak in the steamy water. One day off was just not enough.

S
UNDAY
brought a much-needed change to the pace of the unit. Several patients were stable enough to transfer to another unit, and for once they didn’t have any patients waiting for a bed. Mark was assigned only one patient, so he busied himself restocking supplies and rotating stock. He was leaning over, rearranging packages on the bottom shelf of a cabinet, when he heard a loud whistle behind him. Startled, he moved to stand up and hit his head on the cabinet door above where he had been working.

“Ouch!” he exclaimed as he instinctively reached to rub his head. He turned and saw Trevor grinning ear to ear. Mark glared at him.