Strange Days Ch. 42-47

"I know the risks, Miss Carter," I heard him say. "I know how I feel, and I know what I'm doing."

Mom was quiet for a moment, then said, "Okay, honey. I won't bring it up again."

"Thanks," he told her, and I could hear the appreciative smile in his tone.

Sarah got up from the couch, leaving me with Paula. I glanced at her and put my hand on her leg.

"How's Johnny," I asked.

Paula was still looking at the TV. She took a breath and replied, "He's so angry. Doesn't want me to see him like that."

I nodded. "He has a lot to be angry about."

"I know," she nodded back, looked down at her lap, wrung her hands together. "But I need him right now."

I put my hand over both of hers and squeezed them gently.

Paula sighed and looked at nothing in particular. "He needs me too. I know that. But I...I just can't seem to get through to him, and..." she trailed off.

"What is it, sweetie?"

She looked at me. "I'd rather not be alone right now, not at night, not in my bed."

There was no hesitation on my part. "Would you like to stay with us for a while?"

Paula looked at me, surprised, then she grinned and said quietly, "This doesn't have anything to do with last night, does it?"

I chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe." I patted her hands. "No, it doesn't. I just want you to have the support you need."

She smiled. "That's really sweet of you. But where would I sleep?"

"Well," I shrugged a shoulder. "You could sleep with me, or Sarah, or Trevor, or Mom. Hell, take your pick."

Paula laughed softly, then asked. "You mean it?"

I nodded and smiled.

She leaned over to kiss my cheek. "Thank you, Amy."

Behind us, I heard Sarah say softly, "You're really going to stay with us for a while?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see her in the kitchen with Trevor. He was standing in front of the sink, washing dishes and setting them out to dry on a rack, and she was leaning back against the counter, arms crossed over her stomach.

"Mm-hmm," Trevor nodded without looking up.

"Thank you," Sarah said quietly, and something in her tone made him look at her. "She needs you right now, and that you're willing to..." she stopped, took a breath, and smiled. "You're a great guy, Trevor."

He smiled at her, such a warm, lovely smile.

Then to my surprise, Sarah turned to him, put her hand on his lower back for balance, and stood up on the tips of her toes to kiss the corner of his mouth. Trevor's look of surprise was priceless, as was Sarah's blush, but for me, seeing them like that together was even better.

"They're kind of cute," Paula said beside me, grinning.

I had to agree.

It took me the rest of the day to realize that I hadn't asked Trevor about his hands. Everyone else was getting settled into bed, so that gave Trevor and me a moment alone. As he helped me to my feet and slipped my arm around his shoulder, I stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Your hands," I said, looking into his eyes. "What happened?"

He gave me a long look, then turned to put his hands on my shoulders. "Amy, when I saw you in the hospital, I...I just lost it." He took a deep breath before continuing. "It was selfish of me, I know, but I felt so helpless, and I was so angry...I had to do something. I couldn't let them get away with it."

Trevor trailed off, looking past my shoulder, at nothing.

I put my hand on the side of his face, made him look at me. "Trevor?"

The muscles of his jaw tightened. "I found Johnny, made him tell me where his brother might be." He snorted then, lips forming a crooked grin, bittersweet. "I thought I'd have to threaten him, or kick his ass, to make him tell me, but gawd, Amy..." he shook his head. "He was so pissed." The grin was gone. Trevor shrugged a shoulder. "Anyway, we found them together."

When he didn't continue, I said, "And?"

He looked at me again, kissed my forehead. "I think the less you know, the better."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him close, nodded against his chest.

He was probably right. Plausible deniability and all that. Actually, he'd probably already told me too much, but I didn't need to hear any more to know what had happened. Detective Willis had told me that someone beat up Todd and his friends pretty bad. I was torn on how to feel about it. I mean, I didn't exactly approve of what Trevor had done, but I couldn't hold it against him, couldn't fault him for it. That would be like the pot calling the kettle black, considering what I had done to help Paula. The only difference was that the odds had been stacked against me, since it was five to one. Oh, and I weighed at least sixty or seventy pounds less than Trevor.

"Let's get you to bed," he whispered, kissing the top of my head.

I tilted my chin up. He kissed me again, on the forehead, then his lips pressed a delicate kiss to my eyebrow. He felt so good against me, so warm, and his strong arms around me made me feel safe, loved. His lips moved lower, and I closed my eyes. He kissed my closed eye, down my cheek, making me sigh. When his lips fluttered against mine, I felt his arms tighten around me possessively. I didn't just feel safe and loved now. I felt wanted, and I liked it.

I kissed his lips, brushed my tongue against them, and when he opened his mouth to accept me, I grabbed the back of his head and kissed him long and deep.

"I wish Mom wasn't here right now," I whispered against his lips.

Trevor chuckled under his breath. He kissed me again, smoothing a hand down my back in a tender caress, making me shiver. His mouth claimed mine, arms tight around me, and he was getting hard. I could feel his arousal digging into my stomach, where heat was blossoming deep inside me. Before I knew it, I was trying to open the fly of his shorts, but his hands stopped me.

"We better stop," he breathed against my mouth.

"Uh-huh," I agreed, still kissing him, sliding a hand down the back of his shorts to cup his wonderfully tight ass.

"Amy," he sighed.

"Yes, Trevor?" I teased, grinning against his lips.

He hesitated, his body tensed, then he said, "I think I might like guys."

I froze, leaned back quickly, eyes wide, all thoughts of sex blown out of my head. "What did you say?"

He laughed under his breath. "How's that for a bucket of cold water?"

I frowned and slapped his chest. "You ass."

Still chuckling, Trevor led me to bed. Paula was already tucked in there, and Sarah was in hers. I gave him a nod that I was okay and he left me to get into Sarah's bed in his boxers. I pulled my tee shirt off and dropped it to the floor, and as I was stepping out of my shorts, I saw Sarah had rolled over to face Trevor, snuggling against his chest. He looked at me briefly and I grinned, then he smiled and settled in, wrapping an arm around her, tucking her head under his chin. I'm pretty sure he sniffed at her hair too. I know I would have. I adored the way Sarah smelled.

I climbed into bed and drew the covers over me.

Paula smiled but her eyes were closed. "Hey, you."

"Hey," I smiled back and snuggled close to her, but I wasn't prepared to feel so much bare skin against me.

Paula was naked.

I gave a little gasp.

"I only had the one nightgown," she whispered.

I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her nose, felt her wrap an arm around me too. "I'm not complaining."

Paula tilted my chin up with her nose, then gave me a sweet kiss on my lips. Her hand slid over my back and to my bare hip. "Want me to give you a hand again?" She whispered conspiratorially.

I chuckled.

I did and I didn't. Her hand had felt so good the night before, so soft and warm, stroked me so tenderly, and she'd made me cum so fucking hard. But tonight, I was tired, sore, waiting for the painkillers to kick in.

"Rain check," I replied sleepily.

Paula smiled against my mouth, kissed me again, and snuggled even closer to me. The firm tips of her breasts against my chest almost made me change my mind.

Chapter 47

Trevor was packing up the next morning to go back to Princeton and finish up his semester. Paula was helping Mom with breakfast. I was still in bed, and Sarah was snuggled up to me, her back against my chest. My hand was idly drifting back and forth over Sarah's bare stomach – I'd tugged her tee shirt up and out of the way earlier. Both of us were watching Trevor pack the last of his things. He glanced at us, grinned, and shook his head.

"You two look like your puppy is being taken away."

"Youarekind of a dog," Sarah teased him.

He gave her an indignant look. "I am not!"

"Do you really have to go?" I pouted. Of course, I knew he did, but I wasn't going to let him get away so easily.

"Unfortunately," he sighed, zipped up his bag, and sat down on the edge the mattress on Sarah's side.

"But we were going to have so much fun this morning," I wined, and I slid my hand under Sarah's shorts.

Trevor raised an eyebrow, watching my hand slip further down Sarah's warm body, pushing up the fabric of her shorts over her mound, where my fingers softly caressed her. Sarah gave a soft sigh and arced her back against me, then she moaned sexily. She was warm down there, but not wet, so I knew she was putting on a show to tease Trevor.

"You guys aren't making this easy, you know," he frowned.

"I think that's....oh gawd, Amy," Sarah moaned and writhed, fully in character now. "I think that's the point, Trevor."

"You're so wet, Sarah," I whispered in her ear, grinning over at Trevor, who frowned harder. Of course, Sarah was actually getting wet now, but not overly so. "I bet you could take every inch of Trevor's cock like this."

Trevor's eyebrows shot up, and Sarah hissed. "Gawd, yes." She rolled her head to look at him, then pouted. "But I guess you have to go, huh?"

Trevor promptly picked up a pillow and slapped her across the head with it. "You're such a bitch."

Sarah laughed loudly, shaking the bed with it. I laughed with her. We found him smiling down at us fondly, and there was so much affection there that Sarah and I disentangled from each other and reached for him at the same time. He took our hands, let us pull him down to the bed, between us. I curled up against his side, Sarah on the other.

I laid my head down on his chest, smoothed my hand over his shirt covering his hard stomach. "I'll miss you."

Trevor kissed my head, said quietly, "I'll miss you too."

Sarah pushed up onto her elbow to glare down at Trevor. "What about me?"

He grinned and touched his fingertips to her cheek, and her frown disappeared, a smile gradually forming. "Maybe a little," he shrugged a shoulder.

Sarah gazed down at him, and Trevor up at her. Something was passing between them. I could see it, feel it. Sarah's hand was on his opposite hip, but I watched it smooth up over his stomach to his chest, to rest over his heart. Her eyes shimmered with feeling. I couldn't say for certain, of course, but I think she was grateful for his help, glad to have him with us, and I think she wanted him to stay as much as I did.

"Oh, quit stalling, you two," I sighed.

Both of them looked at me uncertainly.

I gave them a grin and said, "Just kiss already."

They looked at each other. I watched with anticipation. Sarah was beginning to behave with Trevor as she had with me months ago, so while I couldn't be sure how she felt for him, I knew it was much more than it had been previously. Were they finally going to do it? Cross that bridge? Lying there, looking at the two of them, I wanted them to. Hoped they would.

Trevor grinned, Sarah grinned back at him, then they chuckled.

Sarah rolled out of bed and offered Trevor a hand up. "Come on, slacker. You better hit the road."

Trevor took her hand and got up.

Dammit.

Trevor came around to my side of the bed to help me up, while Sarah grabbed his duffel bag. We walked him to the elevator. Okay, I hobbled him to the elevator, but whatever. He gave me a warm hug, then he kissed me so tenderly, so sweetly, holding me close.

Gawd, I didn't want him to go. I felt so safe with him, so loved, and he felt so good. The rational part of me knew he would be back in less than two weeks, but he was still leaving, and it still hurt.

Wait.

It hurt?

I felt my heart beating faster, harder, and there was a knot in my stomach, a feeling that worsened with every passing second, and it was because he was leaving, and I was afraid he wasn't coming back.

I knew this feeling. I'd experienced it before, with Sarah.

Oh my God.

"Trevor?" I said softly, making it a question.

"Yeah?" he replied, smoothing a hand up my back to cradle the back of my head.

I felt tears in my eyes, the good kind. I held him tighter and whispered in his ear, "I love you."

Trevor took a sharp breath, tightened his arms around me for just a moment, then he drew back to kiss the shit out of me. I felt it then, my love for him, and it blew me away.

I loved him. No, it wasn't as powerful as how I felt for Sarah, but one day, maybe it could be.

"I love you too," he whispered against my mouth.

He held me for a while longer, and though I couldn't see her, I swear I could feel Sarah smiling happily at us. Eventually, Trevor and I drew apart. He turned to Sarah and she passed his bag to him. When he took the straps in his hand, Sarah put her hand over his and stepped close.

"Hurry back," she said simply.

Trevor nodded, looked at her for a long moment, then he leaned down to kiss her cheek. Sarah stopped him with a hand on his cheek, turned his face ever so slightly, and kissed him on the mouth. It wasn't short, it wasn't long, and her lips moved against his only once, but it wasn't the kiss of a friend. It was something more. Besides, the way her shapely body molded itself to his wasn't something a friend would do.

Something I hadn't expected? Watching them kiss was an incredible turn-on.

"Oh, you two aredefinitelygoing to do more of that later," I warned them.

They chuckled, blushed, gave each other a hug, and Sarah smiled at me over his shoulder. Trevor stepped into the elevator, waved goodbye, and shut the doors. As the elevator groaned its way down, I glanced at Sarah. She stared at the closed doors for a moment, deep in thought, then noticed me watching her.

"What?" she asked.

I grinned and said in a sing-song tone, "Sar-ah likes Tre-vor, Sar-ah likes Tre-vor."

"Shut up," she playfully slapped my shoulder.

Sarah helped me to the table, where breakfast was almost ready. Paula was setting down the last of the silverware, and she grinned at Sarah.

"I saw that," she teased.

Sarah frowned. "You can shut up too."

Paula and I chuckled.

Mom joined us last, setting down a huge platter of French toast. As she passed behind my chair to sit beside me, she kissed the side of my head and whispered, "Congratulations."

She must have heard what I said to Trevor. I glanced at her and she was smiling knowingly. I nodded, gave her a smile of my own.

Breakfast was wonderful, but knowing how I felt about Trevor,finally, made it even better. I looked across the table at Sarah, transfixed by her beauty as she talked to Paula about her modeling work with Armia. The late morning sun made her glow, her eyes were so big and bright, so warm and welcoming. Gawd, she was beautiful, and holy hell, did I ever love her.