The rest of the meeting went how Trevor expected it to—a general update on what another field team was tracking down. It was strange receiving a briefing and knowing that he wouldn’t be responsible for hunting down the perpetrators of the attack. While that was no longer his life, he missed the structure the military and the MDF had provided him on a daily basis.
“Medical school isn’t enough for you?” Katie teased when they left the meeting an hour later.
“It’s more than enough. I’m missing it right now and I’ll regret it come exam time,” Trevor said with a wince.
“I’m sure Anika will bring you up to speed later. How’s Brendan doing?”
Trevor glanced at her as they headed for the elevator. “Dig deep?”
“Didn’t dig at all. He’s right there on the surface of your thoughts.”
Katie didn’t sound affronted at his question and he didn’t mind her reading his thoughts. None of them did; Trevor just didn’t realize he’d been projecting so much during their telepathic aside during the briefing.
“He’s fine. Chafing a bit at the restrictions the MDF have put on him, but he understands why we’re being careful.”
The elevator doors slid open and they stepped inside. “Maybe you should make it up to him by buying him dinner.”
“I’d rather make him dinner.”
He knew doing so would put a smile on Brendan’s face, and Trevor liked when the other man was happy. His smile was cute, and Trevor preferred it over the worry he’d seen in Brendan’s eyes from time to time over the past few days.
He’d also prefer Brendan in his bed, but that was a delicate dance Trevor was still navigating.
Katie smirked at him. “Even better.”
“What are your plans for tonight?”
“Matthew is taking me to the opera. I’ve been waiting to seeLa Traviataall year.”
“Caterwauling has never been my favorite way to pass an evening.”
Katie smacked him in the arm with her fist as the elevator came to a stop on the ground floor. “Asshole.”
Trevor grinned at her as they stepped out of the elevator, getting out of the way of people impatient to get in. “Seriously, though. Have a great evening.”
“I’m a thought away if you can’t hail me on comms,” Katie said, tapping her temple.
“I know.”
Trevor crossed the lobby and left the main building, buttoning up his jacket as he went. Katie’s words about dinner tumbled through his mind and he couldn’t bring himself to ignore the idea. It was Thursday, the start of Brendan’s forty-eight hours off between his twenty-four-hour shifts. Trevor had left Brendan at home since he didn’t have clearance to come to the base, and Trevor had been specifically requested to appear in person.
He knew Brendan was getting bored from having to remain inside all the time when he wasn’t working. He wondered if Brendan would prefer a dinner out on the town, but the idea of cooking for the other man wouldn’t leave Trevor alone.
He pulled up the sleeve of his jacket, accessing his bioware and putting a call through to Brendan. The line picked up after a couple of rings.
“Hey,” Brendan said when he answered. “Meeting over already?”
“Yeah. I’m on my way back. Thought I’d stop at the store to pick up some food for dinner. Craving anything?”
“You were talking about fajitas the other night and complaining that no one does them right in D.C.”
“No one does,” Trevor retorted as he got into his car. “I’ll show you why if that’s what you want.”
Brendan laughed. “Fajitas it is. I’ll just be waiting here, bored out of my mind.”
“I’m sorry. If you really need to stretch your legs, I can take you out after dinner. We can hit up a movie or something.”
Trevor put the offer out there as casually as he could, hoping Brendan would say yes. He didn’t want to pressure Brendan—the other man was stressed enough as it was—but Trevor really wished they’d met under different circumstances. Brendan was hot in a sexy, boy-next-door kind of way that Trevor wanted to ravish. The last few days drifting around each other in Brendan’s tiny apartment had been a test of Trevor’s self-control.
