Jasper (11 page)

“We
taste good,” Trevor said.

“We
sure do,” he agreed. “Come on, let’s get cleaned up. I’ll start the coffee
while you start the shower.”

Jasper
hovered at the door so he could admire Trevor’s fantastic ass as he walked into
the bathroom. After he set the coffee pot, he joined his mate in the shower
where they cleaned each other off only to take turns on their knees first. By
the time they were out of the bathroom, they had just enough time to get to
Trevor’s and let him change clothes before they would be late for breakfast.

When
they arrived at the manor, several others were just getting there. Jasper was
glad Matthew was still outside. He came over to the Jeep and waited on Trevor
to get out. The teen grabbed Trevor in a man hug and said, “I’m so glad you’re
here.”

“Me
too,” Trevor replied, and by the smile on his face, he meant it. Jasper and
Matthew walked on either side of Trevor until they got to the door. Once
inside, the noise level rose to that of a small rock concert. Jasper grinned as
Trevor took it all in. He laughed when Priscilla grabbed Trevor and kissed him
on the cheek.

“There
you are, Trevor. It’s about time you came to visit.” She placed her hand on the
side of his face and gave him that smile every one of the Gargoyles had been
privileged to. She was the surrogate mother they all needed from time to time.

The
smile Trevor returned was so bright, Jasper knew his mate felt Priscilla’s
special brand of love. If he had been worried about Trevor fitting in, that
feeling passed as Trevor was swallowed up with the people he’d come to mean so
much to in the past few weeks. Abbi pulled Trevor to her and gave him a quick
hug, whispering something in his ear. Trevor nodded, and Abbi smiled. Jasper
wasn’t jealous of Abbi. He knew she had no designs on his man, but Frey on the
other hand was quickly by her side making sure Trevor’s hands stayed where they
should. Jasper laughed at the big Gargoyle. Abbi had been through hell and
back. Frey was her savior and, in a way, Trevor was Matthew’s. For that, he
knew Abbi would be forever grateful.

Kaya
let out a whistle getting everyone’s attention. Rafael grinned at his mate and
said, “Please take your seats.”

Trevor
now understood why everyone wanted Priscilla’s cooking. It was the best thing
ever. No, waking up in bed next to Jasper was the best thing ever. Priscilla’s
food came in a close second. He hadn’t been nervous about being in the presence
of the Gargoyles. Most of them he’d already met. They treated him like they did
everyone else. They joked around with him while including him in their
conversations. He wasn’t the goofy assistant most of the cops tended to avoid.
He had been nervous about seeing Kaya Kane, former police chief turned Queen of
the badasses. He could totally see it. She was a badass herself.

Any
previous interaction he’d had with the beautiful woman had been less than
stellar. His shy side came across as foolish when she’d ask him questions. He
had avoided her ever since he walked into her home. Luckily, his and Jasper’s
seats had been at the opposite end of the table. Trevor had never been in a
situation where a family sat down for a meal together and talked all the while
they were eating. Laughing, joking, having fun. Growing up, talking at the
table hadn’t been allowed unless it was to ask for someone to pass a bowl or
plate.

Once
everyone’s bellies were full, Rafael directed them to the game room. Jasper had
quickly shown Trevor around earlier, and he had seen the pool table covered
with presents. He knew they didn’t have kids yet, so it surprised him there
were so many gifts. Trevor stood next to Jasper as everyone made their way into
the room. While they were waiting, Trevor asked Jasper, “Who’s the older man?”
He hadn’t seen him earlier.

“That’s
Jonathan, Priscilla’s brother. While she takes care of the cooking, washing,
and cleaning, he takes care of everything else.”

“Aren’t
they human?” Trevor understood Gargoyles stopped aging.

“Yes.
There are certain families that have dedicated their lives to serving the
Gargoyles while keeping their secrets. A lot of the Goyles have human
housekeepers.”

“Do
you have one?” Trevor had never seen anyone at Jasper’s house, but then again,
he’d only been there a few times.

“No.
I’ve taken care of myself for so long, I don’t see the need.”

Trevor
noted that Jonathan didn’t appear to feel well. If he was human, it made sense
he could be sick. He returned his attention to the others. Connor and Amelia
sat on the floor together in front of Rafael while the adults spread out.
Rafael kissed Kaya softly before placing her in front of him. He wrapped his
arms around her waist, cradling her stomach. Kaya was carrying the heir to the
Gargoyle throne, and everyone was excited about the prospect of a baby.

Rafael
looked around the room smiling. “I want to thank you all for coming today. I
know we do this every week, but today’s a special day. First off, I want to let
you all know that Kaya and I will be getting married on New Year’s Day. We
finally have everyone back in the country, so we’re going to hurry up and get
married before someone else has to fly off to save a mate.” Everyone laughed,
but the worry was evident on some of their faces. “Since it will be cold and
the weather can be unpredictable, Frey and Abbi have offered the use of the
dance studio at their home. I hope you all will be there.” Rafael looked at
Trevor and smiled. He felt Jasper’s hand on his back briefly.

“Now,
for the fun stuff. Kaya and I are so thankful for every one of you, so we got
you each a little gift. It’s our way of saying we are grateful you’re part of
our family.” Rafael picked up the closest package and said, “Deacon.” He
continued handing out presents to everyone in attendance. When he called
Trevor’s name, Trevor was shocked to say the least. He felt his cheeks turning
red as he stepped up to the King. Kaya kissed him on the cheek and said, “I’m
so happy you’re here.”

“Thank
you,” he whispered. He took the present from Rafael who added, “That goes for
both of us.” He clapped Trevor on the shoulder before reaching out to pick up
the next present. Trevor returned to where he’d been standing and stared at the
package in his hand.

“Aren’t
you going to open it?” Jasper asked. He’d already ripped into his present and
was holding a video game that had yet to be released.

Trevor
carefully tore the paper open and sucked in a breath. When he looked up from
the extremely rare book he’d wanted forever, Rafael winked at him. “How did…”
He was speechless. He glanced up at Jasper who was grinning. “Did you do this?”

“How
would I know what books you want?” he asked, shrugging his shoulders.

Trevor
handed Priscilla the scrap paper as she brought a trash bag around. He ran his
fingers over the vintage hardback. The one thing he’d asked for, other than
Legos, for as long as he could remember, was this book. His parents refused to
even look for it, because it cost too much. Yet Rafael and Kaya, people he
barely knew, went out of their way to find it for him. Trevor was slowly coming
to understand what it truly meant to be part of a family. “But we didn’t get
them anything,” Trevor whispered to Jasper.

“Look
at them. They have everything they could ever want in each other as well as a
baby on the way.”

Trevor
didn’t miss the longing in Jasper’s voice. While he was admiring the inside of
his book, Connor came around handing out drawings. Trevor had seen the boy’s
work firsthand, and now it seemed he would have something of his own. “Here you
go, Trevor,” Connor said as he handed the artwork to him.

Trevor
could only stare in awe at the perfect replica of himself with Travis and
Molly.

“Thank
you Connor. This is excellent.”

“You’re
welcome. Jasper, here is yours.”

Jasper
studied his picture. He cocked his head to the side and smiled. “Thank you,
Connor. It’s perfect.” The boy walked around the room, handing out drawings
he’d made for everyone. The picture he’d given Jasper was of him wearing a
kilt, his sword held at his side. Everyone took turns passing around the
artwork, each as stunning as the other.

Trevor
excused himself to find the bathroom. He’d drunk way too much coffee. As he
rounded the corner, he noticed Dante and Connor speaking quietly. Dante asked,
“Connor, why did you draw a past picture for Trevor?”

“Because
his future is unclear, Da.” Dante accepted his son’s reason and nodded. Trevor
skirted around the other way so he wouldn’t be caught eavesdropping. As he
stood over the toilet, he thought about what the boy had said. He had seen some
of the drawings Connor drew of the future. Of course, everyone’s future was
uncertain. Anything could happen to anyone at any time, but he specifically
didn’t draw Trevor’s future. Was it because he was unsure about mating with
Jasper? He needed more time to decide if it was the right thing to do. They
hadn’t known each other very long, and they had only spent one night together.

He
washed his hands and returned to the family room. A game of pool had started
with Tessa and Gregor on one team and Deacon and Julian on the other.

“My
money’s on Tessa,” Jasper said as he caught up with him. “Here, why don’t you
and Matthew break this in?” He was holding out his video game.

“Don’t
you want to play?”

“I’ll
let you practice so that when we get home and I kick your ass, I won’t feel
bad.”

Trevor
barked out a laugh then quickly looked around. Nobody was looking at him
sideways for being loud. As a matter of fact, the noise level was already loud
where Tessa was running the table. He grabbed the game from Jasper and said,
“You’re on.” He didn’t have to search far for Matthew. He was already setting
up the gaming system.

“I
can’t believe Jas got this game. It’s not out for three more months!” Matthew
exclaimed as he put the disk in the machine. “You are so frickin’ lucky, man.”

Looking
around at all the people, Trevor had to admit he was feeling pretty lucky. For
the next couple of hours, Trevor was oblivious to his surroundings other than
the game in front of him. Jasper checked on him every so often and, at one
point, said he was running down to the station. When Trevor looked back up,
Jasper was back. He had a tendency to get engrossed in video games, especially
when he was getting his ass whipped. Matthew was ferocious, and Trevor was
going to win one game before he left the manor.

Eventually,
the crowd thinned out, and Jasper asked if he was ready to go. He was, only
because he finally won a game. He said goodbye to anyone who was lingering,
hoping to catch sight of Priscilla’s cookies. He thanked both Kaya and Rafael
for their hospitality, as well as the book, and walked with Jasper to the Jeep.
As they were riding down the road, Trevor couldn’t keep his excitement to
himself. “Is every Sunday like that? That was insane. And where did Tessa learn
to shoot pool? Man, she kicked everyone’s ass. Did you see Julian frowning,
trying to calculate the angles before each shot, then she’d waltz right up to
the table, barely aiming, and sink ball after ball. And what about those
drawings?”

Jasper
laughing at him ceased his rambling. He tended to talk a lot when he was
excited. Another habit his mother hated. He looked out the side window until
Jasper grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. “No, every Sunday isn’t
that way. There are fewer in attendance, but Rafe was adamant about everyone
clearing their schedules so they could be there for Christmas. Tessa is
something. I’m glad Gregor got her for a mate. If a warden can’t keep her under
control, nobody can. As for the drawings, yeah, Connor’s beyond talented. I’m
going to have mine framed and hang it on the wall.”

“I
have to tell you, I was nervous about going, but it felt good being around
everyone. Thank you for taking me.”

“Thank
you for going.” Jasper pulled their hands to his lips and kissed Trevor’s
knuckles. It might seem silly, but he loved when Jasper did it. He also loved
when he kissed him on the temple. It was tender and caring. When they pulled
down the driveway, Trevor saw a light coming from the front window. If he wasn’t
mistaken, it looked like the outline of a Christmas tree. He had to be seeing
things. Instead of going in the side door, Jasper took him around front. He
opened the door and said, “After you.”

Trevor
walked into the living room and froze. It
was
a Christmas tree. All lit
up with presents underneath. “What the hell?” he asked Jasper who was standing
with his hands in his pockets, grinning like he’d seen Santa put the presents
there himself. “Jas…”

“Trev…”
Jasper closed the distance and put his finger over Trevor’s mouth. “Merry
Christmas.”

“When
did you have time to do this? Wait… you said you were going to the station. You
big fibber.”

“I
didn’t want to spoil the surprise. Mason helped, so it didn’t take long”

“But
I didn’t get you anything.” Trevor wouldn’t know what to get him anyway.

“You’re
here. That’s the best present in the world. There is one thing I want, though.”

“Yeah,
what’s that?”

“This.”
Jasper pulled Trevor close and pressed their lips together. When Jasper teased
Trevor’s mouth with his tongue, Trevor opened for him. It started off slow and
easy, but the longer they stood there, the more intense it became. Jasper broke
the kiss and said, “Wait. I want you to open your presents.”

Trevor
groaned, adjusting his cock in his jeans. Jasper laughed and pushed his own
erection away from his zipper.

Jasper
said, “We have all night for that. Here.” He handed him a flat, flimsy present.
While Trevor was ripping the paper off, Jasper relit the fire.

Trevor
didn’t say anything. How could Jasper possibly know he had been searching for
this particular comic book since he was fourteen. Unless he called Travis.
“You’ve been talking to my brother, haven’t you? That’s how Rafael and Kaya
knew about the book.”

“Maybe,”
Jasper admitted somewhat.

“It’s
perfect. Thank you.”

“I’m
glad you like it. But there’s more. Here you go.”

Trevor
laughed when he opened a small set of Legos, his dimples showing for the first
time in too long. “This is great!” Jasper handed him another package, and
inside was a larger set of Legos. “I see a pattern here,” he said, grinning.
When Jasper picked up an even larger package, Trevor joked, “Let me guess…”
When he ripped the paper open, it was, indeed, the large set of Legos he’d been
looking at in the toy store. Smiling from ear to ear he said, “This is too
much. Thank you.”

“You’re
welcome. Come on, let’s clear off the table and get started.” Jasper wanted to
keep those cheeks dimpled and his green eyes sparkling.

“You
want to build these with me?” Trevor figured Jasper would want him to take them
to his apartment so they wouldn’t get all over his home.

“Why
do you think I got the big set? Of course I want to do this together.”

Jasper
cleared off the large cedar chest he used as a coffee table, and they opened all
three boxes. By the light of both the fire and the Christmas tree, they worked
together building a couple of Darth Vader’s TIE fighters as well as an Imperial
Star Destroyer. The fact they both liked
the dark side
wasn’t lost on
Trevor.