Page 82 of Point of Contact

Trevor heaved a ragged sigh, and after a moment Jesse rested his hand on his shin and give it a comforting squeeze.

“Well, he was an adult,” Trevor forced out, striving to keep his voice even. “He didn’t have to check in with me on the decisions he made. It’s just—Jesus Christ. A motorcycle?”

Jesse petted his leg anxiously, and all of a sudden Trevor was overwhelmed with amusement. He snorted, then laughed outright, collapsing back into the pillows. “Oh, Riles. Will you ever cease to amaze me?” He rolled his head to look at Jesse. “What else can you surprise me with tonight? Did he have a secret wife or something?”

Jesse quirked his lips. “No wife, although I’m pretty sure he was in love with the photographer embedded with us for a few months.”

“Seriously? What was she like?”

The look in Jesse’s eyes grew faraway, and Trevor gulped when he didn’t move his hand, instead moving it down to stroke the top of Trevor’s foot absently with his thumb.

“Hilarious and brave. Pretty. All the guys were a little in love with her. She was a bright spot in a really dreary place.”

“What happened to her?” Trevor cleared his throat, trying to ignore the little tingles that were racing from his foot to his groin as Jesse’s thumb traced over his ankle bone, across his instep and back again. Christ, who knew an ankle was a fucking erogenous zone?

“She went on leave when Riley and I did. To see her fiancé.”

“Her fiancé? Oh. Poor Riles.”

Jesse squeezed Trevor’s foot and let his hand fall away, much to Trevor’s regret. “Yeah. He didn’t have much of a chance, although I think Kimi may have had more feelings for him than she’d admit. After he died, she emailed me that she couldn’t go through with the story, that it was too painful to think about editing the pictures.”

Trevor turned on his side to face him. “Pictures?” he asked wistfully. “What I wouldn’t give to see those.”

Jesse’s eyes were warm with understanding. “I know. That’s why I called her before we left, and asked her to mail me a thumb drive.”

Trevor caught his breath, and before he knew it, he was reaching out to grip Jesse’s bare shoulder. “Really, Jess?”

“Yep. It should be there by the time we get home.” Jesse bit his lip. “When you said before that I can’t take you back to Afghanistan, well, in a way I can. He’s in most of the pictures.”

Trevor closed his eyes against the sudden sting of tears.

“When you’re ready, Trev. Only when you’re ready.”

Emotion rose up and clogged Trevor’s throat. “I want to know what happened to him. But I—I’m not—”

“Hey. I’m not going anywhere,” Jesse said gently. “So when you are ready, I promise you I won’t be far away.”

Trevor nodded, keeping his eyes closed, and he felt the bed shift as Jesse moved up to settle on the pillow next to him. They lay quietly, Trevor drifting off to sleep to the sound of Jesse’s quiet breaths.

* * *

Jesse downshifted into the slight curve, Trevor’s arms tightening around his waist as they leaned into it. A few seconds later they roared into the Tetsuo Harano tunnel on the H-3, and Jesse’s anticipation built as he waited for Trevor’s reaction to the view that awaited them on the other side.

Pure exhilaration was making Jesse’s body sing—a combination of the powerful machine he was piloting and the feeling of Trevor perched behind him, his knees splayed about Jesse’s hips.

Shit, I have it bad.

They burst out of the tunnel, and just like Jesse’d hoped, he heard Trevor’s gasp of awe through his helmet mic as the incredible vista opened below them.

“Oh my God, that’s gorgeous,” Trevor breathed.

“Kaneohe Bay. That whole peninsula there is the Marine Corps base, which is where our beach cottage is.”

They wended their way out of the Ko‘olau Range down toward the Ha’iku Valley, the deep blue-green ocean spread out below them as far as the eye could see.

“Welcome to the windward side of Oahu, Trevor.”

The traffic thickened as they approached the sentry at the entrance to the base, and Jesse reached into the zippered pocket of his leather jacket for his ID. It wasn’t long before they were hanging a left on Mokapu Road toward the airstrip.