Chapter 18
“Are
you nervous about today?” Ford’s voice was scratchy with sleep; his body, hot and hard.
“What’s today?” Trevor wriggled his ass against Ford’s groin, but kept his face turned away so Ford wouldn’t see his smile.
“It’s the best day of my life,” Ford whispered in his ear and kissed his shoulders.
“Mine too,” Trevor said, unable to tease in the wake of such sweetness. “I’m excited but not nervous.” He reached back and caressed Ford’s hip. “It’s still early. Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I want you.” Ford rocked his erection against Trevor’s ass and dragged his lips across the back of Trevor’s shoulders and over his nape.
“Mmm, you have me.” Trevor rolled onto his stomach, braced himself on his forearms, and tucked his knees forward. “Every part of me.”
A gentle hand caressed his back before careful fingers parted his cheeks, and cool, slick liquid drizzled into his crease.
“Mind, body, and soul?” Ford asked quietly as he circled his fingertips over Trevor’s pucker.
“Anything you need, Ford.” Trevor spread his legs farther apart. “Everything you want.”
“Need you.” Ford knelt between Trevor’s legs, flattened his palm on Trevor’s back, and pressed his cock against Trevor’s hole. “Want you.” He slowly inched forward, heating Trevor from the inside. “Love you.”
Trevor glanced back over his shoulder and looked into Ford’s half-lidded eyes. “I love you too.”
Skimming his hands over Trevor’s back, Ford kept his pace steady until he was completely buried, his balls nestled against Trevor. He then pressed his chest to Trevor’s back, threaded their fingers together, and huffed hot breath against Trevor’s neck as he pumped in and out of his body.
The sounds of their joining, soft grunts and slapping skin, filled the room, elevating Trevor’s arousal. He snapped his hips, meeting Ford’s thrusts, and squeezed his inner muscles to give Ford more sensation.
“Trevor,” Ford groaned, his fingers spasming. “Ungh, Trevor.” He rocked faster, drove harder, and then he shoved all the way inside and froze. “Trev,” he gasped. “Yes.” He bit the back of Trevor’s neck and pulsed long streams of ejaculate into his passage.
With Ford draped over his back, and his heart racing as he gasped for air, Trevor supported himself on one arm and fisted his dick with his free hand. The scent of sex and sweat in the air and the feeling of Ford’s shaft still stretching him, ramped up Trevor’s pleasure so it didn’t take long. A half a dozen strokes and he was moaning and trembling as he shot hot seed over his fingers and onto the sheets.
“Trevor,” Ford whispered reverently. He rolled off Trevor’s back and tugged on his shoulder. “Come here.”
Trevor flipped over and pulled Ford into his arms, holding him tightly and kissing whatever skin he could reach. Ford clung to him until, eventually, his breathing evened, his body relaxed, and he fell back asleep.
“Going to marry you today.” Trevor brushed their cheeks together. “Make you mine forever.”
“What are you doing over here?” Ford asked as he walked down the West Colonnade and approached Trevor.
“Taking time to smell the flowers.” Trevor tapped the tall shrub beside him. “By which I mean, hiding behind the bushes.” He raised his glass to his mouth and took a sip of mango punch.
“It’s not polite to hide at your own party.”
“I thought the song said I could do whatever I want to if it’s my party.”
“That applies to crying not hiding.” Ford curled his fingers around Trevor’s and raised the glass to his own mouth. “Mmm. This is good.”
Trevor leaned forward and lapped at Ford’s lips. “Yes, it is.”
Though his cheeks reddened, Ford’s mouth curled up in a happy smile.
“You look gorgeous in this suit.” Trevor ran his hands over Ford’s lapel and fingered his bow tie. “I’m looking forward to taking it off you tonight.”
Ford parted his lips and made a surprised, aroused sound. “You’re not allowed to seduce me in public, Trevor.” The words were scolding, but he stepped closer to Trevor as he said them.
“Not seducing, just talking.” Trevor cupped Ford’s cheek.
“Yeah, well, you talking is enough to seduce me.” Ford sighed. “The ceremony is about to start. We need to get out there.”
“I’ll be there for the part where I get to marry you, but I’m out of patience for chit chat.”
“Mindless chatter is par for the course any time you get two hundred and fifty people in one room.” He glanced around. “Or in this case, one garden. It’s so pretty out here. I never thought I’d be getting married in the White House Rose Garden.”
“I never thought I’d get married period.”
“I’m glad you changed your mind about that.” Ford looked at him, his expression serious.
“Me too.” They gazed at each other in silence for several long seconds and then Trevor sighed resignedly and said, “Okay. I’m ready to face the masses again. But I swear, if one more person asks me to give their derelict relative a job or contribute to their favorite weird charity or buy them a house, I’ll lose my mind.”
“You think that’s bad? I have to deal with people telling me how they’re doing after I ask them how they’re doing. Can you believe the nerve?”
“Cute.” Trevor grasped Ford’s elbow. “Very cute.”
“Glad you think so. Let’s go.”
They walked along one edge of the rectangle that surrounded the Rose Garden and were about to turn the corner when the sound of voices on the other side of the shrubbery stopped them in their tracks.
“Senator Hollingsworth. Lovely afternoon, isn’t it?”
“Good afternoon, Mister President. Yes, the weather’s perfect today. Not too hot and not too cold.”
“September is one of my favorite months in the capital, second after March when the cherry blossoms are in season. I’m sure you’ll miss being here during the Cherry Blossom Festival now that you’re retiring.”
There was a lull in the conversation and Trevor tensed. His father was like a snake, silence meant an imminent attack.
Sure enough, once he spoke again, it was with a passive-aggressive barb. “They said you want to spend more time with your family? I’m sure Aceve was disappointed to lose your support on the floor. Or maybe they’re too busy focusing on other issues to notice right now.”
“Theresa wants to have me home more,” Bradford bit out, his tone tense. “The grandkids are growing up and I want to spend time with them.”
“I see,” said Trevor’s father disbelievingly.
“I have to say, I expected more of your people here today.” Bradford said the word people like an expletive. “This type of event completely panders to your demographic and I’ve never known you to give up a publicity opportunity.”
“I would have liked to invite more people, but Trevor refuses to see the potential election value in his wedding and we weren’t able to convince him otherwise. You know how it is with the next generation. They’re stubborn as mules and they won’t listen to reason.”
There was another moment of silence, and Trevor squeezed Ford’s hand, letting him know that his loyalty lay with Ford irrespective of who came out ahead in their fathers’ version of a fistfight.
As expected, Trevor’s father spoke again. “Frankly, I thought the number of attendees would be even lower, but it seems your friends and colleagues decided to take a break from thumping their Bibles and screaming about sin long enough to join us.”
His voice louder and angrier, Bradford said, “There’s no shame in honoring our Lord and this is my son’s wedding. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
“Right. You’re all about family values, aren’t you?” Trevor’s father scoffed. “Just as long as it’s your family. We both know you were dead set against giving gay people the right to marry when it came up to vote, Senator. Don’t all those other families matter?”
Trevor grimaced, leaned close to Ford, and whispered in his ear. “Tell me you want me to go over there and stop them and I will.”
“No.” Ford shook his head. “That’ll only bring attention to them and besides—” He let out a tired breath. “They’re going to have to learn to deal with each other. In an hour, they’ll be related.”
“Gentleman, let’s keep our voices down.”
“Is that your mother?” Ford asked under his breath.
“Uh-huh.”
His eyes widened in fear. “Maybe I was wrong about not stopping them.”
Her tone pleasant but firm, she continued speaking, “People are watching, and the last thing we want leading the evening news is you two bickering. Ford’s election is in less than fourteen months. It’ll serve you both well to keep your eye on the prize and remember we’re all on the same side.”
One of their fathers grunted and the other cleared his throat.
“The ceremony is going to start in a few minutes,” said Trevor’s mother. “Let’s put smiles on our faces and take our seats.”
Trevor flicked his gaze to the rows of white chairs, occupied by people who were looking at him and Ford as they stepped onto the carpet serving as a makeshift aisle.
As if sensing his discomfort, Ford whispered, “It’s not too late to run.”
Though he disliked crowds and events, Trevor’s heart swelled with affection and pride in reaction to being publicly claimed by kind, smart, and competent Ford Hollingsworth.
“The only running I’m doing is toward you.” Trevor reached for Ford’s hand.
Smiling, Ford twined their fingers. “Then let’s do this thing so we can run away from all these people together.” Their gazes met and held; love, respect, and desire shining in their eyes. “Ready to be my family?”
From the romanticized television shows Trevor had watched as a child, to Ford’s traditional upbringing, to the unique but rabid version of loyalty his own parents shared, that word meant different things to different people. But Trevor trusted that he and Ford would find the core values that mattered to them and build their perfect version of a family.
“Ready.”