Thwarted - 21. Chapter Twenty-One

“Time to get up.”

Lips pressed against Mark’s then retreated as a weight settled on the edge of the bed.

Mark groaned and opened his eyes to see Trey sitting next to him.

“What time is it?” It couldn’t be six yet, he’d set his alarm and he hadn’t heard it go off.

“A little before six.”

Mark groaned and covered his eyes with his arm. “I thought we weren’t getting up until six.”

“I woke up early and went out to get us breakfast. Fresh cinnamon rolls, covered in icing”—Trey grinned—“and coffee.”

Coffee.

Mark dropped his arm and smiled. He might just be able to function with coffee. Cinnamon rolls didn’t sound too bad either.

“Thought that might change your mind”—Trey chuckled and stood—“I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

Mark flung the covers back and climbed out of bed as Trey left. He’d need a shower before they left, but he could do that after he’d had a cup of coffee and, apparently, a cinnamon roll. Before anything else, his bladder was screaming for release.

He shuffled into the bathroom and took care of his immediate needs and splashed water on his face to help him wake up. He even took a moment to swish with mouth wash before going back to his bedroom and tugging on a pair of pajama pants. Trey was sitting at the table cradling a cup of coffee when Mark finally emerged from the bedroom feeling somewhat human.

“Morning.” Trey stood and walked over to the coffee pot. He came back a moment later carrying a steaming cup of caffeinated goodness. “Sit. I’ll get your cinnamon roll.”

Mark savored the first sip before following Trey’s order. He watched Trey pull two plates from the oven. He set one in front of Mark and the other where he’d been sitting when Mark came in.

“The plate might be a little hot; I didn’t want them to get cold so I had the oven on warm.”

“How did you manage this without waking me up?” He wasn’t a heavy sleeper. If Trey had set an alarm, Mark would have woken up to it as well. Hell, he should have woken up when Trey got out of bed.

“I had my phone tucked under my pillow.” Trey shrugged and sat back down. “I found this great place on my way back to the base one morning that make the best cinnamon rolls. Thought it would be a good way to start the day.”

“It’s perfect.” Mark tore a piece off the warm roll and popped it in his mouth. He hadn’t had a cinnamon roll that wasn’t from a can in longer than he could remember, but he was going to have to have Trey point out the place. So many places skimped on the icing or the cinnamon, but these were delicious. He swallowed and took a drink of coffee. “These are awesome!”

“I thought so.”

They ate in silence after that, but it didn’t really bother Mark. Truthfully, he wasn’t really sure what to say. He didn’t really want to talk about how he was slightly nervous about meeting Trey’s parents. He needed to meet Trey’s family. Trey had met Jackie, even if their first meeting hadn’t gone so well; he’d still done it. What was it his sister had always told him whenever she’d done something to him that he’d done to her? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Mark chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Trey was looking at him, one eyebrow raised.

“I was just thinking of that old saying, about the goose and the gander”—Mark laughed at the perplexed look on Trey’s face—“only, you’re sure as hell not a goose!”

“Are you feeling okay?” Trey no longer looked perplexed, he looked concerned.

Mark laughed and nodded. Yeah, Trey probably thought he’d lost his mind, but it was all good. He popped the last bite of cinnamon roll into his mouth and stood. He washed the sweet down with coffee and set his cup on the table before moving around to where Trey was sitting.

“Thank you for breakfast.” Mark leaned down and kissed Trey. He wanted to deepen the kiss but knew if he did they’d never get on the road, especially since he still needed to shower. “I’m going to go get showered and ready to go. Give me a half hour or so and we can hit the road.”

“Works for me, we still taking your truck?”

“Unless you’d rather we take yours. Doesn’t really matter to me.” Mark’s truck was a bit more comfortable to ride in, but if Trey wanted to take his Mark wouldn’t complain.

“Nope, I’m good. Just figured that while you were showering I’d go move stuff around.”

“Sounds good.” Mark had one spot assigned specifically for his apartment. Mark had already let the rental office know that Trey’s truck would be occupying the spot for the week so that it wouldn’t be towed away while they were gone.

Mark left Trey to finish his breakfast and headed for the bathroom. He was tempted to take his time, but he knew that Trey was anxious to get on the road. He barely waited for the water to get warm before stepping into the shower and made quick work of washing his body and hair. Within just a few minutes of stepping under the warm spray he was stepping out onto the bathmat and wrapping a towel around his waist.

He’d told Trey a half hour but less than fifteen minutes after heading for the bathroom he was walking back into the kitchen, dressed and ready to go, his bag slung over his shoulder.

“You ready?” He dropped his bag next to the door and scanned the apartment to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.

“Yep, you?” Trey stepped over from where he’d been leaning against the counter.

“As ready as I’m going to get.”