Gifted Connections: Book 3

by SM Olivier

  I looked up, slightly startled. He had on his chef coat, and I remembered that he had skipped the excursion out to work in the kitchens. Since he began assisting in the kitchens the DFAC had become considerably better. He was working more as a trainer than a chef, but he was definitely back into his element.

  “Hey there.” He smiled at me. “How’s it going?” From his intonation, I knew he knew I was struggling.

  I sighed. “Does everyone know how bad I was doing?”

  He chuckled as he sat down on the couch next to me. He removed his glasses and leaned back to look at me. I stared into his beautiful eyes and almost forgot about my ire and our conversation. “You know Pops gets weekly reports on you from Mr. Bates and the school. He did suggest that we give you some time to focus on school work.”

  “Well, I made some good head-way today. I should be completely caught up by Saturday. Are you guys ready for the Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow?” I put down my book and turned slightly towards him. I reached out and ran my hand through his hair.

  The desire to be with him rose within me. I needed a release from the tension that had been boiling within. He closed his eyes under my ministrations.

  “Almost,” he said. “It’s going to be an early morning. I’m just glad we don’t serve breakfast or dinner tomorrow. Just the thanksgiving meal. You should get back to work,” he opened his eyes, but I knew he was in no hurry to move away from my fingers.

  I got up onto my knees and straddled his lap. “I need to take a break.”

  His eyes darkened with desire as he shifted beneath me. “What did you have in mind?”

  I kissed the corner of his mouth, then I nibbled the side of his neck until I gently captured his ear with my teeth. I heard his breath hitch and felt his reaction beneath me.

  “What did you think I had in mind?” I husked.

  He grabbed the bottom of my shirt and yanked it above my head. “Hopefully the same thing I’ve had on my mind too much lately,” he muttered. He grabbed the back of my head with one of his hands as he plundered my lips with his own. His other hand was busy caressing my skin.

  I felt a pull in my stomach as warmth spread between my legs. I began to unbutton his chef’s coat, eager to feel his skin against my fingertips. When he noticed my impatience, he chuckled softly and helped me remove his coat and T-shirt.

  “You should be studying,” he said reluctantly as he removed my bra. His words contradicted his movements before he took one of my nipples into his mouth.

  “Later. I need you now.” I moaned.

  He stood up abruptly, and I yelped in surprise before I hastily wrapped my legs around his waist. “I need you too,” he murmured as he carried me to his room.

  He went to lower me onto the bed, and I sat up. “Get undressed,” I told him. “I have to go use the bathroom.” I fibbed as a thought occurred to me.

  I still had lingerie I had yet to wear for any of them, and I remembered his desire to see me in a French maid’s costume. It wasn’t quite the same, but somehow I knew he would appreciate it. It wasn’t often that I had an opportunity to wear any of it. Thanks to Dawn and Rachel, they were steadily supplying me with Cosmo, and I started using them as a study guide of sorts. It’s not like I had any experience before, and I wanted to make my men happy. I wanted to figure out what turn-ons they had.

  “Hurry up,” he urged me before kissing me once more.

  I laughed. “Okay.”

  I gently closed his door behind me before I went to my closet and withdrew the container I kept on the top shelf. Anything I didn’t want anyone to stumble across was stored here. I briefly rifled through them before I pulled out crimson red lingerie along with garters and thigh highs. I grabbed the only pair of heels I owned that weren’t boots and slipped into the bathroom.

  I hurriedly donned on my new outfit before I lost the nerve. It was one thing to read about it, but another to apply it in action. I stared at myself and had to admit Dawn and Rachel had good taste in lingerie. I pulled my hair out of my ponytail holder and ran my fingers through my hair. I slipped on my stilettos and walked back across the hall. I opened Drake’s door and noticed him lying on his bed with a sheet draped across his lap.

  “Blake,” he breathed out as he sat up.

  “Is that my name tonight?” I asked him saucily. “I’m sorry, sir, but I didn’t bring my feather duster or the right uniform tonight.”

  Understanding dawned on his face before a smile formed around his lips. He stood up from the bed and I noticed his erection immediately. “You know what happened the last time you didn’t come to work in the proper uniform?”

  I had to stop from gaping at him. My normally shy, reserved man adopted a new persona in moments. It was like he was another person. His voice had become harder, more clipped.

  “I’m sorry, sir. I forgot,” I tried to sound meek as I bowed my head.

  “Climb on the bed and get on your hands and knees,” he commanded me.

  I climbed on the bed and looked over my shoulder as he reverently caressed my skin. I made a sound close to a purr in the back of my throat. His fingers sent goosebumps down my skin. I was surprised when I felt his fingers slide my underwear to the side, grazing me. I hissed and closed my eyes.

  He made a sound deep in the back of his throat when he realized how ready I was for him. After several more moments of his touches, I couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Please, Drake,” I cried out to him.

  I was shocked when his hands connected with my rear. He rubbed it, and warmth quickly replaced the sting. “Is that the way you speak to your employer?”

  “No, sir,” I keened as he spanked me once more. It hurt, but I was surprised to find I enjoyed it too.

  After his third spank, I gasped as I felt him sink into me. My body barely accommodated him before he was withdrawing and sliding back in. I moaned in pleasure; the pleasure and pain were a fine line I was experiencing. Every time I felt myself getting close to unraveling, he would stop and caress me some more. It was like he was reading my mind as he drove me to higher heights.

  When I thought I couldn’t take anymore, his pace quickened. He reached around and began stroking my core with knowing fingers. I felt the tension within rise to its ultimate crescendo, and I cried out my release. Wave after wave of pleasure hit me and I collapsed as he found his own release. He gathered me close before rolling over onto his back. He cradled me to his chest, his breathing heavy.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked quietly, concern lacing his voice. My gentle, shy man was back.

  I smiled as I pushed up onto my elbows. “What do you think?”

  “I think I was rough, and I think I might have spanked you a little too hard. You still bare my marks,” he looked both remorseful and smug as he peered down my body.

  I laughed and laid my head back onto his chest. “I think that’s exactly what I needed.”

  He chuckled softly. “Me too. It’s been a…long week.”

  “Who are you telling?” I sighed as I began to trace his skin with my fingertips. “Ever wonder what life would be like if we chose not to come here?”

  “Sometimes,” he said after a slight pause.

  “I want this all to be over,” I admitted to him. “I want a normal life or as close to normal as I can have.” I gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I feel like I ruined all of your lives, too. Remy and Troy are forced to have other people run their companies in their absence. Jaxson might lose his scholarships for football. Jace quit his job at something he did really well, something he really loved. Noah will have to wait longer to become a surgeon. You are working in a government kitchen when you should be getting Michelin stars! Do you ever wish I hadn’t come into your lives and complicated it?”

  “Never,” he said with zero hesitation. “Remy and Troy always trained their people to run their businesses with their presence or absence. They are still in contact with their second in commands and general managers on a daily if not weekly basis. Jax
son can still go to college come August, and Pops is making sure he stays relevant. Jace has always adapted to situations with ease. As much as he loved teaching, he enjoys being a liaison to the other communities. In another life he could have been a politician. Noah needed a break. When you can heal people by touch, being a doctor is kind of redundant don’t you think?”

  I could hear the amusement in his voice as he caressed my arm. “You should know me better by now, too. I don’t need the fame and spot light. Why do you think I stopped competing in the swimming? It took the joy out of my experience. I loved swimming. I loved competing. I hated the constant attention. I don’t need the accolades or the fame. I love cooking. I’m still cooking, and it doesn’t hurt that the food at the DFAC is actually edible now.”

  He paused, thoughtful. “We all knew we had a connection out there. We all knew what we were getting into. We all know this was our purpose in life, by your side. People like Horatio need to be stopped. We have the abilities to do that. Together.”

  I straddled his lap and kissed him deeply. I still didn’t feel at peace with the whole situation, but I felt considerably better. “I love you,” I murmured before I shimmied out of my underwear and onto him once more.

  “What’s this?” I asked in surprise as we walked into one of the conference rooms.

  All of my family and friends were gathered in there. There was a table full of gifts and another with a huge cake on it.

  “We didn’t celebrate your birthday the way we wanted to,” Drake explained as he put his arm around my shoulder and kissed my temple.

  I gasped. “But we had cake, ice cream, and movie night. I didn’t need or want anything else!”

  “You deserved more,” Troy stated as he drew me into a hug. “Some of our gifts were on back order or we couldn’t locate them, so we had to run into town to get them today.”

  I felt tears fill my eyes as I looked at everyone.

  “We know this isn’t the idea place to spend your eighteenth birthday…again, but we’re trying to make the best of it.” Jace reached out and caressed my cheek.

  I smiled up at him. I was done with this awkwardness with them. Couples fought. Couples hit road bumps. Sometimes it took a while to come back around but they knew, we knew we were worth it. They were my connections. They were the men I was meant to love.

  “Just as long as we’re together I don’t care where we celebrate my birthdays,” I replied unwaveringly.

  “Ditto,” Jace replied as a soft look crossed his features. If I wasn’t mistaken, it was a look close to love.

  Jaxson and Drake had already told me they loved me. Sometimes I thought the others loved me too, but I wasn’t certain. I didn’t want to say I loved them, but every day I spent with them, good or bad, the more I knew I was in danger of falling in love with them. I knew I cared for them deeply. If I wasn’t in such deep self-denial, I knew I was already there.

  “Is it time to eat?” Rachel asked expectantly from the table beside Sam, her father, and brother.

  They were recovering rather nicely and were just released from the clinic a couple of days ago. Rachel was over-the-top happy to have her father and brother back. We had learned that her father had been on the run trying to protect his family until Horatio finally caught up with him. Herman was saved from the fate of his brothers because he had noticed his sister’s absence and went to track her down at the movies. He had been their tracker, and because of his absence, Herman’s brothers hadn’t been warned in time.

  Rachel and Herman held on to a lot of guilt, but they were happy to be reunited once again. They were happy to be a family once more. Mr. Moore and Herman had already tested Sam, and he had passed with flying colors. Apparently, Mr. Moore was considerably older than Rachel’s mom, and they had been high school sweethearts, so age wasn’t a concern with him.

  “We got your favorite,” Dawn said in a sing song voice as she began to carry trays of food to the table.

  “Sushi!” I cried out in delight as Ford, Megan, Beth, and Terrance carried over additional trays of food.

  “You forgot your tiara!” Ella cried out as she came over with a tiara proclaiming Birthday Girl on it.

  Ella, Alex, and Nadia were sporting party hats, and the latter two were handing out more hats to the unwilling adults.

  “You have to wear them,” Ella insisted. “Noah said it wasn’t a party without hats.”

  A lot of the adults sent Noah a look, and he gave them an unrepentant smile as he put his own hat on and blew on a party favor. “I have it on good authority that Blake missed a lot of birthdays, but she never forgot to make Ella’s special. I figured we should make it up to her for lost time.”

  I laughed. “The last birthday I had, well before the last time we celebrated my eighteenth birth was my tenth, and I had outgrown party hats and favors.”

  “We got a piñata, too,” Alex cried out happily.

  “That was more for the children,” Noah explained out the side of his mouth.

  “Speak for yourself. I want the candy inside, too!” Jaxson proclaimed.

  “You would,” I laughed as I took a seat at the table.

  It had been too long since I had sushi, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

  “We have miso soup, seaweed salad, and salad with that ginger dressing you like,” Troy stated as he placed a bowl of seaweed salad in front of me.

  “Thank you,” I smiled at him, and everyone else gathered around the table. “Everyone. Truly. I really didn’t need all this fuss.”

  “It’s not every day that you get to celebrate your eighteenth birthday,” Remy stated gruffly as he placed a bowl of miso soup in front of me.

  “Well, technically this is our second time,” Jaxson joked as he stuffed a piece of sushi into his mouth.

  Everyone laughed except for Kade. I barely noticed the withdrawn look on my brother’s face until he stood up and blurted out. “It’s my fault. I’m the one who separated you guys! I’m the one who turned back time!”

  Chapter 17

  “You were forced to do it,” Mr. Moore insisted vehemently. “You never wanted to do it. You can’t blame yourself.”

  I looked over at my brother, stunned. A myriad of emotions ran through me. I was angry at Horatio for using my fifteen-year-old brother for his dirty work. I saw the fear and the anxiety on his face. Since I found him, he had acted on edge and withdrawn. I thought he was still struggling with the loss of his sister and parents. His kidnapping, and his time with Horatio. I never imagined he was carrying this burden of guilt—even if it was misconceived.

  “I can leave if you want me to,” he stood up and lifted his chin, but I saw the wobble in it. He was afraid that his admission would turn us against him. He thought we would punish him for Horatio’s sins.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I told him firmly. “We are back together, and it was a reset that we may have needed. You’re not going anywhere. You’re my brother. You’re my blood. I would love to get to know you.”

  Tears of relief entered his eyes before he hastily wiped them away. “Okay,” he mumbled. “I hate sushi,” he admitted quietly.

  We all laughed. “Amen brother. Raw fish ain’t for everyone,” Terrance proclaimed loudly. “I got some chicken teriyaki over here and plenty of it.”

  “It’s not all raw, and I watched you eat California and shrimp tempura rolls.” I mock rolled my eyes at him, then looked over at Kade. I knew we couldn’t dwell on the bombshell that he had just dropped. There would be time for questions later. “Have you ever had it?”

  “My…parents were from Texas. I grew up on steaks and potatoes.” Kade made a face as he watched Micah eat a spicy tuna roll.

  “Can’t knock it until you try it,” Micah said, giving him a pointed look before he stuffed another roll into his mouth.

  “So, we’re not talking about the fact that your brother can turn back time?” Jaxson asked in disbelief.

  “Or the rarity of such a gift?” Noah added.

>   “Not now boys,” Will stated. From the look on his face, I had a feeling he had already knew about my brother’s ability.

  I didn’t even want to dissect the reasoning why he kept it from me. I looked over at my connections and they seemed just as surprised as I was.

  “I mean if you can turn back time, why didn’t you prevent your family’s death?” Jaxson asked as he leaned forward. “Why don’t you do it all the time?”

  “It takes a lot out of him,” Mr. Moore stated. He was giving my brother a fond look, and I had a feeling that their forced imprisonment together had garnered a kinship between them. “Aren’t we here to celebrate Blake’s birthday? Can’t this wait?”

  Kade shook his head. “It’s okay Mr. Moore. I tried,” he looked at Jaxson with determination. “Sometimes, some things can’t be…fixed or changed. Some things are meant to be, and no matter how hard I tried to alter it, I can’t. I couldn’t.”

  “How does it work?” Noah asked in fascination.

  “Well…,” Kade seemed to relax slightly, like he wanted to talk about it. Like holding it in for so long had worn on his psyche. “I first realized I could do it when I failed a test. I wished with all my might I could retake it after I got it back so my parents didn’t ground me or get kicked off the team. Next thing I knew, it was like Ground Hog’s Day. I got to repeat the day over again. I went to sleep like normal that night, but I woke in the hospital two days later. My mom thought something was wrong with me when I wouldn’t wake up.

  “When they died, I tried everything to fix it. I tried to skip the game that we were returning to when they died. But they still died another day. Then I tried to beg them to take another route home and the results were the same. Some things aren’t meant to be changed.

  “After I turned back time with you guys, I was down for over a week. I’m really sorry I had to do it. Horatio told me my sister, my other sister,” he clarified. “…was still alive, and I could see her if I did him one favor. I didn’t know it was you I had to do it to. I didn’t know I was adopted. I found out afterwards who my target was. I also discovered Horatio lied to me. He caused our crash. He extracted me and left my family to die. All of them.