Hidden Gates

by D T Dyllin

  I had to push the image immediately out of my mind before I combusted right where I sat. I fought the very real urge to fan myself. Yeah, the thought of me being into anything but boys made me laugh. I couldn’t help the smile that stayed on my lips. “Fine. Dinner. But that’s all I’m promising.” I’d at least pretend to give him a shot, and then tell my mom there was no chemistry or something. Next contestant, please.

  Jeremy turned to open his door, shooting me a hundred-watt smile. “That’s all I’m asking.”

  I unhooked my seatbelt and slid out of the door to meet him beside the car. He offered me his arm, which I eyed warily before stalking off towards Tony’s. I’d have dinner with him, but I never said I would touch him. So far, I’d managed to avoid the connection with his Gatekeeper powers by not opening myself up to them, and by not having skin-to-skin contact. I was planning on keeping it that way. For some reason, that fact was important to me, no matter if it didn’t really make any sense.

  About forty-five minutes later, numerous glasses of soda consumed, and our meals completely devoured, I had discovered that Jeremy wasn’t that bad.

  “So then what’d you do?” I laughed, trying hard not to squirt soda out of my nose.

  “So there I was, out in the woods, by myself, completely naked, no phone, no keys, nothing. My only choice was to hoof it home. Luckily, a few blocks from where I was, I found a trash bag that didn’t reek too bad that covered me up until I got home.” He paused to laugh himself. “You shoulda seen the look on my dad’s face when I tried sneaking in the back door. Of course, he was so proud when he found out the whole thing was because I was beginning to come into my powers.”

  I took another sip of soda. “I never knew that could happen to Gatekeepers. I wonder if it happens to a lot of you guys?”

  Jeremy averted his eyes in embarrassment. “As far as I know, I’m the only one, although I’m not going to be making my incident public, so maybe that’s why I haven’t heard of it happening to anyone else.”

  “Well, I’m just glad being a Seer doesn’t run that risk. I have enough potential for embarrassing situations as it is. I don’t need to worry about zapping all of my clothes out of existence when I go to manipulate energy around a gate.”

  Jeremy’s brown eyes met mine, suddenly serious. “I’m guessing there’d be a lot fewer complaints if you were seen around town naked, though.”

  Our gazes stayed locked for a minute before I turned away and cleared my throat. “So are you better now? With your powers? That doesn’t happen on a regular basis, I mean?”

  “No, it hasn’t happened since then.” His attention was temporarily distracted as our waitress brought back his change from our check. He took out a couple of bills and left them in the book for her.

  I saw my opportunity and seized it. “I guess you’re ready to go then?”

  “Yeah, I guess. I don’t suppose—”

  “No,” I interrupted. “I need to be getting home. I have to get up in the morning pretty early for . . . church.” Yeah, I hadn’t been to an early Sunday service in—ever. But he didn’t know that.

  “Oh.” Disappointment showed in his eyes. “Then I guess I’d better get you home.”

  A wave of guilt rushed over me. I mean, Jeremy was a nice and charming guy, and if it weren’t for Bryn, I might have even been interested. “Thanks for dinner and everything,” I said as I stood and headed for the door. He caught up with me, and we walked in silence to the car where he opened and shut the door for me again. Like before, I turned up the music for the ride home, which effectively kept him from talking to me anymore. I heaved a sigh of relief when we pulled into my driveway.

  Jeremy turned the car off and opened his door. “I’ll walk you up.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to . . .” I trailed off as he was already making his way around the car. Why can’t he just take the hint already? Ugh.

  He helped me out of the car and walked beside me all the way to my front door where he paused to face me. “Well, I’m really glad I met you, P.J., even though I know you’re still feeling weird about this whole thing. I’ll call or text or something and maybe we can go out again. I hope you’ll be more open to it since you can see that I’m actually a nice guy.”

  I wasn’t really sure what to do. I didn’t want to be mean, but I didn’t want to lead him on either. Should I hang out with him again for appearance’s sake, or move on to the next guy my mom probably already had lined up? It most likely would be easier to go out with Jeremy a few more times before I dropped the no chemistry line on everyone. I had to at least pretend I was giving him a real shot. “Yeah, okay.”

  He smiled at me, real happiness shining back at me from his eyes. “All right, talk to you soon then.” He leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the cheek before I had a chance to react. Just the briefest sense of his powers slid over my skin and snapped into sync with the act of his lips brushing my cheek. My breath caught in my throat at the intoxicating rush. He paused to lock eyes with me, and gave me another smile before heading off down my walk. Crap. Our powers had connected, and that wasn’t a good thing. With my people, power was always a very enticing lure. If Jeremy thought we had a power connection, it would only heighten anything he might already be feeling for me. I stood there and watched him leave before turning to go into my house, but then I stopped. I had to see Bryn—now. I suddenly couldn’t get the tormented look he had on his face before I left out of my head.

  I took off at a dead sprint for Bryn’s house, hoping he would be there. As I neared his home, which was only a few blocks down from mine, and crept into his backyard, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the light in his first floor bedroom was on. Thank God he’s home. Making my way up to his window, I paused to listen, checking if he was alone. It would be an utter disaster if his parents found out I was sneaking into his bedroom when I was supposed to still be on my date, and not just any date, but the first of my Sudding. I smiled when I didn’t hear any voices and reached up to tap on the window. A few seconds later, Bryn peered out, and then pulled up his blinds and opened his window so I could crawl through. I could hardly wait to have Bryn’s arms around me, and I fully expected to be greeted with the same enthusiasm from him; and yet when I went to him, his arms stayed limp at his sides, and his eyes regarded me with dark emotion. “What’s wrong?” I asked, studying his face for some clue. He didn’t say anything. He just kept watching me, his eyes churning with something I couldn’t read. As I studied him, I realized his whole body was wrought with tension. “Bryn?” I licked my lips nervously, noting that his eyes followed my every move. He slowly stalked towards me, backing me up against the wall. His hands came to rest on either side of my head, balled into fists. And even though he seemed so angry, so dangerous, my breath caught in my throat, and my pulse began to race with excitement. “Bryn?” I said again, my voice coming out breathy and low.

  “I couldn’t stand seeing you leave with him,” Bryn practically growled, his voice so low I barely recognized it. “I had to fight everything in me to not come after you.” His chest was heaving as he tried to keep himself calm. “You’re mine. I won’t share you.”

  “It’s not real, Bryn. You know that. I’m yours—all yours.”

  He stared at me a few more seconds, his eyes raging with so many dark emotions. “It seemed so real, Peej—like I was losing you. It was like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.”

  I reached up and cupped his face, feeling his jaw tick with tension. “I’m here now. And I’m yours. Always.”

  He caught my lips with his, taking my mouth forcefully, dominating me like he never had before. I welcomed the heat of his jealousy turning into fiery passion as he explored me with his tongue and mouth. Our clothes began falling away, and soon we were both left in just our underwear. Usually this was the point where Bryn and I stopped. We hadn’t gone much f
arther than heavy petting, and neither one of us had been completely naked in front of the other. Our physical relationship was just so new that we were both in awe of the simplest things, like kissing and touching, but tonight—tonight Bryn didn’t show any signs of stopping. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to protest. I’d wanted to give my virginity to him since that first night in the woods. He was the one who thought it wasn’t the right time or place. He assumed that as a girl, I needed more for my first time, even though all I really needed or wanted was him—that’s all I’d ever need.

  “I need you, Peej,” Bryn rumbled as his fingers deftly dipped down under my panties. I moaned as his long fingers explored areas where no boy had ever gone before.

  “Yes,” I gasped into his mouth. Bryn made quick work of getting my bra and panties off, lifting me, and setting me on his bed. He joined me there, but not before sitting back to study all of my bare, exposed skin. I fidgeted under his rapt gaze. “Bryn,” I pleaded, reaching for him. It was one thing to be naked with Bryn while we were kissing and touching, but I didn’t like him studying me while I just lay on his bed without a stitch of clothing on.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Bryn whispered in reverence. He then came to rest over me, his pelvis cradled in between my legs. When did he manage to get his boxers off? I attempted to swallow back my nerves as it really sunk in that Bryn and I were going to have sex. I locked gazes with him, and his sea storm eyes pulled me under, washing away all my trepidations. “You still taking the pill?” Bryn asked huskily.

  Reality check. “Yeah.” My mom would be absolutely furious if she knew I was using the pill for its intended purpose and not just to regulate my period. Especially if she found out I was using it with Bryn on the heels of a date with someone she had set me up with. “What about your parents—”

  “Not here,” Bryn said as he dipped his head, showering me with more kisses before pulling away again. “You ready? I don’t wanna hurt you.”

  “Yeah, I’m ready,” I whispered, gazing deep into his dark blue eyes. The way he looked at me in that moment, the love that emanated from him, made me feel like the most beautiful and special girl in the entire world. Someone who looked at me that way deserved to have everything that I was—mind, body, and soul. So far, he’d only received two of those three. Tonight he would have everything.

  As he pushed into me, filling me in a way I’d never been able to imagine, I tried to mentally prepare myself for the pain. From all accounts, the first time for a girl was almost always painful, and I thought I was ready, but no amount of mental preparation could have readied me for the level of pain I was currently experiencing. I gritted my teeth and dug my nails into Bryn’s shoulders, not wanting him to know how much it really hurt. But it was short lived—the pain I mean—and slowly, ever so slowly, as Bryn rocked back and forth inside of me, the pain began to be replaced by pleasure. A deep-seated pleasure that made me truly understand, for the first time, why people like Jenna were so sex crazed.

  My entire world narrowed down to Bryn and me, and I could no longer tell where I ended and he began. Surely there was nothing closer to bliss than being in the arms of the man I loved, and sharing such intimacy with him. A new type of warmth I’d never experienced before bloomed in my center. Soon it grew into a fire of need, spreading through my system, pushing outward into spasms of ecstasy. Bryn captured my face in his palms, forcing me to look at him instead of throwing my head back like I wanted. He didn’t last too much longer after that, and I slumped down in his bed as if all my bones were suddenly liquefied. Never, ever, had I imagined sex would be so wonderful—the connection between not only our bodies, but our powers as well—or maybe it was just that way with Bryn.

  I smiled up at him as he collapsed above me, careful not to put his full weight on me. I ran my hands through his silky, tousled hair, and then down over his sweaty back. He shuddered at my touch, leaning forward to kiss me with a slow languidness that spoke of shared intimacies, and unspoken promises. “I love you, Peej. More than I can even begin to explain.” His voice was so low and husky it seemed to brush things on my insides, making me shudder in turn.

  I gazed up into his eyes with adoration. “I love you, too,” I whispered, surprised at how husky my own voice sounded. I wished I could stay in his arms forever, forgetting about the outside world and all the problems it contained. But our love wouldn’t be enough to protect us from our parents’ wrath if they found us like this.

  I must have frowned because Bryn’s brow furrowed as he looked at me. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

  “No, Bryn” I bit my lower lip, thinking about what we’d just done. “You made my first time more amazing than I ever could have imagined.” He grinned at me, a look of pure male pride washing over his features. “I just wish I could stay here with you and not worry about everything else.”

  He rolled onto his back, tucking me into his side so my head rested on his chest. “I hate this, Peej. I just wanna be with you. I wanna be able to touch when I want, kiss you when I want. I wanna yell from the rooftops that you belong to me.” He pulled his fingers through my hair. “I don’t wanna have to watch you go out on dates with other guys.” His fist balled up in my hair.

  “It wasn’t so bad tonight, was it? I mean, yeah, it sucked that I had to go on that date, but”—I lifted my head so I could meet his eyes—“look at where we ended up.”

  He frowned at me. “I’m sorry, Peej. I really wanted your first time to be more special, not in my bedroom because I was crazy with jealously over some guy that you’re not even really dating. I just—”

  “Shhh . . .” I brought my finger up to his lips. “I’m glad it happened. I wanna give everything that I am to you, Bryn. The rest doesn’t matter. Tonight was the best night of my life so far, because I just shared something with you that I’ve never shared with anyone else. You own me now—heart, soul . . . and body.”

  “You own me, too, Peej. Everything that I have—that I am—belongs to you and only you. Always.” His lips sought mine, and our kisses began to become more fevered again. I wanted so badly to stay in his arms, kissing, exploring, learning all there was to know about pleasing him, and discovering what I liked best, too. But we couldn’t stop the outside world from happening; eventually it would seek us out.

  “Hey. I should probably go.” I started to get up, but Bryn pulled me back down to capture my lips with his again. “Bryn.” I tried to chastise him, very unsuccessfully, especially since my body seemed to have a mind of its own. I groaned as he rolled me under him, obviously not liking the idea of me leaving quite yet. “Five more minutes . . .” I murmured, giving myself over to him.

  My eyes fluttered open to sunlight streaming through Bryn’s bedroom window. “Oh, shit!” I sat up with a start. Bryn reached for me without opening his eyes, trying to pull me back down into bed. “Bryn—no! Wake up! We fell asleep.” His eyes cracked open, and he sat up on his elbows, drowsily scanning his room. I could almost see when realization hit him. “Oh, shit.” He leapt from bed and pulled on a pair of shorts.

  I, meanwhile, was frantically searching for my clothes. “Oh God—Bryn—we’re going to be in so much trouble. They’re going to know. They’re—”

  “Calm down, Peej. Don’t panic just yet. My parents obviously didn’t check in on me, so our cover isn’t blown yet.”

  I grabbed my cell phone out of my purse and swore under my breath—25 missed calls. Just then my phone began to vibrate in my hand. It was Jenna. “Hello?” I squeaked.

  “Oh my God! Where are you? Your parents were freaking out. I told them you came over to my house after your date to tell me about it and fell asleep, but they’re going to be expecting you home soon.”

  Relief washed over me, and I exhaled the tension from my body. Our cover wasn’t blown yet. “I’m on my way home now. Thanks, Jenna.”

  “Wait!”
Jenna yelled. “I better get all the details later. It’s the least I deserve.”

  “Yeah, okay. But I have to go now. I so don’t wanna get busted.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bye.” She hung up in a huff. What exactly was I going to tell her? Guess I could worry about that part later. For now, the important thing was that I had to get home before anyone discovered what really happened to me.

  “Jenna covered for you?”

  “Yeah, thank God,” I said as I pulled my shoes on and headed for the window.

  When I’d made it through, Bryn caught my wrist and tugged me up so I had to stand on my tippy toes to reach him. “I need to see you later.”

  I smiled up at him. “I hope you don’t think we’re going to be getting naked again for the next couple of days. I can barely walk.”

  He delivered me one of his patented lopsided grins complete with dimples. “We can do other . . . things.”

  I’m not really sure why I had the urge to ask—no, the need—but I just couldn’t help myself. “What was it like—with Tammie? I mean, was I as good?”

  “I didn’t go all the way with her. Why do you think I did? Last night was my first time, too, Peej.”

  My jaw dropped in surprise. “But you were with her for over a year, and you’ve been making such a big deal about my first time and—” And he was so good. How was he so good at those things if he’d never done them before?

  “Girls look at their first time a lot differently than guys do. I just wanted to make sure it was special for you.” He locked gazes with me. “I told you I couldn’t get you out of my head. It would’ve been wrong to do it with her while I was imagining it was you the entire time. I knew as long as my first time was with you, it would be special for me.”