by S M Olivier
All the guys were sitting at the island with beers. It reminded me of the first night I had officially met them. Except Stacey was there also, sipping on a glass of wine.
I immediately glared at her and Noah jumped up. “What’s wrong, love? Another tough day in phys ed?”
I snorted and held up my wrist. “I wish. I had a healer in performing arts class that should probably rethink her career unless she wants to do more harm than good.”
“I told you it was important that you stood still,” Stacey bit out, obviously annoyed at Noah’s endearment and his quickness to rush to my side.
“She shouldn’t have to stand still,” Rachel bit out. “Noah’s been healing her all week and he never insisted she sit still.”
I gave her a grateful look and turned back to Noah, holding out my arm.
“I heard you had an eventful day in performing arts. You made Zack Young pretty upset,” Will said dryly as he sipped on his beer.
“Tamara and Mei Linn’s dad?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “His little princesses are mean and pick on the ‘faux gifted’ as they like to call them, us. She flung me twenty feet across the room against a brick wall, she deserved to walk around in her underwear and bring us the flag.”
Some of the guys, Jemmy, and Rachel started laughing.
“You’re exaggerating a bit. You were thrown maybe fifteen feet,” Stacey said with disdain.
“Oooh, I apologize, I didn’t have my tape measure out to get the exact distance. Next time I will make sure I do,” I told her tartly.
“Be that as it may,” Will said with a small smile around his lips. “Maybe you could have used your gift differently.”
I felt the warmth spread through my wrist as Noah put his hands over it and sighed in relief when the pain disappeared. “Next time I’ll have her sing ‘Gold Digger’, I’m sure she knows it well,” I sighed, exhausted with the conversation.
“You had Ben sing, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”,” Jax laughed, making the others, save Stacey, laugh once more. “He said watch your back, because he will get you back.”
“I’ll be waiting,” I said saucily. I looked around the room, not seeing Ella. “Where’s my sister?”
Will gave me a hesitant look. “I forgot to call you and see if it was okay if she stayed with a friend. Nadia is a sweet little girl; her father and mothers are on the board and she really wanted to have dinner and a playdate with her.”
I felt a moment of anger, but knew it was misplaced. It was a step in the right direction and Will had been better than great for her all week. Ella was really coming out of her shell and adored Will. I really couldn’t be resentful that he was making decisions for her when he was technically her legal guardian and he had done so much for her already.
“That’s cool,” I feigned a smile. “I’m glad she’s making friends. I’m going to start some laundry and hop in the shower.”
I headed out without another word. Throwing my laundry in the washer before heading up the stairs.
“Is she okay?” I heard Drake ask as I headed up the stairs.
“She used a lot of power today, I think she’s straining,” Jemmy said. I could hear the amusement in her voice. “Oh yeah, we’ve been rude. Rachel, I don’t think you’ve formally met Pops or Jace. Jace, Pops, this is Rachel. She’s Blake’s roommate.”
I ignored her comments about me and continued up the stairs. I needed a hot shower and comfortable clothing pronto. Maybe a nap before I ate. I was starving and maybe straining, because the moment I came close to my guys I wanted to crawl up onto their laps until we were one.
The shower did little to ease my edginess. I didn’t know where to begin to ease it. I tried to meditate and clean my thoughts, but it hadn’t worked. I came out of my bathroom and was surprised to see Jace sitting on the side of my bed. I was well aware of the fact that I was only wearing a towel.
He looked uncomfortable as he sat there playing with the watch on his wrist. “How are you feeling?”
“Horrible,” I muttered. “My body wants something, but I have no clue how to satisfy it. Did you draw the short straw, so now you’re stuck dealing with me?”
He chuckled but eyed me warily. “I wouldn’t say that. Drake’s starting dinner. Noah’s pacifying Stacey. Jax had a call from his coach. And Remy doesn’t…trust himself.”
I looked at him quizzically. “Doesn’t trust himself?”
He cleared his throat, “Forget I said anything. Remy has had a bad past and sometimes he needs a little time to himself, especially if emotions run high. He’s pretty upset at Stacey right now for botching up your wrist.”
“So why did they send you when you are clearly uncomfortable around me,” I stated bluntly.
He exhaled loudly. “I wouldn’t say I’m uncomfortable around you, Blake, but it’s hard for me to wrap my head around it all. I find you extremely attractive and would love to show you the attention some of the other guys show you, but you were my student…”
I felt mixed emotions. I felt hurt by his revelation, yet I understood where he was coming from. He was my connected but there was a slight age gap between us. “I don’t expect anything from you,” I said as I approached him. “I completely understand.”
My towel slipped slightly, and I could see him visibly swallow. I don’t know why I felt the need to tease him further as I dropped my towel completely. The hunger within me was begging for his touch.
“Blake,” he groaned out as he roughly hauled me onto his lap.
I didn’t expect his passionate response as he took my lips with his. It wasn’t gentle, and it was a bit rougher than the kisses I had gotten from the other guys. I opened my mouth to his demanding lips and furiously sucked on his tongue as it entered my mouth. He groaned huskily and soon his hands were around my waist hauling me closer. I felt empowered at his immediate response to me and rubbed against him, almost purring in satisfaction. Soon his lips were on my neck and I couldn’t believe how sensitive my skin was there and how turned on it made me.
He was sure and passionate in his movements as his hands found my breasts and his thumbs lightly stroked my nipples. I felt their immediate response and groaned deep in my throat. My body felt like it was on fire and I wanted to get even closer to him. I writhed in his arms, my hands seeking the skin beneath his shirt. I frantically unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. My hands roamed freely over his warm flesh. Feeling the hard lines and ridges of his shoulders, chest, and abs.
“I don’t want to rush you,” he said in a scratchy rasp as his tongue licked a path to my breasts.
“You’re not, please,” I breathed arching my back towards him. “It feels right.” I confessed.
His startling blue eyes were filled with passion and desire as he lowered my back onto the bed. His began to lick and suck my exposed chest. I hissed in surprise and yearning as his lips found my nipple. He drew it into his warm mouth and started to gently tug on it.
I closed my eyes in ecstasy, not believing the feeling running rampant in my body. He knew his way around my body and I wanted more. He stopped his ministrations on my nipple.
I groaned out in disappointment as I grabbed the back of his head and ran my fingers through his thick, dark hair.
He laughed throatily. “Don’t worry, sweetheart.”
Soon his lips were on my other breast and I sighed in contentment. His hands began to brush my stomach and I felt my stomach quiver under his sure hands. I tensed only a moment as his hand brushed against my womanhood. Bad memories wanted to flood in, but he must have sensed it because his lips found mine once more and I felt myself relaxing. He continued to stroke me, his finger brushing against my sensitive core.
I was eager to feel him as well as I started to reach for his buckle and zipper.
“You don’t have to,” he rasped. “I just want to touch you.” He buried his lips in my neck once more, gently suckling on the sensitive flesh.
“I want to feel you too,” I i
nsisted as I continued to try and fumble with his fastenings. He stood up and I instantly felt bereft until he started working at the fastenings himself. His eyes were darker, but they were burning bright.
He slid out of his clothes, his pants and boxers pooling at his feet, and I was only given a brief glimpse of him, surprised momentarily by his size. I gulped, but my thoughts were dashed away, as his lips found my breast and his hand found my aching core once more. I gripped him in my hands, firmly but gently. Liking the feel of his warm steel. I pushed away my thoughts, telling myself he was my connected. He wouldn’t hurt me. I wanted to do this. No one was forcing me.
Thoughts escaped me as he put more pressure on the center of my core and rubbed it with his thumb and his other finger dipped further down.
For the second time ever, I heard him curse. “You are so wet,” he groaned.
I pulled his lips to mine, before I began to stroke him with renewed energy. “For you,” I sighed as my hips arched into his hand.
I stiffened only for a moment as his finger dipped into me and rubbed my core at the same time. Our tongues mimicked the moments of his fingers.
I felt my body building in pressure as I only felt once before. This time it felt more explosive and consuming. I heard him groan above me as he buried his head in my shoulder and soon I felt my body spiraling out of control, reaching a crescendo of great heights. I felt his warmth spread on my hands just as I fell apart in his arms. I gently bit his shoulder trying to muffle the sounds of the screams coming from my throat.
I felt our connection soar through us violently, weaving us together. Behind my closed lids I almost swore I saw the bright green, red, and purple strands surrounding us.
When my body stopped quivering he pulled me into his warm, hard body and rolled us, so I was cradled on his chest. His breathing was still labored, and I tried to control my own breathing.
The straining I felt earlier was gone, leaving me with only contentment and languidness.
“Thank you,” I whispered against his chest.
He chuckled softly. “It is I that should be thanking you.” He cleared his throat. “I have never felt so…complete before, without the actual act.”
“Thanks, I guess,” I said dryly.
He chuckled once more. “You don’t understand. If that felt so great, I can only imagine what it would feel like when I completely take you.”
“What’s stopping you?” I asked cheekily as I straddled his waist.
His eyes widened in surprise, a small smile around his lips. “I have a feeling you’ll never cease to amaze me.” He shifted slightly so my core rubbed against his stirring member, already ready. “As much as I want to feel your wetness around me, I have a feeling we have some friends on the other side of the door,” he said wryly.
I groaned as I collapsed on top of his chest. “Do you think it will always be like this or just until the connections are made, because I would hate to think anytime I wanted to be spontaneous, I couldn’t.”
His large hands caressed my back with slow movements. My skin instantly quivered under his touch. “I imagine once the connections are made, we can do whatever we wanted without the others knowing.”
I sighed. “I hope so. I need to jump in the shower to rinse off, want to join me?” I asked shyly.
“Don’t ever change,” he chuckled lowly. “Yeah. Let’s go rinse off. They can wait.”
We went into the shower and we did a little more than rinse off. We had another heavy make out session and I was more than satisfied by the time we dressed for dinner.
Chapter 24
It was hard eating dinner as the guys all exchanged knowing glances and did their secret communication thing. I didn’t look forward to the Q & A after dinner, but I knew it was inevitable. Jemmy and Will seemed to sense the underlying current and asked Rachel and Stacey if they wanted to have a swim in the pool before we all watched a movie. Rachel eagerly accepted giving me a questioning look before leaving.
“Go ahead,” Noah urged Stacey, “or did you want to stay and help us clean up?”
She gave me a disparaging look as I cleared the table. She had taken my earlier comment to heart. “No thanks. I’ll be waiting for you in the hot tub, unless you want me to wait for you in bed.”
She suggestively rubbed a hand down the front of his shirt.
Noah gave me an apologetic look, but I knew he must be straining too from healing not only me, but a few other people today, as he told us at dinner. As much as I cared for him, I felt a little disconnected with him the most. I didn’t know if it was because of Stacey or because of something else. Plus, after being with Jace tonight, I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else for a while.
I almost longed for a normal relationship. Each one of them had something special about them that I liked and given the chance, I don’t think I could just choose one, but I wished things had been different. I wished for the simplicity of one connection if I had to have a connection at all.
“I’ll see you in the hot tub,” Noah stated, clearing his throat.
“Does it get easier?” I asked as she left.
“What?” Jax asked as he put his arm around my shoulders.
“The straining?” I asked in a small voice, gathering more dishes.
“Sometimes it’s not as bad as others, or if you’re Remy, you disappear for days on end after a big gift use,” Jax joked as Remy picked up the bowl of leftover salad.
Remy flicked him off. “Normal people crave human touch in a …stressful situation. Some of us more than others.” He said gruffly.
“I’ve never heard about any of your girlfriends,” I tried to tease him.
He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Nor will you.”
“Do you guys plan on keeping girls around once all the connections are made?” I asked as I entered the kitchen.
Drake literally dropped a dish as he turned from the stove. He stumbled, and I knew he was going to step right onto the broken glass that had shattered on the floor.
I held out my hand, “Drake!” I called in concern.
Right before our stunned gazes a clear dome-like force field appeared around him, separating him from the glass he had almost stepped on.
“Well, that answers one of our questions,” Remy murmured.
“How about your other gifts?” Jax asked in awe.
I focused hard on the feeling I had when I produced fire and a ball of light danced above my palm. I realized the more I practiced my gifts, the easier they came to me.
“The dome is still up,” Jace stated in wonder.
I focused on protecting Drake, while thinking about the fire, and then I started to remember the day Heidi had broken my wrist after I threw out her drugs. I wouldn’t have thrown them out if I hadn’t come home to find one of Heidi’s boyfriends trying to show Ella how to hit a bong, while Heidi watched and laughed. Ella had been four.
I focused on that anger and looked at Noah. “Strip for us.”
He groaned. “Blake, why me? If Stacey walks in, she’s going to flip.”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “Let her, she jacked my wrist up today…purposefully.”
He reluctantly started to strip as the others looked on laughing.
“Okay, stop,” I said when he got down to his boxers.
“You’re evil,” Jax stated as he threw an arm around me and kissed my temple.
I smiled as I released the fire ball and grabbed a broom and dustpan. “How do I drop the dome?” I asked Drake as I knelt in front of him to sweep up the glass.
“Imagine I’m safe. Imagine whoever you are trying to protect is safe. I’m okay,” he smiled at me. He looked at me with pride as I imagined that he was safe, and the field disappeared as fast as it had appeared.
Drake gave me a gentle squeeze and a kiss on the top of my head. “Thanks for saving me, although Noah could have healed me.”
I stuck my tongue out at him playfully and pushed him away so I could finish cleaning u
p.
“So, it’s not a fluke. Every time you connect with one of us, you pick up our gifts as well.” Remy stated as he sat on one of the bar stools.
Jax sat down next to him. “It would appear so.”
I loaded the dishwasher with the rest of the dishes before adding the detergent. “How is this even possible?” I tried to keep the panic from my voice.
Jace came up behind me and put his arms around my waist, dragging me back to the shelter of his arms. I liked this new version of him. He was being openly affectionate with me and I liked it. “We don’t know, but you have us. All of us,” he gave a pointed look at Noah. “We’ll figure this out together.”
I nodded looking down at my feet. “Let’s go swimming, before they come looking for us.”
I got a phone call from Ella, begging me to let Nadia spend the night so they could watch a movie on the big screen in the theater room tonight and swim in the morning. I couldn’t make that decision, so I had to ask Will for his permission.
“This is your house too,” he gently reminded me. “I know you are going for a run and have band practice tomorrow, so I can watch them while you do that.”
“I can too,” Jemmy said as she walked out of the kitchen with some ice cream. She hadn’t even bothered putting it in a bowl.
“Me too,” Rachel chimed in. She looked more carefree and relaxed than I had ever seen her.
“Maybe we can talk Drake into baking us , I mean the girls cookies.” Jemmy smiled slyly.
I rolled my eyes playfully at her. “I’ll go call Ella back and iron out the rest of the details.”
Impulsively, I kissed Will’s cheek and I knew I surprised him. “Thanks, Pops,” I said softly.
It was close to the truth. I cared deeply for both of his sons and four of his adopted sons, I guess in a weird way he was like my father-in-law.
Drake was more than happy to make cookies for the girls. By the time they got here he had made them some sugar cookies and colored icing, so they could decorate the cookies. For us ‘big kids’ he was making double chocolate chip cookies.