“As long as she’s all right with it.” I nudged my chin in Megan’s direction.
“That’s understandable,” Pete said and looked ahead. His eyes were narrowed in concentration as he maneuvered the boat between the wooden dock and the rocks beside it. “I have to be careful not to hit the rocks.”
I held my breath and tensed up, bracing myself. The ocean was already churning in the wind and the rain. Jude stood up and walked to the stern of the ship to grab the rope and tie it around the deck anchor.
“We made it,” Pete said with a sigh of relief after parking the boat perfectly in its spot and turning off the engine.
“Thank you for getting us here safely,” I said.
Pete’s eyes gleamed in response to my compliment. “It was my pleasure.”
We exited the boat one by one. The overall mood of the group was still frustrated and bleak.
“I hope I can get some rest to clear my head and have a fresh perspective in the morning,” I mentioned to Pete as we strolled back to the dorms.
He looked at me. “Me too.”
We said goodnight to the others, and then Megan, Pete, and I began to walk slowly up to the female dorm towers.
“I’ll be up in a second,” I said to Megan as she entered the building.
She nodded, fuzzy with exhaustion. Her eyes had dark circles under them, and she gave us both a vague stare before departing.
“She’ll be all right,” I reassured to Pete.
“I hope so.” He looked worried. He put other people’s needs before his own, and I loved that about his personality. I gazed up into his eyes. I loved how his hair curled at the edges on the top, giving it a tousled look.
He gently pushed a strand of my hair off my cheek. “You look really pretty.”
“I’m soaked to the bone.” I laughed. His oversized jacket swallowed my frame and covered my hands. I probably resembled a wet rat and I couldn’t wait to get indoors and put on some dry clothes, maybe even have a warm shower.
Pete rolled his eyes. “Me too.”
“You better get back to your room and change into some dry clothes,” I said.
“I want to stay with you until you fall asleep, so you won’t feel alone and afraid.”
“I have Megan,” I said and chuckled. “I know I said I would love it if you stayed with me, but I know you must be so cold and uncomfortable in those drenched clothes.”
Pete glanced down to assess himself. “To be honest…yeah. A little bit.”
We both laughed.
“Do you mind if I kiss you goodnight?”
I shook my head. “Not at all.”
My stomach did a little flip in excited anticipation as Pete locked his mouth on mine. He ran his hands through my hair. I parted my lips and sighed in response to his soft lips pressed up against me.
When we finally came up for air, I grinned. “That was a lovely end to a not-so-lovely evening,” I said.
Pete’s features turned sad. “Try and get some sleep now and we can wake up with a new attitude about Maddie tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” I squeezed his hand and lingered for a few more seconds in the doorway, hesitant to leave his side.
“I’ll wait until you get in the elevator and then I’ll leave,” he said.
I walked through the door and pressed my hand to the glass. “Goodnight.”
Pete pressed his hand opposite mine. “Goodnight.”
I longed to find Maddie. I wanted her to experience the same joy that I felt in being here. It had been a long road to get here, and there were so many more miles to go before we could all rest easy without the threat of the Fundamental Society. I was confident that one day, we would all be able to live in undisrupted peace and harmony.
25
Jude
I knocked on the door to Tara’s dorm room. I was dragging, and I figured she probably felt the same way. Every muscle in my body was sore from running away from the Fundamental Society guards yet again.
There had to be a better way to plan a search and rescue for her friend Maddie, if we were even lucky enough to find her before the scientists did. They were relentless when it came to Mutants. They lived to destroy our lives and put us through hellish torture and tests.
We were safe at the school, but it could only take us so far. I sighed and waited for Tara to open the door.
“Coming!” I heard her exclaim from the other side, followed by the soft pitter-patter of her feet.
I saw her shadow underneath the slit in the door frame and smiled.
She swung the door open a few seconds later. She had a crisp and vibrant expression on her face. Her cheeks were rosy, and her silver hair was pulled into a smooth, no-nonsense ponytail.
“Good morning,” she said brightly.
“Good…morning.” I stared at her, thoroughly puzzled at how she could be so chipper after the night we had endured.
“Let me just get my backpack,” she said and walked a few steps to her desk. Her ponytail bounced sassily as she moved.
“Where’s Megan?” I asked, peering into the room.
“She already went to class.” Tara shrugged.
“Oh.” I gave her a bewildered glance.
“What?” Tara chuckled, gazing up at me with fondness as she placed her backpack over her shoulders.
“Nothing. It’s just…how are so energetic right now?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged again. “I just feel like today is a fresh new start. I’m ready to get to my classes and training. I want to improve myself so that I can enhance my life.”
I smiled, hoping that some of her vibrant spirit would rub off on me. “That’s what I like to hear.”
Tara beamed as she closed and locked her dorm door and we walked down the hallway toward the elevator lobby.
“What is your first class of the day?” I asked, turning to look at her after punching the down button on the elevator stall.
“Martial arts,” Tara said. Her smile was eager. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
“As you should be,” I said and leaned back against the wall of the elevator car. “Do you want me to pick you up after it’s over?”
“Sure. That sounds good.”
My heart flipped with excitement. “I have martial arts training this morning too.”
“Really?” Tara raised her eyebrows in interest.
“Yeah.” I nodded and smiled.
My class was a little higher-intensity than Tara’s, but it was because I was in the male Mutant class and also a year ahead of her. The skill level advanced each year you were at the school. I was coming into my own and developing a method of defense that I was proud of. I was increasing my stamina and couldn’t wait to see where the training brought me in the future.
I walked Tara to her class as we chatted about our hopes and dreams. I was thrilled to be engaged in conversation with her. I relished our time together and knew that as the span of time continued to stretch, we would become even closer than we were now.
“I’ll see you after class,” I said to her with a mischievous wink. “Go get ‘em.”
Tara chuckled and her lips spread into a vivacious smile. “Thank you.”
We gave each other a fist bump and then a hug in departure as I set off to my own training.
An hour later, I found myself back at the door of her martial arts room. The students shuffled out in single file, looking as sleepy as I felt. But as soon as I set eyes on Tara again, she breathed fresh air into my lungs and new life into my spirit.
“Hey, you,” I said and roped my arms around her for another hug.
“Hi.”
She managed a smile, but I could tell by the look of chagrin on her face that she was down about something. She gazed at the ground and wouldn’t really make eye contact with me. She was quiet as we walked down the hallway together and exited the building.
“Is everything all right?” I asked, hoping there was a way I might be able to boost her mood.
I stopped walking and gently pulled her back by her elbow. “Hey.” I gazed intently into her eyes. “Whatever is bothering you, you can tell me. I’m your confidant. Maybe I could even help you.”
Tara smiled and her cheeks were a fiery red. “It’s nothing.” She gazed off into the distance, toward the sea. “I just feel like the lesson could have gone a little better, that’s all.”
She had a sheepish expression on her face. Even her pony tail seemed to be drooping now, as if reflecting her internal emotions.
“Don’t beat yourself up about it.” I gave her shoulder a tender squeeze and offered her a reassuring smile.
“I’m just a little frustrated.” Tara rolled her eyes as if she was upset with herself for becoming so distraught over a training lesson.
“You have plenty of time to perfect your skill sets,” I told her. “You’re just beginning. There is a world of opportunity out there just waiting for you to grab it. Your potential is unmatched. You already knocked me and my friends off our feet. You left us stunned. Don’t forget that.”
“I know.” Tara exhaled slowly and peered up at me with a more enthusiastic smile. “Thanks for trying to perk me up a little.”
I recognized the same glimmer in her eyes that was there before. Her confidence was in there somewhere, just waiting to be unleashed to the world.
“I love martial arts too,” I said. “Maybe I could help you train so that the next time you have a lesson, you’ll be more equipped to blow the socks off your professor.”
Tara chuckled and her face brightened with amusement. “That would be wonderful, actually.”
“I wanted to learn to protect myself,” I mentioned as we journeyed in the direction of the beach.”
“Really?” Tara glanced at me.
“Yes.” I took a deep breath. “My parents died at the hands of the Fundamental Society too. I wasn’t home at the time, which is how I avoided getting captured.”
“I’m so sorry about your parents.” Tara’s face displayed genuine sympathy. “But at least you weren’t there.”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I guess it was bittersweet. I probably would have killed the guards who tried to take me. I would have been too angry to contain anything other than rage.”
“That was what happened to me,” Tara said. “They tried to put me in that pod and filled it with water. I watched my mom drown. She died right in front of me. After that, I escaped my pod and killed the guards.”
“How did you get out?” I asked, feeling inspired by Tara and in awe of her physical successes.
“I pounded on the glass until it broke.” She spoke of it as if it was nothing, just a routine accomplishment. “The entire room flooded with water and I broke the necks of the guards who had killed my mother and father. They took my brother away, down a different tunnel. I’m still holding out hope I’ll find him alive someday.”
“Amazing…” I whispered under my breath. “Truly remarkable.”
Tara smiled and pulled an apple out of her backpack. She took a juicy bite. “Thanks. In some ways I felt like I had to honor my family and the suffering they endured. It felt like justice to kill those guards.”
“I know what you mean.” I nodded. “It’s painful to know your entire family is gone.”
Tara gave me an inspecting look. “So, that’s why you took up martial arts?”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “I just had to tell myself that I would be ready if any of those fuckers ever tried to bring me down.”
Tara balled her fists and her jaw visibly clenched. “I know exactly what you mean.”
I felt her swell of ambitious energy, almost as if it flooded me too. I knew we had to make a difference in the world for the Mutants and the future of our race.
I felt a bond with Tara, especially because we both lost our parents and we were both interested in improving our martial arts skills.
We were close to the edge of the beach now. The coastal breeze brushed against my cheek and the wind blew through my hair. I smelled the ocean and tasted the salt through my pores.
“I love coming down here,” I admitted.
Tara had a whimsical smile on her face. I loved her natural beauty and appreciated her wonderous soul.
“Me too. There’s something relaxing about being at the shore.”
I watched a wave crest and then crash down into the sand, saturating it before receding back into itself. A tiny, translucent white crab skirted across the sand and then burrowed into a hole, disappearing after several seconds.
I took a moment to study the feminine features of Tara’s face. She had piercing red eyes that were so captivating I found myself entranced by her gaze when she locked eyes with me.
I took her hand and acted on impulse, leaning down. I wanted to see if she would kiss me back or if she would retreat. When my lips pressed to hers, I was floored by chemistry as it engulfed us both in a flame of desire.
I knew I was probably behaving erratically, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed to kiss her. I yearned to feel her lips pressed against mine. Her touch was extremely sensual, driving me wild with a ravishing hunger.
I wanted to take it a step further. I didn’t want to overstep any delicate boundaries, but I just had to feel between her legs. It was impulse. My fingertips were tingly in anticipation.
I slowly reached my hand down her pants. “Is this okay?” I eyed her expectantly.
Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes gleamed with sensual passion. “Yes.” Her response was a breath on the wind.
I unbuttoned her pants to give myself better access to the swollen pink slit between her legs.
I let out a groan as my fingers slipped between the warm, wet, and juicy tender places. Her lips parted and she gasped in response to my fingers sliding across her engorged clitoris. My hand easily rolled in circles around on her clitoris. I was impressed by how wet she already was.
She exhaled onto my cheek with soft, desperate breaths. I felt her heart beating next to mine. I fingered her blossoming parts that were ripe and swelling, opening like a flower. I pushed my finger deep inside her, all while swirling my other fingers across her throbbing bud.
I wanted to strip her layers. I wanted her to relax and forget all her problems. I wanted her to feel safe with me and cast all her inhibitions out with the tide.
It didn’t take her long to cum. She let out a soft moan and then her body tensed up as she succumbed to the climax that had built up inside of her.
“That was incredibly hot,” I said.
Tara gazed down at the pulsing erection bulging in my pants.
“Sorry,” I said with a chuckle. “I know it’s hard to miss.”
Tara seemed confident as she glowed in the aftermath of her own orgasm. “And hard to ignore, too.”
I inhaled with glorious satisfaction as Tara unbuckled my pants and pushed her hand down to my hard shaft.
“I want to kiss you down there.” She gently squeezed my throbbing cock.
“That would be wonderful,” I said enthusiastically. My heart pounded.
Tara looked a little embarrassed. “I’m not really sure…um…you know…how to—”
“It’s okay.” I took her hand and gave her an encouraging smile. “I’ll walk you through it until you are more comfortable.”
“Good.” She breathed out a sigh of relief.
I glanced around the area to make sure no one had been following us. “Do you really want to try it?” I asked. I didn’t want to put any pressure on her.
She looked at me with lust. “Yes. I want to make you feel as good as you made me feel…down there, just now.”
I smiled. My pulse was pounding in excitement. My hard cock throbbed. “Okay. Then get on your knees and I’ll show you what to do.”
“Okay.” Tara took another deep breath, determination set into her features.
She ogled my m
anhood as it slipped out of my boxer shorts and proudly stood at attention, erect and pointing to the sky.
“Hold the base of it like this…” I maneuvered her hands to the end of my shaft toward my balls. “Then you can use it as leverage. Now, put your mouth on it.” I pointed to the tip. “Cover the top with your mouth and then just move your neck up and down.
Tara nodded but seemed a little overwhelmed.
“It’s okay,” I said with a chuckle. “You can’t mess this up. It already feels so incredible.”
“Really?” She looked at me as if she was uncertain that she was doing it right.
“You are doing an exceptional job,” I said with a nod, trying to breathe through the intensity of the pleasure. “You have no idea how good this feels right now.”
My thighs began to tremble with euphoria.
I groaned as soon as her lips wrapped around my swollen shaft. I pushed her head between my legs and began to help her pump up and down. Her tongue slipped and slid down my hard cock, driving me crazy with sensual bliss.
I was ready to explode all over her. I didn’t know if she would want to swallow my hot cum, but I was hopeful.
We were hidden behind the rocks of the sea wall in complete privacy. I could release my own stresses and put my pressures behind me. I groaned and gently held her head in place as she slurped and sucked on my giant cock.
“I’m going to cum soon,” I groaned, trembling with pleasure.
Tara slipped her mouth from my shaft and peered up at me with such a sexy gaze that I thought my heart might pound right out of my chest.
“What do I do?”
“Do you want to swallow it?” I asked, my voice shaking with ecstasy.
“I think so.” She didn’t really seem to know what that meant.
“When I cum,” I explained, “warm liquid is going to come out of the hole in my shaft. Do you want to taste it?”
Tara grinned. “Yes, very much so.”
“Good.” I helped place her mouth back down on my cock and this time she seemed a little more confident in her actions.
Mutant Academy (The Fundamental Society Book 1) Page 20