Resuscitate (Annihilate #1)

by S. Morayla

  “And finally, this is my Dad, Natalees grandfather, Santino.” I shake his hand, seeing where Shorty gets her eyes from. “It’s a great pleasure to meet you, sir.” He gives me a big smile, nods, and walks to a recliner in the corner of the room.

  “Have a seat, guys. The girls should be out soon,” Victor informs us. I take a seat and both Natalee’s dad and uncle immediately flank me. Fuck!

  “Nick, where are you from? You’re accent is much different than Zayne and Harrison’s,” Stephen says, sitting back into the couch.

  “Aye, I’m from Ireland. I’ll be heading back there for spring break. I can’t wait to go to the pub.” Nick’s eyes light up. Whenever he gets to talk about Ireland or beer, he is a happy lad.

  “That’s right, you can drink when you’re eighteen there. Must suck that you can’t do it here,” Victor tells Nick, his eyes sweeping across the lounge. “When I was in Ireland, I enjoyed Brú Rua or Lager. In the United Kingdom, I took a liking to a few. Pure Ubu, Black Sheep Ale, Innis and Gunn, and Great Heck Citra.”

  “Aye, I enjoy the Lager. I cannot wait to get back.” Nick’s voice fades and the conversation becomes lost on me as my eyes assess the pictures in the room. One in particular jumps out at me. It’s a picture of Shorty with her father and uncle. I want to examine it up close, but I’m sure it would be rude to stand and snoop without being invited. The next few pictures are of famous musicians with Victor. My brain is trying to remember where I’ve seen him before. The image comes but disappears before I have a chance to grasp it. There is a big wig named Victor Martello, but he can’t be him. Natalee’s last name is Rodriguez.

  “So, Zayne…” my name instantly bring me out of my musings, “what are your intentions with my daughter?” Natalee’s dad asks me, his voice stern, his green eyes flickering with intensity. Oh shit, here goes. This is my nightmare: meeting parents and flubbing like an imbecile. Swallowing, I want to run, but this is customary, right? Well, customary would be me actually dating the girl, then meeting her family, but Shorty and I are anything but conventional.

  “Yeah, Zayne, what do you want with my sweet niece?” Her uncle’s voice comes at me from the right with the same vigor as his brother’s. I turn to him and although his voice is harsh, his eyes are shining in mirth.

  “I just want to see her happy, sirs.” My voice sounds shaky at best. Fuck, this is not how I wanted this to go. They probably think I’m a bloody wanker.

  “Sirs?” Victor looks at Stephen before they both crack up laughing. “I’ve never been called sir, but I like it. We’re just messing with you. We know you and Nat are ‘friends’.” Victor quirks an eyebrow at me, making air quotes when he says friends.

  I turn my head to the left when Shorty’s dad talks. I feel like a ping-pong ball, my head lobbing back and forth between the two men. “Just know, she has been through quite a bit of trauma. We just want her to be happy and you seem to bring that out in her. Don’t hurt her. My brother here has some pretty big goons on payroll who will kick your ass if you do, understood?” Natalee’s dad says, no mocking or amusement in his voice. I nod my head. At this point, I just want to make it out of the apartment in one piece.

  Victor’s howling laughter jars me.

  “Dude, chill, he’s just kidding. I don’t have goons, just regular thugs from Compton,” Victor says to me. Victor’s eyes leave mine and latch onto his brother’s.

  “Seriously, just because we’re Italian doesn’t mean we are in the mafia. What the hell, goons? Man, you need to get out more. I’m not the godfather,” Victor says, laughter thick in his voice. Okay, so no goons, but thugs? Yeah, that doesn’t make me feel any better. In fact, that’s scarier in my opinion.

  I put that thought on the back burner when I sense her walking in. I turn my head and our eyes immediately connect. The smile on her face puts me at ease. Mesmerized by the way she looks, I stand, silently announcing her arrival. Both Harrison and Nick stand as well.

  My eyes squared solely on the girl who has stolen my breath. She looks great with her hair down, curled around her shoulders. She’s dressed in dark blue skinny jeans, a white top, and black cardigan. What sets the outfit off is her heels. They’re black platform booties with a deep cut down the center. Shorty has a thing for shoes and every new set seems to get sexier and sexier. Always with a high heel that has me picturing her in nothing else.

  “Natalee, wow, this is your bae?” An older woman rushes into the room, coming straight toward me. “He’s so handsome.” She turns, looking back to her. Her uncle and dad laugh, and Leslie giggles behind Natalee.

  My smile is hard to miss, but Natalee’s face is priceless. She hides her face in her hands. The older lady—I’m guessing her grandmother—hugs me. “Thank you for bringing us back our Natalee,” she whispers in my ear. It catches me off guard. What is she thanking me for? Natalee is a strong woman all on her own.

  In the few minutes I have been here listening to her dad and uncle speak, I can see parts of them in Natalee. She pulls back, smiling at me with sincerity, unshed tears in her eyes. She cups my face with her hand and I’m no longer feeling anything other than the abundance of love flowing throughout the room. “I’m Natalee’s Nona, Alessa. It’s a great pleasure to meet you, Zayne.”

  “Thank you, Alessa. The pleasure is all mine.” She turns away, hugging both Harrison and Nick. My eyes never leave Shorty’s. She walks toward me as I subconsciously move toward her. Shorty’s cheeks still have a hint of pink from the blush that kissed her face earlier.

  “Sorry about that. My family is a bit...crazy?” she asks, like she’s unsure how to categorize them.

  “I like them, especially your Nan. She’s great. I see where you get that spunky personality.” I smile at her as another flush of pink hits her cheeks.

  “You have no idea. My family lives to embarrass me—that’s the way it seems, at least.” She shakes her head, making me miss my mum and sisters. The easy banter between them, just being around them, you can sense the love they have for Natalee.

  “No worries. I think every family has their moments. I know my sisters would love to tell you stories about me when I was a young lad. Believe me, those stories are not flattering and I will try my hardest to keep you away from hearing them.”

  “Oh no, mister. You got to meet my eccentric family, now I get to hear stories. So, Mr. Morad, the next time you call home, I would like to talk to your sisters.” Natalee’s eyes gleam in mischievous delight. How can I say no to her? If this girl asked me to fly to the moon for her, I would. I get that it's barmy since we aren’t dating, but I intend to change that.

  I can’t contain my smile knowing she’s interested in hearing anything my family would have to say about me. My eyes slowly rake over her beautiful body. Her breathing hitches, making my pulse race. She reaches up, speaking into my ear.

  “Stop biting your lip and looking at me like you want to eat me. My uncle and dad will kill you.” I release my lip. How did I not notice I was biting on it? When she steps back, her milk chocolate eyes are hooded, conveying more than she is letting on. It’s encouraging to know the way I look at her makes her feel things. But if I had a hard-on, that statement would have made it deflate faster than a popped balloon. I clear my throat, stepping farther away from Shorty. She smiles up at me, her long lashes fluttering softly.

  “Zayne, would you like some food? We have plenty left over.” Natalee’s Nona asks. I turn my head away from Shorty to see Harrison and Nick are already sitting at the table. “Sure, Alessa, thank you.” One thing my mum and dad taught me was never to refuse food in another person's house. That is disrespectful. I don’t ever want to feel as though I have disappointed my parents. Harrison and Nick were raised the same way, hence why they’re sitting at the table.

  “Nona, davvero? Volevo solo andare.” I stare at Natalee and my heart spikes once again. I don’t have any idea what she just said, but holy fuck that was amazing. The way her tongue caressed each syllable makes me want to h
ear her saying various words in that language as she comes, over and over again.

  “Lo sai meglio. Diamo da mangiare ai nostri ospiti,” Natalee’s Nan says to her, cupping Natalee’s cheek with her palm as she walks past.

  “Fuck, Shorty. I don’t know what you said, but it was the hottest thing I have ever heard.” Natalee looks up at me and laughs, then walks past me, swaying her hips. She grabs Leslie’s hand and pulls her into the kitchen after her Nona.

  Ain’t it Fun

  At last.

  Freedom.

  The sweet smell of smog.

  An hour and a half later, we are finally leaving. Nona kept feeding them, saying they were too skinny. Then she offered to cook them breakfast and even went as far as inviting them to stay the night. I love my Nona, but she gets a bit carried away at times. Of course, Harrison and Nick thought this was a great plan. I sat there feeling like the whole world was against me.

  My uncle was not as amused.Seeing his discomfort made me much happier.

  Once in the car, I lean over to Leslie “Who’s Keri anyway? I don’t think I’ve ever met her.”

  “Uh, I think she works at Nectar of the Gods but I don’t know too much about her. I think she’s, like, Nick’s FWB,” she says cooly. Well, she’s no help. I already knew she hooked up with Nick. I roll my eyes at Leslie.

  “Nick?” I lean forward, getting his attention.

  “Yeah?”

  “Who’s Keri? Why haven’t I met her?”

  “She’s a girl I met last year. She works a lot, so I don’t see her much. She goes to the community college, same as Zayne. Her parents died about two years ago, so now she lives with her sister and niece, I think.”

  “You think?” I ask him, kind of surprised he wouldn’t know. I mean, he’s been dating her for the past year and he thinks?

  He just shrugs. “She isn’t my girlfriend. We just have fun. She isn’t the type to settle down right now and I don’t ask her much because I know it makes her uncomfortable. If she offers to tell me, fine. If not, fine. As long as she is fine with our arrangement, so am I,” Nick says nonchalantly.

  “Wow, talk about romance,” Leslie deadpans.

  “Hey, she uses me for my cock, I just oblige. What else can I do?” Nick says seriously, causing Leslie and I to laugh. Well, I guess he has a point. “Plus, I’ve tried taking her to dinner and dates, shite like that, but she wasn’t having it. She said she just needed to get her frustrations out and my penis is perfect.” Nick smiles, his sky blue eyes dancing with humor. Zayne chuckles next to me.

  “Fucking hell, I’ve heard the perfection. It’s loud,” Harrison says, making us all laugh harder.

  “Oh my God, TMI! I don’t need to know all that, I was just asking who she was,” I say to Nick and Harrison.

  Harrison’s hunter green eyes connect with mine in the rearview mirror. Harrison volunteered himself as the DD for tonight. Not that I drink much, but I think he did it as a way to stay as far away from Les as possible. Nick sits up front with him while Leslie, Zayne, and I sit in the back.

  “Do you remember the time Nick was in the toilets with that bird at The Corral and everyone was mad because it was locked? Paul unlocked the door and found Nick buried to the hilt and the girl yelled for Paul to get the fuck out so she could come?” Zayne chuckles next to me. I gape at him, open mouthed, looking back and forth between him and Nick.

  “Nick! Oh my God, and you seem so sweet,” I say when I’m able to retrieve my voice. He just laughs harder.

  “You must have a thing for bathrooms, Nick. Remember your senior year and I walked into the restroom by the computer lab and found Stacy Jones bent over the sink with you behind her?” Leslie asks him.

  “Ah, Stacy. She loved for me to ram her in there. I don’t know why. She was a good girl, that one,” he recalls, causing us all to laugh.

  I can see why girls would flock to him. His blond hair, clear blue eyes, and baby face make him very attractive. Let’s not forget his Irish accent and the fact that he can play the hell out of a guitar. He has this sense of ease and will make you laugh.

  He’s a people person.

  * * *

  “Nick!” A slender girl with brown hair and hazel eyes runs to Nick, embracing him and laughing uncontrollably, spinning them both around. “I thought you were never gonna get here.” Her pink lips pout, making them stand out against her golden skin.

  “Sorry, love, I got held up. I’m here now, though,” Nick says to the girl, who I’m assuming is Keri.

  Nick turns to the group. “Keri, this is Natalee and Leslie.” He sweeps his hand toward us. “You know these two blokes already.” The smile on his face is contagious. The way his eyes light up makes me think he wasn’t being truthful earlier about the way he feels about this girl, but what the hell do I know?

  “Ah, the infamous Leslie. It’s great to finally meet you. Um, your boyfriend isn’t coming, is he? No offense, but I hate drama. This is my first night out in a long time and I just want to drink and have fun.”

  Leslie, the champ she is, smiles at Keri, not letting on how much that dig hurt her.

  “None taken, I completely understand, and no, he’s not in the state, thank God,” Leslie says to Keri.

  “Yay!” Keri claps her hands. “Let’s go have fun, girls.” She grabs our hands and leads us toward the keg. “I’m so excited to finally meet both of you. Adriana talks about you both whenever I come around. I feel like I know you already.” Leslie and I look at one another, bewildered by the tornado that is Keri.

  People.

  Loads of people.

  We make our way through the crowd. I’m stunned to see so many kids out. This party is big and loud. I look back, making sure the boys are following. No doubt, they’re in route.

  Keri hands us drinks.

  “Let’s make a toast!” she exclaims, raising her cup high. “To new friendships and having fun with no drama.” She clinks her red Solo cup to each of ours.

  We all agree and take a sip. I look up at Zayne and he looks down at me with a smile, pulling me closer to his side. My insides liquefy. His honey-colored eyes are hooded with lust. His hand comes up, following the contour of my face. His fingers hold a piece of my hair, twirling it.

  “Here’s to the most beautiful girl here. I’m a lucky bastard,” he tells me before taking another drink. I smile shyly into my cup.

  “Dance with me please?” I pull Zayne, but he will not budge. I’ve been trying to get him to dance with me for the past hour with the same results.

  “I can’t dance, Shorty. I’ll just sit here and watch you. I like when you dance for me.” His husky, accented voice makes my nipples hard. Fucking alcohol for heightening my senses. I smile seductively at him and begin swaying my hips to the beat. I close my eyes, letting the music take control.

  Two hours, five beers, and two shots later, Keri, Leslie, and I are on the dance floor. My head’s buzzing and my body feels loose and free. Every move I make begins to feel more like a chore. My legs are aching, begging, pleading for me to stop.

  Eyes red and glazed, I make my way to where Zayne sits. He must sense my distress and quickly comes to meet me.

  “Whoa, Shorty, how are you feeling?” His velvety accent thrums against my overheated skin, making it even more impossible to think straight.

  “Like a bamillion buckos, bruh.” I laugh, thinking back to just how many drinks I’ve had. “Did drink I six beers of cups?” No, wait, that’s not right. “Beers six sups I drank.” Yeah, that’s better. I hold up six fingers, showing Zayne I know what I’m talking about.

  “Why are you laughing?” I ask with a pout, my ass hitting the chair with a hard thud.

  “You’re holding up eight fingers and I’m laughing because you’re cute when you’re legless,” Zayne says, his hot breath in my ear.

  “Why do you look so confused, Shorty?”

  “I’m not legless.” I look down at my legs, flailing them about. Sheesh, for someone so cute, he su
re is obtooossseee—or needs glasses. I have legs, two of them. Okay…well, four—wait, how the hell did I gets four? That can’t be good. OH. MY. GOD. I’ve turned into an octopussy.

  She Way Out

  “OH. MY. GOD. I’ve turned into an octopussy,” Shorty yells at the top of her lungs. Several people look over in our direction. I can’t help but laugh. I’ve never seen her so blottoed. Natalee looks up at me, a lazy smile on her lips.

  “Did I say that louder?” she asks me in a shout-whisper, her eyes dazed and glossy from the alcohol.

  “Yeah, you did.”

  “Why’s hims looking at me? WHY ARE YOU LIKING AT MEH?” she shouts at some random guy walking past. She tries to stand. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but I can’t have her yelling at people. I stand in front of her before hunching down.

  “It’s okay, Shorty. I won’t let anyone look at you. Just look at me,” I tell her. I push her sweaty hair back away from her face. She smells of alcohol and sweet perfume.

  “You’re buterful. I love your eyes. Have my babies so they can have your eyesss,” she slurs, trying to keep her head up.

  “I don’t think that’s possible, but I will look into it.” I nod at her. She reaches up and touches my cheek, caressing the scruff with her palm. “Lurve the way that feels. Would feel that good on my body?” She giggles. “I want to criss you and feels it all over.” She closes her eyes, humming. Shorty is pissed out of her mind. Fuck, I know I shouldn’t be getting as excited as I am, but my dick has a mind of his own. When she touches me, she arouses the thirteen-year-old inside of me. He is begging to be set free.

  “Mate? She looks legless, do you want to go now?” Harrison asks. I turn my head, looking up at him. He’s holding on to Leslie, who is just as drunk. Harrison, Nick, and I have been watching the girls, making sure nobody bothered them as they danced.