Thank the Milky Way. Food was the one thing I hadn’t thought about. If my ex-boyfriend hadn’t raided what looked like half his fridge, I would’ve had to drive into town, and I couldn’t risk being seen or having the guys find me there.
Ten minutes later, I was sitting on the porch with a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, a mug of instant coffee (it would have to do) next to me. I took my time eating, watching the birds fly from tree to tree and breathing in the warm air. The beautiful view helped me focus as I tried for the millionth time that morning to bring my Light flow under control.
But the itchiness had already spread to my shoulders and hips, and it wouldn’t be long before it reached my torso. I had no doubt that within twenty-four hours, I would be glowing like a Christmas tree.
Sighing, I took another sip of coffee, turned on the phone only Dot had the number to, and dialed. It had barely started ringing before she answered.
“Are you OK?!” my crazy friend shouted down the line, startling a flock of birds that had settled into the branches of a nearby tree. I cringed, pulling the phone away from my ear. Then I chuckled.
“Yes, Dot. I’m fine. Everything went to plan. Are you OK?”
“Oh, thank fuck.” She sighed. “Yes, just . . . just wait, Mom . . .” I could hear Olivia in the background. “I’m talking to her . . . She’s fine . . . You can’t talk to her because I’m talking to her . . . Mom!”
I laughed, listening patiently to scuffling sounds on the other end of the phone, followed by a door slamming.
“That woman has been driving me mad. I had to take her camping with me so she wouldn’t blab. You owe me for that one.”
“I am eternally in your debt.”
“You put your life at risk to help me find my brother—we can call it even.”
“Haha! Deal!”
“So how you holding up?”
“I’m fine. No issues getting here, but my Light levels are starting to get uncomfortable. What happened after I left?”
“Well, I didn’t sleep all night. Partly because I was worried sick about you and partly because Mom was worried sick about you. She regretted her decision, like, immediately. She walked through the door and started freaking out, and the only way I could keep her from running off to Uncle Lucian was to answer her million questions. Thank god Dad is away or this whole plan would’ve imploded the second he saw her.”
“So rough night, then?”
“Yeah, you could say that. The next day I somehow managed to convince her to come camping with me. So we drove to campus, and I made her stay in the car while I waited for Gabe. He showed up with Alec.”
I cringed. “Shit.”
“Yeah. Shit. So I pretty much threw the scrunched up piece of paper at him and sprinted to the car, and Mom and I sped out of there. But, man, was he pissed.”
“Who?”
“Who do you think? Gabe just stood there frowning at the note, but Alec . . . the words coming out of his mouth made even me blush. I could hear him loud and clear despite the fact that we were already driving away.”
“So are they on the way? Did it work?” I needed to know if it had all been for nothing. I’d never received the call from Dot—the one we’d planned on if the Lighthunter was bogus and I had to tell them where I was—but I needed to hear it.
“Well, after another sleepless night in the woods, once again courtesy of my mother—I mean, I had a bear guarding us from all the dangerous animals, but apparently that made her uncomfortable. I swear . . .”
“Dot!” I laughed, the itchiness creeping up my collarbones momentarily forgotten.
“Anyway, I called them in the morning, and they were already in the air. I spoke to Josh. Gabe was busy ordering people around, and the other two were pissed and refused to speak to me.”
“Ethan was pissed?” I knew he’d be hurt and worried, but I’d never seen my big guy lose his temper.
“Yeah. Punched a hole in the wall, apparently.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, you’re in so much trouble.”
I groaned. “How did they know where to go, Dot?”
“The Lighthunter.” She sounded excited. “Josh said they drove to The Hole immediately and demanded to know where to find her from Gabe’s contact. The guy needed a little persuading, but he spilled eventually.” I didn’t want to know what kind of “persuading” they’d done, but I could guess. “Then they went straight to wherever that was, and within an hour they were in the air. So how’s your ex?”
I spluttered, dribbling coffee all over myself as I laughed and coughed at the same time. “What?!”
“Well, Josh said they were heading to Australia. I figured you hit the Aussie up for some help. Is he still hot?”
“Yes. I mean, no! I mean, yes, I did ask Harvey for some help, and when it comes to his level of hotness, I don’t know. I don’t look at him like that anymore. I have three new boyfriends, remember?”
“Four boyfriends,” she replied without missing a beat, and I rolled my eyes. “Alec has issues, but he’s into you. Trust me. And bitch, please! You cannot tell me that you reunited with a guy you’ve seen naked and didn’t appraise whether he got hotter or notter.”
“Notter?” I chuckled.
“I’m coining a new term. Just roll with it.”
“You know what? This conversation has turned pointless. I need to go burn some of this Light off.”
“Fine. Be like that. Just don’t get eaten by a kangaroo out there.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be an animal expert? You know kangaroos don’t eat humans, right?”
“Oh, hey, my mom is calling me. Gotta go!”
“Whatever.” I was barely containing my laughter.
Before I could actually hang up though, Dot spoke again, her tone much more serious. “Thank you for doing this, Eve. I love you.”
“I love you too, Dot.”
“Good luck with your boyfriends.”
“All three of them? Thanks!”
“Fou—” I hung up before she could get the word out.
I propped my feet on the railing and sipped my coffee, smiling to myself. Now that I knew my guys were on their way, I felt much more relaxed, despite the itchiness.
It had worked. The Lighthunter was real, and we might actually have a chance at finding Charlie.
After a punishing, hour-long run, I jumped into the shower to wash away the dust of the dirt trail. As I headed into the bedroom, wrapped in a towel, my hair piled on top of my head in a messy bun, I heard the distinct sound of a car engine.
That can’t possibly be them yet. Fear spiked, making my stomach clench, my spine straighten.
I peeked out the window at the dark truck approaching, leaving clouds of dry dust in its wake. It was too late to make a run for it. I had no way of getting away, and they were already pulling up next to Harvey’s Range Rover.
I pulled the towel tighter around myself and swallowed around the ball of fear that had lodged in my throat, making it hard to breathe, talk, or scream.
And then all four car doors opened at once, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
The mental walls I’d so diligently constructed were instantly dust, pulverized by the mere sight of my Variants within touching distance. The itching was all over my body, but now it wasn’t just itching. My skin felt as if it were humming, practically vibrating with the amount of Light straining at my seams.
To my dismay, a soft glow illuminated my skin, making me look like a nightlight. It was the first time since the invasion my Light overflow had gotten this bad. The glow faded and then intensified again, appearing and disappearing as though it weren’t sure if it wanted to be there yet. But I couldn’t waste any more time.
I rushed onto the porch as they all piled out of the car. I was down the few stairs and halfway to them before I realized Tyler and Alec both had their guns out.
My steps faltered. “It’s OK. We’re safe here . . .”
They ignored me. Every
one was moving forward, but none of them were looking directly at me except Ethan. He was the only one heading straight for me, and he was the only one unarmed.
“Stop!” Tyler’s commanding voice halted them all. “No one fucking touch her until I do. I can practically smell the amount of Light coursing through her body. Alec, Josh. Perimeter. Kid, watch her.”
I huffed and rolled my eyes. “This really isn’t nec . . .”
But the three of them had already moved off. Only Ethan stayed, his gaze never having wavered from mine.
A fifth person had also exited the car, but I barely registered what they even looked like. My focus was on my big guy.
His shoulders were hunched, his huge chest heaving, his fists clenching and unclenching. He looked as if he was a split second away from ignoring Tyler’s command and launching himself at me. I knew because I felt the same way. The Light inside me was throwing its full weight against the inside of my skin, reaching with outstretched hands to get to one of my Variants.
But it was his face that kept me glued to the spot. His eyes were blazing, and considering his ability, that was scary in itself. He somehow looked both furious and scared at the same time.
I really just wanted to hold him, but I tried speaking to him instead, my voice soft. “Hey, marshmallow.”
Apparently now was not a good time for our nickname game. His lips pressed together, and he looked away, staring at the gravel by his feet.
My heart cracked in two, and I couldn’t wait any longer to go to him, to try to wipe that devastating look off his face. But before I could take a step, Alec’s serious voice sounded behind me. “Clear.”
“Clear” came Josh’s reply, followed by his footsteps pounding down the stairs.
“Clear.” Tyler finished off the routine, but it was his voice, the voice of my logical leader, that sounded uneven, insecure. I turned to face him, completely shocked for the second time in fifteen minutes. He was striding toward me, tucking his gun into the back of his pants.
Alec and Josh were halfway between me and the house, Alec’s hand on Josh’s shoulder, as if to hold him back. But Tyler was demanding my full attention. He took me in his arms, one hand banding around the middle of my back, the other splayed flat against the bare skin above the towel. My hands instinctively flew to his neck.
We both grunted at the force of the Light that gushed out of me and slammed into him as soon as we made contact. And then he kissed me—one searing kiss, filled with all the intensity of the moment. Too soon he pulled away, but he didn’t let go. If anything, his grip on me tightened, his fingers pressing into my skin.
“Don’t hold back.” He panted into my mouth, his lips nearly on mine again. “Let me have it all. I want it all.”
I had a feeling he wasn’t just talking about the Light, but I didn’t have a chance to think about it; my body was already reacting to his words. Lifting onto my toes, I pressed my lips to his and pushed my tongue into his mouth.
He responded, kissing me with a passion I hadn’t felt in his kisses before but had sensed all along, underneath his careful control.
He broke the kiss again but only to pick me up and hold me against his chest as he turned and walked purposefully toward the house. I wanted to lift my legs and wrap them around his waist, but I remembered just in time I was in nothing but a towel, and my ass was already an inch away from being exposed to the Australian countryside, as well as our other companions. So I left my legs hanging, bending them at the knees to avoid kicking Tyler in the shins as he went up the steps.
I lifted my head just as Tyler carried me into the house.
Josh’s eyes were glued to the spot where Tyler and I were touching, and the envy in his narrowed eyes was warring with another emotion, one that had his lips almost twitching into a smile.
Alec was watching my face, his hand still on Josh’s shoulder, and his expression could not be mistaken for anything other than longing. The intensity in his ice-blue eyes as they met mine surprised me and confused me so much that I had to look away.
I only caught a glimpse of Ethan before Tyler carried me deeper into the house. He was still standing in the same spot, still not looking at me.
I ached for them. Each of them. I wanted to comfort Ethan, reassure him I was OK. I wanted to make Josh’s smile break through, prove I wanted him as much as any of them. I even wanted to wipe that look of longing off Alec’s face, show him he could have what he longed for if only he would drop his stubbornness, reach out, and take it.
I wanted to be touching them all. But I was touching Tyler, and that was nothing to complain about.
He carried me into the bedroom. His hands were everywhere—fast, frenzied—as if he didn’t know where he wanted to touch me first. He was more out of control than I’d ever seen him, his breathing ragged, his blue shirt crumpled.
I pushed his messy hair back, threading my fingers through his soft locks as he came in for another kiss. I got completely swept up in the taste of him, the smell of his cologne mingling with a hint of sweat, the feel of his perfect body against mine, his greedy hands grabbing my arms, my back, my waist, my ass.
We ended up on the bed, Tyler half on top of me. One of his legs pushed between mine, and I could feel his arousal pressing into my side. I moaned into his mouth. After all those months of being sure he didn’t want me in the way that I wanted him, feeling the evidence of his desire was the ultimate turn-on.
I hiked my leg over his hip and drew him even closer, wedging my hands between us to access his shirt buttons. I had half of them undone before he broke the kiss, his breathing uneven. His gray eyes were bright, almost silver, and swirling.
“Why”—his voice was low and strained—“are you wearing a towel?”
He was holding himself above me with one arm, but his other hand was gripping my hip, his fingers flexing and relaxing on my bare flesh. The towel had come completely untucked, and the whole right side of my body was exposed.
“I wanted to be naked when you all got here.” I meant it to come out more lighthearted than my breathy voice and swollen lips made it sound. Tyler’s eyes narrowed, and he groaned, dropping his forehead to mine.
“Kidding.” I chuckled. “I was in the shower and . . .” I didn’t bother to finish, focusing instead on what my hands were doing. I undid the top button on his black pants and dragged the zipper down, sliding my hand inside his underwear.
The silky-smooth skin was warm in my hand as I wrapped my fingers around him and started to stroke. His eyes closed, and his hips started to move in rhythm with my hand.
He trailed his fingers up my side, over my shoulder, and down my front. He paused at my breast long enough to give it one firm squeeze that made my back arch off the bed just a little. Then he moved lower.
I dropped my leg off his hip to give him better access. His fingers reached the spot where I wanted them most, spreading the moisture with slow, deliberate movements that made me falter in my strokes, and then, as he started to push his finger in . . .
“Gabe!” the hard, almost growl-like quality in Alec’s voice was punctuated by loud thumps on the bedroom door.
“Fuck,” Tyler whispered against my lips. He pushed his finger in the rest of the way in one swift move, swallowing my exclamation of surprise with one last searing kiss. Then he pulled away, extracted my hand from his underwear, and left me panting and naked on the bed.
He fixed his pants and ran a hand through his hair as he opened the door a crack, murmuring something too quietly for me to hear.
Alec’s voice wasn’t quiet at all. “You have two minutes.”
Tyler shut the door and turned, his hands going to the buttons on his shirt, but he paused when he noticed I hadn’t moved.
“Much as I love this view,” he growled, pausing to bite his lip and rake his eyes all over my nakedness, “you need to get dressed. The others are getting impatient.”
I took a deep breath, relishing the way his eyes followed my chest’s rise an
d fall. Then I got up and pulled on some shorts and another clean tank top.
He moved to open the door. “It’s probably better that we stopped.”
“What?” I halted, his words bringing back every insecurity I’d ever had about his feelings for me. Did he regret taking our relationship to this new physical level? Was I a disappointment? “I thought we were past this shit.” I somehow managed to get the words out on a firm, annoyed tone, my arms crossing over my chest.
“Oh, Eve, no . . .” He abandoned the half-open door and faced me fully. “I’m not saying I wanted to stop.”
“OK . . .” What was he saying, then?
I had a feeling this was related to what we’d briefly talked about the morning after Dot’s birthday: Alec’s conflicted feelings, Tyler’s getting used to sharing me, both of them needing time. Maybe I just needed to be more patient? But I kept my mouth shut, waiting to hear what he had to say.
“It’s just . . . the physical stuff is a little complicated. You know how intense and steady the Light transfer is when you’re touching us, especially in that way.”
“Yeah.” I propped my hands on my hips. “Stop being obtuse. It’s not your style. Spit it out, Ty.”
He smiled and wrapped his arms loosely around my waist. I returned the embrace, resting my hands on his shoulders and doing my damnedest not to let his proximity distract me.
“When you give to one of us—when you share your affection and your Light—the others are naturally drawn to you. When the”—he paused, searching for the right words—“pleasure is received by you, it’s a little easier to resist the urge. But when it’s given, it’s almost impossible. It’s like my ability has a mind of its own, instincts of its own, and it demands I claim you—get my share of the Light and the attention that comes with.”
My mind went to the night of the invasion, when Alec had refused to let me touch him in the way he’d touched me, refused to let me give him the kind of pleasure he’d given me. He wasn’t just denying me the closeness I craved; he was making sure the others wouldn’t have extra temptation to cross the same line. I wasn’t sure if he was being thoughtful or selfish. Once again my feelings toward Alec were ambiguous.
Vital Found (The Evelyn Maynard Trilogy Book 2) Page 22