Then I felt Alec’s solid presence at my back. I could just imagine the scowl he was wearing. If there was anyone who hated attention more than I did, it was him.
“Is there a problem here?” he asked in his cold, unyielding voice as Kyo, Marcus, and Jamie stepped into my field of vision, looking every part the tough Melior Group team they were.
No one answered. I leaned back a tiny fraction and let my back make contact with his chest. He placed one possessive hand on my hip, and I tilted my head up until I was looking at him upside down.
He was wearing the exact scowl I’d pictured—the one that pulled at the scar in his right eyebrow—and I could see up his nose. I don’t know why, but that made me chuckle.
He looked down at me, amusement playing at his lips. Instead of explaining myself, I decided to ignore the whole thing.
“Hey, Alec,” I whispered, giving him a genuine smile.
“Hey, Evie,” he whispered back and smirked at me. “You good?”
“I am now.”
He leaned down and planted one quick kiss to my head.
Everyone left me alone in my last lecture, some people even actively avoiding me. Apparently their fear of Alec now extended to me, and I was OK with that, especially if it provided a small reprieve from all the attention.
Twenty-Nine
At the end of the day I got a ride home—I was still getting used to calling it that—from Kyo and Dot. They were now officially an item. Since they’d first kissed on the dance floor on Dot’s birthday, every moment that Kyo wasn’t on duty they spent together. They weren’t the kind of couple who were sickening in their PDA, but Dot had no filter and told me all about it. In great detail. Including their sex life. And about the time Marcus joined them for a threesome. I always told her she was oversharing, but secretly I paid close attention . . . for future reference.
Judging by the way she’d whispered to Jamie before jumping in the car, her hand on his bicep as she leaned in close, I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up in bed with all three of them by the end of the week.
Alec had taken Josh and Ethan into the city to meet with Melior Group management. That was the only reason it wasn’t one of them escorting me safely back to where I belonged. Instead, Marcus and Jamie followed us through the streets of Bradford Hills in an unmarked vehicle.
We’d managed to hold off this dreaded meeting for the past few weeks due to all the intense stuff that had happened, but the board had stepped in, and now even Lucian couldn’t stop it from happening.
They’d managed to keep me out of it somehow—Lucian, Alec, and Tyler had probably all pulled some serious strings. I suspected Ethan and Josh had also offered themselves up much more easily than they otherwise would have to keep me away a little longer. But even so, one of the things we’d dreaded—one of the reasons we’d kept our Bond secret—had come to fruition. Both Josh and Ethan had formidable abilities, and now that it was known they had a Vital, Melior Group was recruiting them.
That was the first purpose of the meeting. The relationship between Variants and humans had only gotten more strained. There were constant protests outside Variant organizations and businesses. Groups of humans were ganging up on Variants with more benign abilities. Politicians were making outrageous comments in the press, capitalizing on the fear to gain more voters. And throwing fuel on the fire, Senator Christine Anderson was still missing.
The Variants were saying humans had taken her out because of all the work she was doing to bring Variant interests to the forefront in Washington. The humans were saying she’d been plotting to make them second-class citizens, so good riddance. Things were getting increasingly violent. Melior Group wanted all the help they could get.
The second reason for the meeting was even more serious. When any Variant finds a Vital, they have to register the Bond with the government. If the abilities are as dangerous as Alec’s, Ethan’s, and Josh’s, this is taken particularly seriously. We hadn’t technically broken any laws—because we had reported it to Melior Group (i.e. Lucian), which is tasked with handling the registrations and managing the risk to the general public—but we’d skirted the line by not keeping the humans in the loop.
Now that it had come out in such a public, spectacular way, they were pissed. We’d made them look bad.
Alec, Josh, and Ethan would be gone most of the evening; they might even stay the night in the city apartment if the meetings went long. Tyler was the only one home, working in his study.
That’s where I found myself after changing into comfortable leggings and a soft black sweater—pacing the marble floor in front of the study’s half-open door. I could hear Tyler inside speaking on the phone, but I wasn’t paying attention.
I was thinking about the day I’d had. How freeing it was to say my real name, to not have to hide anymore, to have Alec at my back.
My talk with Lucian flashed through my mind too. How much more I felt like a part of his family with fewer secrets between us all.
Then I remembered what Nina had told me that day in the sauna. How much stronger we would be as a unit if we let the Bond strengthen naturally—if I followed my instincts instead of my mind and let the Light guide me.
I considered how much easier it was to control the Light—that I didn’t really even need to control it—when we were relaxed and together and connected in the way I wanted us to be. As I’d been with Josh and Ethan in Alec’s bed . . .
Decision made, I marched into Tyler’s office and closed the door.
He looked up, the phone still to his ear. He was beautiful. He’d been at Bradford Hills most of the day and was still in his slacks and a patterned teal shirt, the sleeves rolled up, of course. His brown hair was messy as always, but his shoulders weren’t as slumped as I’d come to expect these past few months; his face wasn’t as drawn.
Locating Charlie and knowing he was still alive had lifted all our spirits.
“OK, just get it to me by morning so I can review. I have to go.” He listened for a bit and then hung up.
I sat down on the edge of his desk. “You didn’t have to hang up on my account.”
“I’d been trying to end that call for five minutes.” He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “How was your first day back?”
“I don’t want to talk about that.” I waved my hand dismissively.
“OK.” He stood, stretching his arms over his head and rolling his neck. My eyes couldn’t help wandering down to where his shirt was straining to pull out of the waistband of his pants. “I need a break. Want to watch some TV?”
He made to move past me, but I placed one hand firmly against his hard chest.
“No.” I shook my head, my voice betraying my nerves. I wanted this, I was sure of it, but I’d been rejected so many times . . .
“Then what do you want to do?” Tyler’s voice lowered, and he stepped closer, resting one hand lightly on my knee.
In answer, my hand wandered over his defined shoulder to the back of his neck, and I leaned up, pressing my lips to his. He kissed me back, trailing both hands up the outside of my legs and resting them on my hips. I pulled him closer, opening my legs so he could step between them, and deepened the kiss. His tongue met mine.
After losing myself in his embrace for a while, I knew it was time. I pulled back, my hands still wrapped around his neck, my fingers playing with the crisp collar of his shirt.
“Ask me what I want to do,” I demanded on a whisper, holding his gaze.
He indulged me, his swollen lips twitching in amusement. “What do you want to do, Eve?”
As his ability told him my intentions, I drove my point home by slowly and deliberately dragging one hand down his chest, over his abs, and all the way to between his legs. I stroked him, feeling the hardness through the fabric, as realization entered his face.
His breathing sped up and his hands flexed on my hips. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.” I leaned forward and placed soft, sensual kisses on
his neck, keeping a steady pace with my hand.
He groaned, stepping out of my reach. “This will mean taking it to the next level with all of us. You understand that, right? The Light is a powerful force. We’re not animals, we can resist it, but it won’t be easy. And you won’t want to either. Are you positive you’re ready for that with Alec?”
“Yes.” I wasn’t, not entirely. Judging by his disapproving look, his ability had told him as much, so I rushed to explain. “Look, I know Alec and I still have a lot to sort out, but I’m done pretending he’s not in my Bond. I’m done allowing distance and insecurity to create more tension. Mentally, I may have some doubts, but in every other way, I’m ready. I want this, Tyler. I want you.”
I kept my gaze locked on his, even though I felt incredibly vulnerable. His ability had told him I wasn’t sure what to expect from my relationship with Alec, but it would also have told him how sure I was about everything else. I was choosing to follow my instincts—put my faith in the Light. I just hoped Tyler would see that.
I finally dropped my eyes, the potential of another rejection weakening my resolve, but that’s what seemed to break him out of his own thoughts
He grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet, then toward the door.
“You’re not even going to talk to me about it?” I tried to tug my hand out of his grasp, frustrated, but he held on.
“I’m not saying no.” He smirked over his shoulder as he reached the door. “This door doesn’t have a lock.”
He yanked the door open and quickened his pace toward the stairs.
I snapped out of my shock as we started to climb up, the frustration and fear of rejection wiped away by Tyler’s cheeky grin and the lust in his eyes. Giddy anticipation replaced it, giving me a burst of energy, and I overtook him on the stairs.
Now I was the one pulling him behind me, and we ended up running and laughing all the way to his room.
As soon as his bedroom door was locked, the energy changed again. It turned more serious as we came together, his lips devouring mine as he held me close. It turned more intense as he walked me backward toward his bed.
When the backs of my knees hit the mattress, I broke the kiss, and before I could reach the hem of my sweater, Tyler was yanking it over my head.
I wanted his hands all over me. I wanted his mouth on my skin. Once again, he gave me exactly what I wanted, licking and kissing my neck as he unclasped my bra.
My breathing was heavy, my heart hammering with anticipation. The thought alone that I wouldn’t have to stop, wouldn’t have to hold myself back, was sending jolts of pleasure straight to my core.
I threw my bra aside and made quick work of Tyler’s buttons, shoving the shirt off his shoulders. As he pulled it off, I pressed my lips to his chest. He was warm and smelled like the body wash I’d taken to using since the night of the invasion—when he’d let me use his shower. It smelled so much better mingling with his natural scent.
I kissed my way up the flat planes of his chest to his neck, running my hands up the muscled arms that had caught my attention that very first day.
His breathing was loud in my ear as he pressed himself closer and closer, his hands gripping my hips, my waist, my ass; kneading my breasts; never lingering in one spot for too long. As if he didn’t know what he wanted to touch first.
But I knew exactly what I wanted. I ghosted my fingers over his shoulders and trailed them down his back as my mouth found his. Once my hands reached the waistband of his pants, I pushed my tongue into his mouth and, without wondering when I should stop, undid the clasp.
I didn’t waste time, shoving both the underwear and the pants down. I touched him in the way I’d wanted to for so long, wrapping my hand around his erection and basking in the way he moaned into my mouth, the way his hips thrust forward, encouraging me.
Just as I was increasing my pace, intoxicated by his every reaction to what I was doing to him, his hand clasped around my wrist, and he pulled away.
“If you keep doing that, this will be over before it starts.”
“I thought it had already started,” I teased.
“I want to come inside you, not in your hand.” He looked me dead in the eye as he said it, reminding me that was exactly where I wanted him. Inside me.
Suddenly I couldn’t think about anything else.
The Light was purring as it flitted over my skin and into him in a slow, steady trickle, unrestrained. My body was flushed and ready.
My mouth, however, was apparently determined to ruin the mood.
“You mean you want to come inside a condom inside me, right? Safety first.” My breathy voice betrayed how aroused I was, even if my words weren’t exactly seductive.
Tyler’s lips pulled up in a brilliant, amused grin. “Yes, that’s exactly what I meant.”
“Sorry . . .” That wasn’t the sexiest thing to say with his dick in my hand.
“Don’t be. I would never be so reckless.”
I circled my arms around his middle, leaning my forehead on his shoulder.
His hand threaded into my hair and nudged my gaze back to his. He looked at me with so much affection and understanding it took my breath away. Or maybe it was his mouth that took my breath away. The kiss he pressed to my lips was intense yet gentle, but he kept his tongue back. He was being sweet and patient, putting me at ease.
But I didn’t want gentle; I was ready for more.
I smiled against the kiss and then sucked his bottom lip into my mouth, biting it. He gave me a devious grin that reminded me of bad-boy Tyler—the one I’d briefly glimpsed at The Hole, who wore leather jackets and had women gossiping about how good he was in bed.
He stepped out of the pants and underwear that had pooled around his ankles and picked me up roughly. His hands gripped my ass, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, my hands flying to his neck so I wouldn’t fall.
He dropped open-mouthed kisses on my collarbone as he moved, then he dropped me onto his bed. I bounced a little on the mattress, giggling, as giddy and excited as I was turned on and ready.
Tyler stood in front of me, gloriously naked, for only a beat before crawling over me, his knees on either side of my thighs. He placed another searing kiss to my lips, but before I could pull him closer, he was moving down my body.
He kissed a trail down the center of my torso, deliberately bypassing my breasts as his hands dragged a path down my sides.
Once his face and his hands reached the waistband of my leggings, he leaned back and pulled them off along with my underwear. He threw the clothing over his shoulder dramatically as his eyes raked over my completely naked body, from my toes all the way to my face. When our eyes met, he leaned forward, and I lifted up onto my elbows. We couldn’t resist coming together anymore. We didn’t want to.
He crawled back onto the bed and pressed the length of his body over mine as I pulled him down. We kissed deeply, breathing heavily through our noses, our hands roaming, our bodies starting to move to the rhythm of our mouths. I opened my legs wider and felt his hardness. We both groaned, and Tyler broke the kiss, pressing his forehead to mine as his hips continued to grind against me.
“I want you inside me,” I whispered against his lips. I’d never been more sure of anything in my life; his ability would have made that clear to him.
“Fuck.” He groaned before getting up and going to his bedside table.
As he ripped open the foil packet and put the condom on, I took in his glorious body.
He was a little bit taller than Josh but just as lean; hard muscle hid beneath his pressed shirts and tailored pants. I let my eyes linger on his tight ass before my attention was drawn to a large tattoo across his upper back. Scrawled in a bold but intricate font were the words “Knowledge Is Power.” The simple sentiment was so him, and the fact that he had ink under his clean-cut appearance reminded me of his slightly shady, dangerous past.
Condom in place, he came back to the foot of the bed. I moved backward against
the pillows as he crawled over the top of me, his eyes full of need, almost feral.
He was letting his instincts take over. And judging by the narrow-eyed look he was giving me, his instincts were to claim me.
He pushed my legs apart and settled between them, holding himself up on one arm. His lips crushed fiercely to mine—repayment for the way I’d bitten him earlier—and his hand roamed, grabbing and feeling and teasing my skin on its jagged path to the spot between my legs.
Once there, he broke the kiss, his eyes closed, his mouth panting.
His fingers trailed up and down, spreading the wetness and rubbing the most sensitive spots with the perfect pressure. He alternated pushing his fingers inside and rubbing my clit, tormenting me in the most delicious way, giving me a taste of exactly what I wanted, then changing it up.
Just as I was starting to get frustrated with his antics, he shifted and slowly, deliberately pressed his length into me. Inch by glorious inch, Tyler filled me until he was all the way in, and we both groaned at the sensation.
Finally, finally, I was breaking down one of the last barriers between me and my Bonded Variants, and everything about it felt so fucking right—his smell, the way his hands caressed my body, his weight on top of me, the feel of him inside me.
For a few moments we just stared at each other, the connection deepening in a way clearly fueled by the Light but also in ways that had nothing to do with our supernatural Bond. Yes, I was his Vital and he was my Variant. But I was also a woman and he was a man, and we’d wanted each other in this most intimate, carnal way for a long time.
A messy brown lock fell over his forehead, and I didn’t hesitate to brush it away, threading my fingers into his hair, moving my hand to the back of his head and attacking his lips with mine again. He started to move, and I met every thrust with my own hips.
Tyler seemed to know exactly what I wanted. Just as I imagined his fingers twining into my own hair, there was his hand, pulling gently at the strands. Before I’d even fully formed the thought that I wanted my breasts crushed against his hard chest, he was letting a little more of his weight onto me. As I let the sensations take over my mind, chasing the highest form of pleasure, Tyler adjusted his movements and angled his hips in exactly the perfect way.
Vital Found (The Evelyn Maynard Trilogy Book 2) Page 34