Gifted Connections: Book 4

by SM Olivier

  “Can I pick out the outfit?” Noah asked hopefully as he sifted through my bags.

  I laughed. “I thought Jemmy was bad. You and Jaxson are just as bad.”

  Noah shrugged with a smile. “I won’t deny it.” He pulled out a pretty, casual long-sleeved dress that was a reflection of Anna’s personality; it was whimsical, bohemian, and hippyish. “Found it!”

  I shrugged as I took the pale yellow creation with floral print on it. I wasn’t generally into clothing with flowers on it, but Anna really did have a way with creating elegance and tasteful clothing. Even if some of them weren’t exactly my style. I still appreciated and saw the beauty in them, just not on me. This dress, on the other hand, was cute. I liked it.

  “It can go with this,” Jaxson bent down and handed me a pair of light tan, suede ankle boots.

  “She sent me shoes too?” I asked in surprise. “How does she even know my size?”

  “Leo may have asked me, and I might have told him.” Troy grinned.

  “This really is too much,” I muttered as I saw more shoe boxes on the bottom of one of her bags.

  “Well, you did save her life,” Remy said dryly.

  I rolled my eyes, good-naturedly. “We don’t know that for sure. We don’t know how good of a shot that guy was or whether if he would have caused her permanent damage.”

  “Close enough in my book.” Jace gave me a gentle smile.

  “I’m getting changed. Meet back here in ten?” Troy clapped his hands in excitement.

  We all made some noise of assent. Everyone left the room, save Drake.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked him.

  He gave me a smile. “I can see right now, so good. Do you mind if I stay here?” he asked tentatively.

  I laughed. “Of course, you can.” I slid out of my pajamas and gingerly donned the dress. It skimmed the bottom of my thighs, so I was okay with the length.

  “Come here,” Drake bade me as he adjusted the neckline of my dress. It was an off-the-shoulder dress and was tight down to above my elbows, then flared at the wrists where it cuffed, leaving additional fabric to trail around my hands.

  “Too bad I couldn’t have worked on a tan while I was here,” I joked as I looked down at my skin. I wasn’t pale, but I wasn’t tan either. A day in the sun would have given me a much-desired glow.

  “Your skin is beautiful just the way it is,” he murmured as he kissed one of my shoulders.

  I laughed. “You’re my boyfriend, you have to say that. You forget how my skin breaks out when my not so friendly ‘friend’ comes to visit.”

  He chuckled as he drew me in closer. “A few days out of the month. Your breakouts aren’t that bad. Everyone gets a spot here and there. Remind me to show you pictures of Troy and Noah when they were teens.”

  “There’s no way the flawless, no pore, olive-skinned Troy had any major breakouts, and if Noah was as meticulous with his nightly routine then as he is now, then there’s no way he would have gone out in public with even a minor break out.” I laughed in astonishment.

  “I’ll show you pictures when we get back to the apartment.” Drake gave me a conspiratorial smile.

  “I can’t wait,” I cried happily.

  “Can’t wait for what?” Noah asked as he came back into the room wearing a pair of shorts, a brown polo, and leather thong flip-flops.

  I smiled. “Nothing,” I said quickly, a little too quickly.

  “I don’t buy that for a dollar.” Noah eyed us suspiciously.

  “You probably shouldn’t,” I said impishly as I slid into my boots. The heels were about two inches high, but somehow, I didn’t think they would hurt my feet, even with all the walking we’d probably be doing. They felt like I was walking on clouds and fit perfectly. I looked at the name in the inside of the boot and gasped. I didn’t know much about shoes, but I hung out with Jemmy long enough to understand these weren’t cheap shoes.

  “Did she go to one of her designer friends for these shoes?” I held up the box that they had come in. “Jemmy is going to be so mad when she finds out I have these.”

  “Let’s be real here. She’s going to be upset with you for a while,” Drake teased. “Though I’m sure when she gets some of those clothes it’ll soften the blow.”

  “Are we ready? I want some boardwalk fries with apple cider vinegar and extra salt,” Jaxson asked excitedly.

  I realized then that I was thankful that I hadn’t seen him suffer through his seizures. I wish I had been here, but I would have been devastated seeing him in that condition. He reminded me of an overgrown puppy with endless amounts of energy and the mischievous streak to go with it. He seemed perfectly fine now, but I knew from experience that the attacks came from nowhere.

  “I was thinking about some frozen yogurt or custard myself.” I smiled as I took Drake’s hand and led him towards the door. “Hopefully they have strawberry or strawberry banana.”

  “I’m sure they will, it’s a common flavor,” Noah smiled as he took my other hand.

  “Let’s go!” I cried happily. I had a feeling this was going to be the mental break I needed.

  My dad was a great dad. He used to take me to a lot of things for the five years I spent with him, but he wasn’t crazy about amusement parks, fairs, or carnivals. He claimed they were overpriced, and he wasn’t crazy about the rides and lines. He took me a couple times, but we never stayed long.

  I took Ella to one of these when she was younger, and I had enjoyed it immensely. I loved watching Ella react to everything, but I also took joy in embracing the atmosphere as well. There was something magical to behold when the sun started to go down, and the lights on the rides and booths turned on.

  As we wandered around the boardwalk, I was determined that when we got the chance, we would bring the kids to one of something like this. I imagined Alex and Micah had never been to something like this, and I knew Ella would love it.

  “There’s another frozen custard stand,” I cried excitedly as I pointed towards another vendor. “Maybe they’ll have strawberry there.”

  “Let me win you a stuffed animal first,” Jaxson insisted as he wandered towards one of the game booths.

  “No way!” Troy cried out. “We can’t let you get our girl a prize first.”

  “But it was my idea first!” Jaxson protested good-naturedly.

  I laughed. “How about I win myself a toy?” I pointed to a booth that had the water guns. The target was a pirate ship. Hit the target, and the ship would rise to the top to ring a bell.

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” Remy gave me a confident grin as he grabbed my hand to lead me to the booth.

  “Why can’t we all try to win you something?” Jaxson asserted as he followed along behind us.

  “Later,” I called back. “I want to play.”

  We walked up to the man operating the booth. “You guys going to win this pretty little lady a unicorn?” he asked as he smiled at us.

  I refrained from rolling my eyes. “This pretty little lady will win her own unicorn,” I said as I found a seat and went to grab my wallet.

  “I’ll pay for her and myself,” Jace stated as he handed the guy some money with a laugh.

  “What about me?” Jaxson cried out in mock a frontal.

  “You can pay for your own self.” Jace laughed as he took the seat next to me.

  “Geesh, what a great big brother you are,” Jaxson grumbled while he handed the man some money and took the seat on the other side of me.

  The rest of the guys paid to play and took their seats.

  “Ready to eat my dust?” I jokingly called to them.

  “Dream on, Misty,” Troy called down to me.

  “Ready?” the guys asked us, and we all nodded. The bell went off, and it took me a few seconds to get my water stream to hit the target.

  I looked up at the pirate ships and groaned, realizing mine wasn’t at the top. It wasn’t on the bottom, but it wasn’t on the top either.

  Troy whoope
d with joy as the light above his ship flashed, and a loud ringing noise filled our ears.

  “What’ll it be, Misty?” Troy asked.

  I smiled grudgingly. I wanted to win it myself, but it was sweet that they desired to win me stuff. I pointed towards the large unicorn, fully intending to give it to Ella for a souvenir.

  “It has to be a small or medium prize. You’ll have to play another game and win to get the big ones,” the man stated with a smarmy grin.

  “Let’s do it again boys,” Troy stated as he handed the man enough cash to cover us all.

  “Let you win?” Remy asked with a smirk.

  “You know it,” Troy answered with a pointed grin at the man.

  “That’s not how it works,” the man protested loudly.

  “You mentioned the unicorn to our girl. Our girl wants a unicorn. Then you tried to pull the ole’ switcheroo on us, and now we’re getting our girl the unicorn.” Troy shrugged with a smile.

  I gaped at him, but I couldn’t blame his logic. I knew these vendors got more money than what the cheap stuffed animals were worth.

  The vendor looked at us with narrowed eyes and knew he’d been beaten at his own game. He reluctantly started the game once more.

  I made an effort to win, while the other guys made none. I was really disappointed that I didn’t, but I was happy that a guy won me a toy at a carnival. It almost felt like I was in an ordinary relationship. Almost.

  “Thank you.” I beamed up at Troy as I pulled his mouth down to mine.

  “I need to get you one more,” Troy stated. “I have a feeling that one is going to Ella.”

  I laughed. “How’d you know?”

  “Umm, maybe because Ella has a slight obsession with ponies and unicorns.” Troy chuckled as he threw an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s get you some ice cream.”

  “Then we should go on the Ferris wheel. I call Blake first,” Noah called as he skipped out in front of us.

  “They have boardwalk fries right next to it,” Jaxson said excitedly.

  “And funnel cakes.” Drake smiled.

  “I’ll go with you,” Noah remarked.

  It was kind of crazy to see all my guys unwinding. This was the first outing we’ve had together where fun was the name of the game. I loved skiing, but we all hadn’t stayed together because of our preferences and skill levels. It was moments like these where I wished we could all lead a typical life; one where dating could happen on a weekly basis, where we could plan fun family evenings.

  “Do you want anything but the frozen custard?” Jaxson asked me before he started to head to the other building.

  “Can you get a large fry? I want a few of them” I asked with a large grin. “Do you want any custard?”

  “I’ll get a bucket.” He chuckled. “And get me what you’re getting.”

  “Better get two,” Jace called out to him with a smile.

  “You paying?” Jaxson asked with a smirk even though he nodded.

  “I’m getting a corn dog,” Remy stated as he pointed towards another building on the boardwalk. “Anyone else?”

  “No thanks.” I shook my head.

  “I’ll take one,” Troy commented.

  “Me too,” Jace added.

  “We should look for some souvenirs for the children, too,” I stated as I saw one of those shops that sold t-shirts with the boardwalk’s logo on it.

  “They’ll love that,” Troy agreed. “But maybe after we hit the arcades and rides.”

  “We should find one of those places with cars,” Jace interjected. “So, we can race against each other.”

  “Oh man, do we want Blake to see us in that competitive atmosphere?” Troy chuckled.

  “Nothing that you guys do or say can sway my opinions about you.” I laughed. “We’re kind of stuck together, for better or worse.”

  Troy squeezed me to his side before kissing my temple. “That’s our girl. Just remember we warned you.”

  “Bring it on,” I teased as we got to the front of the line. I was excited to see that they had strawberry banana custard. “I’ll take two strawberry bananas in a waffle cone.”

  “I’ll take the chocolate peanut butter,” Troy added. “In a waffle cone with chocolate jimmies.” He took out his wallet and pulled out some cash.

  “I have money,” I gently teased him.

  “So do I,” he said with a wink.

  I smiled up at him once more. They really knew how to spoil a girl.

  “Let’s eat these and then hit the arcades,” Jace stated as he pointed towards the sizeable indoor arcade a few buildings down from us.

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” I said with a smile. This was exactly what I needed after the day I had.

  I leaned back in Noah’s arms and sighed. “This has been such an amazing night.”

  After an hour of racing each other in the arcades, we decided to ride some rides. Noah had ushered me away to the ferris wheel immediately.

  He chuckled as he kissed my temple and threw his arms around my shoulder. “I agree. I wish our trip had been more successful, though.”

  “Who knows,” I began, trying to be optimistic. “Maybe he’ll still come around. Especially when he realizes that he’s going to lose his gift. I’m sure it comes in handy when he’s studying for a new role. He may be naturally talented, but some of it has to come from his gift.”

  “Okay, enough about him,” Noah said before he grabbed my chin lightly and tilted it up.

  He placed a kiss on my lips, and I leaned into him. I opened my mouth to his probing tongue and moaned. His mouth became more insistent, and his hand found its way onto my thigh. His hands were warm against the chilly night air.

  We continued to kiss, and I moved restlessly against his roaming hands. I felt his fingers begin to play with the edges of my panties. I opened my thighs further, forgetting the fact that we were on a Ferris wheel.

  We were breathless as his lips lifted from mine. “Wanna live a little dangerously?” He murmured against my ear.

  I boldly rubbed his thigh, feeling his reaction to our make-out session. “Are you suggesting we do something here?” I asked, slightly scandalized but intrigued at the same time.

  The Ferris wheel chose to stop once more. I peered over the sides and saw that everyone looked like ants from up here.

  He slid up behind me and whispered conspiratorially. “By my estimation, we have a few more minutes of them loading the rest of the riders on, then a few more minutes of the actual ride. It’s plenty of time to have a little fun.”

  I bit my lip in indecision but then smiled. I turned back around and immediately reached for his fastenings on his shorts. “We better not get caught, or I’ll die of mortification.”

  He chuckled and moved my shaking hands from the front of his shorts. “We’ll make it quick.”

  I watched as his shaft sprang forward, and I hastily removed my panties. He pulled me onto his lap so I was facing away from him, and I guided him into my waiting core. The thrill of possibly being caught and knowing how I affected him had me more than ready.

  He muttered a curse as he grabbed my hips. I began to push my hips forward as the ride started to move once more. In the distance, I could hear the surf crashing on the beach and the screams of the riders on the roller coaster nearby.

  Noah pushed my skirt up and found my center, working me with his fingers while I mewled in pleasure. Our movements were frantic and rushed. There was no savoring the feeling of each other, just intense raw need.

  “Come for me,” he commanded as I continued to ride him eagerly, arching towards his fingers and into his hardness.

  “So close,” I told him with a moan.

  “Good me, too,” he muttered as he thrust up into me.

  The rush of fear that we may get caught combined with my desire to reach fulfillment spurred me on. It was a thrill I had never experienced. I barely covered my mouth to hide my cries of ecstasy as I felt myself shattering all over him. He bit my shoul
der moments later, groaning his own release.

  “Holy crap,” he muttered as he leaned me back on him. “I love you,” he said in a thick sated voice.

  I giggled. “I love you, too. That was…fun.”

  I grabbed my panties, hyper-aware that time was not on our side. He took them from me and lifted my dress up. I felt the cloth of my panties wiping away the evidence of our coupling. He was quick and meticulous in his movement. He pocketed them with a smug smile. “I’m keeping these, and now we both know you’re not wearing anything under your dress for the rest of the night.

  I couldn’t even pretend to be annoyed with him as the ride stopped. He stood up first, grinned at me and held out his hand.

  Chapter 12

  We were all physically exhausted when we got back to base. Mentally, we all were too wired to sleep like we wanted to, even though it wasn’t that late in the day.

  As soon as we got in, I immediately carried all my bags to my room.

  “Can you guys throw all your dirty laundry in your hampers? I’ll come by and wash them for us tonight,” I stated as they placed some of my bags on my couch.

  “Laundry can wait,” Remy stated as he climbed onto my bed and laid down on it.

  “You should probably go through your bags and decide what you want to keep,” Noah added as he took the other side of my bed.

  “You know Jemmy and the girls will be over here the moment their duty day ends,” Drake said dryly as he took a seat on the floor.

  “Can we choose some of the outfits we want you to keep?” Jaxson asked hopefully as he began to sift through my bags.

  I laughed. “Sure,” I said as I began to take some of the clothes out and laid them on the foot of my bed.

  My phone chimed, and I pulled it out. I saw that it was Anna.

  Tink: Hey girl, did you get home yet?

  Blake: Just walked through the doors. We’re sifting through all the clothes you got me. Thanks again! It really wasn’t necessary!

  Tink: Umm…you took a bullet for me!

  Blake: I did my job lol

  Tink: Whatevvs! Don’t become a stranger!

  Blake: I won’t!