Vital Found (The Evelyn Maynard Trilogy Book 2) Page 14

  “. . . longest hour of my life.” He groaned as he emerged from the building, Alec by his side. Ethan and Josh both turned at the sound of his voice, and Josh took a breath. Without even thinking about it, I shot my hand out and covered his mouth. Then I did the same to Ethan for good measure. I spent entirely too much time behind the eight ball in my own Bond. If they were going to talk about something pertinent in public, who were we to stop them? Ethan and Josh both gave me disapproving looks, but they stayed quiet.

  “And you knew she was coming to see me dressed like that. You are such a fucking asshole.” I smirked as Tyler echoed my words to Alec.

  “What was I supposed to do, man?” Alec somehow managed to sound defensive and chastised at the same time. “Tell her to go home and change? Yeah, that would have gone over real well. Especially coming from me.”

  “You know I’m doing this for you, right?” Tyler was beginning to sound less amused. “I don’t know how much—”

  His mouth clamped shut. They’d seen us. We must have looked ridiculous, standing there, my hands over Ethan and Josh’s mouths. Tyler’s eyebrows shot up, his hand frozen in mid-gesture in front of him, while Alec threw his head back and laughed.

  My eyes widened. I’d just been busted by my hot older tutor doing something naughty while inadvertently dressed like a private schoolgirl. The irony was not lost on me.

  I dropped my hands, turned on my heel, and walked away as fast as I could.

  I was mortified. About all of it—my unfortunate outfit, the new bit of knowledge about Tyler, the blatant eavesdropping on their conversation. What was I thinking? Of course he was going to spot us! And now Tyler surely thought my maturity matched my outfit—high school level. I couldn’t fathom what Alec thought, but he was a mystery most of the time anyway.

  The first words I’d heard Tyler say kept replaying over and over in my mind: longest hour of my life. Our session that morning had been awkward for me too, but I wouldn’t say it was the “longest hour of my life.” He hated it more than I realized. Not enduring my stupid outfit in his face for an hour. Me. It was our Bond he hated. Maybe even resented.

  His power was passive; he’d never expected or wanted a Vital. It was a burden to him. That’s why he’d put such clear boundaries in place. The few moments that made me think he might feel the same way as I did were simply Light-driven, instinctual reactions to our Bond. I’d probably completely ruined this fantasy for him.

  I really wanted to go home and change, put on the stained sweatpants and questionable-smelling T-shirt, but we were already late for biology, and I didn’t want to miss any classes. So I did my best to pull the skirt down as far as it would go and shove more of my hair into my bun in an attempt to look less . . . provocative.

  The boys were following me, and I could hear them talking quietly behind me, probably about me. I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other and gripped the strap of my bag tighter. Ethan fell into step next to me. I didn’t look at him, but I felt his fingertips gently drag down my arm from my elbow to my wrist—a warning he was about to take my hand.

  I did a quick mental check and saw that, in my emotional state, I’d let more Light in than I wanted to. I took a deep breath and clamped down on the flow of Light, scrunching it up into a tight little ball deep inside me. Then I met Ethan halfway. His big, warm hand swallowed mine, giving me a little squeeze, and I instantly felt better. Josh was walking a pace or two behind us, allowing us to look like the couple the whole campus thought we were while still staying close enough to let me know he was there.

  As we approached the science building, Ethan tugged me gently toward the side of the building as Josh overtook us. I wrenched my hand out of Ethan’s grasp and planted my feet, facing both of them.

  “No.” I injected as much determination into my voice as I could. They were trying to pull that tag-team shit again—that thing where they crowd my personal space and fry my brain so I’ll tell them what I’m thinking even when I’m not sure I want to. I refused. All I wanted to do was focus on science for a while. “We are going to class. I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

  I gave them each a pointed look before turning around and walking to class. Thankfully they behaved, following me into the lecture hall and taking seats on either side of me. We made it just a few moments before class started, and Dot joined us, a few minutes late herself. We exchanged quick hellos before the lecture began.

  I stared at the front of the room, oblivious to the information, my notebook remaining blank in front of me. After about ten minutes of this, Josh’s hand landed on my leg. He gave me a little squeeze, his fingers digging into my skin below the hem of the skirt, and then he flipped his hand, his palm up in invitation. I placed my hand in his. It snapped me out of my distraction, and after a few minutes I took my hand back and started paying attention.

  The rest of the day passed without incident. My classes went well, and no one commented on my outfit. I had lunch with Zara and Dot, but I stayed quiet for most of it, lost in my own thoughts.

  When I got back to my res hall at the end of the day, I put on the stained sweats and dragged all my dirty laundry down to the laundry room in the basement. My third load was halfway through when Ethan and Josh came in.

  I looked up from the assignment I’d been working on and groaned.

  Ethan chuckled. “Well, hello to you too, cutie.” He dropped a kiss to the top of my head. I stayed seated, not making it easy for him.

  “Hey, pumpkin,” I finally replied. I wasn’t actually mad at them. “Hey, Josh.”

  Josh tapped me under my chin, and I raised my gaze to his face. The pure affection in his green eyes made me relax a little. He kissed me softly on the cheek before going to lean against a dryer across from me. Ethan sat on top of the one next to him, and I briefly worried for the structural integrity of the machine; his hulking frame looked as if it could crush it.

  They weren’t crowding me, as I’d worried they would earlier in the day, cajoling confessions out of me with their searching eyes and probing hands.

  “Look, Eve,” Josh started, “we don’t want to force you into talking about anything. We just want to clear shit up. In case you may have gotten the wrong idea.”

  “OK.” I folded my hands on the table, resting them on the pile of forgotten textbooks and notepads. “Clear away.”

  “When we told you about Gabe’s . . .”

  “Proclivities,” I finished for him, raising an eyebrow.

  “Yes. Thank you. When we told you about that, we didn’t consider that it might make him out to seem more . . .”

  “Like a perv,” Ethan supplied helpfully.

  Josh threw him an annoyed glance. “Like he’s crossed some boundaries when he actually hasn’t.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I was really struggling to keep up with conversations today.

  “We just don’t want you to think he’s actually crossed that line with a high school student before, or even with someone who’s underage. He used to watch a lot of anime, and it’s just a harmless fantasy he’s shared with us because . . . well, we’re guys and we talk about that shit. Anyway, Ethan and I gave you an incomplete picture of the situation, and we figured it was up to us to make sure it was cleared up. Because, you know he would never, ever . . .” Josh was beginning to ramble, and it was adorable. His perfectly put-together preppy outfit was in total contrast to the slightly frantic look in his eyes.

  “Stop.” I looked between the two of them—serious, if a little sheepish—and laughed. “It didn’t even cross my mind. I think I know Tyler fairly well by now, and I can’t imagine him abusing his position of power to do something so . . .”

  “Pervy?” Ethan once again supplied helpfully.

  “Pervy,” I confirmed, giving him an affectionate smile and hoping we could drop the conversation and forget this whole day had happened.

  Naturally, Josh was not going to let me off the hook so easily. “Then wh
at’s had you so preoccupied all day? What’s going on?”

  . . . longest hour of my life. Tyler’s words ran through my mind again, and I slumped in my seat.

  I didn’t know how to talk about this with them. They both had feelings for me—feelings that were returned and getting stronger by the day. I loved Ethan’s infectious smile, his boundless energy, his gentle touch despite being bigger in stature than anyone I’d ever met. I loved Josh’s unpretentious intelligence, his calm nature, his ever-vigilant eyes.

  How was I supposed to tell them it wasn’t enough? I had two amazing guys, and I spent the day pining for a third. I sounded selfish and petulant even to myself. I was attracted to Tyler, I wanted him badly, and he didn’t want me back. But I couldn’t say that out loud.

  “I’m just embarrassed, that’s all.” It wasn’t a lie. I was embarrassed. I just wasn’t specifying what I was embarrassed about.

  “Understandable.” Josh nodded. “But you shouldn’t be. It’s not a big deal.”

  “Agreed!” I spat out a little too enthusiastically, and they both chuckled. “So can we just stop talking about it and move on? Please.”

  “Sure,” Josh agreed readily.

  Ethan opened his arms wide in invitation. I didn’t hesitate to leave my seat and step into them, my thighs flush with the dryer he was still sitting on as I relaxed into his chest. After a few moments Josh stepped up behind me to rub soothing circles into my shoulders. With my hands still resting on Ethan’s knees, I leaned back into Josh, and his arms encircled my front. I sighed contentedly.

  It felt so good to be surrounded by them, Josh pressed to my back, Ethan inching forward to press into my front, his hands snaking into my hair, Josh’s breathing becoming shallower, Ethan’s eyes looking at my lips as he swallowed . . .

  As Ethan leaned in for a kiss, movement in the corner of my eye made me stiffen. We all turned to see various bits of my dirty clothing floating around the room.

  “Shit.” Josh stepped away and visibly composed himself, returning all the floating items to their spots.

  Ethan groaned in frustration, and flames flicked into existence all up and down his muscular arms. Luckily his hands were still in my impervious-to-his-ability hair and not touching something flammable.

  I stepped out of his reach and wrapped my arms around myself, bringing my Light back under control as Ethan extinguished his flames. My emotional day had resulted in lack of control, and I was frustrated that they were the ones who had to deal with it. I was also sexually frustrated; once again we had to stop things before they’d really started.

  Even so, it wasn’t the best time or place for all that anyway. While the basement laundry room wasn’t exactly public, anyone could walk in at any moment. Plus, I had to finish my laundry. That was of paramount importance.

  Josh shifted the bulge in his pants as he turned away, and Ethan jumped down off the dryer.

  We all took a few deep breaths at opposite ends of the room, then Ethan folded all my newly clean clothes while Josh helped me with my assignment. I didn’t really need the help, but it was good to have a discussion partner and get another perspective on the problem.

  After helping me carry all my washing back upstairs, they left with chaste kisses on my cheeks.

  Twelve

  The next day, I found a way to use the whole embarrassing situation to my advantage.

  Walking out of my last class, I slung my bag over my shoulder and made a beeline for my res hall. I was supposed to be heading to the boys’ house for more training, but I needed to speak to Dot privately, and there hadn’t been a chance for us to do that in weeks. Zara had messaged me telling me she’d be back late but hadn’t specified when.

  I texted Dot to come over ASAP without actually telling her what I wanted to discuss. Hopefully the message was firm enough despite the vagueness. I also texted the guys, telling them I needed some alone time and was skipping the afternoon’s sessions. I hoped they would leave it at that, but of course that was naive.

  “Eve!” Ethan’s distinctive voice pulled me up short just around the corner from my building. I mouthed fuck before schooling my features into a neutral expression and turning around. He jogged a little to catch up to me, dressed in his standard jeans and white T-shirt. I tugged my jacket tighter around my body to ward off the chilly wind and wondered for the hundredth time how he wasn’t cold.

  “Hey, snuggleface.” I gave him a big smile, which he returned, showing off his dimples.

  “Hey, cuddlebum.” He rested his hands on my hips and leaned in. “What’s going on? You never miss an opportunity to play around with our abilities. I mean, to train.” He chuckled lightly. My fascination with Variant abilities had not even remotely waned since I’d learned I was a Vital. If anything, it had intensified.

  “I know. I just . . .” I tucked my face into his chest, giving myself some time to think of something. The previous day’s events provided the perfect excuse. “I’m just not ready to see Tyler yet,” I mumbled.

  He sighed and gave me a squeeze, pulling back so I had to look him in the eyes. “I thought we cleared all that up yesterday. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “I know, I know. But it’s easier said than done. I’m still embarrassed, and I just need a day. OK?”

  He looked skeptical. “I get it, but I haven’t seen you all day.”

  “I’ll come over tomorrow, I promise. Dot’s on her way over, so I’d better get going.”

  “Oh, cool. We can just hang with you. I’ll text Josh.” His boyish face looked ridiculously eager.

  “No!” I blurted out too quickly, then panicked. Thinking quick, I pushed up onto my toes and pressed my lips to his, sparing a moment to make sure my Light was in control. He responded immediately, as he always did, tenderly kissing me back.

  Eventually we pulled apart with reluctance. My plan may have backfired; my brain was as fuzzy after that kiss as I was hoping to make his.

  “Are you trying to distract me with your womanly wiles?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  I laughed. “Would you be opposed to that?”

  “No . . .”

  With a conscious effort, I stepped out of his arms, giving myself some space to breathe and think. “I just need some girl time with Dot, OK? I’m not trying to avoid you, big guy. I swear.”

  Over his shoulder I spotted Josh coming our way, impeccably dressed as always; his checked shirt looked as if he’d only just put it on, not as if he’d been sitting in classes all day, and not a blond hair of his slicked-back style was out of place. I knew I had to get going before he joined us. I couldn’t hide anything from Josh.

  “I don’t want to keep Dot waiting, OK? I gotta run. Can you update Josh?”

  Ethan nodded, and I gave him another peck on the lips, waving to Josh as I rushed toward my building. His brow creased as I turned to leave, but I didn’t give him a chance to stop me.

  Dot was waiting outside my room. Her face in her phone, she was leaning next to the door dressed in jeans and a plain sweater, her hair pulled up, her face clear of makeup. My heart broke to see her like that.

  She’d been less and less herself. Her moods had been a little better since I’d figured out how to transfer Light to her, but the transfers always made her feel guilty, and she only let me do it whenever she started losing the ability to call out to animals remotely.

  Watching her turn into a shell of the vibrant, enthusiastic woman I’d first met—it only solidified my determination to do what I was about to do.

  My footsteps echoing down the hall caught her attention.

  “Finally.” She rolled her eyes. “What’s with the vague text?”

  “Nothing. I just wanted some girl time.” She watched me suspiciously as I unlocked the million locks.

  “Is Zara joining us?” She dumped her bag on the couch and rifled through the stash of snacks we had in the little makeshift kitchen.

  “Um, no. She has a thing,” I said over my shoulder a
s I checked the window. Then I checked the bedrooms too, just to be sure. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Zara, but the fewer people knew about my plan, the more likely I was to succeed, especially considering Tyler’s ability. I wouldn’t even be telling Dot if I could avoid it, but I needed her help.

  As I shut the door of what used to be Beth’s room, Dot gave me a funny look while stuffing chips into her mouth. I could tell she was about to ask me what the hell I was doing. I shook my head at her and bugged my eyes out, which made her look even more confused.

  “So”—I cleared my throat—“something kind of embarrassing happened yesterday.”

  At this she perked up. That girl lived for gossip. I slipped my necklace off and placed it gently on the couch. I wouldn’t put it past Alec to have placed a listening device in there along with the tracker and distress beacon. Sure, I was being paranoid, but I had no idea who on campus had which ability—which student or Melior Group guard might have super hearing and could grind this thing to a halt before it even started.

  “OK . . .” Dot stopped eating and fully focused on me.

  “Yeah, so I was on my way to my session with Tyler and . . .” I double-checked that the locks on the door were secure. “Actually, while we talk, can you help me with . . . um . . . my hair? In the bathroom?”

  I led the way into the tiny bathroom and closed the door behind us. Immediately I turned the shower on and stood as close to it as I could without getting soaked, gesturing to Dot to come stand next to me.

  She hesitated for a moment, looking as if she was questioning my sanity, then finally joined me.

  “I have a plan,” I rushed out. I knew we couldn’t have much time if someone was listening.

  “Eve, what the fuck . . .” Her voice was much louder than mine, bouncing off the bathroom tiles.

  I slammed my hand over her mouth, putting my finger to my lips. Her eyes bugged out but she stayed silent.