Freaks Under Fire (7 page)

Jay’s body felt light, buoyant, as though she could float from the mattress. Her lips curved and she had the unsettling desire to scream with the sheer joy of having someone like Tyler love her. Instead she whispered, “Ditto.”

He grinned down at her, relief emanating from him in waves. “Good to know.”

Considering the significance sexual intercourse held for young human males, Jay was surprised it had taken Tyler so long to broach this subject. “Why have you not initiated this conversation with me before?”

“I told you. I was too chicken-shit.
Bwark
.”

“I feel compelled to be very clear to prevent future misunderstandings. We are indeed physically compatible. As I informed you once before, I have all the correct female parts.”

“Right. Got it. Except I’m guessing you can’t get pregnant? And that we don’t have to worry about condoms.”

“Those are excellent assumptions, which both happen to be true. Although I have a uterus, it—”

He lowered his head and kissed her, long and slow and so thoroughly that Jay didn’t think about anything else but kissing him back for a very long time.

When she could think again, all she could focus on was the most efficient way to divest Tyler of his clothes so they were skin to skin, everywhere, with no more barriers to keep them apart. And then he stroked her flesh and Jay felt as though she’d caught fire.

What he did to her, what he taught her and how he made her feel—loved and cherished and unique and precious—was so much more than she’d imagined it could be.

And afterward, she lay loose-limbed and dazed and happy, finally comprehending at every level what all the fuss was about. And thankful, too, that her creator had seen fit to include all the necessary female parts to fully experience the act of intercourse. She hoped that had he been alive today, Alexander Jay Durham would have wholeheartedly approved of the way those female parts had recently been put to use.

Tyler pressed a kiss to her forehead, smoothed the tangles from her face.

Jay gazed into his eyes, noted his smug expression, and blurted, “I must thank Nessa the next time I see her.”

Tyler stiffened, and his expression blanked in the careful way of a young male trying not to reveal his emotions—a
tell
that informed Jay he was struggling with some inner turmoil.

Oh dear. Apparently, bringing up your partner’s ex immediately after engaging in intercourse was a surefire way to ruin the mood. It was at times like this it became abundantly clear to Jay that, when it came to relationships, she still had a great deal to learn.

She smacked Tyler lightly on the arm. “Stop over-thinking it. From what I know—” she tapped her head to indicate knowledge based solely on books and texts and online data “—if both participants are virgins, sex can be very awkward. It was my first time, Tyler, but obviously not yours. I made an educated guess based on my own observations, known facts and rumor, that your first time was with Nessa, and that she was not a virgin when you began dating her. I merely wished to express my gratitude for your expertise.”

He opened his mouth, clamped it shut again, shook his head. And to Jay’s relief, his lips finally curved into a wry grin.

“For the record,” he drawled, “it’s better form to compliment the guy directly to show your appreciation for his, ah,
expertise
, rather than give all the credit to his ex-girlfriend. And FYI, now that Nessa’s in a stable relationship, it might not be the best idea to bring up her past. Sure, she got around at high school and had a bad rep, but Chandler might not know that, okay? I know you ’n Nessa are friends now, but it could be kinda awkward to bring up that stuff.”

Jay processed this information and made another educated guess. “You still have reservations about her. And you do not feel comfortable with her knowing intimate details of our relationship.”

He nodded and flopped onto the mattress beside her, flinging an arm over his eyes. “People always used to underestimate Nessa because of the way she dressed.”

Jay recalled her first encounter with Tyler’s ex-girlfriend, and had to agree. Nessa had appeared to crave the kind of attention she’d received from hormone-fueled young males who couldn’t see beyond her brief, too-tight clothing, bottle-blond hair, and liberal application of cosmetics.

“It was one of the things that used to frustrate the hell out of me when we were dating,” Tyler was saying. “You know, that she coasted by on her looks and used them to get what she wanted. I always knew she was smart, though. She just used to hide it really well.”

“Yes, she is quite intelligent.” Jay wasn’t merely being kind. Among other indications, Nessa had been smart enough to finally trust Jay and reveal that Sixer was blackmailing her for information.

As though reading Jay’s mind, Tyler said, “I’d bet my guitar she knows there’s something off about Sixer. And right now, she thinks you’re a little bit, um—”

“Eccentric?”

He snorted. “Eccentric’s as good a word as any for your awesome cyborg skills, I guess. Look, Nessa respects you and trusts you, Jay. You helped her when it would have been easier to leave her hang. God knows she would have deserved it after what she pulled. But if she ever starts comparing you with Sixer—”

“She might guess we’re not human.”

“Yeah.” He pulled Jay close and spooned her, his arms tightening around her protectively. “And even though you and Nessa are friends and all, the way I see it, the fewer people who know what you are, the safer you’ll be.”

And the safer Tyler and his family, and Nessa, and everyone Jay had interacted with, would be.

“I understand. I’ll be careful around her.” She alligator-rolled within the circle of Tyler’s arms until she faced him.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“I’m thinking that I am forced to conclude it would be prudent to ignore Nessa’s role in your sexual education, and allow you to be entirely smug about your sexual prowess.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “My
prowess
. Mmm. That has a nice ring to it.”

“A great deal of prowess,” Jay informed him, simply for the pleasure of watching him smile. She loved it when he smiled.

She loved it when he did other things, too.

Hoping he’d get the hint, she moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, inviting his kiss.

His gazed focused on her mouth, and he did kiss her, softly and sweetly, and then not so sweetly at all. Jay pressed close and wrapped herself around him, delighting in his groan, loving that she could affect him this way… and wishing that time would stand still so she could savor this moment. Unfortunately, wishes were generally useless and never came to fruition. Like now. Because her auditory receptors informed her that Tyler’s sister had learned of her arrival, and was now bounding up the stairs.

The door handle rattled and Caro hissed, “Tell my brother to quit doing whatever he’s doing to you behind that locked door—which is totally, like, ewwww to even think about, by the way.”

“Shit.” Tyler leaped from the bed and grabbed for his clothes.

“Her timing is appalling,” Jay murmured.

“I’ll say.”

Jay climbed from the bed, peripherally aware the first item of “clothing” Tyler donned was the wristwatch she’d presented to him when he’d completed his first semester of college. He only removed the watch to bathe. Or, as recent events had proven, during periods of intimacy—he’d been concerned about the strap scraping her skin as he’d explored her body. Pleasure coursed through her at this evidence of how he valued her gift.

“Get your butt out here, Jay!” Caro’s hiss was louder this time. “And you, too, Tyler! And where’s that puppy? He’d better not be in there with you, coz if he’s been watching you two getting it on he’ll be scarred for life, and no way am I paying for a puppy psychologist!”

Of course, the pup chose that moment to wake and attempt to clamber from the drawer.

Jay rushed to save him from a fall. And just as she reached the pup and lifted him from the nest of t-shirts, he peed all over both her
and
the contents of the drawer.

“Ah, Tyler?”

He zipped the fly of his jeans and glanced up. “What’s wr—? Ah, crap.”

“It wasn’t crap, it was urine,” Jay retorted. “And a considerable amount of it for such a diminutive creature. You’ll need to launder all the clothes in your top drawer.”

“What’s going on in there?” Caro rattled the door handle again.

“Go away!” Tyler’s shout was muffled as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. “We’ll be down in a minute.”

Jay strode to the door, unlocked it, and opened it enough to thrust the pup at Tyler’s sister. “Please take him outside and introduce him to a convenient bush. Now.”

Caro wrinkled her nose and gingerly took possession of the pup. “Oh dear. Did he—?” Her eyes rounded, and she bit her lips against a grin as she registered Jay’s lack of clothing. “Wow. Um, take as long as you need, okay. And feel free to borrow a change of clothes.”

“Thank you.” Jay shut the door against Caro’s laughter, and considered what might have been meant by that muttered, “About freaking time!” that she had clearly heard amid more squeals of mirth.

She replayed Caro’s reaction but without more data, attempting to ascertain whether Caro’s “Wow” had referred to Jay’s state of undress, the fact that the pup’s bladder had contained so much urine, or what Caro believed Jay and Tyler had gotten up to, was futile. Besides, knowing Caro as Jay did, working through the many possible implications of that muttered “About freaking time!” would likely have given Jay a headache had she been human.

She found herself staring at the closed bedroom door, and shook her head, wondering at her lack of focus. Sex was reputed to scramble one’s brains, and she now had more than mere anecdotal evidence to support the claim. “The sooner we take that puppy home so I can train him properly, the better,” she announced, simply from the need to have something sensible to say.

Tyler snatched a t-shirt from a pile of clothing he’d tossed beside his bed and used it to wipe her down. “Uck. I think you might need a shower.” He dumped the contents of the drawer, and the t-shirt, atop a used towel and bundled it up.

Jay inhaled through her nose. The odor of canine urine wafted to her. “I believe you are correct.”

Tyler stuck his head out the doorway and then gave her an All Clear signal. And as she exited the bedroom to make a dash for the bathroom, he smacked her lightly on the buttocks. “Maybe I’ll join you,” he said.

“Maybe I’ll even let you.” Jay tossed the comment over her shoulder. And, when she was duly rewarded with a sharp inhalation and the patter of footsteps racing after her, her lips curved in what humans might consider a very wicked smile indeed.

Jay poked her head out of the shower cubicle and pressed a finger to her lips to indicate Tyler should remain silent.

What the—?
He shot her a quizzical glance and then the light bulb went on. “Caro’s eavesdropping isn’t she?” he hissed. Brat. His sister was gonna be very sorry for a very long time.

She shook her head. “It’s your father.”

Tyler gulped, scrambled back into his pants, and shot a glance at the bathroom door. A few minutes later and…. He shuddered. What his father would have heard didn’t bear thinking about. Bad enough getting caught in the bathroom fully dressed while Jay was naked as the day she was born. Uh, make that
created
.

“Do I have time to get out of here without being spotted?” he asked.

“No. But if you’re looking for an excuse to be in here while I am unclothed, simply tell the truth—that the pup urinated all over me and you were bringing me fresh clothing.”

Tyler nodded enthusiastically. Yeah that’d work.

“It’ll be more convincing if you zip the fly of your jeans,” Jay murmured, and then she ducked beneath the shower spray, shutting the cubicle door behind her.

Jee-zus. Tyler fumbled with his zipper, and nearly jumped out of his skin when his dad asked, “Jay, you in there?” The question was followed by a soft knock that was a token politeness at best, because his dad didn’t wait for an answer before trying the handle of the bathroom door. “I need to speak to you. It’s urgent.”

Tyler flipped the lock and opened his mouth to present his excuse, but before he could speak, his dad said, “You’re here, too? Good. Saves me coming looking for you.”

His father strode up to the cubicle to tap on the door. “Keep the water running, Jay,” he ordered. “Less chance of being overheard that way.”

The cubicle door cracked a couple of inches and Jay stuck out a hand. “Pass me a towel, please? I can hear easily enough over the running water if you lower your voices, but it will be difficult for you to reciprocate.”

Tyler’s dad passed her a towel, and she emerged a few seconds later with it wrapped around her torso.

The steam had turned her hair to ringlets. Droplets of water clung to her eyelashes and glossed her skin. Tyler knew Jay’s looks were the result of her creator’s vision and skill rather than a happy genetic accident, but despite all that, despite everything he knew about her, at times like this Jay’s beauty was like a sucker punch to the gut that left him breathless. It had been this way ever since he’d glimpsed her on her first day at Greenfield High, waiting for her class schedule. And the fact she’d chosen
him
, Tyler Davidson, ex-jock-god fallen from grace relegated to the bottom of the pecking order, when she could have crooked her little finger and had any guy she’d wanted? Yeah. It still amazed him. As did the fact she’d chosen to stay.

Tyler wasn’t the only one affected. His dad’s eyes had a glazed look about them. And was that—?

Yep, his jaw was agape.

He blinked, and shot a gaze at Tyler that seemed to say, “Sorry, my bad. But hell, you’re one lucky sonuvagun.”

Tyler had to agree. And he couldn’t fault his dad for being gob-smacked. Each time he spotted Jay wandering around partially clad, Tyler nearly swallowed his tongue. Or walked into a wall. Or spilled a drink down himself. God only knew how Allen and McPhee and the rest of the all-male painting group managed to put brush to canvas when Jay modeled for them.