Seth's Cravings: An Endless Series: Book 2 (15 page)

     Recalling that Seth had slipped something into my
pocket I reached in after it and snatched it out. Money?! Four twenties to be
precise. Why had he given me money? Then I remembered that he said he wanted to
buy dinner, but I had rushed into the restaurant before he could do that.

    
Ryvok(
jerk
).

     
I smiled at his craftiness though. It was
totally something I would have done, but I would have done it without him
knowing.

     My grin diminished however as I thought about this
weekend. I had dire feelings the next two days were going to be a game changer.
No matter how much I wanted to deny it there was definitely something about
Seth that got my emotions swirling in a way they never had before. I’d noticed
it the first time meeting him but it had been easy to ignore then because he’d
been quiet and withdrawn.

     However, he wasn’t behaving that way any longer, and he
was undeniably harder to disregard.   

     Things were just starting to run smoothly for me…for
us. A few months ago we’d moved into this nicer apartment than the one we’d had
before. I actually had a savings account that was increasing in funds. Both
Luka and Issy were doing better emotionally, and while Issy was still extremely
timid she was showing signs of coming out of her shell more and more.

     Luka and Issy had been affected the most by our move to
America. They’d been so young and having to leave mother behind had
devastated them; especially after losing father just two years previously. Traveling
to another country and moving in with people who hadn’t really wanted us there
hadn’t helped the situation. I’d tried my best to make up for the mother’s love
they’d been severed harshly from but it had taken years for them to finally
feel settled here in America. Our mother dying in Russia while we were
thousands of miles away had only added to all of our unhappiness.

     My main focus right now had to be Issy and Luka. I
couldn’t let feelings for some guy get in the way of that goal, and I was truly
afraid that Seth could be a real problem with staying on target.       

Chapter Ten

SETH

     “I can’t believe you invited Nadezhda’s fifteen year
old brother and ten year old sister. What, are we babysitting this weekend?”
Landon grumbled as Nic drove into the parking lot of Nadia’s apartment
building.

     “It’s not going to cause you to change your behavior
that much.” I grumbled back. “Just watch what comes out of your mouth and keep
your junk covered. It’s something Nic is on your ass to do anyway around Carrie
so what’s the difference.” There was a snort from Nic as he basically agreed
with me.

     “But I thought we were having a ‘hang your junk out
there for everyone to see’ weekend. That’s the one thing I was looking forward
to.” Landon whined sarcastically.

     I shook my head at Landon’s mood. He’d become
particularly sharp with his comments lately. I’d tried to ask him about it but
he just discounted my inquiries.  

     “Like you’d risk having people compare your junk to
mine. You know you’d come up short every time.” Nic snorted. Carrie giggled
from the back seat. She was in the back seat because I would be squeezed back
there with how tall I was.

     “Right there, number twenty-three.” I directed spotting
Nadia, Luka and Issy already loading up their car. Nadia’s blonde and reddish hair
was loose and wavy around her shoulders, and she was wearing a pair of black
shorts that made those long legs of hers look even longer, and a pink tank
fitted tightly over perfect plump breasts.

     Shit! She looked mouth watering. My dick whole
heartedly agreed as it swelled painfully in my shorts.

      “Carrie, don’t let him deceive you, my junk is way
bigger than his junk. And prettier too.” Landon declared proudly.

     “Landon, quite talking about your exceptionally inferior
junk while in the presence of my girlfriend.” Nic growled pulling his black
Escalade EXT into the empty parking space next to Nadia’s vehicle. I saw Luka
eye the truck like it was steak and he was a hungry tiger. Kid had an eye for a
well crafted automobile.  

     I climbed out of the front passenger seat and Carrie
did the same from the back. “Nadia, I’m so glad you’re coming. The guys always
outnumber the girls on these excursions so it’s always nice to add more
females.”

     Carrie had been excited when I’d informed everyone I’d
invited Nadia and her siblings, but she’d been the only one. She was the
youngest of us at eighteen and the most naive. Everyone else had looked at me
with a ‘what the hell’ expression. They had no problem with Nadia coming, but
the idea of having a fifteen and ten year old around the house had kind of
thrown them. They hadn’t complained though…well, except for Landon, but he
liked to complain. I knew if he’d really had a problem with it he would have
told me outright.   

     “I am bringing another male, so that destroys any lead
we might have made.” Nadia said motioning to her brother who was staring at
Carrie with a dazed expression.

     Carrie gave Luka a quick smile before turning her
attention to Issy. Lots of guys looked at her that way, but I think she
pretended to be oblivious to it because it made her uncomfortable.

     “But you are bringing another female which brings us
back up in numbers.” She stepped forward holding out her hand to Issy. “Hi, I’m
Carrie.”

     I’d told Carrie how shy Issy was and I appreciated how
she made an effort to include her.

     Issy sidled closer to Nadia but held out her hand. “I’m
Issy. You’re really pretty.” She blurted out in a low tone.

     Carrie’s smile widened in warm delight. “Well, thank
you, but I think you and your sister are way prettier than me. All light and
sunshine to my darkness.” She said with a wink.

     Smiling, Issy looked up at Nadia. “I hope I get as
pretty as Nadezhda.”

     Nadia was giving Carrie a grateful smile, but when she
looked down at Issy it turned tender. The effect it had on me was surprising. The
hot excitement in my blood at first seeing her still ran hot, but observing her
softer side put an ache in my chest that was unexpected.

      “
Zvezda moyo
, you will be even more so.” Nadia
exclaimed.

     “What does that mean?” Carrie asked curiously.

     The look in Nadia’s eyes turned sad even as her smile
remained. “It means ‘my star’. Our
mat’
, mother, used to call her that
all the time.” Nadia kissed the top of Issy’s head. I noted that all their
expressions dimmed slightly at the thought of their mother. That they all still
felt the sorrow at her passing said a lot about their love for her.

     Carrie noticed it as well and I could see that she
hated having made them sad. “Well, it’s beautiful, just like you Issy.”

     “Okay, everyone’s pretty, and beautiful, and
handsome…that last adjective I threw in to describe me just so you know. Can we
get going now?” Landon called from the back seat.

     Nadia rolled her eyes. “Oh good, you brought Landon.”

     I grinned at Nadia’s droll tone. It pleased me that she
wasn’t impressed by Landon. She also hadn’t bothered to give Nic a second
glance.   

     “Okay, okay, we’re coming. See you guys there.” Carrie
said jumping in the front seat and shutting the door. Nic reversed and roared
off.

      Nadia’s gaze flickered from the retreating truck to me
in dismay. “Uhm…they seem to be forgetting something.”

     I shook my head. “Nope, I’m going with you. Hope you
have room.”

     Nadia narrowed her eyes at me. “And if I said we
didn’t?”

     “They haven’t gone far then.” I rejoined with a grin.

     Those vivid aquamarine eyes rolled again and she shook her
head. “Whatever. You and Luka will have to fight amongst yourselves for the
front seat. Let’s go Issy.” She slid in the driver’s seat as Issy climbed in
the back.

     I looked at Luka and he gave me a cocky grin just
before he rushed around the front of the car to the other side. I took off in
the other direction as fast as I could…I wasn’t the best defensemen in the
league for nothing. I barely beat him there, but the kid did get a head start
on me.

    Giving him a cocky grin of my own I slid into the front
passenger seat, next to Nadia, as he slumped in the back. Without looking at me
she smirked and I found that smirk vastly arousing.

     “Good job beating the handicapped kid.” She muttered
starting the car.

     I shrugged. If he hadn’t had that sling on I would have
tackled him for the seat and still won. “As a gambler you should know a win is
a win.” I said without thinking. “Shi…oot.” Grimacing, I glanced behind me to
see if either occupant in the back had heard me. Issy’s head was bent over a
book reading and Luka was putting in ear buds that were attached to his phone.

     Nadia chuckled. “They know that I play cards.” She said
pulling out of the parking space.

     “Really?” I was somewhat surprised by that. And that
she found it amusing. If she had a problem with gambling wouldn’t she try to
hide it? Although, she didn’t lose so she probably didn’t view it as a problem.
“How do they feel about it?”

     She frowned. “What do you mean?”

     “Do they worry about you losing money or being out late
on your own?” I asked bluntly.

     “No,” she laughed. “I don’t lose?”

     I gave her a scowl. “There’s always a first time, and
have you ever heard of ‘pride cometh before the fall’.”    

     She rolled her eyes. Normally I hated it when girls did
that, but Nadia had an amused arrogance to it that had me wanting to grin. “That’s
not a Russian proverb, and it’s not pride, its called awareness and skill. I
play against bored rich boys with too much money. The only thing I’m afraid of
losing is my tolerance for stupidity. I feel like I’m playing with children that
have limited conversational abilities. Present company excluded of course.” She
said with a mocking lift of her brow.

     My amusement at her eye roll slid away into a frown.
She’d been attacked and almost raped because of her determination to go to
these parties and gamble…alone. It had bothered me from the beginning seeing
her there flirting outrageously. Back then I had just been confused and resentful
without realizing it. Now it bothered me because of a host of other things I
was attempting to comprehend.

     “And do they know that you were almost…”

     “No!” The word exploded from Nadia’s mouth halting me
from uttering that last word, which I hadn’t intended to voice out loud. Her
eyes glittered in warning as she checked on Luka and Issy in her review mirror.
“That was an uncharacteristic error on my part that has been corrected so I
won’t ever be put in that position again.” She whispered.

     “A new one could happen along leaving you more
vulnerable, and not so lucky.” I growled quietly. Didn’t she see that she was
putting herself in dangerous situations? What if she hadn’t been able to fight
her way free that last time? What if it happened again? I saw red just thinking
about it.

     Her lips thinned as she stared at the road. “I am very
careful and incessantly aware of my surroundings, and I always make sure I
enter and leave a building with a group of people. That night was a fluke that
could have happened to anyone.” Nadia glanced up at the rearview mirror
checking the back seat again before she continued. “I asked where the bathroom
was and he fooled me with a bedroom. I know you’ve been suspicious about my
bottle of vodka, and yes I do doctor it making it more water than alcohol. I
don’t do this just to fool the other player’s, I do it so no one can mess with
my drink. I’ll tell you this, I’m more careful than a lot of the other girls at
these parties. How many of them pick up guys they barely know and have sex with
them in a back room or leave the party with them.” She gave me a snide look.
“How many girls have you taken aside for a quickie? Are you giving them lectures
on how they should be more careful?”

     Blood rushed to my face before I could control it.
Damn! She zinged me good with that one. I expected her to look smug at my
discomfort, but instead she frowned and then scowled at me before returning her
attention to the road. My brows rose at her attitude, and then a notion hit me.
Was she jealous thinking about me having sex with another woman? While I didn’t
like being outmaneuvered, I did like that she might be jealous.

     “Nadia, you know comparing your actions against the
foolishness of others does nothing to support your argument.” I stated
reasonably.

     She huffed. “How about this argument; ‘I’m an adult and
I know what I’m doing’.”

     “Said the bungee jumper right before he jumped
forgetting to tie off the other end of his rope. Too bad he didn’t have a
friend there to tie it off for him before he hit the pavement with a splat.”

     Nadia’s pink lips thinned and I couldn’t help thinking
even in my frustration with her that she had the most perfect cupid bow mouth
I’d ever seen…and wanted badly to taste. I was staring so obsessively that I
perceived a twitch at the corner of her mouth as she tried to hold back a
smile.

     This girl found amusement at the strangest and most
inappropriate times. I’m pretty sure I just called her stupid and she was
laughing about it.