Seth's Cravings: An Endless Series: Book 2 (46 page)

     Issy nodded her head like she knew precisely what I was
talking about. “So you need to figure out if you and Nadia have real love
before you get married?”

     There was that word again. Luka did some more choking
next to me.

     “Seth, please tell me you’re not giving Issy the birds
and the bees talk?” Nadia walked into the kitchen with blown dried tousled hair
wearing a red and white striped sundress, and a humorous smile on her face.
Damn, she was stunning; no matter what condition of garb she appeared in.

     I kept my appreciation concealed though because…how
much had she heard? And how come she hadn’t rescued me earlier?

     “What is the birds and the bees talk, Nadia?” Issy
asked.

     Both Luka and I stared at her in wide-eyed fascination just
as interested in her clarification.

     Nadia employed her best poker face. “Boys are bees and
girls are birds. The bees have stingers that you have to stay far away from,
while the birds are pretty, bigger, and can do way more stuff than bees can.”

     Luka coughed. ‘lame’, while I just shook my head in
disbelief at how messed up that was. My girl was normally more on her game than
this.  

     Issy frowned. “I’m confused.”

     I patted her shoulder in sympathy. “We all are, Issy.”

     Nadia threw me and Luka a look of annoyance that had me
smiling before she bent over Issy’s chair to kiss her on the forehead. “Issy,
I’ll talk to you later about it, okay sweetie?”

     “Okay.” She responded simply. “Seth, are you going to
church with us again?”

     “I wish I could Issy, but all I have are my clothes
from last night, so I think I’m going to have to pass on it today. I figured I
go home, get my school work done, do some laundry, and then maybe…”

     “Seth,” Nadia laid her hand on my shoulder interrupting
me. I looked up at her in inquiry. “Can I have a moment?”

     The seriousness of her tone was at odds with her
smiling face and I almost frowned, but I refrained for Issy and Luka’s sake. I
didn’t want them thinking anything was wrong. So instead I smiled. “Sure.”

     I stood up and followed her into the living room where we
sat on the couch together. Nadia’s expression was uncertain which wasn’t normal
for her. “Uhm, I hope you don’t take this wrong, but could you not come over
tonight.”

     My brows shot up. Shit! How could I not take that the wrong
way? “Can you tell me why?”

     Nadia’s fingers rose to play with her earrings but then
she dropped her hand almost immediately. I’d noticed she played with her
earrings when she got nervous. I also noted that she didn’t like showing her
nervousness. I think it had something to do with poker and giving away her
emotions, or it could be the other way around and that’s why she was so good at
her poker face.

     “We’ve been spending every night together and from
Issy’s question it seems she might be getting conflicted ideas about our
relationship. I just think a small break, and me discussing relationships with
her, might be needed at this time.”

     Her explanation actually held water, but I still wasn’t
happy with it. Yes, we had been spending every night together, but
astonishingly I wasn’t sick of her company, or her sibling’s either. Did she
need a break from me? The thought that she might sort of sucked…and hurt.

     Fuck! I was turning into a whipped pussy.

     Nadia’s hands cupped my face and she stared at me beseechingly.
“Please don’t be mad. I want to see you.” Leaning forward she kissed me and
then pulled back wearing an expression of disquiet. “It actually concerns me how
much I miss you when you’re not around…but one day apart won’t kill us.”

     All the negative thoughts shot out of my mind at what
she’d divulged. Nadia was pretty closed mouth about her feelings most of the
time, so when she let some of them slip they were like rare gems.

     I also recognized that she was trying to do right by
Issy and Luka. Maybe she thought they needed some family time. I couldn’t fault
her for that knowing how much she worried about them, even though it still left
a pang in my chest at being left out. I don’t know how it had happened, or
when, but I’d become enormously attached to her family.

     Palming her face I pulled her near for a longer kiss,
and then broke away before we gave Issy and Luka too much of a show. “I’ll
agree because it’s what you think you need, but I don’t like it. And it just
might kill me.”

     She shook her head with a bright smile. “You can still
call me. Perhaps we can try some of that phone sex stuff.” She waggled her
eyebrows.

     I growled at the thought of any kind of sex with her and
went deeper on the kiss this time. Nadia was the one to pull away this time
looking over my shoulder in crimson fretfulness.

     Breathing hard her hands dropped to take mine. “I
wanted to ask…Luka is having his first wresting match Monday at five, and if
you don’t have other plans I know he would like it if you were there.” Her
mouth curled slightly at one corner. “I would like it as well.”

     Knowing I would get to see her tomorrow relieved a
certain amount of my displeasure. “That sounds great. I want to see if he’s as
good as he thinks he is.”

     Her face lit up. “
Udivitel’nym
!”

     I was able to translate that without too much effort.
Rising from the couch I brought her with me. “I’d better get going than. I
don’t want to make you guys late for church.” Pulling her to the front door
with me I slipped on my shoes and yelled out. “Issy…Luka…I’ll see you
tomorrow.”

     “Goodbye Seth.” Issy shouted.

     “
Do svidaniya
.” Luka said showing less
enthusiasm than Issy had.

     Nadia’s brows rose at Luka’s tone. “Perhaps I need to
have a talk with him too.”

     I wrapped her in a hug. “He seemed fine last night, but
has been acting a little weird with me this morning.”

     Her arms encircled my waist. “Speaking of last night…did
he make it home by midnight?”

     I grinned. “He was home on time,
mom
.”

     “Well, then that’s one less talk we will have.” She
retorted, grinning back.

     “Hey, don’t get too much in his face about us. I don’t think
he has a problem with me personally, he just needs to get accustomed to the
situation. He might even be worried about your virtue.” I gave her my own
eyebrow wiggle.

     Nadia flushed. “I’m old enough to worry about it
myself, and if he’s going to be carrying around condoms he needs to not be
hypocritical.”

     I shrugged. “It’s a guy slash brother thing. I doubt
you’ll get him to change his views.”

     Bending down I took her mouth, making sure to leave an
impression since I wasn’t going to be seeing her for approximately two days. My
hands gripped her head to hold her still while her fingers dug into my back to
pull me closer.

     Fuck, I didn’t want to leave…I really was a whipped pussy.

     Reluctantly, we separated and I left the apartment
grabbing my jacket on the way out. I was back at the house in twenty minutes,
after stopping for more breakfast. I’d only gotten to eat three waffles and a
couple of sausages and that wasn’t nearly enough.

     I walked in the side door that opened up to the kitchen
to find Landon sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal, alone. It was the
first time I’d found him in a position to where we could actually talk. I
strode toward the table taking in his appearance. He was wearing sweats and a
t-shirt, and while those were standard attire for many college students on a
Sunday morning, they weren’t for Landon. You were more likely to find him in
relaxed khaki’s and a polo shirt.

     “Hey man.” I took the seat across from him taking note
that he was still looking slightly haggard.

     Landon looked up with wane smile. “You coming from
Nadia’s?”

     “Yeah. Fell asleep on her couch last night.”

     His eyes lit up with dim humor. “Did you really fall
asleep on her couch, or is that just where you ended up so as not to shock the
children?”

     “That’s between me, her, and her couch.” I said
blandly.

     He smirked shaking his head. “You were always the
gentlemen with the ladies. I take it things are going well between you two, or
should I say you four?”

     “Really good. I’ve never felt like this before with
anyone else, and Luka and Issy are pretty great too.” I was hoping by sharing
some of my feelings Landon might reciprocate. 

     Landon nodded his head. He looked down at his cereal
his weak smile fading away. “That’s awesome man.”

     This was not the Landon I knew. “What’s going on with
you, Landon? You haven’t been the same since Nadia spoke to you at the beach
house.”

     He glanced up with a little more fire in his gaze. “You
haven’t been holding that against her, have you?”

     I appreciated that he cared that I might be. “No, I
know it had nothing to do with you and her but what she had to say about your
brother. She’s kept her mouth shut and I haven’t been asking. I’ve been waiting
for you to be ready to talk, and you’re looking like you need to do it soon.”

     He sighed, bending his head to his cereal bowl again.
“I’m not up to talking about it just yet. There’s someone else I need to talk
to first…” He laughed humorlessly. “Actually, there are two people I need to
speak to, but both of them have been difficult to pin down. My brother has run
off to Europe and appears to be in hiding.” Landon’s expression and voice were
darkly menacing as he spoke of his brother, but then his expression transformed
into confused agony. “And the other person…I don’t know where she went, and she
won’t be back for a couple months possibly.”

     I kept my sigh bottled up. I was pleased to have gotten
those tidbits of information even though they were vague and revealed nothing,
but the guy truly needed to unload. Unfortunately, I couldn’t force him, but I
could take his mind off of it for a little while.

     “How about we go practice some lacrosse and then hit
your favorite restaurant,
Hooter’s
after.”

     He rubbed the back of his neck looking like he was
going to decline, but nodded instead. “Yeah, I could use some mindless
exercise, but how about we hit a different restaurant.
Hooter’s
just
isn’t sounding all that appetizing at the moment.”

     This was another anomaly. Landon didn’t go to Hooter’s for
the food, even though it was good; no, he went for the scenery.

     “Okay, no problem. How about I see if I can get a few
of the other guys to play?” I suggested.

     He nodded. “Sounds good.” He glanced up giving me a
grateful look. “Thanks.”

     With that look and word I understood that what Landon
needed most was a friend. He needed to know that people were there for him.
Standing up I slapped him on the back as I walked out of the room. “Remember
that gratefulness when I’m pounding you into the dirt.”

     “As if. “He snorted sounding a little more like
himself.

     “No if, that’s a certainty.” I called over my shoulder.

     “It’s certainly bullshit.” He yelled.

     I smiled content to hear some piss in his voice.

     This afternoon would be good for me as well. Maybe
Nadia was right and we required a little space from each other, we had been
spending every day together. I had desired a deeper connection with a female, and
I was definitely getting that with Nadia, but it was disconcerting to realize
the power she held over me and my emotions. Lust was one thing, as were respect
and amicability, but I was beginning to comprehend that this was going way
beyond those. 

     It had me wondering if I was the only one feeling the
effects of this relationship. Was she experiencing the same things I was? She
was so good at concealing her feelings that I couldn’t be certain…and that
bothered me.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

NADIA

     Seth had been acting off all week. He never called me
Sunday night, and on Monday he’d made it to Luka’s wrestling match but had gone
straight home after it giving me a small peck on the cheek.

     On Tuesday he’d still insisted on taking me to my poker
game. Once there he had made certain I was settled, had given all the guys at
the table a death glare while laying a possessive hand on my shoulder, but then
he’d made himself scarce, returning every now and then to check up on me.

     Neither of these episodes raised immediate red flags in
my mind. I thought at first Seth was still upset at me for asking him not to
come back on Sunday, or maybe he was dealing with some issues at school that
needed more of his attention. I didn’t start ruminating on his behavior until
the moment he dropped me off Tuesday right after the game with another small quick
peck on the cheek. 

     On Wednesday he didn’t call or text. I could have made
the effort myself but the way he was behaving had me hesitating.

     Thursday I sucked it up for Luka’s sake and texted Seth
reminding him of Luka’s second wrestling match. An hour later he text me back
saying he would meet us at the rival school.

     By this time I’d moved past confusion and mild anger into
irate. I felt like he was playing some kind of game with me and I hadn’t been
let in on the rules. Well, I was going to find out those rules tonight come
hell or high water.