Seth's Cravings: An Endless Series: Book 2 (51 page)

     “What are we doing?” Carrie asked eagerly.

     I hooked my arm with hers and Amanda’s giving them each
a conspiratorial grin. “We are going to take care of one of the other items on
the list.”

     A few minutes later we were tripping back to the guys
nearly falling down we were laughing so hard.

     The guys all stared at us in amused bewilderment.

     “Did you three go and down some Wild Turkey or just
smoke some MaryJoWana?” Noah asked catching Amanda as she fell laughing in his
arms.

    “No, we went and got the fourth item on the list.”
Carrie answered with a smirk stepping into Nic’s outstretched arms.

     Evan looked down at his phone and then looked up
gaping. “You found a chick with Saturday labeled underwear?”

     Seth was still getting his tattoo and he frowned at me.
“Where in the hell did you…” His expression stilled then he glared at me
heavily. “What did you do?”

     I grinned holding up a pair of white lace panties with
Saturday written on them in pen. “Let’s just say they were lying around.” I
lowered them stuffing them in my pocket as five guys stared with varied looks
of fascination and vexation.

     “Tell me those aren’t yours.” Seth growled.

     Still grinning I shrugged noncommittally.  

     “Carrie?!” Nic’s voiced sounded shocked.

     She shrugged her shoulders as well.

     “I’m not saying anything either, so don’t ask.” Amanda
giggled.

     “The tattoo is done.” Landon suddenly announced. I
wasn’t certain if he’d been so focused drawing on Seth’s arm that he was
oblivious to the events taking place, or just didn’t care, but he took no
interest in the panties. “Now take a picture and record it for posterity.”

     “I’m not going to be able to focus wondering whose
panties those are.” Evan declared loudly.

     “Evan…shut it.” Seth, Nic and Noah stated almost
simultaneously.

     The three of us girls laughed.

     Out of the corner of my eye I watched as Nic and Noah
whispered in their girlfriends’ ears making them smile. However, my main focus
was on Seth as he stalked toward me with a darkly intense look on his face.
With absolutely no fan fare he jerked me into his chest and grumbled down in my
ear. “If those are your panties I’m going to spank your ass all over again.”

     My face flamed in embarrassment…and arousal. Memories
of last night poured through my head bringing with it indescribable
excitement…and anticipation. I might be uncomfortable hearing about what we did
last night, but there was no way I could deny liking what we’d done. If that
made me peculiar I was okay with that. I wasn’t one to follow the common
traditions of society anyway.

     When Seth pulled back to look at me I boldly grinned
through me discomfort. “Promises, promises…but then they might not be mine.”

     The skin on his face tightened and a storm brewed in those
blue orbs. “Fuck Nadia, you’re killing me.”

     Heart skittering wildly I set my hand on his chest, but
any response I might have said to that was cut short by Evan grumbling.   

     “You guys need to cut out the foreplay and focus on
this game first. I have a good feeling that we could actually win this year.”

     The frustration that crossed Seth’s face had to be
mirrored on my own. Pulling his phone out Seth handed it to me. “Take a picture
of my arm and let’s get this show on the road.”

     I looked at Seth’s arm and was amazed by the drawing.
I’d expected a basic skull with holes for the eyes, mouth, and nose, but this
went way beyond that. “Landon, this is amazing. You should be making real
tattoos.”

     “It’s nothing.” He shrugged. There was a dark quality
to his tone that suggested the shrug wasn’t as nonchalant as it seemed, and I
wondered why. However, we weren’t that close for me to ask.   

     For the next seventy-five minutes the night became pure
fun. We ran all over the campus grounds searching for the items on the list.
Most of the time it was for random shit like Seth said; like a picture of a bat
belly button piercing, and for that all we did was buy some girls bat earrings
from her and wedge it into my own belly button…easy peasy. For the twins we
took a picture of two people wearing Captain Jack Sparrow costumes. The other
two riddles were spaced fifteen minutes apart and weren’t math problems, but
together we were able to answer them without much difficulty.

     Spending time with everyone again solidified my first
thoughts about them; they were a great group of people and enjoyable to be
around. Landon was quieter, less cocky, and I could tell that he was still
dealing with what I told him about his brother, but it looked like he was
trying to put on a good front. It was also a relief to know he wasn’t holding
the information I’d relayed to him against me.

     “There…there…our last one, over there, an African
American red-headed stepchild.” Amanda screamed.

      I was so ecstatic at the thought of our group finding
the last item that I wasn’t even embarrassed at how loudly Amanda yelled that
somewhat mortifying proclamation. Seth snapped the picture and the next second
we were all running for the vehicles.

     “What do we do now?” I yelled laughing and running.

     “We need to get to the Kappa Sigma house and show them
everything we have.” Seth yelled back.

     Once at the trucks we piled in as quickly as possible
and then Seth was driving out of the parking lot even more speedily.

     “Seth, you’ve got all the pictures, and you’re the
biggest, so when we get there you should just plow your way through.” Evan
suggested from the backseat.

     Seth glanced down at me with a frown. “Yeah, okay.
Landon, you glue yourself next to Nadia’s side. I don’t want any of those
assholes near her.”

     I rolled my eyes. “You know I still have my knife, and
fist, as well as a ready and willing knee.”

     There were a few chuckles from the back seat, but Seth
only gave me a sidelong brow-arch. “But Landon can make it so those don’t
become necessary.”

     “You try to ruin all my fun.” I grumbled getting more
laughter.  

     His hand palmed my upper leg. “Not all of it.” He rumbled
lowly just for my ears making my insides melt.

     Five minutes later Seth was driving down a road that
was lined with a multitude of vehicles. He stopped in the middle of the road in
front of a massive residence where what seemed like hundreds of people were
partying.

     “
Svyatoye der’mo
, that is a lot of people.” I
exclaimed in astonishment. 

     Seth jumped out. “Find a parking spot and meet me out
front.” He gave me a pointed look which I translated as ‘you better be careful
or else’ before jogging for the house. I shook my head; when was he going to
realize I could take care of myself?

     “Wait!” I called out. Reaching into my pocket I pulled
out the Saturday underwear and slingshot them at him.

     Catching them he scowled down at them and then at me.
Laughing I slid over to the driver’s side. Putting the truck in gear I rambled
down the road searching for a parking spot. Landon pointed out a prime spot and
I was slipping in there smoothly.

     “Nadia, do you really have a knife on you?” Blake asked
as we walked down the sidewalk.

     I looked over to see him staring at me curiously.
“Never leave home without it.” I replied truthfully.

     His eyes lit up even more, but there was a modicum of
skepticism in them. “What kind of knife we talking about; an army knife?”

     Landon snorted and I grinned answering. “No, it’s not
an army knife. It’s a butterfly knife.”  

     “Do you carry it just for effect, or do you know how to
use it?”

     Landon snorted again. “Oh, she knows how to use it.”

     Blake’s brows rose as his curiosity increased. “And now
I really want to see what she’s got.”

     “You should keep your curiosity about Seth’s girlfriend
to yourself; he wouldn’t like it.” Landon grunted drinking from a beer he’d
pulled from a cooler that had been in the back of the truck. Both Blake and
Evan had grabbed one as well.

     Blake scowled while I grinned. Some women might get all
offended by a man’s jealousy thinking that it reflected a lack of trust, but I
didn’t mind Seth’s jealously because I didn’t like it when other girls showed
an interest in him. The only reason I would get upset is if he got all caveman
and started beating people up over it for no reason.

     To put off any remarks that might be taken in offense
between two friends, one of them drunk, I retrieved my knife and flipped it
open. Blake’s eyes widened as I made it dance in my hand for several seconds
before closing it and sliding it back into my pocket.

     “Don’t ask me if I’ve ever stabbed anyone because I
would hate to have to lie to you.” I grinned Landon’s way hoping to lighten his
mood and I was rewarded with a return smirk for my efforts.

     “Hot damn and holy shit!” Evan exclaimed.

     “Fuck!” Blake muttered.

     We were nearing the house and the volume from both the
music blaring out of the windows and crowd surrounding the dwelling was
immense. “How can people handle all this noise? You can’t even talk to anyone.”
I shouted.

     Landon leaned closer. “People aren’t here to have
meaningful conversations.”

     Staring at the mass I could see that conversation
wasn’t the special of the day. There were so many couples making out everywhere
it looked like an orgy. All I could think was at least they were keeping their
clothes on…but then it was still early in the evening.

     Resting my butt back against one of the cars parked in
front of the house I crossed my arms. “I’ll wait here if you guys want to
mingle.”

     “If this is where you are than so am I.” Landon
proclaimed parking himself next to me.

     “I’m going to find Seth; see what the deal is.” Evan
waggled his eyebrows and moved toward the house.

     Blake grinned. “Yeah, me too.”

     I laughed as they walked away. “Do you think that’s
really what they’re going to do?”

     Landon lowered the beer he was drinking from and tossed
it onto the lawn with the other garbage. “I think if they come across him they
might ask if we won.”

     Yeah, that’s what I’d been thinking. I scanned the
crowd amazed at the number of scantily clad cats, angels, and devils there
where. I was sleeveless and had been slightly chilled running around tonight; I
couldn’t understand how those women didn’t freeze wearing so little.

     ‘Nadia…”

     “Yeah?” My eyes wandered over the crowd as I responded
to Landon.

     “I wanted to thank you for keeping what you heard at
the beach house to yourself.”

     Switching my contemplation of the mob toward him, I saw
his gaze on the rabble of students. However, he didn’t really seem to be
studying them, rather his thoughts seemed inward…and dark…if the expression on
his face was any indication. At that moment I could see that what I had
revealed to him weeks ago was eating away at him.

     “No problem.” I answered simply, and after a short
pause where curiosity got the best of me I had to ask. “Did you confront your
brother?”   

     Landon’s expression darkened further. “No, he seems to
be hiding from me…but he’ll have to show his face eventually.”

     The restrained violence in Landon’s tone said that when
his brother came out of hiding there was going to be a hell of a showdown. It
also told me that even though he had brought it up he didn’t really want to
talk about it.   

     Hoping to distract Landon from his dark thoughts I drew
him into humorous dialogue on what I was observing in the mass of party goers;
their costumes and antics. Then my gaze suddenly lit on a face I had only seen
in pictures but recognized instantly. The shape of his face and his eyes; out
of all six of us I had noted that he was the one that resembled
him
the
most.

     Graham, the youngest of my father’s other family.

     He was standing with a group of people talking,
laughing, and drinking, and I found myself staring him unable to look away. He
had a girl on each side of him and they looked like they were vying for his
attention.     

     “Do you see someone you know?” Landon asked noticing my
absorbed gawking.

     My gaze remained fixed as I answered. “Know?...I can’t
say I
know
him.” I had only seen any of them in pictures.

     Suddenly Graham’s eyes skimmed by me and then returned.
A smile of interest curved his mouth but then it froze, and a frown replaced it.
I watched his eyes narrow as if he was gradually recognizing me. Had he also
seen pictures of us? Did he know who I was? 

     Breaking away from the group of people he was with he
began walking toward me and my gut twisted in apprehension. Landon shifted next
to me telling me that he saw Graham advancing as well. I wasn’t certain of what
Landon intended but I lifted my hand slightly for him to stand down. Thankfully
he went still once more.

     Graham stepped up to me and his eyes were angry as they
locked onto mine. I noticed in an abstract way that he was good looking. The
entire family was from what the pictures revealed.

     “You’re one of them, aren’t you?” He demanded.

     My stomach continued to roll but I held my expression
masking it. “
Da
.” I answered in Russian…I don’t know why. Yeah, I did…I
wanted to see what he would do.

     His amber eyes flared at my response. Was it the
Russian that did it or my confirmation? “Well, isn’t this a small fucking
world. I thought you had returned to Russia when you moved out of
my
grandparent’s house.”