Seth's Cravings: An Endless Series: Book 2 (6 page)

     Dale cringed and whimpered a ‘
yes’
looking
pathetic and bloody curled up on the floor. I was done here. Spinning on my
heel I swept out the door, through the house, and out the back door. I passed quite
a few people on the way, and a fair number of curious glances, but no one
stopped me. It was lucky I didn’t come across Seth or I would have cut him with
the knife I still had concealed in my hand.

     Reaching my car I pulled the key from my purse and
slipped behind the wheel. Holding my injured left hand to my chest I started
the car and jammed my foot on the accelerator. The car shot forward with a
screech of its tires.

     I was able to make it about a mile before the shaking in
my limbs had me pulling over at the nearest empty parking lot. Putting the car
in park, but leaving it running, I leaned my head on the steering wheel as I
shook uncontrollably.

     I couldn’t believe that had happened; that he’d just
attacked me like that. What made someone think they could do something like
that? And that Seth would walk away at seeing it. He’d seemed like a nice guy
when we were talking earlier, but I’d known that he had a problem with me from
the start. He probably thought I was getting what was coming to me like Dale
had.

     Guys sucked!   

     Leaning back in my seat I drew a trembling hand through
my hair. Looking down at my injured hand I tried moving my fingers and groaned.
There had to be possibly two broken fingers there. A wayward tear slipped down
my cheek and I wiped it away angrily. It was only a little pain. I could handle
that. It was the shock of the situation that was getting to me, shock and
disappointment at the fallacies of people; although I don’t know why I was
surprised about that, and I wasn’t going to have a breakdown because of it. It
had been bad but I had protected myself…I was fine.  

     I was used to handling things, if I didn’t everything
would fall apart around me.

     Taking a few deep breaths to offset the pain and shock
I looked at the clock on the dash. Ten-thirty p.m. Hell! It was still early. I
started laughing but it began to breakup into hiccups and what could possibly end
up as sobs so I took in more deep breaths.

     Once I was in control—though my limbs still felt weak
and shaky—I put the car in gear and headed for the hospital. On the way I tried
thinking up a lie on how I could have broken my hand. There was no way I could
tell anyone the truth.  

Chapter Four

SETH

     “What the hell is wrong with the fucking water?” I
yelled stomping down the stairs. I was in a pair of sweats I’d thrown on after
the water in the shower had gone from a jet stream to a light trickle.

     Landon and Evan walked out from the kitchen. “What are
you yelling about?” Landon asked biting into some toast.

     I reached the bottom and headed for the basement door.
“There’s something wrong with the water pressure. My shower cut off half way
through.” Jerking open the basement door I stomped down the stairs and found
out what was wrong. Water was spraying everywhere from a busted pipe in the
floor joists and there was a nice size lake forming under it.

     Rushing down the steps and through the water shower
that immediately soaked me I reached the valve and turned the water off. The
gushing spray slowly diminished to drips.

     “This is fucking great.” I grumbled in irritation
looking up at the dripping pipe.

     Landon and Evan had followed me down the stairs but had
stayed by the steps and as a result they hadn’t gotten wet. “Looks like a
broken pipe.” Evan pointed out needlessly.

     “You’re a genius.” I grumbled.

     “That’s common knowledge.” Evan shot back grinning.

     “Unbelievable!” I stared in shock at what I was seeing.”
If my dad knew I’d been living in this house for three years and was just now
finding out how bad the plumbing in this house was he’d kick my ass.”

     Landon and Seth stepped closer, but not too close, and
looked up in confusion. “What?” They both said in unison.

     “Whoever did the plumbing in this house, or redid the
plumbing in this house, used the most inexpensive materials they could find. It
looks like someone went crazy at Dollar Store and hodge-podged it all
together.” I said in disgust.

     “So we call a plumber, right?” Evan queried cluelessly.
 

     I turned my disgusted look on him. “No, we need to call
the landlord. It’s up to him what he wants to do. I can’t fucking believe
this.” I grumbled stomping back up the stairs with Landon and Evan at my heels.

     “What? It should only take maybe an hour to fix a
busted water pipe.” Landon said.

     I sighed. “Sure, but the plumbing in this house looks
like it needs to be entirely replaced, and that could take a week or two
depending on who does it.”

     “Whoa,” Landon exclaimed in dismay. “Something like
that can wait until after we leave. The plumbing has lasted this long it should
last another several months until we graduate.”

     I sighed again as I headed up the stairs to my bedroom.
“Yeah, probably.”

     “So who’s calling the landlord?” I heard Evan ask as I
reached the landing.

     “I don’t care, but it needs to be done right now.” I
yelled as I made my way back to my bedroom. Pushing through the door I stripped
off my wet sweats. It was a good thing I had basically finished with my shower
before the water shut off or I’d be walking around itching from dried soap on
my skin.

     Throwing on some khaki shorts and a white t-shirt I
finished what I could of my Monday morning routine that didn’t include water.
Grabbing my pack with my materials for the classes I had this afternoon I
headed back downstairs for breakfast. Walking into the kitchen I saw Landon
just getting off his cell.

     “I called the landlord and that was him getting back to
me about someone coming this afternoon around two.”

     I nodded as I opened the refrigerator and pulled the
carton of eggs out, and then reached into the cabinet to grab a loaf of bread.

     Landon sat down on a bar stool at the counter. “So,
what’s going on with you, man?”

     “What do you mean?” I set a pan on the stove and lit
the burner.

     “I mean, something is going on. You don’t usually let
things get to you like this. You’re a go with the flow type of guy, and it
hasn’t been flowing well for you for the last few weeks. Does it have something
to do with Melissa? I haven’t seen her around lately.”

     “We’re taking a break.” Grabbing four eggs I cracked
them into the pan, seasoned them, covered them, and then put four slices of
bread in the toaster.

     “Whose decision was this?”

     “Both.” I replied shortly.

     I’d had that conversation with Melissa explaining to
her how I liked sex a little rougher then what we’d been doing. Her eyes had
widened in shock, but she’d listened and hadn’t run from the room in fright or
disgust. However, she had told me that she would need time to consider whether
she was up for sex like that. She’d informed me that she had plans to go over
seas in a few weeks and that she’d tell me her decision when she got back.  

     I hadn’t heard from her since, and as time went by I
realized that I really didn’t miss her all that much. In fact, I’d come to the
conclusion that I’d settled on Melissa. I’d just come off my infatuation with
Carrie and when I met Melissa she had reminded me of her. Melissa had been
everything I thought I wanted. She wasn’t though.

     “And are you happy with that?” Landon asked.

     The toast popped up. I turned off the heat to my eggs.
“I’m not sad about it.” Sliding my eggs out of the non-stick pan onto a plate I
buttered my toast, and then grabbing the milk out of the frig and a glass I sat
down at the counter next to Landon.

     “Than what’s the problem, dude? You’re walking around
like a bear with a sliver in his paw.”

     I debated on what to say as I took a bite of my
breakfast. I decided to be truthful yet vague. “I was interested in someone I
didn’t want to be interested in.”

     Landon snorted. “Was? Because the way your acting it
sounds like it should be present tense.”

     I gave him a glare as I took another bite. “Is…was…I
don’t want to be interested in her.”

     He shook his head and there was a hard glint in his eye.
I’d always had a notion that Landon had had a bad experience with a girl that
had soured him on women in general, but I wasn’t one to dig into others
personal lives. “Why you guys let chicks get under your skin…So why can’t you
just screw this girl and get her out of your head?”

     His words seemed more harsh than usual and I wondered
if there was something going on with him. “I don’t like being ruled by my
dick.” I growled.

     He rolled his eyes. “It’s not ruling you; you’re just
taking it out of the equation. Once you’ve had her it will be happy and then
you will be happy. It’s simple mathematics.”

     “I’m not going to fuck someone I don’t like or
respect.” I grumbled.

     “Are you trying to tell me that you’ve respected and
liked every girl you’ve screwed, because if you are I know you’re lying?” Landon
exclaimed scornfully.

     I dipped the toast in my egg yolk. “No, I haven’t, but
I’ve reached a point in my life, unlike some man-whore people, where I do want
to like and respect the person I take to bed. Sure I can get some quick
half-ass relief with same random chick, but it just hasn’t been enough.” Hell,
sex with Melissa had been missing something and I’d cared about her.

     Shit, the last time we were together I’d been thinking
about someone else, and it still rubbed me raw that I’d had one of the best
sexual releases I could recall having with
her
on my mind.  

     Landon stood up. “Well, I tried, but as I said before,
I don’t understand why you guys let chicks mess with your heads so much. And
just for the record I don’t know why you don’t like Nadezhda; she seems okay
for a girl, and she kicks ass at playing poker.” Landon walked away with a
chuckle.

     I glared after him. I knew he’d conned me into that
last poker game knowing that she would be there. How had he guessed that I was
into Nadia? Shit, who cared if he did. He didn’t know what I had walked in on ten
days ago; that fucking Dale asshole on top of her in a bed and she had looked
perfectly content to be there. It still made me furious thinking about it.
     I had started to believe I’d made a mistake about her as we had talked
that night. Then I’d walked by that room and heard her voice. When I’d opened
that door…fuck…I’d wanted to rip that guy off her and smash his face in. It had
taken everything in me to walk away leaving them lying on that bed together.
I’d felt like I’d been played.

     After my anger had cooled some I came to the conclusion
that she was exactly like I’d first thought; self-centered, arrogant, fake, and
a slut if she slept with a guy after two hours of knowing him. I may be
two-faced disliking her for these reasons since I’d had quite a few one-night
stands myself, and I had a few friends who lived promiscuously as well, but I
couldn’t seem to separate my feelings from logic.

     Done eating I headed off to my first class that began
at nine. Two classes, a work out, and five hours later I was driving my truck back
into the driveway. It was close to two o’clock so the plumber should be here
anytime which meant getting the water back on. I walked into the house to find
that Landon was the only one home. He was on the couch doing school work with
the television on.

     I slouched down in the chair. “Where is everyone?”

     “No one wants to be here with the water off because you
can’t use the bathroom since the toilets don’t flush. It’s a pain in the ass. They
had better be able to fix it today.” He groused.

     “Any competent plumber should be able to. Shit, I could
do it but it’s the landlord’s responsibility, but if for some reason they send
someone who can’t fix it today than I’ll go get the supplies and do it myself.
I’m not going without water tonight.” I stated categorically.

     Just than the doorbell rang. Whoever it was they were
on time which was a good sign. We both moved at the same time to get it, but I
got there first and received the shock of my life.

     Nadia was standing at my door…a completely different
looking Nadia from who I was accustomed to seeing. She was dressed in old jeans,
an oversized blue button up shirt that hid everything, and her strawberry blonde
hair was up in a ponytail baring a face that was mostly free of makeup.

     Even dressed down with barely any make-up she still
looked gorgeous...and younger than I first thought.

     She also looked mad as hell. What the hell was she mad
about?       

     “What the hell are you doing here?” I asked crossly
hating how I still reacted to her. Anger burned hotly through me, but burning
hotter was lust that had my cock swelling glaringly in my shorts at the
surprising sight of her looking so damn fresh and beautiful.

     “I was called,” she gritted out behind clenched teeth,
“I’m zee plumber.” Her accent was heavier than I’d ever heard it before.  

     No fucking way was she the plumber! I looked down at
her shirt that had the insignia ‘
Anderson’s Plumbing and Heating
’. My
mouth almost dropped open.