Gifted Connections 01

by S M Olivier

  “Seriously, how can you be so tiny, but eat so much?” Mike yelled at me from across the table as he scrutinized my food.

  I gladly welcomed the change of topic. “Easily,” I stuck my tongue out at him. “I ran a total of twenty-five miles this week and that doesn’t include my strength training classes.”

  “Did you see her abs?” Taylor exclaimed as he held up his shirt. “She has better abs than me!”

  “Well, that’s pretty easy,” Jax cut in. “Football season’s over. You get lazy.”

  Jax wasn’t normally that mean spirited, but I had a feeling he didn’t like the fact that Taylor had commented on my body.

  It was increasingly difficult to convince my guys that the band saw me as one of the ‘guys’ and talked and treated me like one of them and they shouldn’t take offense. The band knew my boundaries and they weren’t dumb. They saw the guys took a little more interest in me than a normal ‘sister’/ ‘brother’ relationship. They weren’t brave enough to ask me the situation and I wasn’t ready to divulge that information.

  Taylor laughed good naturedly. “Tell that to all the girls throwing themselves at me on stage every week. Don’t be bitter because you’ve decided to become a monk.”

  Jax blushed and ducked his head. I know he didn’t have a retort for that. I know he was constantly turning girls down and he was truly devoted to me. My nightmares had gotten better, but they weren’t completely gone. No matter what time of night it was he always came to me. It was so much better than him being in my head. What surprised me the most was that he never tried anything beyond comforting me. He just held me until I fell asleep.

  Suddenly, the lights were cut off and I jumped in shock. I grabbed onto Troy and he put his arm around my shoulders. Around me everyone started singing “Happy Birthday” and I was really confused. Whose birthday was it? Did I miss someone’s birthday?

  Further confusion set in as Drake, Ella, and Jemmy made their way towards me with a cake full of candles.

  “Umm, it’s not my birthday, guys,” I said awkwardly.

  “Yes, it is,” Ella squealed clapping her hands. “Pops told us.”

  I blew out the candles and the lights came back on. Will was standing behind Jax and Rachel, who had been sitting in front of me. He handed me a folder and I cautiously opened it.

  In front of me was my real birth certificate. I was born Amanda Lynn Cornwall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Miranda Lynn Cornwall, Father Unknown, on November twenty-first. Tears welled up in my eyes. I never found my birth certificate among my father’s papers. All I had to go on were my memories. I was always told I was Blake Lynn Thomas and my mother was Randy Lynn Thomas and I had been born on January third.

  This was the most I have ever known about the true me.

  “Pops, you made her cry,” Jax said accusingly.

  Will looked really concerned as he looked down at me. “I’m sorry, Blake. I knew you wanted answers, and…”

  “You told me you like surprises,” Jemmy said with tears in her eyes. She could be so sensitive at times. “I told Pops we should throw you a surprise party for your eighteenth birthday. You’re eighteen today!”

  Ella ran around the table and crawled onto my lap, “What’s wrong, Blake?”

  I looked up and tried to brush my tears away, a tremulous smile on my lips. This did make me extremely happy and disappointed at the same time. I wish my father/ uncle hadn’t lied to me, but I was glad I finely had some truth. “I’m sad my…dad,” I looked down at Ella, now understanding why he may have lied to protect me, “didn’t tell me this, but honestly, I am happy I know some of the truth now.”

  The band knew I had a horrible childhood, but they never got the full details. They knew I was an orphan for the most part and I didn’t have much details about my past before I was five.

  Will and Jemmy looked at each other and smiled.

  “Now, cut the cake!” Jax exclaimed.

  I giggled and took the knife Drake gave me, cutting the decadent looking chocolate cake with chocolate icing. I handed pieces to Ben, who started to pass them down to the end of the table.

  Jax wolfed down his cake and came back with a little gift bag. “First birthday gift,” he said excitedly.

  I opened it up and found three Alex and Ani bracelets. One had a charm with a music note on it. The other one had a circular charm with November written on it and a topaz birthstone in it. The third one looked custom made with a η on it.

  “Thank you, Jax,” I said and stood up and gave him a huge hug.

  He kissed my temple. “I know you don’t have any of your own jewelry, so I figured you need some of your own.”

  “My turn,” Troy stated as he handed me an appointment card with a name of a martial arts studio on it for next Saturday. “Next semester, you will be starting your self-defense classes in PE, so I figured you can get a head start.”

  After seeing him practice, I was truly intrigued with martial arts, so this was a great gift too. At this rate, I would be crying once more.

  I gave him a hug and let him rub my back for a few moments.

  “You already saw my gift,” Remy stated.

  I looked at him inquiringly.

  He pointed at the baby grand piano. “It’s yours. If you ever find a spot that you want to call your own, I’ll have it moved. If not, you can always leave it here.”

  I did start crying then. I never thought I could ever own anything so nice.

  Remy picked me up and whispered in my ear, “I didn’t want to make you cry.” He sounded so uncomfortable.

  I laughed and buried my head in his shoulder. “I’m just really, really happy and for some reason I’m hypersensitive today.” I sat back and looked at him. “Thank you, I never thought I could ever have anything so nice.”

  “Well, you do,” he kissed my forehead.

  “Our turn,” Jemmy exclaimed with Rachel by her side. They handed me a scrapbook and I opened it.

  I smiled at her as I flipped through the pages. There were so many photos of me and the people that started to mean so much to me and Ella. There were photos of me with the guys individually and together, me and the band, me and Ella, me and Rachel, and me and Jemmy. “Thank you,” I hugged them. “I love them.”

  Drake handed me a gift bag and there was an iPod and a one hundred dollar Apple iTunes gift card in it. “Since you’ve been running a lot lately, I figured you might like to have your own tunes to listen to.”

  “Did you get tired of me borrowing your iPod?” I teased him.

  He turned red. “No, I didn’t mind you borrowing it. If you want, you can take it back and I’ll let you keep borrowing mine.”

  “You know,” I teased as I hugged him as I whispered in his ear, “I’ve been making decent money lately and I looked at the iPods, but I kind of liked the fact you created my own running playlist on your iPod.”

  He chuckled. “Well, by all means, continue using mine.”

  “No,” I sighed with a laugh. “But can you show me how this all works? I don’t know much about technology.”

  “You can download your music onto here,” Noah handed me a wrapped package and I gasped as I opened it.

  Inside was a new laptop. I had been going to the library at the college to write all my papers. I didn’t think anyone had noticed.

  “Thank you, Noah,” I went to kiss his cheek, but saw Stacey glaring at me, so I awkwardly hugged him.

  Once again, I wish he hadn’t invited her along and I noticed the smell of beer was heavy on him. I frowned and felt a sadness settle in my chest. I didn’t know how I could help him, or if he even wanted help. Every time I tried to talk to him, he brushed me off, laughed, and acted like I was overreacting.

  Jace came over and handed me a large square box. I opened the box and stared in wonder at the violin with a hard case. “Dr. Allen informed me that you are picking it up quite quickly. He’s really impressed with you.”

  I blushed and reverently stroked the sm
ooth instrument. I had been borrowing one of the violins from Will’s. He told me they had been Jace’s and that he wouldn’t mind. “I never thought I would venture beyond the piano and guitar, but someone I know made me fall in love with it.” I murmured, knowing he would know I was talking about him.

  “Can you play me something?” he asked huskily. “It’s already tuned.”

  I nodded and began to play the song I had played on the piano earlier.

  “Blake, that’s sick!” Ben exclaimed. “We need to get this song on the track. Are your lyrics complete?”

  I blushed once more. “Umm, I’ll think about it.”

  “Blake, we have one more gift for you,” Will said with a small smile around his lips.

  I looked up in surprise. “You guys have already spoiled me. I can’t possibly accept any more.”

  He chuckled and made his way to the stairs to go down into the garage. I got up, curious and slightly overwhelmed by all my thoughtful gifts. I had never been this spoiled my whole entire life.

  I followed, with everyone behind me. I gasped as I saw the yellow four door Jeep Wrangler with a huge red bow on it. How he knew that this was my dream car was beyond me. I walked around it and saw the yellow and black neoprene seats. “It’s too much and I don’t have a driver’s license.” I said hesitantly, not wanting to accept it because it was a very expensive gift but wanting to accept it because I had always wanted a Jeep Wrangler. To me it was the best of both worlds: an SUV and a convertible.

  Remy handed me a driver’s manual. “We’re going to start practicing on Sunday and now that you’re eighteen you can just take the written test and take a driver’s test. It’s pretty fast and painless.”

  I never bothered taking driver’s ed my sophomore year, I knew I wasn’t going to have a vehicle to drive and practice on. And Heidi wouldn’t have taken me to the secretary of state or rode along with me to get the required number of hours needed for me to get a license.

  I didn’t realize I was crying again until I was surrounding my family’s hugs.

  Chapter 30

  I couldn’t sleep that night. I was too excited with all the new toys. So, I found myself creeping down to the garage. I took my new violin with me and I decided to see if music could lull my senses to peace.

  I played for a while, getting lost in the music. I really did like this new instrument. It took some time getting used to, but I was starting to believe Dr. Allen when he said I had a natural infinity to musical instruments.

  I sighed and stretched, standing up from the stool I had been sitting on.

  “Is there a reason you’ve been avoiding me?” a deep, husky voice asked, startling me.

  I turned and saw Jace standing in the doorway of the only bedroom down here. “I’m sorry,” I quickly apologized. “I hadn’t realized anyone had taken that room.”

  “You’re avoiding my question,” he gently reprimanded me.

  I ducked my head, putting my violin back in its case. “I haven’t.”

  I didn’t hear him creep up on me until his hands were on my upper arms. “You have been.”

  I cleared my throat; a thickness had gathered there from his touch. “I’ve been busy.”

  “Molly and I are just friends. I’m sorry if the paparazzi likes to blow things out of proportion.” He elucidated.

  “Jax has a big mouth,” I muttered. “If you knew that was what was bothering me, why didn’t you come to me sooner?” I accused him.

  “Because I don’t want a relationship with you where we can’t freely talk to each other. If something is bothering me, I will come to you. If something’s bothering you, I would hope you can talk to me,” he explained patiently.

  I blew out an exasperated breath. “Because I’m known for sharing my feelings,” I said sarcastically. “You’ve physically known me the longest. When have you ever seen me pursue people to tell them how I was feeling? I know being around you guys has made me soft, hell I cried twice today, but some things are going to be harder for me to do.”

  He turned me around, so I was facing him. He scrutinized my expression and must have seen the mutinous look on my face. He muttered something under his breath before he grabbed my chin firmly and plundered my lips with his.

  I was helpless to not melt under his touch. It took one taste of his lips and I wanted more, but I was determined not to make it easy on him as I gently nipped his bottom lip.

  He drew back and looked at me, his eyes darkening as he licked the spot where I had nipped him. My eyes widened as I followed the movement of his tongue.

  “Is that the way we’re going to deal with this?” he said intensely.

  Before I could answer, his lips were on mine once more. He slammed my body against his own, his hands digging into my hips, so I could feel his instant reaction to me. I felt my core warm up immediately. His hands were hot on my skin as he put his hands beneath my tank top, seeking my breasts. He palmed the weight in his hands and rubbed my nipples through the fabric of my bra. I sucked on his tongue that he had plundered into my mouth.

  I felt the cold night air on my skin as he pulled my shirt over my head, and then removed my bra. His lips were warm against my skin as he took one of my nipples into his mouth. I moaned, leaning back. My hands made their way through his thick hair, running it through my fingers.

  One of his hands slid down into my pants, seeking the heat between my legs. My knees almost buckled as he found it, and he groaned.

  “You’re ready for me, already,” his breathing was heavy as he dipped his fingers into me.

  I gasped and nodded.

  He cursed under his breath and carried me into his room. He put me on the bed and quickly removed his clothes. I stared in wonder at his hard, toned body. Trying not to gulp as I saw how ready he was for me. And I was ready for him in all sense of the word. I was done with the fooling around and losing myself without the actual intimate act of becoming one with someone.

  He came to me from the bottom of the bed, his lips hot on my stomach as he removed my sweatpants and underwear together. His lips found the core of me and licked and sucked on me like he was a starving man.

  My hips bucked off the bed and after I knew I couldn’t take this sweet torture anymore, I moaned, “Jace!”

  He looked up at me, his eyes penetrating. I felt like his eyes could pierce into my soul, like he could see every thought and feeling, in that moment. “Do you want more than this, sweetheart?”

  His head dipped back down between my legs. “Yes!” I hissed out.

  I barely blinked before he covered my body with his and I felt him penetrating me. I tensed as I felt the pain of losing my virginity.

  He cursed softly once more, his breathing heavy. “You’re still a virgin?” he breathed in shock and awe.

  I nodded and looked at him. “I was. Is that a problem?”

  “Hell, no,” he breathed and rested his forearms above my head. His lips became gentle, reverent almost.

  I met his lips with my own, trying to convey how much this moment meant to me. I didn’t plan who I wanted my first to be. I didn’t know who it should have been, but this felt right. This felt like how it should be.

  When I felt my desire mounting once more and the ache turn to longing deep inside, I thrust my hips up towards him. He seemed to know exactly what I wanted as he met my thrust. He nearly drew completely out of me before I let out a sound of protest wrapping my legs around his hips. He softly chuckled and pushed in me once more.

  “Mmm,” I sighed in relief.

  He continued the movements with his hips and I could feel the pressure within mount. I could feel myself drawing close to release.

  “Jace,” I breathed out in need.

  “I know, sweetheart, me too,” he said; his voice sounded strained and thick with desire.

  I grabbed his shoulder, digging my fingers into him as I felt myself spiraling out of control. I cried out my release and his movement quickened as he followed close behind me. He laid o
n top of me for a while and when he went to roll away I wrapped my legs around his waist, loving the feel of his warmth on me.

  He chuckled softly. “I don’t want to crush you.”

  “You’re not,” I insisted, a thickness in my voice I didn’t recognize.

  He tensed suddenly and looked down at me. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I forgot to put on a condom.”

  My eyebrows knitted together. “I’m on the pill. I take it at the same time every day religiously. Unless you think I have something?”

  He lightly bit my shoulder. “You gave yourself to me. You honored me by allowing me to be your first. I wasn’t worried about catching anything from you. I just didn’t want to put you in a position you weren’t ready for.”

  I laughed softly and felt the desire to be with him again mount in me once more. I moved my core against him, feeling him stir. “We don’t have to worry about that.”

  His eyes widened. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he breathed. I could feel his hesitance and my eyes widened. I had never connected with him on this level. I could feel him through my acquired gift. I tried to push my own desire and reassurance back at him.

  “You’re using my gift…your gift,” he whispered in awe. “You don’t know how sexy that is and how turned on that makes me.”

  “Show me,” I demanded.

  And he did.

  I woke up the next morning to the sound of the shower next door. The en-suite bathroom door was open, and Jace was leaning on the door-jamb watching me sleep. Naked and magnificent.

  I stretched lazily, arching my back. “Is it time to get up already?” I groaned.

  The bed was too warm and comfortable for me to want to leave it.

  His eyes darkened as he watched me stretch and I could see he was reacting to me already. “It’s almost seven,” his voice was thick with desire.

  I stood up, feeling a confidence that was new to me. I waltzed past him and went into the shower that he had started. “Are you coming?” I called huskily.

  He was in the shower in no time. He picked up his loofah and put some of his body wash on it before he started to rub it against me.