by J. E. Taylor
“I need it,” André interrupted, turning his fiery gaze in his father’s direction. He needed some physical pounding to burn off the frustration and he knew it. If not, he might blow and that wouldn’t be pretty. “Besides, they want me to keep up the strength for next season.”
“Next season?” Matthew laughed. “That’s going to be awfully hard to flip with a job. You’ve got a family to support.” He crossed his arms.
“I’ll figure it out,” André said, standing and stalking over to Katrina. “See you later,” he said and kissed her cheek before leaving them to talk behind his back.
A BURNING FRUSTRATION ate at Matthew’s stomach. “Sometimes...”
“He can be frustrating,” Katrina finished his sentence for him. “But despite what you’re thinking, André will figure it all out.”
“I know he will, but what kind of damage is he going to do in the meantime?” Matthew turned and looked out the window, wondering what he should do with André and how he could teach him a little more self-control.
“You could give him a job this summer,” Katrina said, addressing his thoughts as opposed to his question.
“I don’t think so,” Matthew replied.
“Why not? He could do office work. The hours aren’t bad and you can keep an eye on him,” Katrina pushed.
“She’s right, Matt,” Linda said, bringing the baby back to Katrina. “Doesn’t your assistant need some help?”
“Yes, but she needs real help. She doesn’t need to be a babysitter.”
“André doesn’t need babysitting. He needs a job,” Linda said. “And you’re going to give him one.”
“Nepotism is frowned upon in the Armed Forces,” he stated.
“I don’t care, Matt. You are in a position to make it happen.”
“That’s why I don’t think it’s such a good idea.” Matthew turned toward Katrina.
“Dad, André still wants to go into the service. This would give him a view that most soldiers don’t get to see.”
Matthew laughed. “You think the administrative side is glamorous?” He read some of her train of thought.
Katrina shrugged. “My dad did pretty well and you’re not doing so badly for your family either.”
Matthew’s eyes switched between the two women and their thoughts pressed in on him, along with the prospects of what the summer would be like if he didn’t give in to their wishes. “All right. I’ll see what I can do,” he muttered.
Chapter 12
André walked into the school and all eyes turned, watching his every move. The rumor mill must have spread through the entire student body because now everyone gave him a wide berth. He didn’t know whether to be irritated or relieved and chose a seat in the very back of the class for the exam. As the students filtered in, their gazes flicked in his direction before turning toward the front of the class.
André sighed at the palpable strain in the air. The most annoying emotion hitting his filters was fear, fear of the unknown. He wanted to stand and scream at them, tell them he was the same kid who had sat next to them in class for the last six years. Instead, he clamped his jaw closed and took a deep breath.
A knot formed in the small of his back, born of the tension filling his every fiber and he shifted, stretching his muscles, trying to get the knot to loosen.
A girl who missed his brain scramble earlier in the day took a seat next to him, scanning him with the same hungry, horny expression he was getting accustomed to, and he rolled his eyes. Unbelievable.
He lifted his left hand and pointed to his wedding ring and she shrugged, licking her lips. So what?
Her glib response resounded in his head and his hands balled into fists. “No,” André replied between clenched teeth, keeping the instinct to push her mind locked down. When she scooted closer, he slid his chair farther away, sending her a warning glare, one that seemed to break through the trance and she focused on the front of the class instead.
He glanced around the room, relief flooding through his flesh. He didn’t want to use the influence again unless absolutely necessary.
The exam landed on his desk and he was the first to finish, dropping it on the teacher’s desk before he shot out of the room, heading toward practice with an hour to spare. The empty locker room greeted him and he sat down on the bench in front of his locker, putting his tired head in his hands.
When he looked up, the cheerleading squad converged and he shot to his feet, backing into the lockers.
“You slid out on us earlier today,” Anna purred.
André sidestepped several times, keeping them just out of reach until he found himself in the showers. His heart hammered in his chest as the girls peeled their tops off, tossing them toward the entrance. “Anna, come on,” he said, nearly begging her to stop.
“André, I know just how good you are, remember?”
André nodded. “I remember, but you aren’t Kat,” he said, purposely pushing her buttons.
Anna smiled. “Normally, that would piss me off, but right now, all I can think about is screwing you again.” She advanced.
“It’s not going to happen,” André said, but his resolve was waning. Five of the most beautiful girls in the school were stripping off their clothing in front of him.
Anna and the four other girls laughed. “I beg to differ,” she said, glancing at his crotch. “You’re already turned on, aren’t you?” she said, taking notice of the hard shape pressing against his jeans.
André looked for an escape but they were blocking the only way out and he knew if they got their hands on him, he’d lose control. “I don’t have any protection.”
Anna reached in her bra and pulled out a strip of condoms. “I do.” She smiled, killing his last frantic excuse.
Damn it, I should know better; she was always prepared. André scanned the shower again and his gaze landed on the showerheads and the solution to his predicament. He glanced back at Anna and willed the showers on full blast. Water cascaded out at the girls, soaking them with bone-chilling water.
In unison, they let out a collective yelp and retreated, leaving André fully clothed, dripping and shivering under the cold spray. He stayed put, letting the frigid water kill any sense of arousal before he stepped into the locker room. His sneakers squeaked water with every step and he did a quick scan of the area before he peeled off his shirt. The cold shower did nothing to wipe out the exhaustion settling in his bones and he yawned. He wrung the water out of his shirt and hung it over the side of the locker and did the same with his pants.
André breathed a sigh of relief and thanked God his football uniform was black and not white as he pulled the pants over his wet underwear. He peeled his socks off and wrung those out the best he could, slipping them back on and sliding his feet into his football cleats.
André watched the drips form on the cuffs of his pants and fall to the floor. “Dry,” he whispered in the empty locker room and let out a bark of a laugh when a spot spread over the wet jeans until they were bone dry. He looked around the room to make sure he wasn’t being observed and stood, reaching for his jeans. His hands confirmed what his eyes had seen. He did laugh this time, folding his jeans and opening the locker. His gaze fell on the shirt. “Dry,” he whispered again and a minute later, he was folding the dry shirt, laying it on the jeans and closing the locker. He concentrated on the wet underwear and socks wrapped uncomfortably on his skin and repeated the command. He chuckled, actually feeling the fabric’s heat blast.
For the first time since he landed on Earth, André wondered exactly what he was capable of. He had never exercised his powers regularly and he certainly hadn’t entertained the idea of testing his limits, until now. He needed to control it without fail so it didn’t exhaust him to the point of passing out.
He thought he was tired before. Now his eyelids felt like lead weights had been tied to them and he took a glance around the locker room, making sure it was empty before lying down on the bench. The minute his eyes clos
ed, sleep pulled him into the depths of darkness.
Dreams of Katrina’s hands caressing his skin and her hungry mouth toying with him took hold. He reveled in her touch until the cheering of his teammates bled through the dream. His eyes fluttered open and he gasped at Anna’s predatory smile as she rode him like a professional whore.
Two other cheerleaders had his hands between their legs, his fingers working of their own accord, making them squeal with delight while his teammates cheered like they were watching a porn flick at the theaters.
Sensations flooded his mind. The pure pleasure Anna and the two girls experienced washed away his common sense and a groan escaped his mouth. Anna leaned over and kissed him hard. His mouth opened to protest but instead he hungrily accepted the kiss and his eyes clenched shut, willing this to be a dream.
Katrina’s going to kill me.
The sobering thought barreled through his foggy brain and his eyes flew open, bringing him fully awake and in control of his faculties. He yanked his hands out of the cheerleaders’ grip and sat up, pushing Anna off and away from him. “No,” he growled in disgust. He buttoned himself up and stood, glaring at the roomful of people.
Anna reached for him again and he knocked her hand away. “This isn’t a fucking game,” he snapped. He felt the hands slide up his back and turned. “Get away from me!” he bellowed, breaking through their euphoria. They backed away. He shot a glare back at Anna. “You cannot have me,” he said, leaning down into her face. “Understand?”
She grinned, unaffected by the rejection. “I had you a few moments ago.”
“Anna, I fucked you a long time ago and that’s all it was. You were just another conquest to me, just another stupid bitch willing to spread her legs wide. I never gave a shit about you; now get the hell away from me,” he growled, his Southern drawl making the words much harsher.
Anna scuttled away, her eyes welling with tears as sobs tore from her chest.
André watched her run off and his gaze fell on his teammates, the anger still filling his skin, itching to be freed like a wild panther caught in a trap. He turned and walked out of the locker room onto the field, picking up a football and throwing it with all his might. An added mental shove made it sail into the top deck of the stands at the far end of the park, well over the length of the football field, bouncing between the bleachers.
“You definitely aren’t one of us,” Adam said from behind him.
André stiffened but didn’t turn.
“We would have fucked those cheerleaders regardless of our marital status.” He chuckled.
André smiled at the dig, keeping his back to Adam. “I’m sure.”
“You throw like that and we’ll win every game this year.” He stepped next to André.
“If I throw like that, you guys will be in the hospital.” He glanced at Adam.
Adam inhaled and nodded, turning his attention to André. “What you said to Anna was pretty harsh.”
André nodded. “The truth usually is.” He picked up another football and twirled it in his hands. “What do you want to know?” he asked, hearing the questions rattle around Adam’s mind.
“Who are you?”
“André Robbins.”
“You know what I mean.”
André looked behind him; the team was coming out on the field.
“I’m the quarterback and the captain of this team.” He flipped the ball to Adam and walked to the sidelines.
Adam trotted up next to him. “We need to know, André,” he said, looking to his teammates for confirmation. They nodded, and all eyes bore into him.
André moved his gaze over each of his teammates, seeing the questions in their eyes, too. “I’ve been on the team for the past year. Does it really matter?”
“Yeah, it does,” Adam said, pushing.
“What are you, the new team spokesman?” André asked, trying to divert the conversation.
Adam nodded. “I’ve known you the longest,” he said.
André could tell from their intent gazes that he wasn’t going to get out of this, so he sighed. “I’m not from around here.”
“Where are you from?” Adam asked.
“Ever hear of Zyclon?” André asked, knowing that none of them would have. Only people in the top echelon of the government knew about Zyclon.
“No. How far is that from Dallas?”
André laughed and considered how to answer as he took the football from Adam and twirled it in his hands. He gambled and turned toward the football field. “About a hundred million light years away.” He tossed the ball in the air and caught it, turning back around to see the reactions. Eyes were bulging and jaws were slack.
“Does Katrina know?” Adam whispered.
“Yes. She was one of the first people I met here,” he said, shifting under their curious gaze. He wasn’t so sure sharing was a good idea anymore. The last time he felt this vulnerable and exposed, the emperor was sentencing his parents to death.
“But you look human,” Adam whispered.
“Physiologically, we are almost identical to humans. There are just a couple things that are different,” he explained, twirling the ball.
“The eyes,” Adam said. He had seen André’s eyes in the classroom earlier in the day.
André nodded. “Zyclonian eyes are red.”
Collectively, all brows furrowed except Adam’s.
“Are you shitting us?” Bobby asked from behind Adam.
André shook his head. He kept eye contact with Adam.
“Your eyes are blue,” Adam said, stating the obvious.
André nodded again. “Yep.” He tossed the ball in the air, trying to squash his nervous energy.
“Why do they change?” Adam asked, thinking he knew.
André started to laugh a little. “Up until my son was born, only Katrina could make my eyes change.” He looked sheepishly at Adam, the blush heating his cheeks. He shifted and tossed the ball.
Adam caught it, laughing. “Your eyes go all laser when you’re screwing around?”
“Apparently.” His cheeks burned and he was sure they were as red as his eyes got when they went laser.
“How come they didn’t go all red with Anna?” Kevin stepped forward from behind Adam.
André shrugged. “I was angry,” he muttered. He felt the teams’ curiosity. “Come on, we need to get on the field before the coach comes out.”
“Does the coach know?” someone in the back asked.
André shook his head. “Seriously, guys, this is between you and me. If word ever got back to my dad...” He shook his head. “All hell would break loose.”
“He’s not your dad,” Adam said.
“That’s where you’re wrong. He’s the only father I’ve ever known,” André said, sending a warning glance.
“What, are you like Superman, sent off in space when you were a baby to be saved?” Charlie Kempsey asked. He had been a comic book buff all his life.
André laughed. “No. I was exiled because I have blue eyes.” He turned, leaving them with that statement, and began to warm up his arm.
“Say again?” Adam asked from behind him.
“I was six.” He looked at them. “I had blue eyes and they sent me into space to die.” He threw another pass into the net.
“Holy shit,” Adam whispered.
“Commander Robbins found me out there,” he said, picking up the next pigskin to throw. He twirled it in his hands. “This is the only home I’ve ever known, so, if you go blabbing this shit all over the school, I’ll probably end up in a government facility where they’ll study me like a fucking bug for the rest of my life.”
They digested this information as they milled about on the field. Practice was uneventful and in the locker room afterwards, they collected around André again.
“What’s with the girls?” Charlie asked.
André shrugged. “Kat says I’m sending off a sex vibe,” he said and laughed at the absurdity of it all. “It start
ed when Sam was born and I’m praying it stops soon because there’s only so many advances I can ward off before I just give in and then I’m a dead man,” he said as he closed his locker.
“Giving in will kill you?” Charlie gasped.
“No. Kat will kill me,” he clarified, eliciting smiles from most of his teammates.
“You can die?” Charlie asked.
“I’m flesh and blood, just like you Charlie,” André said, lifting his shirt and showing the scar from the stab wound. “See?” He pointed to it.
“Where’d you get that?” Adam asked. He had seen it before but never asked.
“Kat’s dad,” he answered. “He didn’t like the fact that I got her pregnant and I ended up getting the angry edge of a knife. He was so mad he had a heart attack.” André looked at his watch. “Shit. I gotta go. I was supposed to be at the hospital a half hour ago.” He flew out of the school, hopping into the craft, and zoomed out of the near empty parking lot, cursing under his breath at the darkening sky.
He skidded into the room ten minutes later, gasping for air from the sprint. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, leaning over to catch his breath.
“It’s about time. We can go home as soon as we produce an infant seat.”
“A what?” André asked.
“It’s at home, André. I got one as a baby shower gift.”
André dug his phone from his pocket and dialed the house. “Mom, can you bring the infant seat to the hospital? Kat’s ready to go but we can’t leave without it.” He nodded. “Thanks.” He flipped the phone closed.
“Anything else I should know about today?” Katrina asked.
André put up a barrier intended to keep her out of today’s activities, but he knew he couldn’t outright lie to her. “I got angry,” he said. He let her see the shower scene that ended with the cheerleaders running out soaking wet.
Katrina chuckled at the image. “That was pretty quick thinking.”
André shrugged. “It prompted a hell of a lot of questions from the team,” he replied, leaving the real reason for the questions out of his mind.
“What’d you tell them?” Katrina asked.
