Cheating Time

by T. R. Graves

  Hell will freeze over before I marry a man because someone else wants me to.

  As if Thorne's actions outweighed the wonderful things Jayden had done for my family and me over the course of years, Jayden stepped away from me. I reached for his hand, and before our fingers met, he pulled it back and shook his head.

  "Carlie, I'll catch up with you in the morning. You and I can talk then. I-if you need me tonight, just yell. I'll hear you, and I'll be here in a heartbeat," he mumbled.

  I stared at him and willed him to hear what my heart was screaming.

  I need you now.

  I want you to stay with me.

  He ignored me and left me standing alone with Thorne. I'd never resented my parents more than I did now. Arranged marriages were not commonplace within the borders of our nation. I couldn't imagine why Thorne's and my parents had allowed Barone to exert his will over them like that.

  This had nothing to do with Thorne. He was nice enough. The problem was I'd not been given any choice.

  And he wasn't Jayden.

  After giving him a glare that would have sliced through a lesser person, I turned my back on Thorne and climbed back into the cot where I'd been sleeping for the last three days.

  He called my name a few times before giving up and heading back to his desk and popping up a three-dimensional image that allowed me the opportunity to see the reverse image of what he was looking at.

  For the next hour, he studied advanced pathophysiology and quizzed himself on disease treatments. I pretended to sleep but actually found the game enjoyable since I had every intention of becoming a physician at some point in my life. I was amazed at all the information Mom and Gran had instilled in me throughout my life. I got more of the quizzes right than Thorne. Not only that, but I was able to answer them quicker than him, and he was already a doctor-in-training.

  When a tired Rorie made her way into the tent an hour later, I felt guilty for not going to help her. It was obvious she'd been tasked with cooking breakfast, lunch, and supper for this entire camp, and while that might not be a horrible job, she'd also been tasked with cleaning all of the dishes.

  Tomorrow, that would change. I refused to let her kill herself cooking and cleaning without help and then being hung out to dry when she accidentally left the kitchen open. I wondered if any of these assholes thought about taking a few minutes to check to make sure the kitchen got locked up after she finished cleaning it.

  It seems like the least they could do.

  "Good night, Thorne. I love you," Rorie said after kicking off her shoes and crawling into her bed.

  Thorne walked over to her bed and tucked her in like she was a little girl before kissing her forehead. "Good night, sissy. I love you, too," he whispered sweetly.

  It was with that satisfied grin on her face that she fell fast asleep within minutes of laying down her head. It was further confirmation that she was beyond exhausted, and all the proof I needed to solidify my plan to make sure she had all the help she needed while I was around.

  After Rorie was asleep and because Thorne thought I was also, he walked to the door of the tent, staring back before he left. I wasn't sure where he was going, but I hoped he'd be gone for a while because I wanted to use his computer to contact Mom.

  We have lots to talk about. Especially this marriage arrangement. I need to know what the hell that's about. It's not something I'd have ever thought Mom would've done to me.

  Chapter 17

  Reconnected

  Carlie

  Quicker than I would have thought possible given the way my muscles still ached from the bruising of the snake poison, I threw off my covers and jumped out of the bed. I had no idea how lightly Rorie slept. I only knew if she woke and found me touching her brother's computer, she'd probably yell loud enough to alert everyone in the camp to what I was doing.

  I opened a tab separate from the one Thorne had been using and began a secure instant communication message with Mom, Dad, Gran, and Tawney. I wanted to check on all of them and didn't have time to query them individually.

  Me: I'm alive and well at a MediTech infirmary. Jayden is with me.

  It took a few minutes before I got any response at all. When one came, it was only from Mom and Dad.

  Mom: My God, Carlie! We've been so worried. We got word you were injured. I've been monitoring your vitals through your MicroPharm and using it to adjust your antidote and pain medication.

  Dad: When did Jayden arrive?

  Me: A few hours ago. He was dehydrated and near exhaustion. He's been taken care of and is now sleeping.

  Mom: According to his MicroPharm, he's not sleeping, or he's not sleeping well.

  Me: He was tired when he left me so I'm sure he's sleeping. He might just be having bad dreams.

  Mom: You're doing a lot better, sweetie. What happened? How did you get injected with so much venom?

  Me: The short story is there was a snake near Tawney. I tried to intervene and found out she was actually sitting near a bed of snakes. They attacked me the instant I pulled her away. The rest is history.

  Mom: Jayden got bitten also, but he didn't have nearly as much venom in his system as you.

  Dad: I want you to stay where you are. We're having a MediChopper flown there to pick you and Jayden up within the next few days. From there, you'll be taken to the preparatory academy. There's no more running for you or Jayden.

  Me: Where's Gran and Tawney?

  Mom: They're where they need to be.

  Me: Did you know Tawney's dying?

  It took a long time for any response. I wondered if I'd lost them. Finally, a message popped up, and with it, I felt my parents' grief. For them, losing Tawney was akin to loosing their own child. She was their niece, and they'd raised her for the last eight years.

  Mom: Yes.

  Dad: Yes.

  Again, there was a pause that told me that they were trying to soften the blow.

  Mom: The house where they're going is one where Tawney will be free to spend the rest of her days sitting in a hammock in the top of a tree house, reading, and dreaming of her knight in shining armor. Gran will make sure of that, Carlie.

  Dad: Don't put your life or Jayden's life in danger searching for them. We'll stay in touch and let you know the minute anything happens.

  Me: Will you let me know if anything happens to either of you? I'm just as worried about what your life is like now that you are back at the capital.

  Fortunately for me, Dad was a security junkie. There was nothing I could ever send him that anyone would ever be able to decipher. He encrypted every message coming and going from our messaging accounts to the point where they looked more like hieroglyphics than words by the time they made it anywhere but where they were supposed to go.

  Dad: Your mother is back at the lab and doing exactly what Barone needs her to do. I'm stationed as security so I can watch over her morning, noon, and night. That's what you need to know.

  Mom: Our biggest concern is you. I need you to promise me you'll do exactly as we've asked. Go to the academy and study to be a doctor so you can come to work with me. I need your help.

  My eyes watered.

  Me: I will.

  Mom: I know what the MicroPharm says, but I want to hear from you. Are you okay with all of this?

  My eyes watered more.

  Me: I miss all of you terribly.

  Mom: We miss you, too.

  Me: Oh… I forgot to tell you… I'm under the care of Thorne Angleton. Is there anything the two of you forgot to share with me?

  Dad: It sounds like you know the most important thing. The rest is a conversation that needs to be face to face. Right now, you must understand that Jayden's there to protect you. Don't make his job any more difficult than it already is. After you travel to the academy, your mother and I will come see you and explain everything. I promise.

  Hearing from my parents had deflated any sort of anger I'd had over the marriage agreement. Right now, I was just glad
they were safe.

  Me: Okay. I love you both and will contact you as soon as I'm at school. Then I need to see you. We need to talk.

  Mom: We will. We love you.

  Dad: I love you and Jayden.

  Dad may have been a big military man, but apparently, he had no qualms about telling Jayden how much he loved him.

  You gotta love that about a man, I thought, smiling.

  I wondered if he'd feel the same way if he knew I was making out with Jayden every chance possible. I got the distinct impression Dad was okay with Jayden because he thought my virginity was safe with his Surrogate Soldier. I wasn't so sure.

  "You know… I would have let you contact your parents if you'd asked," Thorne said, standing at the door of the tent.

  I jumped out of his chair, cursing under my breath while I wondered just how long he'd been there, how much of the back and forth with my parents he'd witnessed.

  Chapter 18

  Longevity, Loyalty, and Devotion

  Carlie

  "N-no biggie. I woke up and saw you weren't using it so I thought I'd try contacting them," I said. My voice was a shaky as my lies and my hands. "I hope you don't mind."

  "I don't mind at all," he said, walking toward his desk.

  As he studied me, I reached my finger up, tapped on the corner of the three-dimensional, lithographic image, and closed it down, effectively preventing him from reading the messages or contacting either of my parents via Dad's secured route. When the electric blue of my parents' instant messages blurred and disappeared, I felt lonely and lost. Again. I'd just talked to them, but I missed them more than ever.

  I backed away from Thorne's desk. He put up his hands and said, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just told you if you'd asked, I'd have let you use the computer. Forgive me for not realizing you needed to contact your parents sooner. You must think I'm a complete shit."

  I shook my head. "No. So far, I think you're anything but a complete shit. Rorie loves you too much for me to think too poorly of you."

  Thorne looked over his shoulder and toward his sister before saying, "The problem is… she never sees the awful things in anyone… including me. Sometimes, I think the world would be better off if everyone had her blind faith in mankind. Other times, I think the human race would be extinct if we all trusted as unconditionally as she does."

  "I wish I were more like her. I could use a little more unconditional trust in my life," I mused.

  "It seems to me you have that with Jayden."

  I nodded slowly and bit my lip. "We bicker like brothers and sisters, but I trust him with my life. That comes from years of tests, ones you don't even know you're giving they're administered so subconsciously."

  Thorne cocked his head to the side. "How do you mean?"

  I laughed and it was more self-depreciating than I'd planned. "I don't know how to explain it without sounding more jaded and bitter than a girl my age should."

  Thorne leaned on the edge of his desk while waving a hand at his chair, suggesting I sit back down. I did.

  "Well… first, there's longevity. He's been with me for more years than I can remember. He's proven time and time again to my family and me that he's willing to stick around. So he's passed the longevity test with flying colors."

  Thorne nodded as if he could understand the importance time played in a relationship.

  "Then there's loyalty. Jayden's never once betrayed my family. There were opportunities for him to improve his standing under Barone. All he had to do was betray my parents. He's never once considered it."

  "And you know this how?" Thorne asked.

  I glared at him. "Because loyalty is innate within Jayden. It's as much a part of him as his eye color."

  "Loyalty to you, not our president… I assume," Thorne said.

  I knew better than to be baited into a discussion about Barone so I ignored what he'd said. What he'd implied.

  "He's as dedicated to his commitment to keep me safe and alive as anyone ever has been for anyone or anything," I said.

  "Oh… he's dedicated to you all right. In fact, I'd go so far as to say he's smitten with the beautiful girl sitting in front of me. I'm not sure I can blame him. I barely know you, and I'm already infatuated with you. I can't imagine what it would be like if I'd had a lifetime to get to know you," Thorne said, looking down at his hands.

  When he did, the shadow of his thick, full lashes fanned across his cheeks and made him even lovelier than before.

  "Knowing Barone… there's probably a MicroPharm pheromone that is released when we're near that mimics attraction. He's ruthless when he wants something, and if I remember correctly, you said he'd insisted we be married. Like I said, he gets what he wants even if he has to introduce artificial pheromones that make us think we're attracted to each other," I said, chuckling and voicing my hypothesis on the instant attraction we'd felt for each other.

  With eyes bulging, Thorne stared at me. "Oh my God! I hadn't thought of that. It would explain why I'm so attracted to you. I mean, I've never felt like this with anyone before. I'll bet you're right."

  His absolute relief was a knock to my ego. It was as if he'd finally—thankfully—figured out why he was so fascinated by someone like me.

  He's probably into the whisper-thin model types.

  "Yeah… I can see why the pheromone theory would take a weight off your shoulders. I mean, no man in his right mind would be caught dead with me," I said sarcastically, standing and planning to leave his damn tent and take my chances searching for Jayden.

  Before I could take the first step, he grabbed the top of my arm and pulled me into him. It felt a lot like being held by Jayden, and I missed him all the more.

  "I-I didn't mean anything by it. The thought just hadn't occurred to me, and you know as well as I do that the theory is solid," Thorne said, looking down at my lips.

  He watched them for a long time before leaning down and kissing them. I was so shocked that I couldn't do anything but stand still and wait for him to finish his experiment because I knew as well as I knew my name that he was testing some theories, assuming I'd soon jump on board with his experimentation.

  I'm not.

  This kiss was nice, and I had to admit it made my stomach flip and flop, but it was nothing compared to the way Jayden made my stomach quiver like thousands of butterflies had been released and my chest burn with unconditional love. A week ago, I'd have sworn I hated him, and if Thorne had kissed me then, I'd have climbed on board the Thorne Express and never gotten off.

  The problem was Jayden had kissed me. Jayden had slept next to me. I couldn't pretend Jayden didn't excite me when he so clearly did. Artificial pheromones or not.

  Finally, Thorne pulled back and said, "I'm assuming this is better for me than it is for you, and just so you know… there's nothing about knowing it that won't sting later."

  This time he was the one that was being self-deprecating, and for me, his inability to see himself as the beautiful man he just happened to be was one of his most endearing qualities. He may have looked like a god, but he in no way considered himself… loveable.

  "Thorne, have you spent much time with your parents?" I asked, hoping his response would help me understand where his lack of confidence came from.

  "Carles, my parents are researchers who've spent more of my life away from me and at their labs than at home with Rorie and me. Why do you ask? What does that have to do with you not enjoying kissing me when it does all kinds of unexpected things to me?" he asked.

  "No reason. I was just curious," I murmured.

  Thorne was still too close for comfort when he reached up and stroked the side of my face and tucked my hair behind my ear. "You're tired and need your rest… though I'd love nothing more than to stand here breathing you in. I'm convinced it's comparable to getting high. The way you excite me and calm me at the same time… i-it's got to be as addictive as any drug known to man," he hummed.

  I tucked my chin into my chest. "You barely k
now me."

  "That's what makes you all the more alluring. You forget I've been with you for the last three days, which means St. Romaine barely has anything on me when it comes to longevity, loyalty, and devotion," Thorne said with a smile and a wink.

  I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure I was a lot to handle for those three days."

  "I'm not complaining. Now, as your doctor, I'm ordering you back to bed. This time, I expect you to stay there. Rest is what you need now more than anything," Thorne ordered while waving me toward my cot.

  Suddenly, the giant air mattress looked like heaven on earth. My aching muscles were still suffering the aftereffects of the poison, which meant the MicroPharm would be working overtime, pumping medication into my system in order to manage the pain.

  I didn't argue. I strolled back to my bed, climbed in, and rolled over so I could watch Thorne, who looked like he was about to go back to studying.

  "Thorne…" I said low so I wouldn't wake Rorie.

  He glanced up from whatever he was writing and said, "Yes, Carles."

  "You can call me Carlie," I said.

  He smiled. "Carles is your real name, and I love it."

  "Most people think it's some version of Charles. They refuse to give it two syllables. You and Rorie are the only people outside of my family who know how to pronounce it."

  "Like I said… I love it. It's the name I'll call you forever," Thorne said as if he were making a majestic pronouncement.

  He made me smile.

  "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

  I shook my head. "No, I wanted to tell you thank you for looking after me. I know I was in pretty bad shape when I got here, and I'm sure Mom was doing whatever she could from afar, but I wouldn't have made it without you. I-I just wanted you to know I'm grateful."

  Thorne offered me a lopsided grin and said, "I'm not sure how to explain this to you in a way that won't make me sound a little unstable or won't make you hate me. The minute I scanned your chip and found out who you were… my head told me to let you go. I've resented my entire life the way our parents betrothed us. I've been the male version of a slut as I made the most of my bachelorhood. I'd convinced myself that you were going to be a two-headed monster I hated."