Pyxis: Book Three of The Stardust Series

by Autumn Reed

  Tugging on the neck of my shirt, even though it wasn’t tight, I struggled to catch my breath and tame my racing thoughts. Questions of whether I should meet Douglas, if he knew where my dad was, if I should go in alone, and whether it was a trap played across my mind. Sunday, I thought, that’s three days away. Panic set in as I realized I only had a few days to sort it out and make a plan of action.

  “Ready to go, Haley?” Theo called from down the hallway.

  I shoved the note in my pocket and schooled my expression into something more neutral as I spun on my heels, hoping I didn’t look guilty as hell. “Yep.”

  While we walked to Theo’s car, I checked my phone in an attempt to hide my anxiety; still no response from Ethan. Why did he bail? Neither Knox nor Theo seemed able, or willing, to tell me the reason.

  Thankfully, Theo was so busy chatting on the way to the restaurant that he didn’t notice the unease that was likely written all over my face. But, I knew I’d only been given a reprieve. There was no way I could completely hide my tension sitting across the table from him. I considered claiming exhaustion to get out of dinner, but I couldn’t bear to ruin his good mood. Plus, he would probably watch me closer and ask questions anyway.

  I had just taken my first bite of the appetizer—pita bread with the creamiest hummus I’d ever tasted—when Theo gave me the look.

  “What aren’t you telling me, chickpea?”

  Surprised by his phrasing, I took my time chewing in order to come up with an appropriate reply. “What do you mean?”

  “I can tell something is bothering you and hoped you would tell me, but apparently I’m going to have to drag it out of you.”

  I didn’t want to lie to him, so I said something that was true although obviously not the full story. “I’m seriously beat. The last few days have been crazy at work.”

  “Okay . . . and . . .?”

  “And what?” I asked with fake confusion, hating myself for not being upfront with him.

  “And what else is wrong? You haven’t been yourself since I got back from Mexico. Knox noticed it as well, but he told me to leave it alone.” His concerned expression turned impish. “I took his advice under consideration.”

  “In other words, you ignored him.”

  “Precisely,” he said with a grin.

  “Good to know you guys were talking about me.”

  “Um, of course we talk about you. All. The. Time. And, don’t try to change the subject. What’s up?”

  Now that was a loaded question. There were any number of reasons why I may have been acting odd in the week and a half since he’d returned. My mind was perpetually warring with itself to even decide which issue to focus on. My time with Jackson and what I’d learned about the pact. Memories of the incredibly steamy kiss I’d shared with Liam. Lingering guilt because of said kiss, exemplified by the utterly enjoyable evening I spent with Chase last week.

  Simply remembering our non-date made me simultaneously happy and sad. Out of all the guys, Chase had been the one who made me feel most at ease from the very beginning. And, playing Battleship with him, of all things, I realized that there was more to it. He had this way of making me feel cherished, like I was perfect . . . or maybe perfect for him.

  As much fun as we had together, our relationship status, or lack thereof, was a constant elephant in the room. Though he never brought it up, I could tell he was dying to hear my answer. I knew I couldn’t keep putting him off; I needed to make a decision.

  When Chase walked me to my car, he wrapped me up in a tight hug, then kissed me on the forehead. I was slightly disappointed at the time that he hadn’t really kissed me, but now I was grateful I didn’t have one more thing to feel guilty about. The mere thought of breaking his heart was already splintering mine. If I decided to turn him down, I might actually shatter into a million pieces.

  Theo wanted to know what was going on with me? Add today’s cryptic note to my growing list of troubles, and I wouldn’t know where to start . . . assuming I was willing to explain any of it.

  Did I dare show him the note? It was tempting. After all these months of being certain my identity had remained a secret, the secret was out. It was terrifying, and I wanted nothing more than to run into Theo’s arms and let him comfort and protect me. But, I knew telling one of the guys was the same as telling all of them, and I didn’t want to open that can of worms. In addition to reinstating my “protection schedule,” Jackson would immediately take over the situation. There was no way he’d let me show up at the park on Sunday, and I worried that whatever action the team took would end up negatively affecting my dad. I couldn’t risk it.

  The seconds that ticked by without responding were undoubtedly proving Theo’s point about my strange behavior. Could I get away with a vague answer? I remembered Chase’s words in the coffee shop and crafted a similar question.

  After taking a deep breath, I finally returned my gaze to Theo. “Have you ever felt like your head was telling you one thing and your heart another?”

  “Hmmm,” he said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Then he rolled up his sleeve and placed his arm on the table, palm up. “See this tattoo?” He pointed to a spot near the middle of his forearm, and when I looked closely, I was able to make out a small Tigger, only about two inches tall. It was hiding within a tree with watercolor branches that I’d admired many times.

  My hand flew to my mouth in a futile attempt to hide my laugh. He gave me a knowing grin. “My head told me I’d regret getting a tattoo of an animated character, but my heart said it was a Tiggeriffic idea,” he said with a playful growl.

  I giggled. “And why Tigger, exactly?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? He’s cheerful, confident, fun, has awesome friends.” He gave me a wink and added, “He’s my hero.”

  Shaking my head at his silliness, I had to admit Theo had a certain Tigger-like charm. All of the adjectives he listed were a perfect match for his personality. And, like Tigger, he was one of a kind.

  “What is it with you and Disney movies?” I asked, recalling numerous times he had referenced movie quotes or characters.

  His expression turned thoughtful. “I’m guessing you learned more about my crappy childhood on your little trip to Bakersfield?” I nodded, tidbits that Knox had revealed about their past immediately springing to mind. “So you probably know I didn’t get a lot of adult attention or supervision growing up, which meant I spent many, many hours in front of the TV, and Disney movies were my favorite. Now I recognize them as the escape they were, but back then . . . they just made me happy.”

  I smiled sadly and traced my fingers over the tattoo. “I support anything that makes you happy.”

  “Do you?” he asked seriously.

  “Yes.”

  “Then it would make me happy if you would explain what has your head and heart all tangled up.”

  Inwardly, I cringed. I had expected him to turn the conversation back to me, and this time I was ready. But, that didn’t mean I was any happier about what I was about to say. While my words would be true, they weren’t really honest.

  “You know I love living at the loft, right?”

  “Yeah,” he said slowly and uncertainly. “And we love having you there.”

  “Okay, well, I don’t want you to think I’m at all ungrateful, because that’s the furthest thing from the truth. But, I’ve been thinking it’s time to start making a plan to move out.”

  “What?” Theo asked, clearly shocked. “Why would you even consider that?”

  “Theo,” I sighed. “I live in your house, rent free. Drive your cars, eat your food, use your laptop, read your books. I can’t keep mooching off you and Knox forever. It’s not right.”

  “Why the Tweedledee not?” Theo asked angrily. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “You and Knox never expected this to be a permanent arrangement. And, I want to respect that. You guys aren’t even involved in searching for my dad anymore, and apart
from this little DuBois setback, nothing remotely threatening has happened in over six months,” I lied, trying not to think about my upcoming, very mysterious, meeting.

  “I’ll ignore that ‘little setback’ comment, because it’s irrelevant. Maybe we didn’t anticipate in September that you’d stay with us and work at Zenith long-term, but who cares?” He leaned forward, his hazel eyes flashing with earnestness. “The only thing that matters is what everyone wants now, and I can assure you that both Knox and I want you to stay.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “Absolutely,” he responded, finally smiling again. “Listen to your heart, Haley. We misfits have to stick together.”

  Our entrées arrived, and Theo changed the subject to some of the new Zenith Youth recruits he had met today. “Did you see that tall, skinny guy with the red hair?” he asked. “He’s never going to make it through the program.”

  “How do you know?”

  “It’s obvious,” he scoffed. “He looks like a total wimp.”

  I laughed. “And, I suppose you were all muscles at that age?”

  Theo shrugged. “Maybe not, but I was scrappy. It’s not all about brawn, you know.”

  “Oh, I know. I saw you take on the giant in Patrick’s office, if you remember. Maybe I should start calling you David.”

  “Did you have to bring that up?” He groaned. “You’re the one who took Goliath down. It would have been humiliating if it wasn’t so dang hot,” he said, his eyes flashing with a seductive magnetism that I wasn’t used to from him.

  Inhaling deeply to settle the sudden flutters in my stomach, I replied, “Whatever. I got lucky, took him by surprise.”

  “Agree to disagree. So . . . I saw you and Kara together quite a bit today. Should I be jealous of your budding friendship? I’m not giving up my ‘bestie’ title, so don’t even think about replacing me.”

  “She could never replace you,” I said in an overly placating tone. “But, it is nice to have a girl to hang out with who doesn’t spend every second talking about Chase and any other remotely attractive guy at work.”

  “Does that mean Melissa is officially out?” Theo asked excitedly.

  “Um, yeah, she’s pretty much been out for the last few months. I was a little disappointed that she was blowing me off at first, but now I’m mostly relieved, especially since Kara and I have been hanging out.”

  “Personally, I’m as pleased as Punch that you’ve traded up. But, I need to have a little chat with Kara to make sure she knows I still come first.” He knocked his fist against his palm a few times with a mock scowl.

  “Simmer down, Tigger. And, if anyone should be jealous, it’s me. You’re the one with all the friends.”

  Theo shook his head vehemently. “No, I have a lot of acquaintances. People I meet up with now and then. I have a brother and five other friends . . . and you are hands down my favorite.”

  “Thank you. But you don’t consider Drew, Alyssa, Devin, or Kenzi friends? What about all those people at your birthday party?”

  “No. I like most of them fine, except Kenzi,” he muttered under his breath, “but none of them know the real me.”

  “What happened with Kenzi?” I asked, my ears immediately perking up at his tone.

  “Nothing.”

  “Nu-huh,” I argued. “Something happened. I can tell.”

  I watched Theo’s face and was surprised to see his cheeks and ears turn pink. He cleared his throat. “She sent a couple of texts inviting me to hang out shortly after I left for UCLA. I kept blowing her off, not wanting to explain that I randomly transferred.” He paused and played with the food on his plate. “Then, apparently hoping to snag my attention, she texted me an . . . um . . . inappropriate photo of herself.”

  Choking on my water, I coughed and then laughed in astonishment. “Girls really do that?”

  “Yeah, some do. Anyway, I sort of panicked and told her that I had a girlfriend so she would leave me alone.” He gave me a sheepish look. “She didn’t believe me at first and asked who . . . and I may have told her that you were my girlfriend,” he said quickly. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have, but it seemed like the easiest way to deal with her.” His words came out so fast that I barely understood them.

  “It’s fine,” I replied with a smile, amused by how nervous he was admitting what he’d done. Honestly, I was just happy for proof that I was right about Kenzi. Definitely not the trustworthy type. “I’ll make sure to cover my face if I run into her again.”

  “What?” he asked, confused.

  “So Kenzi doesn’t scratch my eyes out,” I said, clawing at the air. “She definitely seems the type.”

  Theo chuckled. “Good idea. Can’t have her scarring your beautiful face.”

  Dang. Why does he have to be so sweet? And with that, my mind was back on my boy troubles.

  Making Waves

  “The birthday boy has arrived,” Theo called out as Knox, Theo, and I entered Liam’s penthouse.

  “Boy?” Knox questioned in a haughty tone.

  I couldn’t see Theo’s eyes, but I assumed that during the pause he was rolling them. “Excuse me. The old man is here to celebrate his birthday.”

  “Yes, because twenty-three is so much older than twenty-one, little brother,” Knox said, butting his shoulder into Theo.

  I laughed as Knox and Theo continued their good-natured ribbing, both acting like they were half their age. But when Liam rounded the corner from the kitchen seconds later, the laughter died on my lips as my heart tripped over itself. In the two weeks since our kiss, I found that he affected me more than normal, and just spotting him from across the office was enough to make my pulse run wild.

  I had spent the morning baking and stressing over my mounting secrets, and knowing I was returning to the scene of my steamy kiss with Liam only exacerbated my anxiety. Hopefully neither Chase nor Liam were the type to kiss and tell, because I hated to imagine the reactions of the others when they found out I had kissed not one, but two members of the group. And tonight we would all be together to celebrate Knox’s birthday; it seemed like a recipe for disaster.

  We talked briefly in the kitchen before Knox and Theo gathered various items to haul to the rooftop pool. The front door had barely closed behind them when I felt Liam’s hands wrap around my waist, and he pulled me around a corner.

  “Liam, what are you doing?” I asked, playfully pushing his hands away, but he held firm. Partially hidden by a wall, we weren’t in immediate danger of being caught together if someone happened to arrive, but we were still taking a risk.

  “What . . .,” he placed a soft kiss on my collarbone, “. . . I’ve been dying . . . ,” and then another kiss on my neck, “. . . to do all week,” he said, finishing with one behind my ear.

  “You can’t,” I said, unable to stop smiling in spite of my paranoia that we’d be discovered. Knox or Theo could return at any moment, and I had no idea when Ethan, Chase, or Jackson would arrive.

  Liam raised an eyebrow in challenge and pulled me even closer, his breath whispering across my lips. Despite the panic rising within me, I was trapped in his intoxicating spell once more. When his lips met mine, he kissed me as passionately as he had in the pool, and I couldn’t resist reciprocating. His tongue teased mine for a few sweet moments, and when he released me we stared at each other, breathless.

  The faint click of a door snapped me out of my haze, and I was instantly flooded with guilt. Why do I keep doing this to myself?

  “Hello?” Jackson called.

  I cringed, my stomach roiling with unease. Liam merely grinned and had the audacity to steal one more kiss before I shoved him around the corner, glaring at him the entire time.

  “We’re in here,” he called, and I remained hidden, struggling to make sure I didn’t look as disheveled as I felt.

  “Hey, Jax,” I said a minute later, joining his side at the island.

  Jackson looped an arm around my waist, and I instinctively rested my
head on his shoulder. Maybe I should confess everything to him now, I thought as Liam busied himself around the kitchen. But, could I really do that? It might ease my guilt in the short term, but it was ultimately a terrible idea that would only cause more problems.

  “Hey, you okay?” he asked softly.

  “Yeah,” I said, trying to drum up some enthusiasm. “It’s been a long week, but I’m glad we’re celebrating Knox’s birthday. Well, actually, I’m kind of surprised he’s letting us.”

  Jackson chuckled, and I could feel his chest vibrating beneath me. I found his presence calming and wished I could hang onto that feeling for the entire evening. Forcing myself to be strong, I lifted my head and stood facing him.

  “It must be your influence,” he said.

  “Really? I doubt that,” I replied skeptically.

  Jackson smirked. “Normally he’s a bear around his birthday and snaps at any mention of it, but this year . . .” he trailed off and shrugged.

  “Maybe he just wanted me to make him a special dessert?”

  “I think there’s more to it than that, but it’s neither here nor there. Anyway, before we go up to the roof, I wanted to thank you for all your hard work on the open house. I wish I could have attended, but Uncle told me he was very impressed.”

  “Thank you,” I responded, warmed by the compliment. “It was fun.”

  Once we arrived on the roof, Liam, Theo, and I got to work on the food. Liam brushed against me several times, causing tingles to run up my spine, and I wondered if he was intentionally touching me or if I was just overly aware of his every movement since the other guys were around. Knowing Liam, it was probably the former.

  With one ear on the conversation, I kept peeking at Knox and Jackson from behind my sunglasses, watching while they relaxed in the pool, laughing and drinking beer. Their backs were to me, and their arms were outstretched on the edge of the pool, providing a glimpse of muscular biceps and shoulders. Calm yourself, Haley. Two shirtless men down; four to go.