Seth's Cravings: An Endless Series: Book 2 (58 page)

     His head rocked back in only faint surprise. “The
chemistry between you two is nearly tangible, and she’s a great girl.”

     “That’s no girl, she’s all woman, and all mine.” I
stated proudly.

     Nic smirked. “Yeah, Carrie and I heard you establish
that fact last Saturday. Good thing we were the only ones home at the time. You
nearly shook the entire house with all that bed rocking.” He slapped me on the
back. “Never knew you had it in you, Bud.”

     I gave him a barely there scowl, because hell, that
night had been monumental. His words were also bringing back some very happy
memories that went straight to my dick, and I wondered when I could get her
alone today to get one specific birthday gift from her.

     “All this exercise has gotten me hungry, anyone else?”
I asked loudly.

     “Pit’s right, I definitely could go for some pizza.”
Evan declared.

     “Seth is Pit-bull now, not Pit.” Issy announced
vociferously. It seemed her shyness had disappeared this afternoon with
everyone.

     “Pit-bull? Isn’t that the name of some singer?” Blake
frowned.

     Walking toward the door I scooped Issy in my arms and
tossed her over my shoulder, getting a scream from her in the process. “Issy
has taken it upon herself to revamp my image. She says Bottomless Pit isn’t a forbidding
enough nickname for me.”

     “Oh ho. It’s pretty da…rn difficult to change someone’s
nickname after three years. She’s got some serious work ahead of her.” Evan
said shaking his head.

     I turned and whispered to Issy. “Evan’s the one you
gave me the name.”

     I felt Issy push off my back so she could raise her
head. “I’ll be at all his games with a big sign and yell the loudest when he
does good.”

     Nadia walked up next to us and slapped Issy on the
butt, which had her screaming again. “You tell them Issy.” And then she began
repeating, “Pitbull…Pitbull…Pitbull…”

     We walked out of the building with the all girls joining
in with Nadia’s chant of ‘Pitbull’. The guys just shook their heads, not at all
convinced at the moniker change. I just laughed, and when Nadia tilted up to
kiss me and murmur that she loved me I thought my face was going to crack from
my smile.

     This was probably one my best birthdays…ever.

Chapter Thirty-Three

NADIA

     I was pleased as all get out that Seth seemed to have
enjoyed his birthday surprise; especially after finding out that he hadn’t celebrated
one since his cousin’s death. When I had updated his roommates about what I’d
wanted to do they’d informed me that Seth never celebrated his birthday. At the
time I had taken that as a trivial obstacle, but finding out it was because of
his cousin was heartbreaking.

     Seth leaned over and kissed me on the cheek as I drove
down the road. “Today was great, thank you, but you didn’t have to go through
all the trouble…or spend that kind of money.”

     “But then it wouldn’t have been as great.” I shot back
with a hard grin, letting him know not to go there. If I wanted to spend money
on him that was my concern.

     He grinned. “You’re right.” Gripping my neck he
messaged it and leaning toward me, whispered in my ear. “Love you.”

     I shivered in pleasure at the feel of his breath on my
skin, as well as his words. “Love you too.” I murmured back.

     “You guys need to stop or I’ll be too sick to eat when
we get to your house.” Luka complained from the back seat. Issy giggled.

     Seth pulled away continuing to grin, and took my hand
in his. “Sorry Luka. We’ll keep the mushy stuff contained until after you eat.”

     “Thanks.” He grumbled good-naturedly.

     “There’s a pool table, dart board, and multiple video
games at the house for you two to play with, and we also have a pretty good
sized back yard with horseshoes and volleyball.”

     I squeezed Seth’s hand letting him know I was grateful
that he was concerned with Luka and Issy’s entertainment. He wanted them to be
comfortable at his house.

     Twenty minutes later I was pulling down Seth’s street.

     “What in the hell…llo are my parent’s doing here?” Seth
exclaimed with a frown.

     I took note of the nice new black Cadillac in the
driveway. “They didn’t tell you they were coming?”

     The frown he wore said ‘no’, but I had to ask.

     “No,” Seth answered validating his frown. 

     They only lived three hours away, why wouldn’t they
come to see him on his birthday? And why did he not seem happy about seeing
them?

     I parked on the street and we all got out of my car and
headed up to his door. “How did they get inside the house? They don’t have a
key.” He mused as we walked up the steps.

     “You never told them where your spare key is?” I asked.
He’d told me last Saturday.

     “No. They’ve always called me before coming up before,
and we normally go out to lunch somewhere. We never hung out at the house.” He
opened the door and directed us inside. “Mom, dad?” He called out.

     “Seth, my baby!” There was no way not to smirk at that
enthusiastic female voice, and endearment, that could only be from his mom.

     There was a clicking of heels and then an attractive
older female scurried around the corner from the living room. She was dark
haired like Seth and had his blue eyes, but those were the only similarities
that I noticed. She was short, like five-five, but the heels added two more
inches.

     Directly behind his mother an older male came into view.
His hair was light brown with a smattering of gray. I could see where Seth got
his looks. This man had the same rough edge good looks that Seth had, and he
was just as tall.

     Seth’s mother ran up and embraced Seth around his
waist. He gathered her close returning it. “Happy birthday, baby.”

     “Thanks, mom. What are you guys doing here? You usually
call before you come.”

     His dad stepped up in front of him with a smile. “We
got here early hoping to surprise you but it looks like you had plans already.
We were just about to call but here you are.” He noticed Luka, Issy and I
standing behind Seth. “Who are these folks?”

     I frowned. Seth’s father had no idea who we were? He’d
just been home two weeks ago, after that Thursday when he’d said I’d be easy to
love, and from what he’d said last week he might have already loved me. Why
wouldn’t he have told his parent’s about me, and about Issy and Luka?

     Seth looked back and forth between me and his parent’s,
and he had a look of guilt on his face. My heart sped up double time and my gut
twisted. Why was he looking guilty?

     “Uhm, this is Nadia, she’s my girlfriend, and these are
her brother and sister, Issy and Luka.”  

     His parent’s eyebrows rose and they looked over all
three of us in astonishment. “Your girlfriend? But what about Melissa?”

     MELISSA! Who the hell was Melissa? What in the
b’lyad
(fuck) was going on? My gut twisted further.

     “Seth!” Everyone in the hallway turned toward the voice
calling Seth’s name. My chest compressed tight as I watched a very attractive
brown haired female run at Seth to throw herself into his arms.

     Seth’s eyes found mine and they seemed to plead with me
as he shook his head. I vaguely noticed that he was trying to detangle himself
from the woman in his arms, but I mostly took note of how my life appeared to
be falling in around me.

     Seth had a girlfriend. Seth’s parents knew nothing
about me. Why did all this sound so familiar? Oh yeah, I’d been through it
before.

     “Seth, it’s so good to see you. I got back from Europe a few days ago and I had to come and see you. I’ve missed you so much.” The girl was
talking, not seeming to realize that everyone around her was standing in
uncomfortable silence. “I convinced your parent’s to come over for your birthday
so we could all surprise you.”

     I tried so hard to fix my face so the desolation of my
soul wasn’t glaringly obvious, but I was pretty sure I was failing when I turned
to grab Issy’s hand.

     “Nadia.”

     Ignoring Seth I headed for the door. “
Poshli
(let’s
go).” Shit, was that my voice sounding all gravelly?

     “Nadia! Don’t go. This is not what it looks like.” Seth
called out after me as I hurried back toward my car.

     This couldn’t be happening to me. I’d trained myself to
read people, and Seth had seemed so perfect. He said he loved me…I loved him.
None of this made sense…it couldn’t be happening…not to me…not like my
mat’
.

     My vision was going hazy and I blinked trying to clear
it causing tears to spill down my cheeks.

     Chert voz’mi (dammit), I was not going to cry.

     “Nadia, what’s going on?” Issy asked in confusion. “I
thought we were staying to eat pizza?” 

     I wiped at my face fiercely. “Issy, I…” I couldn’t get
the words out. My mind was blank. I didn’t know what to say.

     Luka came up from behind me and scooped up Issy in his
arms. “I got her, Nadia.” He whispered something to her I couldn’t hear as he
opened the door to the car and buckled her in the back.

     “Nadia! Please. This is not what it seems like.” Seth
came running out of the house.

     I barely heard him because of the buzzing in my ears; a
buzzing that kept repeating, ‘
This is not happening…this is not happening
’…only
I knew it was. I had been doped just like my
mat’
. Seth had deceived me
just like my
otets
had.

     This was not happening!!

     I yanked open the driver’s door but Seth was there to
halt me from sliding in by capturing my arm. “Honey please…”

     I wrenched my arm from Seth’s grip and turned toward
him unleashing my pain and fury. “
Ne
trogayte menya
. (don’t touch
me).” I didn’t even realize I screamed in Russian. “You lied to me. You deceifed
me.”

     The expression on Seth’s face appeared tormented but I
didn’t believe it. “No Nadia. Melissa is not my girlfriend. We broke things off
before you and I went out.”

     I pushed him hard, my heart exploding in my chest, and
screamed. “I don’t beliefe you. And from what zat girl said in zere, she’s
under zee belief zat she still is.”

     Seth was shaking his head. “I haven’t seen Melissa in
months. I don’t know why she thinks we’re still in a relationship.”

     Everything inside me was falling apart; breathing was
difficult, I felt like I was going to vomit, and my heart…my heart…God it hurt.
Stepping forward I slapped him in the face. I slapped him so hard it stung my
palm and his head jerked slightly to the side from the impact, but he didn’t
retaliate. He took it, continuing to stare at me with what looked like anguish
in his eyes. But it had to be fake…he was a fake.  

     “She isn’t zee only one. Your parents also zink you’re
still togezer. Zey didn’t know who I was. Why don’t zey know who I am? You just
saw zem two weeks ago.” I pointed up at the house emphasizing my point and saw
his parents watching our argument on the porch with shocked expressions. The
other female was there as well, watching with a similar look of shock.

     He went to grasp my arms again but I jumped back not
wanting him to touch me. His hands went to the back of his neck instead, and I
watched what looked like distress and shame cross his face. Both emotions
revealed his guilt and my eyes misted again as more pain washed over me.

     Please god, this is not happening.

     “I…” What Seth was going to say was cut off by a cry
from my back seat.

     “Nadezhda!” Issy’s whimper woke me up to what I was
doing; having a screaming fit, and physically fighting in front of her. I was
probably frightening her half to death.

     My spine snapped straight and I backed away from Seth.
“I’m going home. Zis is ofer.” I tried to state the words coldly, but my voice
came out in a croak mostly.

     Seth’s gaze had traveled to Issy, displaying concern,
but at my statement they zoned back on me with wild eyed alarm. “No!” He
declared loudly moving forward, but then seemed to compose himself. “Please,
just come inside and let’s talk about this calmly. I have an explanation.”

     The way he said that, ‘
let’s talk about this calmly’
destroyed the control I was trying to cloak myself with, igniting my anger all over
again. It was like he was patronizing me. I gave him a hard shove that didn’t
move him at all. “Oh my Bog. If my sister wasn’t watching right now I’d send
your balls into your zroat.” I gritted out lowly. Spinning around I bolted
inside my car, locking it.

     Seth was immediately at the window. “Nadia, please
don’t go. I love you. I didn’t lie. It’s just a misunderstanding.”

     “Nadezhda.” Issy whimpered again. Luka was in the back
seat with her, hugging her into his side.

     The hurt confusion in her tone was like a fist in my chest.
“Everything’s okay,
sladkaya
(sweetie).” I assured her, but I couldn’t
look her in the face. I knew there was no way she would believe me if she saw
my face, my eyes. It was something else I was cursing Seth for, my failure to
comfort my sister as she huddled in the backseat in frightened confusion.     

     Starting the car I put it in reverse and forced myself
to slowly back out of the driveway so I didn’t run over Seth with my siblings
in the back seat watching. Issy didn’t need the added trauma. He jogged after
me calling out my name and other words but I ignored him.

     There were no words to fix what had happened…my world
crashing down around my feet.