Gifted Connections 3

“Maybe that’s the problem,” I said quietly. “Maybe he just doesn’t want sex. Maybe he wants a deeper emotional connection. Being physical with someone is easy. It’s when you can be emotionally and physically connected that makes it more meaningful. You should be happy he wants more from you than just that.”

Jemmy snorted. “He knows I care for him a lot. What more does he want?”

“Then show him,” I stated emphatically. “Get to know him better. Let him get to know you better. If the end result is still the same, why the rush? What will it hurt for you to take the pace he wants to set? You have had time to get use to the idea. You’ve known you have been gifted for years now. He just found out. He’s still adjusting to it all.”

She sighed, tears coming to her eyes. “I see the way he looks at Sierra. He doesn’t even seem like he wants to get to know me better anymore. What happens if I already pushed him away? I was excited when I found out I had a connection. I liked the idea of being with someone forever. If someone like Will had both of his connections leave him, what’s going to stop Gavin from leaving me? My own mother didn’t want me. Why should he?”

I bit my lip. I was too aware of this situation. Noah had felt the same insecurities at one point. He didn’t think he was good enough for our connection. His parents choosing their careers over him had hurt him. He had used his ex-girlfriend, girls, and alcohol as a crutch instead of facing the real issue. His actions had pushed me away.

My best friend had the same insecurities, but she was cl

inging to Gavin instead of pushing him away. The issue was she wasn’t aware of who Sierra really was. How did I tell my best friend that she was in the situation she told me she would never want to be in? She wasn’t just part of a normal connection. She wasn’t even the nucleus. Gavin was, and Sierra was his other connection.

If she continued behaving the way she was, there was a possibility that Gavin would get a better emotional connection with Sierra. In the brief time I had gotten to know Sierra, it became quickly apparent she was almost the exact opposite of Jemmy. She was more world-wise and mature because of it. She was extremely laid back, book smart, and self-confident about who she was. In other words, she was the female version of Gavin.

I liked Sierra. I just wanted them to find a balance for their relationship. I could see how Gavin needed them both. Sometimes he was too serious, too focused, and driven. He forgot to live. He needed someone like Jemmy to remember to have a good time and laugh. Since Gavin had been in Jemmy’s life, he had already helped her find goals and work towards them. All three of them needed each other.

I didn’t know if I should tell Jemmy. Would it make her act even more erratically? Would she push Gavin further into Sierra’s arms?

I chickened out. I couldn’t tell her. Not yet. I didn’t think she was emotionally ready for it. I let her cry it out of her system before I finally reminded her that we had to go down to lunch. We have been here for over two weeks now and was still trying to adjust. If we hadn’t already given Paul our word, and if he didn’t have so many resources, I would have asked if we could leave.

I had experienced too many changes in the last few months, and I was having a hard time adjusting to this one. Through the help of Jace and my connections, my sister and I had been delivered from the stressful conditions of life with my step-mother, a life I thought I’d never we’d get out of. I had just gotten comfortable with my new life when Horatio had someone turn back time. I was sent back to the time before all my connections had been made. With the help of Gavin and a series of events, I had found my way back to them. Now I was forced into this new situation, and it wasn’t easy to get used to..

Monday through Friday we had the same schedule. Morning runs or cardio, breakfast, classes (for those still attending school), lunch, training, dinner, and then finally, free time. We weren’t prisoners here, but we might as well have been. We could run into town which was approximately twenty miles away, but we had been kept so busy we hadn’t had the desire to go just yet.

I still had responsibility over my siblings, as well. On top of our normal schedules, we had to spend quality time with Ella, Micah, and Alex. Will had gotten an apartment with them right across the hall from us. We made it a point to go over there every morning and bring them to breakfast. We than dropped them off at the educational room. We generally met them for dinner at the dining facility or DFAC, as they called it around here. After dinner we tried to help them adjust to our new environment.

“Oh, look they saved us a seat,” Jemmy said excitedly, but then I saw her face fall. Gavin and Sierra were already there and deep in conversation. They both had an infinity for computers, and although Jemmy had started to have an interest in it, she wasn’t on their level yet.

Currently, they were both working on simulation programs alongside other ‘techies’. Since Jemmy still took classes, it was hard for her to dedicate as much time to their current project. She confided in me that she felt like she was on the outside looking in.

We entered the line and got our food. We could have food and cook in our rooms, but we hadn’t made the time to run out yet, and this was more convenient. However, it left a lot to be desired, for sure.

“Can we go on a grocery run tomorrow?” I asked Drake as I sat down between him and Jace.

“Yes. Pops just had some vehicles delivered to us this morning, so that was the plan,” Drake said with a smile.

We had just lost nearly everything in the explosion. Will had been able to cut through most of the red tape, but it was slow going for the insurance companies to replace what we had lost. I know we had more vehicles stored at other locations, so I didn’t understand why it took so long to have them delivered.

It was a delicate balance between Paul and Will right now. They instantly respected each other but they didn’t necessarily see eye to eye all the time. Will made it known that, under no uncertain terms, we would work with them, but we wouldn’t be signing any contracts. We were capable of walking away from this commitment at any time. Paul and Will both were leaders and wealthy, so needless to say, they butted heads at times.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Jace stated as he squeezed my thigh. “However, I think we still need to eat here the majority of the time to assimilate to our environment.”

I instantly reacted to his touch. I hadn’t been intimate with any of my guys since we got here, and it was starting to wear on me. I was rarely alone with any of them long enough to get anything but casual caresses and kisses. Sharing rooms had also put a hamper on things. Jaxson, Noah, and Troy had jokingly—I knew they were serious, though—told me they had shared women before. Although the idea intrigued me, I was still slightly self-conscious about it.

He gave me a knowing smile, letting his hands linger a bit.

“Like we’re doing now,” Remy grunted from across the table. He made a pointed look to look around the DFAC, then back to us. He made a good point. We generally sat in the corner of the room, away from the majority of the other diners.

Admittedly, we kept to ourselves. We were the only gifted here. Our group consisted of Remy, Jace, Troy, Noah, Drake, Jaxson, Jemmy, Rachel, Gavin, Sierra, Terrance, Dawn, Marcel, and Sam. Will, Cora, and Beth were here, as well, but since the death of their connected, Cora was nearly unresponsive, and Beth and Will were busy trying to make sure their school was still operational and were also dealing with the political atmosphere here.

Dawn, Marcel, and Sam had decided to come here after with us after we lost our home, the three of them accepting positions with Paul. Dawn, Marcel, and Sam was originally assigned to be our body guards in essence. They were given additional duties to protect us and assist us when we didn’t know how far Horatio would go to get to us. We had created a bond over time and now they were like family.

We wanted them to have a decision about their lives. They had signed contracts when they became Knights, so technically, Will could have commanded their presence. He didn’t work that way. He wanted to let them feel like they had a choice. They told us that the choice had been an easy one. They wanted to be with the ‘team.’“It’s not that bad,” Jaxson, ever the peacekeeper, said, shrugging as he took another bite of his sandwich.

Jaxson and Noah made friends wherever they went. It was in their DNA. They had made friends within days of being here. It slightly annoyed me that a few females had already been drawn to them because of their outgoing, sociable personas. The guys made it clear they were unavailable but hadn’t gone into much detail.

We decided to keep the complexities of our gifted community under wraps for now. The guys were still affectionate with me, but we weren’t telling everybody that we were more than that just yet. We were still deciding how to approach the subject. It had been hard enough to explain it to Paul, and his mother had been gifted.