Unbroken (The Protectors 12)

And it was hard not to laugh when a very naked Leo would go streaking down the block with one or both of his beleaguered fathers chasing after him with a handful of clothing.

I felt my mouth tug into a smile.

“What?” Vaughn asked.

I looked at him and saw he was smiling in that way that people did when they saw something they liked.

“Nothing,” I said quickly.

His face fell and I felt my stomach drop out.

“I was thinking about something,” I added. “Someone, actually.”

“Who?”

I could see he was really interested so I said, “Magnus has a grandson named Matty. He’s seven. His best friend is Leo. Leo doesn’t like to wear clothes so he usually takes them off as soon as he gets the chance. His fathers live on the same block as Matty and his fathers. Magnus and Dante just bought a house a few doors down earlier this year… anyway, every once in a while I’ll see Leo running down the sidewalk, completely naked. His fathers are usually chasing after him. Their neighbor, Mrs. Finney, she’s in a wheelchair and she and Leo and Matty and Jamie race each other down the street, but Leo says he runs fastest with only sneakers on so he gets undressed first…”

I felt my cheeks heat when I realized how caught up I’d gotten in telling the story to Vaughn… he’d asked a simple question and I’d basically given him a book’s worth of an answer.

“Leo’s poor fathers,” Vaughn said with a smile, which made me feel better. At least I hadn’t annoyed him.

“He’s finally taken to wearing underwear recently,” I explained. “But Connor thinks it’s only because it’s been so cold out.”

“Connor?”

“One of Leo’s fathers,” I said. “He’s also one of my tutors.”

“Is Connor helping you get ready to apply to MIT?”

“What? No,” I said, horrified. “I’m not… I could never…”

I snapped my mouth shut because I hadn’t been expecting the topic change.

“You could never what?”

I shook my head.

“Aleks,” Vaughn said softly and I couldn’t help but look at him. His eyes were so dark they looked almost black, but there was such gentleness in them.

Like there’d always been when it’d just been him and me…

“I can’t… I can’t go to college,” I stammered.

“Why not?”

I looked down at my fingers and began picking at the sharper edges of some of my nails. I needed a nail file, but I didn’t have one. I used the edge of my thumbnail to try and fix one of the worst of the broken nails but then suddenly a big warm hand closed over both of mine. I sucked in a breath as a jolt of electricity fired up my arms.

“I have a nail file in my bag,” Vaughn said. “I’ll give it to you next time we stop.” He paused then added, “They don’t bother me, Aleks.”

I let out a whoosh of air as I realized what he was really saying.

You won’t be punished for messy nails, Aleks.

“Okay,” I managed to say.

He gave my hands a squeeze and I felt warmth shimmy throughout my entire body. Then something in my groin tightened and I barely stifled a groan at the strange sensation that wasn’t entirely bad.

Vaughn removed his hand and I actually missed the contact.

Why?

“Why can’t you go to college?” Vaughn asked.

“I can barely leave the house,” I muttered.

Vaughn was silent for a beat and I was half-tempted to look at him to try and figure out what he was thinking. But I also kind of didn’t want to know.

“It won’t always be like that, Aleks,” he said.

I wanted to laugh at that but managed not to. He said he’d watched me for the first week after he’d saved me two years ago. So he’d have no idea how little progress I’d made since he’d last seen me. And I definitely didn’t want to tell him.

“I’m too far behind,” I hedged. “Connor and Miss Savannah – she’s my other tutor – think I could take some college courses on the computer now, but the GED stuff was so hard. And I… I like working at the flower shop.”

I did look at Vaughn briefly, but to my surprise, he wasn’t looking at me with anything but curiosity. No pity that I could see.

“Why’d you ask about MIT?”

“My father went there.”

“Your father is from the U.S.?” Vaughn asked.

I nodded. “But Papa isn’t.”

I almost smiled at his look of confusion. “I have two fathers,” I clarified. “Mama was married before she had me. Dante and I have the same father, but he died before I was born. He was very smart and went to MIT. Mama always hoped I’d go there someday. Mama said it was my… legacy?”

Vaughn nodded, and I relaxed a little when I realized I hadn’t messed up the word. “Mama made sure I knew English because she wanted me to come back here and go to my father’s school and be just like him.”