Destined Read online

  I was so absorbed in my own thoughts that I barely realized someone bumping into me. It wasn’t till I heard the clattering of my books hitting the floor that I looked down and saw my things scattered on the ground. I quickly gathered them, cursing myself for not looking where I was going, but I didn’t bother to look up to see the person who bumped into me. It was probably just somebody clumsy who wasn’t looking to see where they were going.

  I was just reaching out for my last books, when I noticed a pair of tanned hands with thick, long, brown fingers. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of them, as though I had never before seen a human hand and was too captivated and fascinated to look away.

  “I’m sorry, I, uh, wasn’t looking.” I said.

  “Neither did I. Sorry,” a male voice said.

  I looked up and saw a dark-haired man hunched over me, his shoulders broad and his muscles flexed under the thin material of his T-shirt. I swept aside the blonde strands of hair that had fallen across my face, obscuring my view of him. It was only when he turned around and I saw him that I realized I was looking into the same pair of hazel, nearly green eyes that had haunted me since earlier this morning.

  Chapter Four

  Our mouths moved at the same time. Our voices mingled and I didn’t understand anything either of us was saying.

  “You were from—”

  “I’m, uh—”

  We both laughed at the same time. I held my hand out for him to shake with a wide smile on my lips. “I’m Tina. Tina Brown,” I said.

  A smile spread across his face as he went to shake my hand. A jolt of electricity shot down my spine, and it took every ounce of me not to gasp from the contact. I stared into those deep hazel eyes and felt myself pulled into them, a welling up that started in the nether regions of my body. I searched his face, taking in the five o’ clock shadow he had on his chin. The ragged look made me want to pull him closer and rub my skin against his square jaw, his beard scratching my skin, me scratching something else in return.

  Damn, he’s hot.

  I tried not to think about how good-looking this man was. It was bad enough that my panties were wet just from looking at his sexy face. My teeth were biting down in my full bottom lip, biting back the moan that was emerging in my throat. As I continued to roam my gaze all over his sexiness, I stared at those luscious lips. Yum. Without realizing it, I ran the tip of my tongue over my bottom lip. Craving the feel of his tongue in my mouth.

  I was so intoxicated by the lust cloud inside my head that I didn’t realize what I had just said until the words had already passed my lips.

  “I’m sorry, but, why are you so sexy?”

  My eyes widened the moment the words came out. If my jaw could have actually hit the floor, I think I would have needed surgery to put it back up again. I blinked to banish the haziness from my mind, shaking the confusion from my brain.

  “Shit, I’m so sorry.” I said, as I ran my fingers into my hair. “I didn’t mean to use by outside voice.”

  I heard him laugh. His voice was deep and vibrated in his massive chest. I was so mortified and so wrapped up in my own misery that I barely realized he was talking.

  “Pardon?” I asked.

  “I said, you’re funny.” He said, still smiling down at me.

  I blushed. The two growing rubicund spots on my cheeks made it incredibly hard to ignore my own stupidity.

  “I guess that’s a compliment, right?” I said.

  Wiremu laughed again. “Yeah. Not many people can take a joke, but you’ve got a great sense of humor.”

  “Well, thanks.” I said, flushed. “And so do you.”

  I hadn’t realized we were still holding hands until I looked down and saw our fingers still interlaced. “I’m—” he began.

  “Wiremu,” I finished.

  He looked at me with an odd expression, his face one big question mark as he looked at me. Shit, did I say what I thought I said? I took back my hand from him and fought the urge to run from him, screaming. I felt my face heat up, and I must have looked like a blushing maniac with straw-colored hair. I was such an idiot.

  At this point, I just wished the floor would open up and swallow me whole.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be weird,” I said.

  “No, don’t worry about it. I gather someone told you my name?” he asked, still sounding playful.

  I risked a glance up at him. “Uh, yeah.” I said truthfully.

  “Chelsea?” he offered.

  I bit my lip and nodded. I didn’t want to sell out my friend, but I couldn’t exactly tell him that I had been looking for a particular guy with hazel eyes. Who had haunted my mind for the last couple of hours.

  “...guess it’s not your fault then,” he murmured.

  I blinked so many times, he must have thought I had an eyelash stuck on my eyeball. My nervousness was making my eye twitch around this gorgeous man, and I didn’t know what to do.

  “Are you winking at me?” he asked, sounding amused and in disbelief.

  “Uh, no, no. I’m not winking at you. It’s just a twitch when I get nervous.”

  He smirked. “I make you nervous?”

  Way to go, Tina. Way to go.

  I made a face and transferred my weight onto my other foot. “Sorry. It’s my first day here. In general. I mean, you know, coming to a different country is a big deal, right? Not that you would know.”

  That must have been the wrong thing to say, because his face darkened. His beautiful hazel eyes clouded. “I guess not.”

  I clamped my hand over my big mouth. “Oh my goodness’, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I just thought—”

  He cut me off with a shake of his head. “Don’t worry about it, okay? And do me a favor, quit apologizing. I don’t think many people from here would like it anyway. Just cop up to whatever you say and don’t apologize. See you later, Tina.”

  He walked away, before I could say something else. I stood there like a fool with my books piled on the ground. I bent down to pick them up, all the while keeping my eyes fixed on Wiremu Tone. The man who had given me butterflies and made my eye twitch from anxiety. I sighed and turned around, heading for my next class. First day, and I had already offended someone. And that someone happened to be the man I seemed to have a crush on.

  Nice going, Tina.

  ***

  I flopped down on the sofa with a loud thump.

  “How was your first day?” Anthony asked, handing me a glass of what looked like a lemonade.

  “Thank you,” I said and accepted his offer. I took a sip. “It was alright. The school’s really big and it’s unfamiliar to me. Which is what I expected.”

  “Did you find it alright? The schools, facilities and such?”

  I nodded, and continued to sip my drink. “Yeah, I did actually. I met a few people from Germany too and as thrilling as that sounds, I didn’t want to spend time with them.”

  “Oh, why’s that?”

  I smiled up at him. “I just need to get the feel for being in a different place, you know? And people from the school were really nice. I sat with a girl named Chelsea today. She’s part of the international center and helped me a lot.”

  My host dad nodded approvingly. “Well, that is good to know. I need to know that you’re fitting in just fine and that you like the school alright. I’m glad you’re here, Tina.”

  “Yeah?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. With my wife gone and no female influence around the boys, it’s kind of hard to keep them in line at times. Since I had always wanted a daughter, I thought it would be nice to take in an exchange student. So welcome to the family. Even though, Jayden isn’t exactly talking your ear off right now, I know he’ll come around.”

  “He actually talked to me a couple of times yesterday,” I declared.

  My host dad nodded. “He’s just shy, is all.”

  I nodded at his words and told him that I’d prepare dinner later. But for now, I needed to call my mom and se
e how she was doing. I fished my phone out of my pocket and speed-dialed her number, thankful that my unlimited plan included international calls. The phone rang repeatedly before my mom picked up.

  “Hello?” she said, sounding sleepy.

  “Mom, it’s me.” I said, excited at hearing her voice.

  “Hi, Tina. My goodness, why are you calling me at this hour? What time is it anyway?”

  I shot a glance at the clock on the wall. “It’s a quarter past one here, mom. What’s the time there?”

  “Jeez, darling. It’s three in the morning.”

  I fought the giggle that busted free from my lips. Hearing my mother’s voice sound so sleepy had led me to realize it was early at home, but not THAT early.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  “No, no. It’s fine,” mom reassured me, although I knew it really wasn’t. “How’s your day going?”

  “It’s been great. It’s my first day and I’ve met a lot of great people.”

  “Oh, really?”

  I nodded as if she could see it. “Yeah. Hey, how about I’ll call later? I know it’s early, mom, and I don’t mind calling later.”

  “You sure?” my mom asked, hesitant.

  “Yep. Go back to sleep. I’ll call later. I love you,” I said.

  “I love you too, darling.”

  I hung up and threw my phone on my bed. A minute later, my phone beeped. I reached for it and read a new text message from an unknown number. I pressed a button and read the short message.

  Party this weekend at a friend’s place. You think you’re up for it? Chelsea xx

  I nibbled on my lip, unsure whether I should go. Against my better judgment, I typed a quick message back.

  I’m not sure. I’ll have to ask my host dad. Be right back.

  My phone vibrated again.

  Alright.

  I hopped out of bed and walked into the kitchen. I caught a glimpse of my host dad lounging in the living room, his feet on the coffee table, and eyes fixed on the TV. I decided to wait and rummaged through the fridge, wondering what I could make for them. I was feeling up to making something within my comfort zone while sharing something from my homeland, and I grabbed every ingredient I needed, placing them all on the counter.

  “Are you guys up for a special Bavarian meal, dumplings with onion meat? We call it Knödel”, I asked.

  “Are you going to make it tonight?” Isaac asked, popping his head in the doorway.

  I nodded. “Yeah, that is, if you guys eat it.”

  I received a nod from my little host brother and a approving holler from Anthony. “Knödel sounds awesome. We’d love to try some German meals, Tina.”

  I got right down to business, washing the vegetables I needed for the meal. For the next hour, Isaac helped out with peeling and chopping, going through the recipe and what I needed to make for tonight’s dinner.

  “Don’t make it too hot, Tina.” Isaac said, handing me a peeled potato.

  I smiled at his adorable request and accepted the vegetable. “Don´t worry, it´s not spicy; I think you’ll like it,” I reassured.

  He continued talking as if he hadn’t heard me. “I don’t like too hot. Just like Jayden doesn’t. It burns my throat and tongue.”

  I laughed at his innocent description, but nodded along anyway.

  “I won’t make it hot. I promise,” I said.

  “Okay.” he said, and grinned.

  We stopped talking, as I continued to chop and slice in silence. This family didn’t seem to talk that much, I noticed. Whenever the conversation died down, no one was right there, ready to pick it back up. I shrugged, telling myself that it wasn’t my place to say anything.

  Once dinner was finished, I helped Isaac and Jayden set the table. The older boy didn’t talk much either, and he was always looking down, almost ignoring us as if he was too deep into his own thoughts.

  It wasn’t until we were sitting around the wooden table, and we all let go of each other’s hands after saying grace that I once again thought about the upcoming party this weekend. I didn’t want to bother my host dad—especially since I was so new, and it seemed a little pushy to ask so quickly.

  But I would never know unless I tried, right?

  “Anthony?” I began.

  “Hmm?”

  “Would I be able to go to a party this coming weekend?”

  Chapter Five

  My host dad put his utensils down gently on either side of his plate. His face sober, serious as he looked back at me. I felt a tiny prickle of regret for asking. I didn’t know my boundaries or even which rules I would have to follow when it came to living in his household. This was not my own house, after all.

  “Who are you going with?” he asked.

  “Chelsea. She’s part of the international center. She was the one who looked after me today, so I thought it should be okay to hang out with her.”

  He nodded, but still remained silent. A heavy silence fell over the table, making me slightly uncomfortable. I didn’t want to be rude, nor did I intend to offend him by asking. Now, I felt like I may have asked something inappropriate.

  “I’ll let you in a wee secret. In this household, we follow certain rules. Especially for the boys.”

  I nodded, and gestured for him to continue.

  “But since it’s a little different for you, and you are older than them, it should be fine for you to do whatever you want. As long as it’s reasonable, logical and isn’t something that would get you into trouble.”

  “Yeah, I understand.” I said.

  “And you didn’t have to ask. You can do whatever you want, sweet. As long as you tell me what it is, and if you ever need a ride, make sure you tell me, alright?” he said.

  I smiled at him gratefully and nodded. “I will.”

  We finished eating dinner and I offered to wash the dishes, but Anthony turned me down. Instead, he got Jayden to do it, since I had cooked and Isaac helped me out. I looked over at my host brother, who remained quiet throughout the entire process. He didn’t seem to mind, as he took over the kitchen. I shrugged and left. I pushed open my door and threw myself on my bed, my back hitting the soft mattress.

  I sent a quick text to Chelsea and told her that I could to go. Once that was done, I checked the time in Germany and called my mom for the second time today. She picked up right away.

  “Hello?” she answered.

  “Hey, mom.” I greeted.

  “Hey darling. How are you?”

  “I’m good. How have you been?” I asked as I rolled over onto my side.

  “Quite all right. Did you find the place okay? Tell me about your host family?”

  Her concern made me smile. Trust my mom to be a complete worrywart.

  “I’m fine mom, okay? My host family is great. They were really nice and welcoming from the moment I stepped out of the Arrival.”

  “What about your host dad? Does he treat you okay?”

  “He’s great. He couldn’t be better,” I answered.

  “Are they feeding you right?” My mom continued.

  “Mom!” I said.

  “Because if they aren’t then I’ll just—”

  “Mom!!!” I repeated, louder.

  That seemed to shut her up, because she mumbled a quick “sorry” before taking a deep breath and continuing in a calmer tone.

  “So, they’re treating you right?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Well, that’s good to hear. Have you made any friends yet?”

  “U-huh. I met a lovely girl who runs the international center, she’s been so friendly, and she invited me to her friend’s party.”

  “Oh, that’s nice dear. You sound happy.” My mother probed.

  I nodded. “I am, mom.”

  “Well, I’m glad you are. It’s good to see that you’re enjoying living in your father’s homeland.”

  It was still a mystery to me, why my mother had allowed my father to walk away from us like that. Walk away from his res
ponsibility. Thinking about it now, I couldn’t find a single shred of anger in myself, no matter how deep I looked. Perhaps it was just because I never really get to know him. Or even see his face—at least not that I could remember, since I had just been a baby.

  “It’s a great place, mom. I wish you could see how beautiful it is here. You should come down sometime and see for yourself,” I offered.

  “Sure, I’d like that.”

  After we hung up, I let myself fall backwards onto the bed. As I stared up at the ceiling, I wondered how my time here would go. Would I make lots of friends, and do all the cool stuff I had read about back home? Would I be way too caught up in schoolwork? These thoughts was still running through my mind when my eyelids started feeling heavy and droopy. I hopped out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash my face and do my usual night routine. It was nine o’ clock by the time I climbed back into bed.

  Too exhausted to do anything else, I climbed under my blankets and pulled the sheets up to my chin. I laid alone in my bed, my mind drifting off to a pair of hazel eyes that seemed to haunt me still.

  I wiggled uncomfortably, my body now hot from thinking about those green eyes roaming over my body. I imagined Wiremu’s eyes filled with hunger and taking me in as my fingers found the meaty flesh between my legs. My fingers moved in circulation, rubbing that spot until my toes curled from the pleasure. I stifled my moans, spreading my thighs wider to get a better access to my clit.

  My head thrashed against my pillows. My teeth sank down into my lower lip, as I increased and quickened the movement of my hand. I felt the familiar build-up in the pit of my belly, threatening to overwhelm me, as I felt the release. I buried my face in the pillows, muffling any sounds that spilled past my lips.

  ***

  I awakened to the loud sound of my alarm blaring. I blinked through the haziness of my slumber and sat up so quickly that it gave me a headache. I clutched my head, wincing in the process, as I looked to one side. The screen on my phone’s screen was lit up and crying out for attention, as it vibrated against my bedside table. I reached out and turned off the alarm, noting that it was six-thirty in the morning.