Chapter 19

"C-Christ!" Claira was having a hard time breathing, her chest rising and falling rapidly from how fast and hard her heart pounded.

She did NOT expect Seth to do that, to force another climax out of her. That had been a violent explosion and shook her body to the core. Once she was able to move off him, Claira managed to snuggle up against his side and stroked his chest, liking the little wisps of hair he had. It wasn't the first time they snuggled together naked and wouldn't be the last, not if she had anything to say about it.

"That was amazing, baby. Thank you…" Nuzzling his neck, she sighed in contentment and felt his arm tighten around her.

Idly, Seth began dragging his fingertips up and down the length of her side, feeling her skin slowly but surely start cooling down. He wondered what the odds were of her letting him spend the night since her folks weren't due back for a few more days. Seth already knew his mother wouldn't care, since he'd probably lie and say he was staying over with one of the guys from baseball.

"You know…" His voice was still a little harsh from their intense encounter. "I don't have to leave, Claira… if you don't want me to."

Chewing her bottom lip, Claira knew she had pushed the boundaries by what they just did, but she also didn't want Seth to leave. She enjoyed being with him and the thought of sleeping in his arms was tempting. Would her parents find out though? Trish hadn't shown up either to check in, so that was another thing to worry about as well. Looking up into his dark chocolate eyes, she opened her mouth to speak and instead kissed him, draping one leg over his, stroking his beard. He smelled of her and it was intoxicating, especially since she could taste herself on his tongue.

"Stay with me." She whispered, deciding to take a chance, a risk, and hoped she could hold out on not having sex with him. Foreplay was all they could do.

It was a start and he'd take it. Seth smiled, kissing her lovingly. Every little bit, every time they fooled around, he knew eventually she was going to want to go further, if she already didn't. Her doubts and morals would back off, he just had to be patient.

"Claira? Sweetheart?"

Seth quickly but quietly got out of that bed, grabbed his belongings and hid beneath it, taking a deep breath.

"I brought you pizza!" Trish sang, having let herself in with the spare key Brooklynn had left her beneath the mat. "And some chick flicks, if you want girl time!"

"Who the hell is that?" He demanded, peeking out from under the bed to watch as Claira used wet wipes to clean herself up, trying not to smirk.

"Fuck, FUCK! That's Trish Stratus, a family friend and she was told to check in on me while my parents were gone! I didn't expect her to show up tonight though!" Claira whispered frantically, knowing her room smelled of sweat and sex.

Groaning, she rushed around like a chicken with her head cut off. She opened the window to air the room out, turned her ceiling fan on and opened the door to call out she'd be down in a minute. Then, she proceeded to go in the bathroom, jumping in the shower to wet her hair to make it seem like she was just getting out and wrapped a towel around her body.

"You have to go NOW. Fuck, your truck is here and she's gonna tell my parents! SHIT!" Claira was in full panic mode, emerald eyes wide.

"I got an idea…"

Seth pulled back on his own clothing and waited for her to get in the shower. He disappeared down the hallway, stepping into the other bathroom and began clogging the toilet on purpose. Letting it flood a bit, he washed himself up in the sink with the Ivory soap bar, he now smelled like old people instead of sex. Then, he began plunging the toilet.

"Who are you?"

"Holy cow!" Seth jumped, his shoes soaked, along with his pants, and looked down. "I'm Seth, ma'am." He followed her gaze to the toilet, blushing. "I uh… please don't tell Claira." He whispered frantically. "I brought her some dinner and uh, it didn't… sit well with me…"

"Oh… OH…"

Claira overheard that, her ear pressed to the door and stifled a giggle, not believing how slick her boyfriend could be. She decided to take a quick shower, just to wash everything away, not wanting to give Trish any reason to believe something happened. Once out of the shower, freshly scrubbed and washed, Claira pulled on fresh panties, bra, shorts and tank top before pulling her bedding off and piling it in the corner of her room. Luckily, she had backup bedding and made her bed just as a knock came at the door.

"Just a sec!" She called out, spraying air-freshener in her room and opened the door, smiling at the sight of Trish. "Sorry about that, you caught me as I was hopping in the shower…what's wrong?" She looked past Trish at a sheepish looking Seth, eyes widening. Had to play the part to make it believable. "Seth? When did you get here?"

Trish wasn't a blonde, she was a brunette who dyed her hair. The room smelled like Febreze and the kid had just said he had brought dinner. "Apparently a while ago, sweetheart, he said he brought you dinner." She said quietly, her eyes sparkling wickedly. She remembered being 16.

Oh shit, Claira was going to get his ass kicked when her Daddy got home. He gave her a look over Trish's shoulder.

"Why don't we go downstairs?"

"Yeah, definitely. I'm starving." After that strenuous activity with Seth, her appetite was back. She flashed him a wicked smirk, wondering what he did to make Trish come up here and stopped in front of the bathroom. "Oh shit! What the hell happened?!" Claira demanded with a dropped jaw and saw Seth fidgeting, sincerely hoping he didn't flood the bathroom on purpose.

"Yeah…Seth said the food he brought you didn't sit well with his stomach and…he cleaned up the mess, mostly."

"Shit, I have to clean this up or Mom will have a conniption fit! So will Dad since this is technically HIS bathroom. Seth, go into the kitchen and grab the cleaner from under the sink please." He was going to pay for this!

"I was going too, I got it." Seth rolled his eyes and headed down for the kitchen.

"Claira…" Trish folded her arms over her chest, drumming her fingers against her forearm. "You aren't fooling anyone. There's a big ass bag of what you two already ate down by the couch." She said flatly, though a hint of a smile appeared when Claira paled. "So… be honest, what's going on? You are behaving, right?"

Claira mentally cursed, wishing she would've cleaned that mess up in the living room before coming upstairs to get down and dirty with Seth. They were caught. Trish didn't keep anything from her mother, so she was screwed.

"I didn't have sex with him, if that's what you mean." There was no way she'd tell Trish exactly what happened because it was none of her business and she didn't need her mother finding out she'd done foreplay in the house. "He was getting ready to leave when you showed up." Flat lie, but Claira had to save her backside.

"Uh huh…" Trish studied her adopted niece thoughtfully. "Look, I'm not going to say anything to your Mom on one condition. That condition being: If you ARE doing anything, please, please, please, please, please be safe." This baby girl didn't need to be having babies or get an STD or…anything like that. "Just don't have sex, okay? And don't lie… it's rude. I'll bring over Uncle Steve." Mind reader, and when Claira looked even paler, she quirked an eyebrow. "Exactly."

"We haven't had sex, I swear. I told him no, several times. We do foreplay and that's it. That's as far as I'm willing to go with him. He was going to stay the night, but I swear, we weren't going to do anything else. I don't want to have sex, not until I'm done with school, at least." That was the complete truth; Claira did not need Steve coming over her fishing around in her head. No, she would tell the truth as long as Trish didn't tell her parents anything. "I'm sorry for…lying to you and I promise his dick does not go anywhere near my cooch."

Seth was standing there, cleaning materials in hand, looking mortified and it only grew worse when Trish turned to face him.

"You heard her. No dick near the cooch." Trish could not believe 16-year-old Claira had said that, but then again… she did have Mark's bluntness; it was just weird hearing it.

Seth was tempted to ask if her backside was okay, but figured he didn't want to be hit with this toilet water dipped mop.

"Downstairs, you two are helping me eat this pizza." Trish ordered, eyeballing the pair. She was going to have to put up some mental blocks to keep her husband out of her own head for a while.

Claira honestly didn't care if Seth was mortified because she was the same way. They'd been caught by Trish! She knew better than to try doing something against her parents' wishes and now they were paying for it. Claira knew Steve's ability was reading minds, so she sincerely hoped there was a way for Trish to keep this hidden. Something told her it wouldn't work and once Steve found out what happened, her father would string Seth up by his balls in the backyard.

"Oh god…" She whispered, sitting on the couch and silently wished Seth would've stayed away tonight. "Thanks for the food, Aunt Trish."

"Quit sweating your Uncle Steve, I know how to block him," Trish assured her adopted niece, helping herself to the pizza. It didn't take a mind reader to read the expression on Claira's face, though she was careful of what she said around Seth. She was willing to bet he didn't know anything about their special abilities as it were. "Just behave and we won't have any problems, deal?"

He would definitely take that deal. If her Uncle was anything like her Dad… nope, he liked having his head on his shoulders. Calaway liked him well enough, but Seth also knew it was contingent on keeping his body parts out of Claira's.

"Okay."

Claira had no choice except to agree, not that she wouldn't behave because, to her, foreplay was not actual sex. It was actual sex the adults cared about, so as long as they kept things the way they were, Seth wouldn't get hurt. Claira was more worried about his safety than anything because of her father, who was very protective of her. They ate pizza, making small chatter and Claira smiled when Trish mentioned her parents finally getting married.

"I don't know where it came from. I got the text from Mom and…I don't really know how it came about. Do you?"

"No idea… Mark didn't say a word to anyone, not even Steve or Glenn." She mused, knowing that fact because she had asked everyone and it had come as a shock to pretty much the entire circle. Mark and Brooklynn, married finally, after all these years. "Maybe Bastet dying pushed him into it, you know?"

"Wasn't that his cat?"

"Yes," Trish cleared her throat. "But you have to understand, Mark raised her from a baby and kept her until the day she died." Understatement and overly simplified, but the truth wasn't for him to hear.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy they're married now, but it's just kinda weird since they've been together for SO long. It makes me wonder why they waited, that's all."

Trish nodded in agreement, remembering all the countless talks she'd had with Brooklynn about marriage. Mark had never once brought it up, not once, and she refused to bring it up to him. Trish had gone so far as trying to bait her friend into doing it, just bringing the subject up to Mark, to see what he would say, but stayed steadfast. It was frustrating, but now they were about to have a huge party that herself, Melina, Mickie and Beth were throwing. Everyone would meet up in D.C. during Spring Break next week at Melina's for the occasion, not that the newlyweds had any idea about it yet.

"So, are you excited to go to D.C. for Spring Break?"

"Uhh…" Seth didn't know about that until now and her eyes lowered. "Yeah, kinda…" She hadn't told him about leaving for the week, trying to find the right time to do it.

"Wait, what?" Seth hadn't gotten that news and his eyes moved to Claira, frowning slightly. "You're going to D.C. for the entire week?" At her reluctant nod, he groaned. "Gorgeous, why didn't you tell me?" He had thought they'd spend the week together, without school. That would've been a great opportunity for them to have alone time. Hell, with school, her parents, his sports, alone time was rare.

"My Mom and Dad want to take a family vacation to D.C. to see some friends of theirs. They're like family, actually. I was going to tell you, but it honestly slipped my mind until now." Not to mention, he had distracted her with his sexiness and those deep dark chocolate eyes. Sometimes, it scared Claira just how lost and consumed she became with Seth. "We try to go somewhere every year for Spring Break instead of staying home and, with them getting married…"

"After 17 years…"

"It's a big deal. It's bad enough I couldn't go to their wedding." Claira didn't mind much, but it would've been nice to a least been asked if she wanted to go. "I know they did it spur of the moment, so I'm not mad or anything. Just…sad I didn't get to see them get married."

Trish frowned, wondering why Mark and Brooklynn had left her behind and figured they probably didn't know how she felt about being at home alone. "You know they love you, sweetheart. They just…sometimes, parents like to do things that are spontaneous and it's romantic if you think about it – just the two of them going off to get married and have a honeymoon all at once in Mexico." She was a hopeless romantic at heart and grinned at Claira rolling her eyes. "Besides, did you really want to miss out on school with it being near the end of the year?"

"No, I wouldn't have gone anyway because finals are coming up and I really need to study." After Spring Break, it would be crunch time to make sure she aced every test and kept her perfect A average GPA. "I'm sorry, Seth, I didn't keep it from you intentionally."

"No, it's fine, gorgeous." Not really. Usually, Seth was MIA for Spring Break too, not this year. This year they weren't doing jack and he had baseball all week anyway… "You guys will have fun, I'm sorry you missed your folks getting hitched."

"What's your last name, Seth?" Trish felt a bit bad at how dejected he sounded. "Maybe I know your Mom and Dad."

"My Mom. It's just me and my Mom."

"Rollins, Seth Rollins. Mom didn't tell you?"

"No, just his first name and she had nothing but great things to say about him." Trish smiled genuinely, remembering Brooklynn calling freaking out about the fact her little girl had a boyfriend and had grown up on her. "Rollins…Jennifer, right? Jennifer Rollins?"

"Yeah, that's his Mom. She's awesome."

"She is a great woman." Trish concurred, nodding her approval and could tell how happy Seth made Claira. "Why don't you ask your folks if you can join them in D.C., Seth?"

"Aunt Trish, he only has his Mom…" Claira said with a slack jaw, wondering how blonde the woman was. He had just said that. "Don't you mean ask MY parents first?"

"Oh… I don't know. I don't want to uh, impose… Mr. Calaway might…"

"Kill him."

"That."

"He would not… It's just an idea." Trish shrugged, imagining everyone having to play it 'normal' might be a pain anyway.

"I could ask them." Claira said almost shyly as she peeked at Seth. That was a great idea, actually.

He grinned at her and nodded. "All right."

Unfortunately, Seth had back-to-back baseball games and practice throughout Spring Break and there was no way he could miss them. Otherwise, he would be kicked off the team and that wasn't an option. He was going for a scholarship, since he was a Senior, while Claira was a Junior. He called her the next day to inform her of the heartbreaking news and Claira sighed heavily, hating the fact she had to spend Spring Break away from him. There was no way her parents would let her stay home by herself again since it was for a straight week. They were going to D.C. for a few days and then Tennessee to spend some time with Uncle Glenn.

Seth actually didn't have games, not during Spring Break, not when so many kids and their families did things together. Vacations, camping, that sort of thing. So there were optional practices for the kids that weren't fortunate enough to be leaving, like him. He just didn't want Claira or them feeling bad, and he really didn't want to put Mr. Calaway and the missus on the spot.

Not that it mattered, Trish knew Seth's Mom and seen the woman at least twice a week downtown near her studio. She found it kind of cute when Jennifer confided about Seth's little predicament. Handsome boy worked summer jobs, did sports for scholarships during the school year and it sounded like the father had been MIA the entire time.

"Hmmm…" Seth was considerate and polite… wow. This kid was almost too good to be true. Trish would give Brooklynn a call and NOT mention what she had walked in on.