Unexpected Heart

�s name a few times, and fuck he wished they would all just shut up. But then he had to wonder who he was actually jealous of… Tarell and the fact he was not going to have any problems with rejection like the teacher indicated? Or of the girls themselves?
“Tarell Alan? Would you get us all started please?”
A slight fan-girl cheer went up as Tarell rose from his chair.
Kedon did not look back at him. He kept his eyes on the surface of his desk, because, damn. These gouges and writings emblazoned there from past students said something. Oh. Tarell’s footsteps. He was not going to turn to watch, no, sir.
What would be the point anyway when you could imagine the whole thing in your head? Tarell’s long legs unfolding themselves from under the too-small desk, Tarell himself brushing those expensive trousers into place – ah! Right there. Swoosh, swoosh. Then taking that first step toward the front of the class to address his subjects, where he would bestow on some lucky squealing girl the honor of “partnering up” with the great Tarell Alan.
But imagination is a wonderful thing because wouldn’t it be funny as hell if the bastard slipped and fell, farting as he hit the floor amid the howls of laughter from the rest of the students? Humiliation on a grand scale! Not so fucking high and mighty now, are ya? Now you’re just like the rest of us jerks who don’t have the luxury of perfect performance in everything from the unaffordable gel in your unruly touchable black hair to your hard abs to the shoes on your feet made with the most expensive materials in the world.
Tarell knocked into Kedon’s shoulder as he walked perfectly by. No slip, no fart, no humiliation.
Damn!
Maybe seeing that could have taken him down off the high pedestal on which Kedon had ended up putting the asshole. Now he was going to have to sit here and listen as Tarell called out a girl’s name. He was going to have to endure her stupid immature howls, then laughter, and if they were all very lucky today she might even faint dead away on the floor, the concerned Tarell rushing to her aid.
Shit!
He willed his very solid erection to die!
The murmurs started before Kedon looked up. He didn’t look to Tarell or the teacher first but to the voices and the people making the noise in the room. They were all whispering in both confusion and anticipation… Confusion?
Finally, Kedon gradually turned his gaze to the front of the room.
Tarell was scanning the class.
“Tarell!” the short teacher at his elbow barked. “Pick one!”
There. That trademark smirk again. Kedon would love to wipe that look right off his face… with his tongue. Then those silver eyes swept over him. They swept over – then back.
Tarell stared at Kedon.
Kedon realized the room had gone silent all around him. What the fuck? Why the hell was the rich jerk staring at him? Pick a fucking screeching girl already!
The silver gaze stayed riveted on him.
Oh shit.
Did he think…?
Kedon sat up in his seat and looked behind him. Surely there was a gorgeous girl sitting right behind him. Tarell was making eyes at her, not at Kedon! But there was only Mich behind him. Short, gangly, goofy Mich. Probably the guy the teacher was referring to when she made the announcement there would be no rejections. Poor Mich would most likely be a single father otherwise.
Still…
He turned back to Tarell, hoping beyond hope his gaze had moved on. But it hadn’t. Sweet mother of mercy, it remained on Kedon, only now the bastard was raising a hand and crooking that long strong finger at him in a “come here” fashion.
Long strong finger… Oh!
Jesus, help me…
Kedon shot a look at the teacher, who caught Kedon’s eye. She shrugged at him and nodded her head only once, giving her consent. Both Rock and Mason whooped at that and slapped each other’s hands.
Is she stupid?
Kedon ungracefully stumbled to his feet. “You… you can’t do that… Tarell…”
Kedon heard the murmurs start up again, angry murmurs, pissed-off murmurs, probably murmurs of how they were going to hunt Kedon down and rip out his heart.
“I’m a guy! Pick a girl!” That got a roar of approval.
Tarell had never been one for words. Not that Kedon knew, of course. They did not run in the same circles at all, not a big surprise. But he had heard that Tarell was the strong silent type and part of that reason was he didn’t talk much.
Tarell used those powerful long legs to come down the aisle to Kedon’s desk, to where Kedon stood. But Kedon was not going to give the guy any ground. He would stay right here, thank you very much.
Of course, the god towered over him. Kedon was not tall by any standard, barely coming to Tarell’s shoulders, so he had to bend his neck to look up into those silver eyes.
Tarell reached out with his right hand and snaked it around Kedon’s waist, that large hand landing at the small of his back, and pulled. Kedon had no choice but to obey as he widened his eyes. With his other hand Tarell reached up and grabbed a handful of Kedon’s hair at the back of his head. Tugging slightly, demanding control, Tarell lowered his face toward Kedon.
Shocked, all Kedon could do was stand there. It had to be a joke, a karma thing for Kedon’s thoughts from earlier. Maybe all the guy would do was make it appear like he was going to kiss him and simply whisper that same something in his ear as he had with the girl earlier. Yeah, just a damn joke was all this was. The class was going to crack up at this for sure. Kedon would cover his mouth with his hand, bat his eyes and laugh as irritatingly as he could. He just hoped no one would take a picture, since shit like that tended to end up in the wrong hands, like the school newspaper editor’s.
But Tarell did not dip to the side to whisper in Kedon’s ear. Instead he took Kedon’s lips in a fierce, deep kiss. There were gasps and disappointed whines from the girls in the room. Had there been a guy version of those moans, too? But there was a tongue wanting to gain entry, and suddenly all other sound faded away.
Kedon intended to put his hands up on Tarell’s chest, planned to push the guy away. He really, really did, but instead he ended up gripping the front of Tarell’s shirt as Tarell thrust his tongue through Kedon’s lips and past his clenched teeth and through every defense he had managed to build around himself where this man was concerned.
Kedon melted as Tarell’s grip tightened around him, pulled him closer. The heat of Tarell’s body enveloped his own completely as he swam through the feelings of his newfound desire to be held in place while he was being devoured. The kiss seemed to go on forever, and certainly not long enough, but finally Tarell released his lips and pulled back his head a fraction of a space. He whispered into Kedon’s face.
“Still object?”
Kedon just dizzily stared up at him, his wet lips parted. Innocently, Kedon stuck out his tongue to lick his own lips, his tongue accidently touching Tarell’s mouth. He heard a growl.
“Don’t tempt me, Kedon. Not in front of the whole class.”
Kedon couldn’t think, and if it hadn’t been for Tarell’s arm around him, that fist of his in his hair, Kedon would have slid to the floor like a puddle of jelly. Damn but the man could kiss!
But then as Tarell moaned and lowered his head to take Kedon’s lips again, reality slapped Kedon hard and he realized what was happening. He was standing in the middle of the classroom kissing a man. He was kissing Tarell Alan.
He shoved hard on Tarell’s chest, finally hearing the teacher’s voice saying something to Mr. Alan and Mr. Chase. Oh crap, oh fuck, oh hell, he was a walking dead man.
With a chuckle, Tarell let go and Kedon stepped away. The back of his legs hit his chair, and he flumped into it. Kedon put a hand to his lips, still tingling from… from… Damn.
He wouldn’t think about it. He shot his head up to end up gazing into those laughing silver eyes. Tarell put his hands in his pockets, turned his head to talk over his shoulder, telling the teacher his turn was done and he was headed out. He gave Kedon one more sexy look, ruffled Kedon’s hair, and then he calmly walked out of the classroom.
There was sudden chaos. The girls all came out of their seats and started in all at once, half at the teacher, half at Kedon, shouting, crying and pleading that Tarell could not have picked a boy! There had to be a rule or law or something against it. They would tell their mothers, the principal, the governor, for crying out loud. Somebody had to reverse this.
Kedon just sat there, while he, for the first time in his life, was surrounded by girls. But instead of flirting with him, they were looking like they would murder him, and he was quite sure they could do it, too, would do it, if they hadn’t all been in school and in a classroom full of witnesses. He met his best friends’ gazes. They looked about as stunned as he did.
Rock mouthed the words, and Kedon wasn’t sure, but it looked like he thanked him for setting the example.
Yeah, no problem. Anything for you guys.
Finally, the teacher regained order. She made it clear there were no rules against what had just happened, and even if there had been, Kedon was sure she would have overruled it anyway. What Tarell Alan wanted, Tarell Alan got.
The rest of the picking of partners went a whole lot smoother, although when Mich chose the girl who had been nearly in Tarell’s lap earlier, she dropped her head to her desk and wept.
Not before she shot a look at Kedon that told him he had better not walk home alone.
Ever.
Shit.