Unexpected Heart

By Hurri Cosmo

Kedon can't wait to go on the three week break from school. His parents are on a vacation for two of them and he's going to have the entire house all to himself. Except he forgot about a school project. One that would be half of his science grade, a grade he needs in order to graduate. The project? The class needs to "partner up" and take a baby home.
Luckily, it's only one of those computerized things, and Kedon's convinced it's not really a psychological exercise in "The Effects of a Child on a Young Couple". He thinks it's a not so veiled attempt at sex education; as in scaring the hell out of the seniors into not having any. Thing is, most of the seniors are already eighteen years old. Not only is it too late, it’s going to fall on deaf ears.
And to top it off, the popular and powerful Tarell Alan has decided Kedon is going to be his "wife" for the project. But Kedon's not worried. Tarell did it to prove a point. He isn't really going to spend the whole three weeks helping Kedon to take care of a baby. Especially one that seems to cry all the time.
But Kedon turns out to be wrong. Now Kedon is on his feet constantly, walking a colicky baby and running from a horny daddy! What’s a boy to do?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hurri Cosmo
• Release date: Sep 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005178468

Hurri Cosmo

Hurri Cosmo lives in Minnesota where she holds tight to the idea that there, where it’s cold a good part of the year, she won’t age as fast. Yep, she avoids the truth as much as she avoids mirrors. But one of the reasons she loves writing is reality doesn’t always offer up a “happily ever after” and being able to take control of that is a powerful lure. Being a happy ending junkie, writing just makes them easier to find. Oh, she doesn’t mind “real life” and she does try to at least keep it in mind when she writes her stories, but she truly loves creating a wonderful couple, knowing they will fall in love and have their HEA. Every - single - time. And, of course, that is exactly the reason she loves reading this genre, too. Give her a glass of red wine, some dark chocolate, and her computer, whether she is reading or writing, and she will entertain herself for hours. The fact she actually gets paid to do it is Snickers bars on the frosting on the cake.

Book preview

1

The classroom was noisy because the teacher had not yet arrived.

It was a fairly decent-sized room, as classrooms went. Lots of windows, so daylight streamed into the room. Cheery posters hung on the walls, brightening the space even more. However, the desks were no longer lined up in perfect rows and hadn’t been pretty much since the first moment Kedon’s class had taken up residence. Since psychology was a required tier to the science curriculum, the seniors had been pretty hard on the room’s furniture all year. Every single student who would graduate from this school would have to pass through this classroom. And it showed.

Kedon was grateful Tarell Alan sat nearer to the exit door with his idiot rich friends, because then at least Kedon wouldn’t have to listen to what they were talking about. But he was sure it probably had to do with where they were going to spend the three-week break. When one had money, one had choices. When one didn’t…well, no use thinking about it.

Kedon sank into his seat behind his poor friends and then glanced in Tarell’s direction.

Tarell was tall, dark and the very reason the phrase drop-dead gorgeous had been coined in the first place. There were a lot of other adjectives that were often attached to the name Tarell Alan, too, like cool and brilliant and babe magnet. It was clear Tarell really didn’t need the expensive clothes and amazing cars to attract attention. Even if the man were dirt poor, like Kedon, he would still have the entire school groveling at his feet. Not that Tarell seemed to care, which was what made him truly cool. Tarell Alan had little to no time for anyone, much less someone who disapproved of anything he said or did, which wasn’t often. Not many people would have the guts or stupidity to criticize an Alan.

Yes, Tarell was the epitome of hot, at least where Kedon was concerned. And when Kedon found Tarell’s piercing silver eyes watching him, saw that famous Tarell smirk, he had to look away because he felt like he had been punched in the stomach.

Damn. Kedon had it bad.

Kedon!

Brought out of his haze, and probably caught staring, Kedon jerked his head to glare at his friend Rock, who was sitting in the seat in front of him. Mason sat on Rock’s desk. Both guys were tall, bleached-blond and beautiful. Both had slim bodies and dark eyes. Even so, they were complete opposites of each other. Rock was book smart and street stupid, Mason had common sense to spare but struggled to obtain a C. Mason smiled easily and often, while Rock frowned nearly all the time. They were loud and obnoxious and totally out of the closet. They were his best friends, and just by association, pretty much the whole school assumed Kedon had the closet door at least unlocked.

Kedon didn’t correct anyone.

He honestly didn’t care.

Well, almost didn’t care. There was one guy, Rand Foster, who had been really starting to get on his nerves. Just because a guy didn’t proclaim he wasn’t gay didn’t mean he was. But Rand had made it perfectly clear it didn’t matter to him one way or the other. He had Kedon in his sights. Maybe he was just a guy who loved to torture people. Maybe he was someone who always wanted something he couldn’t have, or maybe he was actually serious.

Even so, Kedon just wasn’t interested and, unfortunately, Rand couldn’t seem to get it through his head.

Rand Foster, along with his family, were just a little on the creepy side. They were wealthy, that was for sure. Maybe not as wealthy as the Alans, but worth a hell of a lot of something. One of the irritating things about Rand was that he wanted everyone to know how rich he was. He wanted everyone to notice him. And it wasn’t hard to spot him either, since being at least six feet tall, he towered over everyone, with, again, the exception of Tarell. Rand also wore expensive, flashy clothes, along with what he called his man jewelry. Every one of the pieces had some kind of family crest or his initials or some other identifier on it, just to make sure those who didn’t know…knew. He was a fool.

And scary.

Kedon made sure to never be caught alone with the guy.

However, that wasn’t the only reason Kedon steered clear of Rand. He knew it wasn’t fair to blame Rand, but Rand’s sister, Eriko, had cost Kedon’s family plenty in the past. It hadn’t been too hard to figure out that Kedon’s brother, Taland, had been set up by Eriko. Everyone knew it. But evidence was evidence, and all of it pointed to poor Taland.

Had it really only been a little over a year ago?

Both seniors at the time, Taland had worshipped at Eriko Foster’s feet. Eriko was beautiful and a flirt, and when she said jump, Taland never hesitated to even ask if she meant him, much less how high. Taland had become one of her groupies and he’d had no idea the car she’d borrowed wasn’t hers.

Brought up a spoiled brat and having just been grounded by her less-than-attentive parents for who knows what other offenses, she decided to lash out. Eriko’s real friends knew enough to step back and away and watch as she hit the self-destruct button yet again. But Taland, new to the game, did not have the knowledge to do that. In fact, when it all came out in the end, he’d said he had been shocked at how Eriko’s friends seemed to desert her when she needed them most. He didn’t know it was for their own preservation.

And it wasn’t as if Eriko had never heard the word no before. Her friends knew she simply had no idea how to comply, because when she remembered The Monk Lizards were holding a concert a half-day’s drive away, she had to go. She had already purchased the incredibly expensive front row, backstage pass tickets, and it was a sold-out show. Her parents had been smart enough when they grounded her to take her car keys, so what was a girl to do? Take a bus? Taxi? A train?

Not on her Walt Steiger Cheetah heels! Eriko Foster did not do public transit. She even had trouble saying the words. And her parents had certainly been through the drill before, so they made sure their fleet was unavailable.

The only other thing a desperate Eriko knew to do was pick and choose from a smorgasbord of BMWs and Mercedes in the parking lot of her usual local expensive haunt to lunch and get the gossip. Any model, any color was a simple valet blowjob away.

Taland had no idea what he’d gotten into. He’d simply been thrilled with the fact he would be driving an amazing car all the way to a concert, something he had never done before. Not to mention the fact that Eriko had chosen him. Him!

Of course, the police had stopped them. Of course, Eriko had blamed Taland.

Taland was actually lucky Eriko hadn’t screamed kidnapping as well. But she’d made it clear that even if the truth were ever revealed, her family had the power and money to cover it up.

So, someone had to take the fall. Naturally, that someone was Taland.

Eriko’s family helped Taland with the lawyer fees and got the grand theft auto charge reduced to a misdemeanor nuisance charge, but it still went on his record and it still broke Kedon’s parents’ hearts. Thankfully, for Taland’s sake, the college he’d been accepted to, his first choice actually, was far out of town.

Yes, there was more than just Rand’s unwanted attention that Kedon cringed at. But he knew it wasn’t fair to blame Rand for his sister’s behavior.

Geez! Why do you have to be so loud? What do you want? Kedon turned all the way around to face the two in front of him and to put as much of his back to the man with the silver eyes as he could. For some reason those eyes just made him sweat and shiver at the same time. Even now, he imagined Tarell was still looking right at him. He could almost feel the heat of his stare.

I asked you if you think the teacher is going to make us choose a girl to do this project with. Pay attention, Rock snapped. Oh yeah, Rock was also a little short in the patience department, too.

What project?

You’re kidding, right? How could you forget? It was clear Rock was irritated. As always.

Mason jumped off the desk and took a couple of steps to Kedon’s desk, then hopped on top of it, moving it slightly. Yeah, it’s that baby thing today. We get to pick temporary partners and have a baby together. You know, those electronic computer chip versions?

Damn. That’s right. Jesus. That’s today? Really? Yes, he had forgotten. It was one of the lamest projects this idiot of a teacher had had them do yet. They were to write an in-depth paper on the effects of having a baby early in a relationship, and what it would do to a couple. They were to partner up, be given a random fake baby, and spend the three-week break gathering information on what it was like to be parents. The parameters were vague, which was good, but the project itself was stupid and juvenile.

And obvious.

It was actually a not-so-veiled sex education exercise that the adults figured would scare all of the kids in the room from ever having sex again. At least sex between male and female. Nothing had been said about sex between, well, closet types. Even so, at the end of their senior year, when more than half the class, including Kedon, were already eighteen, it was far too late a lesson to be learned.

And yes, there was a rumor that this was also a test for the babies themselves. A company that Ms. Lame Teacher was invested in. How she got the school board to agree to this was well beyond him.

Yes. Rock turned squarely on Kedon. It’s today. Now answer my question. Do you think the teacher will make us pick a girl?

Well, Rock, it is kind of the reason for the project, isn’t it? It’s supposed to scare us from…you know… He realized he was talking just a little too loudly himself now. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about sex within earshot of one Mr. Silver Eyes.

Actually, that’s not the project. Mason was talking again. As if the guy could ever stop talking. It is, specifically, and I quote… He held up a piece of paper. Paper Topic: Effects, issues, findings of intentional and casual observances of baby on a young couple. He looked back to Kedon. The prospectus says nothing at all about ‘instilling fear of sex’ as a study topic.

Prospectus, Mason? Where did you come up with that word? Rock laughed.

Mason just glared at a smug Rock. Really?

Kedon shook his head. You two do belong together.

So…? Rock asked.

So…? Kedon asked back.

What do you think?

I already said.

Mason continued. Requirements: Two students interact as young couple, limitations apply… whatever… write paper together… um… will be given a budget… will have a list of duties with daily and nightly checklist… there’s a list of possible questions to get the paper started, yadda yadda… Oh, yeah, here it is. Boys will be called in alphabetical order and will choose from the rest of the class their partner for this project. He dropped the paper to his lap. It says nothing at all about having to choose a girl.

Kedon groaned. Oh wait. I get it. You guys are nuts if you want me to argue your case, that the two of you want to be married to each other instead of picking out a female bride. No. Fucking. Way. Period!

Come on, Kedon. Mason whined. The teacher likes you.

Rock rolled his eyes. Everyone likes him. He can get away with anything.

Look, you idiots. Rock’s last name is Asher. You’ll be one of the first one’s called. Just pick Mason and see what the teacher does. Pretty damn simple.

Actually, Tarell will be first. His last name is Alan.

So what? You think he’ll pick Mason? He has his choice of any of the girls he wants. Why would he pick a guy to begin with, and why the hell would he think to pick Mason? Besides, if he picks Mason, I’m pretty sure Mason wouldn’t survive the day.

Yeah, the girls have been circling Tarell and each other like sharks all morning. This really could get interesting… and ugly. Rock nodded in the direction Kedon knew Tarell was sitting.

He didn’t want to. He didn’t mean to. But Kedon turned and met that gaze.

Fuck!

There were, count them, four beautiful girls swarming, touching, giggling—shoving giving warning looks, baring teeth—all within easy reach of Tarell’s long, strong arms. There were at least five more girls hanging out on the perimeter, not able to get close but waiting for an opening to pounce.

Kedon watched as Tarell put one of those muscular arms around the nearest girl, who nearly fell into his lap, and would have, Kedon thought, if Tarell had allowed it. But he didn’t. Instead he looked up at her. Obviously encouraged, she lowered her head to his, and when they would have kissed, Tarell turned his head and ended up whispering something in her ear instead. That something made her cover her juvenile mouth with her childish hand and give an infantile laugh. Then she raised a naked knee to Tarell’s knee, rubbing the inside of his thigh.

For some reason, that irritated the hell out of Kedon. Where the fuck was the teacher? She should get her ass in here and stop all this… this flirting! It was disgusting!

But then Kedon realized, as he watched that repulsive naked knee brush Tarell’s leg, going a little higher with every upward movement, Tarell