Poison Me Sweetly (12 page)

His lips pull away, and his forehead drops down to
mine. I'm taken by surprise as he mutters, “I need to sit.”

“Um, okay,” I say as I lead him away from the crowd. I
spy a couple leaving a recliner in the corner of the room, and I lead him to
it. I gently push him down into it, and he slips his arms around me and tugs me
with him. I land on his lap, facing him. Before I can move, he grabs my legs
above the knee and settles them on either side of his hips while tugging me
closer to him. I find myself straddling him, and I stare at him warily. “This
isn't part of the plan, Caleb.”

He gives me a lazy grin. “You're here, you might as
well stay a while.”

My eyes search his. “Maybe it's time you go home. I
can get you a cab.”

A hungry look flickers over his face. “Come home with
me?”

“No.”

“Why?” he asks, his eyes searching mine. “We're good
together.”

“Just because it was good, doesn't mean we have to
repeat it. I think we either get you a cab, or I should leave,” I say lightly.
I can't stay here with him, not like this. Even drunk, he's trying to seduce
me.

He frowns at me, then determination flashes in his
eyes as he pulls me in for a kiss that I hadn’t been prepared for. I tense up
on his lap, clamping my lips shut tightly even as my body begs me to open up
and let him kiss me senseless. When he bites my lip hard, my lips part to say “
ow
,” but his tongue sweeps in. The second his tongue rubs
up against mine, I can feel my willpower slipping. I love the way he's kissing
me tonight. There's a hint of desperation in it, and I can sense he seems just
as lost as I do. As he kisses me, I barely sense his hands sliding down my back
and to my butt as he pulls me forward so that I am as close as I can get to
him. He's still sporting an erection, and I struggle to find a way to end the
kiss, yet it feels so damn good.

I'm so conflicted with trying to figure out what to do
that I don't realize what he's up to until his hand is under my skirt, his
fingers slipping beneath my panties. One digit glides between my slick folds,
and about the time I realize this, his thumb finds my sensitive little nub of
tissue. He starts to rub gently in a rhythmic circle.

Oh. My. God.
He can't be serious!

I break away from the kiss, my body tensing, but
Caleb's lips go to my ear and he murmurs, “Let me make you feel good, Sparky.
Just
feel
,” he says in a seductive voice as his other arm tightens
around my back, not allowing me to escape.

“No. Not here!” I hiss desperately as I look around
anxiously while battling the pleasure that he's giving me. No one's paying
attention to us, but I don't do things like this in public. I never allow a guy
to get into my head—let alone my panties—in a room full of people! This is so
wrong, but yet it feels so good. I need to push away from him. I could easily
break his hold on my back...so why am I not moving?

Caleb's hand leaves my back and slips behind my neck
as he holds my gaze. “No one knows what we're doing. Your skirt hides it. Come
for me,” he says, his blue eyes penetrating mine. He's got me right where he
wants me, and he knows it. I bite back a moan as his thumb quickens. He sees
it, and he pulls me in for a heated kiss, his tongue flicking across my own. He
kisses me playfully but with a whole hell of a lot of pent up sexual hunger. My
breathing quickens, and I want to stop this—no, I don't want to stop. Not yet.
It feels really, really good. I press myself into his hand, needing more. I'm
so close. Caleb breaks the kiss and then whispers in my ear, “You grind like
that again, and people will know I'm getting you off.”

My body stills, and I know he can feel me trembling.
His mouth is on mine again, drugging me with the sensuality of it as he kisses
me deeply. The pleasure is building, and all I care about is the feel of his
thumb pressing intimately against me. He seems to know exactly how to touch me
to make me spiral out of control. My orgasm hits me hard. I moan into his
mouth, and he swallows it, growling slightly as he acknowledges what he's just
given me. I fight not to thrust into his hand, and he keeps moving his thumb,
allowing me to ride it out.

Once it fades, I rest limply against his chest as he
pulls his lips from mine. He draws me close, his warm hand rubbing my back as
his other hand leaves my tender flesh.

That wasn't supposed to happen. I let him... My mind
is swirling with confusion, and I can feel my anger growing, but yet...I
enjoyed it. Hell, yeah, I enjoyed it! But—I'm so confused. I want to hit him
and fuck him at the same time. How is that even possible?

I feel Caleb's lips brush my ear. “Come back home with
me, and we'll go finish what we've started. I'll make it good for you, Sparky.
You know I will. God, I need to be with you again. You're the best screw I've
had in a long time,” he says thickly.

And just like that the world comes crashing down
around me. Hard. I'm a screw to him. Just a good screw that he had that he
wants again for one more night. The pain that lances my chest startles me and
angers me at the same time. How the fuck did I come to care what this man
thinks of me? How did I allow
this
to happen? Suddenly, I hate him. I
hate that he'd used my body against me tonight. That I was just a means of
pleasure.

I feel used and dirty.

I feel like the slut that everyone assumes me to be.
In one lousy evening, Caleb Preston has pushed all my buttons, and I can feel
the darkness within me unfurling. I need to get out of here, but first...

I sit back slightly, grabbing Caleb's jaw firmly with
my hand so that he has no choice but to look at me. His blue eyes widen at
whatever he sees in the depths of my gaze. “Don't ever,
ever
come near
me again. You won't like what happens if you do,” I threaten darkly, then I
roughly release his jaw to scramble off his lap. I promptly spin around and
flee the room, getting a brief glimpse of Ace's startled face as I brush past
him and the group of guys he's with. I feel like the devil is on my heels, and
I literally shove people out of my way until I stumble down the stairs of the
house. A second later, I'm rushing down the driveway, my pride ripped to bloody
shreds. Now that I've escaped, I slow down and try to walk calmly as I reach
the end of the drive.

I have no warning whatsoever.

Caleb literally grabs my arm from behind, forcing me
around to face him. My reaction is instinctive, I pull back my right fist and
slam it into his jaw as hard as I can. Pain spears through my knuckles as it
connects with bone. Caleb's head snaps backward briefly before he immediately
raises a hand to the side of his jaw. “Holy fuck,” he groans hoarsely, pain
lacing his tone.

Have I mentioned that if you get me riled up enough, I
have a hard time controlling my temper? I stand before him, seething. “You come
near me again, and I'll make sure your dick never sneezes, and you live the
rest of your life as a eunuch,” I threaten furiously.

Ace appears out of nowhere, his expression alarmed
when he sees Caleb cradling his jaw and cursing profusely, swaying slightly on
his feet. “What the hell is going on?” He holds out a hand to steady Caleb.

“Nothing. Go find your next
screw
, Ace,” I say
the word ‘screw’ with drawn out sarcasm before walking away from both of them.
Damn fucking men. I just need them all to leave me the hell alone. I'm halfway
down the block, striding down the sidewalk as I try to walk off my anger—when
Ace catches up to me.

“Zoey, wait. I don't know what's going on, but you
can't walk back to the complex by yourself. Let me drive you,” he insists,
concern evident in his tone.

The telltale emotion he betrays has me pausing on the
sidewalk as an icy coldness beginning to slip through my veins. “Go away, Ace.”

He stands before me, unfazed. “Something big went
down, and I'm not going to leave you to wander the streets alone. Talk to me.”

“If I wanted to talk, I'd make real friends,” I retort
as I lash out at him, wanting to hurt him like I'm hurting right now.

Ace draws in a sharp breath, and I know my dig hit him
right where I meant it to. “Zoey—”

“I don't want you around me. Get a clue, already. None
of you matter to me. You never have!” I snap before I turn my back on him and
walk away. Why won’t people leave me alone when I want them to? Why do they
always have to push? This time he doesn't come after me, and I tell myself that
I don't care.

After about a block, I can sense someone following me.
Probably Ace. The complex is too far to walk, at least in the dark, so I cave
and resign myself to flagging down a cab. The drive home takes only minutes,
then I'm taking the elevator up to my apartment. The second I am inside, I grab
a water bottle from the refrigerator, strip down in my room, and take a
sleeping pill. I just need to shut it all off for a while.

On Saturday, I take an extra shift at
Grendal's
. Even though my body is busy, my mind is swirling
with thoughts and emotions from the night before. Now that I've had time to
think about my actions, I'm realizing that I may have overreacted. I shouldn't
have punched Caleb. I do stupid stuff when I'm hurt, and with as drunk as he
was, I shouldn't have resorted to violence. So he'd hurt me. Story of my life.
I wonder if he even remembers what had gone down or if it's just a blur this
morning.

As the day wears on, I expect a text message from Ace,
because he never leaves me alone for very long even if we're fighting. But my
phone stays silent in my pocket. He doesn't try to contact me, and I don't
blame him. He'd only been trying to help, and I'd lashed out at him.

I go to bed that night with my phone on my nightstand
where I can reach it. But there's no need. Ace has gone silent on me, and all I
can do is pull up my big girl panties and deal. There's always consequences for
one's actions, and this is mine. I try to ignore the pang in my chest and tell
myself that it's for the best. AJ, Jeremy, and Ace have gotten under my skin,
and they were never meant to. They were just supposed to be the fun guys next
door that threw good parties.

As for Caleb, I need to forget that one and move on.
He's the one that could do the most damage if I allow him to. Even with as
close as I am with the guys, I've never let them have control over me. It's as
if Caleb knows just what to do or say to get me to do what he wants. It scares
the living shit out of me.

My Sunday is spent doing anything and everything that
will keep my mind busy. My phone stays silent the entire day as I do laundry in
the basement of the complex. I also run for miles until I come back to the
apartment, weak with exhaustion. After a shower and I rehydrate, I leave the
apartment again, desperate to get away from the heavy silence of my place. I do
some pointless shopping, picking up a few more sets of lingerie and some new
running shorts. By the time I crawl into bed that night, I feel numb as I try
not to care about the mess I'd made of the weekend.

The following morning I’m closing my apartment door
behind me with my backpack slung over my shoulder, when I see Jeremy in the
hallway. He's just stepping out of his own apartment, and as soon as he spies
me, he strides over, his brown eyes demanding answers as he pauses in front of
me. “What the hell went down over the weekend? Ace has been a complete
crabass
, and when I ran into Caleb yesterday, it was
obvious someone clocked him real good. When I asked Ace about it, all he did
was grunt.”

“What did Caleb say?” I ask cautiously.

“He said he got what he deserved. That's it. I asked
if it was Ace and he shook his head. There's something going on with the three
of you, isn't there? I wanted to invite you out last night with the crew, but
Ace wasn't
havin
' any of it,” he says.

Hearing confirmation that Ace doesn't want me near him
causes a lump to rise in my throat. My eyes drop, and I look down at the car
keys in my hand.

Jeremy sighs. “What's going on,
Zo
?”

I chew my bottom lip, cautiously at his apartment
door. “Is Ace still home?”

“Yeah. He's got class soon.”

“Walk me out to my car?” The last thing I want to do
is run into Ace. Not if he's still angry with me.

He nods, and we both turn and begin to walk towards
the elevator at the end of the hall. Jeremy reaches out and presses the button
before looking at me expectantly. “What kind of shit went down this weekend?”

“It's complicated. I...said stuff I shouldn't have to
Ace when I was angry.”

Recognition flashes in Jeremy's gaze. “Poison made an
appearance,” he guesses dryly.

The sound of my nickname causes shame to sweep through
me. They call me Poison, because I'm a total bitch when I get riled up. How is
any of that normal? How had it not bothered me before? I draw in a deep breath,
tucking some hair behind my ear as I try not to let Jeremy see how upset I am.
He must sense it though, because he draws me into his arms and hugs me. For a
second, I tense up before his warmth seeps into me, and I relax, my arms
creeping up to wrap around his waist. I don't deserve him.

“Whatever was said can be fixed. Ace doesn't hold
grudges,” Jeremy assures, kissing the crown of my head affectionately.

“This time's different,” I whisper. Ace isn't the type
to offer comfort. He’d been trying to help me, and I'd kicked him to the curb.
Hell, I'd practically butchered him with my mouthful of razorblades. I've
always known he cares for me. I'd played on his feelings, and I’d cut him where
I knew it'd hurt.

The elevator doors ding as they slide open, announcing
its arrival. We step out of the embrace and enter the elevator. Jeremy presses
the button for the first floor, then turns and studies me. “You leave town this
weekend? I dropped by your place twice, but you weren't home.”

I look at him with surprise. I hadn't known Jeremy was
looking for me. “I was busy. You could have sent me a text.”

He gives me a look. “Right. You avoid talking about
anything unless it involves bullshitting someone. If I'd asked about what was
going on between you and Ace, you would have made it a point to avoid me.”

I shrug, because he's right. The only reason we're
having this conversation is because he took me by surprise this morning, and I
feel like shit. There's also a little part of me that is okay with talking
about what went down, because it's Jeremy. After two days of hiding out, I
think I needed to see him this morning. He's my link to Ace.

“Just talk to him,
Zo
. Have
you even tried?”

My head shakes.

“Well, maybe he's waiting for you to get over whatever
the issue was,” he suggests. Then he gives me a questioning look. “What started
it all?”

“Trust me, you don't want to know,” I mutter as I
shift my backpack on my shoulder.

“Whatever happened started the mess you're in. Yeah, I
want to know.”

I shake my head. “I got in a fight with Caleb, and
that shit fell onto Ace as well. That's all I'm saying.”

Jeremy's head cocks to the side. “Wait, so something
went down with you and Caleb as well?” I watch as his brow creases before his
eyes widen. He looks at me incredulously. “That was
you
that punched
Caleb?”

“Guilty,” I say with resignation as the elevator doors
open up, and I step out into the hall.

“Damn. I knew I should have gone with Ace on Friday,
but I'd already made plans with Charlie and Dillon. So, what did Caleb do?
Anything I need to throttle him for?” he asks as we make our way down the back
hall to the exit.

“Don't get involved, Jeremy. Just stay out of it, and
let things play out as they play,” I say lightly as we enter the parking lot.
The sun is shining brightly, and I wish my mood was in a better place. It's
going to be a gorgeous day today.

Jeremy suddenly blocks me, and I pull up short,
looking up at him questioningly. He studies me, his eyes searching mine. “Did
he hurt you?”

“No,” I lie.

His eyes darken. “I'm serious. If he did something to
you, he shouldn't be around us anymore.”

“Jeremy, you have no idea what went down, and I'm
telling you it's not worth losing Caleb's friendship over. I swear I'm fine,
and you need to just let it go, or you'll make it worse.”

He runs a hand through his short, dark hair. “I don't
like being left in the dark.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Has AJ gotten wind of any of
this?”

“No.”

“Now that's a guy that's been left in the dark,” I
point out before I move around him to walk across the parking lot to my car.