Poison Me Sweetly (20 page)

The weekend passed by in a blur. It helped that I
spent most of Saturday and Sunday at Grendel's. Then, surprisingly enough, the
beginning of the week starts off normal. It was as if my issues from last week
had never happened. The guys are back to teasing me or pissing me off. The only
shift I notice in our relationship is before they'd been affectionate during
teasing. Now they're affectionate all the time. Guys aren't supposed to be
hugger's and shit, but they find ways to show me they care. They pull me on
their lap, playfully manhandle me when the mood hits, and AJ dropped over on
Monday with a late lunch, because he simply wanted to spend time with me. They
are no longer waiting for me to come to them. They come to me now whenever they
want. It's going to take a lot of getting used to. It also hasn't escaped my
notice that I've completely lost the upper hand with them. I'm not the one in
control anymore and it's unsettling.

On Wednesday, I take an early evening run, losing
myself to the music playing from my iPod as I run down the beach. The sand
makes it harder to run and it makes my legs burn. I welcome the distraction and
pain, pushing myself even more. Sweat is trickling down my temple, and I can
feel it settling between my breasts as well. I'm a sweaty mess, but it feels
good. I need this. The exhaustion from running will help me sleep tonight.

As I run past a bunch of guys playing volleyball, I
catch one of them do a double take as they spy me, and I ignore them as I run
past. I'm sure they're checking out my ass. It's hot—as usual, so I'm wearing
tight little black shorts and a matching sports bra. My ponytail swings behind
me as I begin to pick up the pace.

Someone's jogging beside me.

I look up to see Caleb, and he motions for me to stop
running. I'm so surprised to see him that I come to an abrupt halt, chest
heaving as I take a second to lean over,
hands
resting
on my knees as I draw air into my lungs. Of course, this puts me eye level with
his crotch. He's wearing black swimming trunks and nothing else. As I try to
calm my racing heart, my eyes helplessly run over him. He's got great legs for
a guy. Nice and tanned with great calves. Not skinny, little twiggy legs like
some guys have. My eyes trek up and pause on the hint of dark hair peeking out
just above his low riding trunks. I know exactly what's hiding beneath that
fabric.  Have I also mentioned how sexy the V of his hips are? As my eyes
move further up, they don't miss the rigid muscles, and as sweat trickles down
his stomach, I have the sudden urge to lick it.

Suddenly, my earbud is yanked out of my ear, and my
eyes jerk up to Caleb's.  His eyes are dark as they meet mine, telling me
that he hadn't missed one second of my slow perusal. “You look at me like that
but still insist on platonic,” he says dryly.

I clear my throat and straighten up, pulling myself
together. I'm too tired to try to be witty so I shrug. “I find a lot of guys
sexy. Doesn't mean I need to sleep with them.”

“We both know you wouldn't be sleeping in my bed. We'd
be doing pleasurable things to each other the entire night,” he says wickedly.

My eyes narrow. What is he doing?

He smirks. “Payback for the other day.”

Ah. Yeah, I'd kind of yanked his chain, hadn't I? It'd
been worth it though, because I can tell he hasn't forgotten our one-night
stand. Then I remind myself that it doesn't matter in the end anyway. He's got
a girlfriend.

I wipe my sweaty brow. “So, did you stop me just to
tease me?”

“No.” His expression turns serious. “I have plans with
Micaela tomorrow. Told her I'd take her to the beach. She mentioned you, and I
thought I'd see if you want to hang with us.”

Something within me perks up at the mention of the
younger girl. Spending more time with Caleb probably isn't wise, but it would
be worth it to see Micaela. I nod. “Okay, what time?”

“I'll pick you up around four.”

I shake my head. The last thing I need is alone time
with Caleb in his car. “No, I'll meet you. Here or one of the other beaches?”

“This one.”

“I'll find you.” I slip my earbuds back in my ears.
“Enjoy you're game,” I say lightly before I turn my back on him and jog away.

Knowing I get to see Micaela today has my mood upbeat.
I take special care picking out a bikini as I get ready. A lot of my bikinis
are a bit revealing, and since I am going to be around a kid, I take longer
than usual looking over my swimsuits. I mull over my options and decide on a
white bikini that is respectable. Sort of. It still shows a lot of skin, but it
covers more than the others. After I slip it on, I find my white sun dress that
I like to use as a cover up. Brown flip-flops finish off my outfit, and then I
walk to the bathroom and pull my hair up into a messy knot.

After tossing three bottles of water, a bottle of
sunscreen, a large beach towel, and a box of Milk Duds into a beach bag, I am
good to go. When I open the apartment door to leave, I come to an abrupt halt
and stare down at the plain white box before my door in the hall.

I peek out into the hall, looking around with
puzzlement, but it's empty.
Okaaay
. I bend down to
pick the box up and turn to go back into my apartment. I set it on the counter
and carefully lift the lid. After easing the tissue aside, my eyebrows shoot up
as I pull out a red lacy see-through bra. What in the world? I glance at the
tag and see it's my size. I dig around some more and pull out a pair of
panties. They match the bra and are sexy and
crotchless
.
My lips part as I hold them up, tilting my head to stare at the
crotchless
center. I might be into lingerie, but I have
never, ever considered
crotchless
panties. Had
someone dropped the gift off at the wrong apartment?

After setting aside the panties, I pull out the tissue
and find a note in the bottom of the box. I pick it up and read it.
Sparky,
you told me I had to replace the one's I ripped. Came across this matching set
and thought of you. Seeing as we're platonic and all, I know I'll never see you
in them. That's okay, though. I have a very dirty imagination. Cowboy.

Heat floods between my legs, and I bite my lip hard as
desire slams into my gut. I could see him teasing me after I’d teased him on
Thursday, but this is more than teasing. This is like he's daring me to make a
move on him. What scares me the most is that I want
to.
Badly. I'm ready to throw caution to the wind and jump him, because I know
it'll be even better the second time around. I hadn't had my fill of him, and I
know he hasn't had his with me. The things I'd like to do to that sexy body...

An image of him grinding with the blonde enters my
mind. I'm pleased to know it can't be that serious if he's taunting me like he
is.

“You're asking for trouble,” I mutter out loud to
myself as I turn my back on the box and leave the apartment. I like him way too
much as it is. I've made it clear to him that I have no intention of having sex
with him again, and I need to stick to my decision. No more teasing him even if
it is fun. Besides, I have enough to handle right now with Ace, AJ, and Jeremy.
The absolute last thing I need is to toss in a complicating relationship with
Caleb into the mix.

The drive to the beach is short, but it takes five
minutes to find a place to park my car, since the beach parking lot is filled
to capacity. I end up walking two blocks to the beach. When I get there, I kick
off my flip-flops and shove them in my bag before I walk across the sand and
begin watching for Caleb and Micaela. The sand feels heavenly on my bare feet,
and there's a slight breeze today, bringing a bit of relief from the heat. It's
a gorgeous day, and the sun glitters on the water, making the beach the 'it'
place to be for people looking to cool down or travelers vacationing.

I smile a few times as I pass by people, and I note
there's a game of volleyball going, there's also more than one group of guys
tossing footballs back and forth. It takes about ten minutes before I come
across Caleb and Micaela. They're sitting on towels about twenty feet away from
the gentle waves pushing up onto the sand. They haven't seen me yet, and I let
my eyes roam over Caleb first. He's wearing red swimming trunks today and he’s
shirtless. All that tanned skin is on display for my eyes. I'm glad I'm wearing
sunglasses as I admire his sexy chest. We're platonic, but that doesn't mean I
can't enjoy the sight.

He's leaning close to Micaela, and going by the big
grin on his face as he talks to her, I can tell they are having a good
conversation. Micaela's own expression is full of animation, and she grins up
at him admirably as they talk. She's wearing a simple yellow one-piece
swimsuit, and her hair is pulled back in a high ponytail.

Caleb spies me first, and I didn't know it was
possible for that grin to get any wider. Micaela follows his gaze and when she sees
me, she launches herself to her feet and runs at me. Her long arms wrap around
me in a hug, and I hug her back. “Hey, sweetie. I'm happy to see you, too.”

She pulls back and looks up at me, her brown eyes
sparkling with excitement. “Caleb brought a Frisbee. You'll play, right?”

“Of course. I never pass up a mean game of Frisbee,” I
assure as I set my bag down near their blanket.

“Great! Let's play!” she says enthusiastically.

Caleb chuckles as his eyes roam over a bouncing
Micaela. “Guess that's my cue.” He grabs a bright green Frisbee out of the
black bag he'd brought.

“Hey, you brought your swimsuit, right?” Micaela asks
me.

I'm amazed by the girl standing before me. She's
nothing like the one I'd first been introduced to. I guess singing karaoke with
me has brought her out of her shell. “I sure did,” I say as I pull off my
sunglasses and carefully ease out of the dress. I can feel Caleb's eyes on me
as my tanned and toned body is revealed.

Micaela is completely oblivious to the sexual tension.

We make our way further up the beach and away from the
sunbathers. We situate ourselves in a large triangle, and Caleb tosses the
Frisbee to Micaela, who in turn tosses it to me. She's got terrible aim, and it
veers off constantly, causing me to do a lot of running and diving. Every time
I have to lunge for it, I swear I feel Caleb's eyes on my skimpy bikini top.

Typical guy.

If he's going to enjoy the show that I'm not even
deliberately giving him, I'm going to make him work for it. I toss the Frisbee
deliberately over his head, or too far to the left or right—making him run and
dive just as much as I have to while I yell, “My bad! Sorry!”

We toss the Frisbee for a while until Micaela grows
bored and wants to go in the water. I try to wave them off, telling them I'm
going to tan while they play in the ocean. Micaela's having none of it.

“You have to come with. It'll be fun,” she argues.

“I'm not a good swimmer,” I explain.

“Caleb can hold on to you when it gets deep,” she
says, her eyes brightening.

“I'm a good swimmer. I won't let anything happen to
you,” Caleb says, his blue eyes meeting mine.

The dream I'd had of me and Micah at the lake comes
back, and I have no urge to go in the water.

Micaela grabs my hand. “C'mon. I'll hold your hand,
too,” she says sincerely.

Good Lord. How can I say no to that? I give her a big
smile. “I think that would help me be brave. But I'm only going as far as my
knees, okay? I'm not good in water,” I warn gently.

“Okay,” she says easily.

We walk hand in hand towards the water, and I'm
conscious of Caleb following us—no doubt checking out my ass. The water is a
bit chilly as a wave comes up and sweeps over our feet. I have to admit, the
coolness of it feels good on my heated skin.

Micaela looks up at me, her eyes serious. “It's okay
to be scared. You don't have to go in very far. Whatever you're comfortable
with is okay, Zoey.”

My heart breaks for the little girl who has suddenly
turned almost adult-like. She's growing up earlier than her years, and I can
see the sadness flickering in the depths of her eyes.  Well, we can't have
that. “As long as you're holding my hand, I'm good.” When the water gets up to
my knees, I playfully shriek as Micaela giggles. Caleb comes up to stand beside
me as I'm led further into the crashing waves. When it reaches my hips, the
waves start pushing at me, causing me to weave slightly while Micaela, on the
other hand, jumps up and down, enjoying the crushing waves that cause her body
to sway.

One strong wave almost knocks me backwards, and I can
feel myself stumbling. I quickly let go of Micaela's hand, not wanting to take
her down with me if I fall. Caleb's arms wrap around my waist, and he steadies
me against his body. For a brief second, my body relaxes into his, right where
it belongs. It just feels so right. I can feel his bare chest against my back,
and the feel of his skin on mine reminds me of the night we'd had sex. The way
he'd moved his body against mine... The way he’d felt inside me.

“C'mon Zoey!”

I pull away from Caleb and see that Micaela’s swimming
further out, forgetting that I'm a bad swimmer. Alarm sweeps through me, and I
turn on Caleb with anxious eyes. “You'll watch her closely, won't you?”

His eyes meet mine. “Yeah. Will you be fine?” he asks
before his eyes dart off to Micaela. I can tell he’s antsy to go to her.

“Go!” I put a hand on his chest and shove gently.

He nods and makes his way further into the ocean
before diving under.

Now that I'm no longer needed, I quickly scurry out of
the water. Once I'm out, I stand on the sand and raise a hand above my eyes to
block the sun as I watch for Caleb and Micaela. I spy them in the distance, and
I feel uneasy with how far they are from the beach. They seem comfortable with
it. Micaela shrieks as Caleb dives at her, and I can hear their laughter
drifting back to me.

Now that she's in good hands, I turn and walk back to
the blanket. After I'm settled, I drink some water and pull out my box of Milk
Dud's. I snack on candy as I watch them play in the water. Caleb's really good
with her, and I can’t help but think he'll make a good father one day. That man
has more patience than probably ten people put together.

It feels good to be here today. Rarely do I ever feel
this sense of contentment. The ocean has me relaxing, but I think it's the
company. Caleb seems to always be upbeat, and Micaela's excitement today has
brushed off on me.

After a while, Micaela comes running dripping wet out
of the water as Caleb continues to swim lazily in the ocean. She drops down on
the towel next to mine, looking exhausted but pleased. “Caleb's going to swim
for a bit,” she announces.

“Want one?” I tilt the box of Milk Dud's at her.

“
Oooh
, I haven't had these
in forever.” She lets me pour several in her hand and she grins. “Thanks!”

I give her a couple minutes to relax before I approach
a subject I am dreading. But I know it has to be done, and that's why Caleb's
stalling in the ocean. Micaela seems to feel connected to me, just as I feel
connected to her. This is our chance for some private girl time.

“Caleb told me you lost your father recently. I hope
it's
okay that he shared that with me,” I say lightly as I
watch her expression.

Micaela stiffens, and I wonder if maybe I've made a
mistake. Today is supposed to be all about her having fun. She chews her
thumbnail now and stares out at the ocean, her eyes avoiding mine. I can feel
the anguish rolling off her in waves.

I draw in a deep breath before saying, “I was in a car
accident with my twin brother three years ago. He died.”

Her head turns back to me, and she stares at me
wide-eyed. Her lips part slightly. “You...” She swallows.

My eyes burn, and I push the tears back, because this
isn't about me. This is about her. “Yeah. It's really hard when you lose
someone. It's...” Words fail me. There is no word that effectively describes
the depth of grief experienced when a loved one dies.

Micaela gets it though, and her eyes fill with tears.
“I miss him so much, Zoey. I go home every day and expect to see him.”

“I know, sweetie. It's the hardest thing to do in
life, to move on when someone dies. Trust me, I know better than anyone else.”
I hold her gaze as I speak. “I made a lot of mistakes these past three years.
Done some stupid things. Everyone grieves differently, but I hope you know that
Caleb will always be there for you and I will too, if you want me to be.”

She nods tentatively. “I'd like that.”

“How is your mom dealing with it?” I ask cautiously.

Micaela looks away, her eyes darkening. “She's taking
it hard.”

“Do you talk to her about it?”

“No.” She shakes her head and reaches for the box of
Milk Dud's.

“Who do you talk to when you need someone?” I pick up
the box of candy when she's finished and steal a few.

“Caleb.”

“Caleb's easy to talk to, isn't he?” I murmur lightly.

She nods, still not looking at me.

“Have you talked to your school counselor?”

“Once.”

“Do you like the counselor at school?”