Toxic Bad Boy (23 page)

Aw hell, that look on her
face killed me. “I didn’t have sex with her.”

“
Her roommate
said-”

I cut her off. “Her
roommate? That little pudgy chick?”

She yanked her hand out of
mine, putting both of hers under the table so I couldn’t get to
them. “So you met her roommate?”

Realizing my mistake, I
said, “Briefly.”

“
Yeah, I heard you were
busy getting naked with Norah. Just tell me the truth,
Caleb.”

“
You broke up with me,” I
reminded her. The server showed up with our sodas and I ordered a
couple random items off the menu for us.

Gianna’s eyes were on the
tabletop. “I’m sorry I broke up with you, but I
panicked.”

“
I know, but you have to
understand that I was going crazy for those two weeks.”

Her eyes lifted to mine.
“Never mind, you don’t have to tell me anything.”

I wanted her worry about
Norah done with, but I didn’t want it biting me in the ass later if
the roommate contacted her again or she met Norah at the gallery.
“I messed around with her.”

Tears formed, absolutely
gutting me. Getting up, I slid onto her side of the booth. “Fuck,
Gianna, please don’t cry.”

Elbow on the table, one
hand covered her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“
And don’t apologize. You
didn’t do anything wrong.”

“
It hurts.”

“
She didn’t mean anything
to me. I didn’t want her.” Meeting no resistance, I pulled her
against me. “I love you, princess. No other girl
exists.”

Her shoulders shook. “I
need to use the restroom.”

“
Okay.” Reluctantly, I let
her out of the booth. She disappeared into a back
hallway.

I
never
wanted to see that pained
expression on her face again. No matter what problems we had in the
future, I’d never turn to another girl to make myself feel better.
The experience wasn’t worth it and I was worried what happened with
Norah could break something between us.

She came back ten minutes
later more composed. Her quiet demeanor bothered me. I wanted her
smart mouthed and teasing tone.

Our food arrived, steaming
and filling the large plates. I’d ordered myself chiles rellenos
and tamales, and for her chicken tacos. “Please eat,
baby.”

She brought a taco to her
lips, taking a bite. She managed to finish two of the three tacos
and even ate a little of the rice and beans. I cleaned my plate,
having not eaten since lunch at Dante’s.

While we waited for the
server to run my debit card, I asked, “Did her roommate call you?”
Not that I wanted to discuss it further, but I couldn’t understand
how them meeting came about.

Gianna’s arms were crossed
defensively. “No, she followed me to the grocery store.”

“
How the hell did she even
know who you were?”

“
She says she found out
online, from pictures posted last year on Facebook, I’d guess. But
I don’t know how she found out where I live.”

“
That’s
insane.”

Gianna shifted in her
seat, scanning the other diners. “Can we talk about this after we
leave?”

My girl had a lot to deal with at the moment.
Just when we were finally working things out between us, she gets
another hate letter in the mail and finds out about a girl I
rebounded with.

“
Candy is childhood, the
best and bright moments you wish could have lasted
forever.”

-Dylan Lauren

CALEB

The urge to prove she was
mine was strong. If things were normal between us, I’d have her in
my backseat already. Not that sex could fix our problems, but it’d
satisfy the primal need in me to show her who she belonged to.
Another time spent in the backseat of my Camaro with her underneath
me sprung to mind, not helping the situation.

I’d stupidly thought once
I got out of juvie everything could return to how it was before,
both of us having fun and loving each other. We’d get there
eventually, but first there was all the drama to wade
through.

Not wanting her dad to
hear what was to come, I drove to the mall and parked out in the
lot away from other cars. The sun was setting and the mall would
close soon so there weren’t many shoppers. Mostly it was young
people using the place to hang out in the summertime.

Gianna turned to me with
hurt still lingering on her beautiful face. I wasn’t happy with
what I had to do, but everything needed to be out in the open so we
could get past it. She’d been blindsided today by Norah’s roommate
and I didn’t want that happening again.

“
Caleb, what are we doing
here?” She’d taken in where I’d parked and that we weren’t here to
shop.

“
We’re here to talk in
private about the other girls.”

“
Girls?” she said, her
expression alarmed. “Are there more than Norah and the girl at the
party?”

When she shifted forward,
I grabbed her chin to bring her face to mine. She didn’t fight me,
but the look in her eyes was combative. “I love you, Gianna. There
can’t be secrets between us.”

“
Say what you have to say,
Caleb, then take me home!”

“
The girl at the party
didn’t go far. I’d drunk way too much and was bent on fucking away
the pain.”

She flinched, squeezing
her eyes shut as if it hurt too much to look at me. “Shut up,
Caleb.”

“
Then you called,” I
continued. “And I wanted you to feel my pain.”

“
Mission accomplished, I
cried myself to sleep that night.”

“
And then I puked all over
the floor of the bedroom we were in.”

“
You touched her?” she
asked in a strangled voice.

“
Some,” I answered
truthfully.

“
That hurts!” she cried,
covering her face with her hands. “I don’t want to hear that crap!”
Her hands moved to bat mine away.

“
But she was just a body.”
I dragged her hands down, making her meet my stare. “You’re my
soul.”

“
And Norah? Was she just a
body?” The pain in her voice cut deep and sick guilt rolled through
me.

“
I got to know her a
little better,” I explained.

Gianna laughed
humorlessly. “Yeah, I heard about your connection from
Christina.”

Right,
Christina
, that was the roommate’s
name. I’d thought Christina was sweet and cute, but chicks could
get nasty when ganged up on another girl. “There was no real
connection. Norah seemed nice, but that was it.”

“
And her body?” she
whispered in a miserable voice.

Fuck, this was the bad
part. “We fooled around and it went a bit farther than the other
girl, but my heart ached that she wasn’t you.”

Gianna’s eyes flickered to
my chest and the heart she owned. “I know I shouldn’t ask, but I
can’t help myself. You kissed her and stuff?”

“
Look, the only reason I’m
telling you any of this is because you might see her at the
gallery.”

“
At your
exhibit?”

“
Yeah, and even if it was
only one date, the chick was pissed I didn’t want to see her
again.”

“
You really don’t?” she
asked, her chin trembling as if fighting a new rush of tears.
“Because if you were tempted, I’d prefer you just tell
me.”

Wanting her body against
mine, I gripped her waist to pull her onto my lap. “I’ll only want
you until the day I die, Gianna. I’m sure after that,
too.”

Her head against my chest,
she whispered, “I’m tired, Caleb. Can you please take me
home?”

*****

I jumped the fence,
scraping my hands a little in the process. The dog next door barked
in a way that let me know it was big. Walking across the grass, I
went to the other side of the house and found the door which led
into the garage. I clenched the penlight between my teeth and got
out the lock picking kit I’d bought at a hardware store.

It was tricky, but I’d
watched a video online while sitting in my car to make sure I had
the process straight. With some quiet fumbling and a
snick
, the doorknob
turned and I slipped inside the dark garage. I barely saw the
lawnmower in time to avoid tripping over it. I went around the back
of the vehicles to get to the door that led into the house through
a mudroom.

Thankfully, it was
unlocked and I wasn’t forced to pick it. Pushing the door open
slowly, I closed it behind me with the same caution. I removed my
shoes and carried them in one hand as I traversed the first floor
to the staircase. The house being fairly new, not one of them
creaked.

The bedroom door was
locked, something I should have expected. Taking out one of the
tools, I put my shoes on the floor. Gripping the doorknob in one
hand, I carefully shifted the tool until it granted me
access.

Gathering my shoes, I
entered the room, shutting and reengaging the lock. My shoes and
clothes formed a pile on the floor until I was down to my white
boxer briefs.

It probably wasn’t the
brightest idea to sneak up on a girl who’d been attacked, but after
her initial fright I hoped she’d be happy to see me. Lifting up the
covers, I got a glimpse in the dark of a blue pajama set consisting
of shorts and a tank top. I slid under next to her, pulling her
back into my front. At the same time, one palm covered her
mouth.

She was a deep sleeper,
which I’d found out during the Vegas trip. “Gianna,” I whispered
into her ear. “Wake up.”

“
Huh?” she mumbled
sleepily under my hand and I wasn’t sure she was actually
awake.

“
Are you
awake?”

“
Caleb?” she said after
tugging at my wrist and turning in my arms.

Her warm, curvy body
rubbing against mine had me shifting my lower body away from her.
“It’s me.”

A soft hand landed on my
bare chest. “Am I dreaming?”

“
Dream come true?” I
teased. “No, you’re not dreaming.”

She gasped, whispering
urgently, “What are you doing here? My dad is going to kick your
ass!”

“
Like I said, he can try.”
I buried my face in her neck, taking in the sweet scent of
home.

“
What are you going here?”
she repeated even as she snuggled closer.

“
Missed my
girl.”

Her sigh blew across my
chest. “I love you, Caleb.”

The words settled
something in me. When I’d dropped her off earlier, the evidence of
her pain still painted her face. There were no secrets between us
anymore, but the revelations had been rough.

Her head against the heart
she’d brought to life, my girl fell back asleep.

*****

The knock on the bedroom
door was accompanied by, “Gianna!”

Jerking awake, her eyes
met mine and widened in alarm. Her expression had my body shaking
in silent laughter.

“
Yes?” she called out to
her dad.

“
Just making sure you were
okay. I’m heading out in twenty minutes. Do you want me to make you
breakfast?”

She rolled off her side of
the bed, pointing to the bathroom door. Holding up my hands, I got
up and sauntered in there. Keeping the door cracked open, I watched
as she rushed to her bedroom door and took a deep breath before
opening it.

“
Yeah, can we have French
toast?”

I couldn’t see her dad’s
face with the way the bedroom door opened. “Sure,
princess.”

“
Be right down,” she said
before shutting the door and relocking it.

I rushed out of the
bathroom and picked her up to toss her on the bed. “Bad girl,
sneaking boys into your room.”

“
It’s your fault. You
broke into my house! I was innocent until I met you.”

Lying halfway on top of
her, I brushed the hair out of her eyes. “Your innocence wasn’t too
hard to break into either.”

“
Jerk!” she hissed, trying
to push me off her.

I grunted, pretending her
efforts were making headway. “Stop with your bullying,
princess.”

She giggled, which was my
intention. “You’re crazy, Caleb.” The grin left her face an instant
later. “I saw something on your back when you went into the
bathroom.”

I’d forgotten she didn’t
know about the tattoo. “It’s just something I got done before
entering juvie.”

Her expression turned shy,
prompting me to kiss her. “Is it me?”

“
Maybe,” I teased,
sweeping a thumb over her cheek.

“
Can I see it?” she asked,
her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Acting harassed, I pushed
myself off the bed and turned around so she could get a look at the
tattoo Donna had inked onto my back nine months ago. Her fingers
traced over the artwork, trailing down to the waistband of my boxer
briefs. “I can’t believe you did this,” she whispered. “What if we
break up for good?”