Then Summer Came Page 12

  He refrained from snarky comments, but I knew it wasn’t out of the kindness of his heart—he was probably too sloshed to piece together sarcastic snips.

  “Thanks.” He pulled the cap from the bottle, and I watched it collapse and shrivel as he chugged the cold water. He crushed and recapped it and tossed it at the table. “What’d you do all day?” he asked, slinging his arm over his head. He actually sounded pretty sober.

  “Worked,” I lied. I couldn’t bring myself to go to work. My stomach was too tangled up about Derek knowing about us and about everything he’d said. I was just as tangled up at how Beck had smothered my thoughts while I was with Derek. I wasn’t able to think of anything but him, the whole time, and I couldn’t understand why. It was all I could think about. Well…thatand the fact that I was about to end our little fling. I just needed to tell him. “Derek knows about us.” I pretty much just blurted it out.

  His eyes grew wide. If he wasn’t sober before, he was now. “Wha-what’d he say?” he asked, sitting up.

  I sat down beside him on the sofa. My knees were suddenly very weak.

  There was a long pause; I didn’t know how to say that he didn’t say anything, so I just said it. “He didn’t say anything, really.” Just that he wanted to wash you off of me. I chose to leave that part out.

  Beck just stared at me, one brow raised. “He’s okay with the fact that we slept together? He knows we slept together, right?”

  I shrugged. “He seemed to. I’m pretty sure he did.”

  Beck didn’t say anything. He just sat there staring at me blankly, and then stared down at the floor between his feet.

  I sighed and twisted my hair over my shoulder. “You shouldn’t have done that…at the pool,” I finally said. He needed to know that we were through. “We’d owned up to our mistake at the party. We’d almost made it right! It wasn’t awkward and we were managing a really good friendship! You shouldn’t have fucked it up, Beck!” I was so upset; I couldn’t help but yell at him.

  He jerked around and his eyes jabbed straight at me. “Are you fuckin’ serious, Lissa?”

  I flinched at his sudden burst of anger.

  “You’re the one sending mixed signals! Pushing me away and avoiding me, then sleeping with me, and then back to pushing me away. Then you fuckin’ kiss me on the couch the other night! Do you know how hard it was to just walk away from you that night? It was all I could do to fight off the urge to come to your room and jerk you up out of your bed! I fought it off all night! So, yeah, I saw you at the pool, and I wanted to fuck you, so I did! And you know what? You didn’t push me away, Lissa. I asked you to tell me to stop and you didn’t! As a matter of fact, you might as well have begged for it! So yeah, I started it, but you gladly finished it. So, don’t blame this shit all on me!”

  I looked away and down at the floor. He was right. He was exactly right. Shame whipped at me like the winds of a chaotic storm.

  “Oh, now you don’t have anything to say?” he asked in my silence.

  “You’re right,” I admitted, not able to look at him. “I’m sorry.”

  He slammed his fist down onto the coffee table. He bore his eyes into the surface and sighed heavily. He looked to me and shook his head—an unspoken thought had obviously run through his mind—and then he just got up and walked out.

  

  He didn’t talk to me much for the next two days. He spent most of his time with Mik.

  I was tired of feeling awkward around him. I couldn’t take it anymore. I just wanted to have a conversation with him, or watch a movie like we used to do.

  I went up to his room and knocked on the door.

  “Yeah?” he spat dryly.

  I pushed the door open. He was just sitting on his bed, in the dark, and it was quiet.

  “Hey, I…got us a movie.” I tossed the DVD at him, and he swiped it up and eyed it.

  “Really?” he looked up at me, through his lashes. “You’re serious? I thought you hated this movie?”

  “Well, I do, but you like it, so I thought we could watch it together and…maybe you could change my mind.”

  His stare was hard and he seemed to be mulling it over, but then he grinned. “Oh, you just wait,” he stood and slid the movie into his DVD player. “I’m about to change the shit outta your mind.”

  He fell back and patted the bed for me to sit with him and I did, careful not to sit too close or touch him.

  By the end of the movie, I still hated it. There was no changing my mind, and Beck was truly peeved by that.

  “You know what? Just get out of my room before you taint it! Just go! Go hate great movies in your own apartment.” He shook his hand at me, hastily motioning me to leave.

  I chuckled. “Be sure and return that ridiculous excuse for a movie.” I left for my apartment promising to bring a better movie next time. I was so glad to talk to him again. I hated how awkward things had felt lately.

  We seemed to really be on talking terms from that point on. Things were easier.

  A few nights later, after work, I opened the door and slipped into Derek’s apartment. Clayton’s back was to me and he spun around when I closed the door back.

  “Hey, Lis!” he hugged me, lifting me off the ground.

  I hugged him back and wiggled out of his arms. I smiled over at Beck who was bent over tying his shoes. He looked up at me and gave me an acknowledging grin.

  “Lissa, you look… Well, like a woman,” Cam flattered me in her dude-voice and clapped me on the shoulder.

  "You should come to the club with us," Clayton offered. "You'd put every woman there to shame."

  I laughed, but shook my head. He was always so full of compliments for me. “Nah, I just came to talk to Beck…”

  "Come, please?" Clay begged.

  I looked to Beck and he shrugged and nodded.

  "Okay," I gave in. "Is it cool if I invite Em?"

  "Yes! Invite all your sexy friends! Got any lesbians in you group?"

  "Cram it back in your pants, Clay." Beck clapped his shoulder. I was glad he was in his normal mood. I hated the arguments we’d had, and some of the looks he gave me sometimes, confused me.

  "I have to go home and change, but call me when you guys leave and we'll meet you there," I said to Beck, and he nodded and agreed.

  

  “I’m so glad you finally found your party bone again!” Emily shrieked, wiggling in the most hilarious manner as she squeezed into her skin-tight dress. She was stoked when I told her we were going to the club. “Maybe it’s because you found Derek’s bone again…?” she said and shrugged innocently.

  I shook my head at her crude joke and pulled my new dress from its silk hanger. She was referring to the fact that she’d seen me and “Derek” together a lot lately. I hadn’t found a way to tell her that it wasn’t Derek. I wanted to, but I knew what she’d say. I could already hear it.

  I slid the metallic, foil, sequin dress on and situated it. It was slinky and moved well—good for dancing. The top half clung to me, the bottom a bit looser. The silver color was sexy and matched my shoes perfectly.

  Emily gushed over my new party dress as she adjusted her hot-pink, fitted, spandex dress. It hugged her brilliantly and I rolled out the compliments.

  Emily was thrilled to go out with Beck and his friends. She ran all the way to the cab after Beck had called to let us know they were leaving. I tried to very casually make it clear to her, again, that it'd be really awkward for her to hook up with my fiancé’s identical-twin, but she picked up on my worry immediately.

  "Lis, calm down! I won't hook up with him," she'd promised. "I mean, it'll be a job keeping him off me, but I won't do anything! I swear!" I trusted her, but she loved men. They were definitely her weakness...or she was theirs. Either way I couldn't stand it if she and Beck were screwing around.

  Emily surfaced from the cab, doing one of her sudden bursts of happy dancing. She grabbed for my arm and hugged me close. "God, you look so flippin
’ hot!" she growled.

  "Likewise!" I said and looped my arm trough hers.

  It took nearly thirty minutes to get through security, and the club was so packed it was hard to maneuver. I didn't see Beck, Mik, Cam, or Clayton anywhere.

  Emily pulled me over to the bar and shouted over to the man bar tending, "Jason!" The man looked up and gave her a wink and a nod. "Two rounds of Mojitos, please," she mouthed, shaking shook two fingers at him.

  A few of her friends from college came over and she introduced me. They hung close for a while, and Jason finally brought our drinks over. Emily leaned over the bar, her perfectly-brown skin peeking out from under the hot-pink hem of her halter dress, and whispered into his ear. A sly smile played at his lips. I don't know what she said, but he was game for whatever it was.

  Holly, a friend of mine and Emily's, ran up and wrapped us both in a group hug, screaming and going on about how long it'd been since she'd seen us.

  Emily ordered drinks for us, Holly, and her Pomona friends, and we all stood and sipped them as Jason made his way back and forth to restock our trays of shots.

  The club was crowded and someone bumped into me every few seconds, but I liked it like that. It was exciting and fun!

  I turned up the last of my fourth Mojito, and I felt a hand at my side. I sat the glass down and turned into Beck. He didn't move, just eyed me up and down, and then, like a loyal pup, his eyes came back to mine. The air between us was so thick I could taste it, and I felt a heat wave wash over me. Our hips were still pressed together, and he wasn’t moving, so I backed up.

  He laughed. "I've been looking for you," he said into my ear.

  "Yeah, I was looking for you, too."

  "Well I'm not in any of those drinks you’re downing." He indicated the bar full of empty glasses. "Can we dance?" he asked tugging at my arm. I eyed him like he was crazy. He was, but he looked damn good. His dingy, ripped jeans and blue t-shirt had me staring.

  He tugged my arm again, and I shook my head at him. "That hasn't fared well for us in the past, Beck." I was glad he was talking to me again, but I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to be close to him like that. It’d just create an awkward situation for us again and lots of tension.

  "Maybe not for you..." he said, grinning.

  "It's not a good idea," I added, sternly and turned back to my drink.

  Emily was too preoccupied with Jason and the fifty people that were huddled around us to even notice Beck.

  "So are you saying you can't resist me? 'Cause I'd understand." He had put on his flirtatious tone and was back at my ear.

  "No," I turned back into him, "I just don't want to dance."

  “I know. I get it,” he nodded. “We shouldn’t, you’re right.” His eyes drifted across my face and then down to my dress. When they came back to mine, they were wild and smoky.

  "Have a drink," I said, pushing a glass into his chest, hoping to shake his ravenous stare. He reached for it and shot it without ever even taking his eyes off me.

  I turned away and squeezed back to where Emily was. She had hopped onto the bar and was downing shots as Jason brought them, stopping occasionally to kiss his cheek. I saw her tongue side into his ear once as I came closer.

  "Em," I shouted over the pumping beat of the music. She retracted her tongue, and I pointed at Beck, who was now accompanied by Mik, Cam, and Clayton.

  Her eyes widened as she stared in our direction, and she wasn’t blinking. What the hell was wrong with her? She looked like she was going to be sick. Finally, she shook her head, like she was trying to rid it of a bad dream, then nodded and hopped from the bar.

  It didn't take long to acquaint Emily with everyone. She was easy to get along with and liked almost every person she’d ever met. Clayton, of course, took an immediate liking to her, but that didn't stop him from flirting with me all night.

  “Is there anything you don’tlook amazing in?” Clayton asked, and Beck reminded him, again, of my engagement.

  Mik seemed to like Emily, too. He could hardly keep his eyes off of her.

  The bar was becoming more packed by the hour and the band was great. They were a nineties cover band, and I knew every song they played.

  Once the liquor started flowing, I felt more like dancing. Beck sat at the bar, sipping beer, and Emily and I took the dance floor over. We stopped and sauntered to the bar for a shot every now and then, but we’d always resume our dancing. We loved to dance.

  I glanced over at Beck and found him watching me from the corner of his eye, a smoldering stare, as he casually sipped his newest beer. I watched him eyeing me from head-to-toe. I continued my dance with Emily, but I kept my gaze on him. He was leaned back, his elbows on the bar, his t-shirt pulled tight across his stomach. I looked away when he raised his beer bottle to his lips and a strip of skin peeked out from under his shirt hem.

  He slammed the empty bottle down onto the bar, slid from the tall stool, and sauntered over to us. He held out his hand to me and then to Emily. Emily cheered and took his hand, and I was more hesitant but followed her lead. He spun us both as we took his hands and then pulled us into his arms and back out again. He was spinning and dipping Emily, but his stare was locked with mine as I danced solo beside them. The seriousness in his eyes made me weak in the knees. His eyes scanned my body in full, and I suddenly felt naked, like he was stripping me there on the dance floor, in front of everyone. His eyes were burning and seemed to hold a promise, though I wasn’t sure what it was. I smiled casually as I slid past him and walked over and took a seat at the bar. Jason immediately slid me two shots, and I slid the empty glasses back to him.

  “That dress is too much.” Beck’s breath was wet against my neck.

  “What do you mean?” I spun the stool around to keep him from being too close to me.

  “I mean you look too good in it. It’s…dangerous.” He chewed at his lip, and I squirmed in my seat a little.

  “Hey, do you think Mik’s interested in Emily?” I veered away from the direction of our conversation.

  He turned to examine his friend and then said, “Maybe, but he doesn’t date. So, if she’s looking for a boyfriend, he’s not the guy.”

  I laughed inwardly at the thought of Em having a boyfriend. She’d never even been remotely interested in a guy that way. Well, aside from the Rick dude that she didn’t seem to want to talk about. So, Mik was probably right up her alley.

  “Cool, I’m gonna go dance,” I said and slid down from the bar stool.

  “Says the woman who claimed she ‘just didn’t want to dance’ a few minutes ago,” he mocked me.

  I smiled politely and continued past him, toward the floor.

  His fingers caught at my wrist. “Hey, I’m sorry,” he said into my ear. “I’m only messing with you. I shouldn’t, so I’ll stop, okay?”

  I nodded, and he was so close I felt his lips brush against my neck. “Thank you…” I slipped form his grasp and took my spot back on the dance floor.

  Emily was immediately in front of me, swinging her arms around and singing the lyrics at me. I glanced past her, at Beck as we spun around the floor. Her eyes met mine, and she gave me a suspicious eyebrow raise. I smiled innocently, hoping she’d not noticed me staring at him.

  Emily turned to thrust her ass into my front, shimmying and bouncing against me.

  Mik and Cam danced up beside us. “Hey!” I smiled at them. Cam handed me a shot glass, and I thanked her and shot it. She took the empty glass from me, and I slipped off to dance more.

  I noticed Mik eyeing Emily again, and I watched her to see if she’d noticed yet. She would want me to tell her if a guy was interested. And Mik was hot guy, which made it even more important.

  I scurried farther into the crowd of pulsing bodies until I couldn’t see my friends anymore. I needed to escape Beck’s smoldering gazes and touches. I danced as the alcohol swirled in my veins, and I begin to feel drunk. Tipsy was a thing of the past.

  I spotted Emily through the flail
ing arms of the tightly packed bodies, and she was doing her much-practiced mating call; dancing as provocatively as she knew how for some poor guy, I was sure.

  The guy slid into view, and I watched as his hands slid down the sides of her body and lingered at her thighs. He was pressed into her back, his nose in her ear, and she was completely laid back into his chest, their hips swaying together.

  The man’s arm was clutched at her stomach, his tattoo swirling out from the sleeve of his tee, and I froze. I watched as Beck slid his hands over her bare arms and chest, and she grinded against him aggressively.

  “Having fun?” Clayton’s voice was loud in my ear, and I spun and smiled at him. His smile grew wider, and I grabbed his hand and jerked him into me. His eyes were large with shock and probably confusion but it died out, and he wrapped his arms around my waist. He seemed to be holding back, most likely because he knew Beck had to be close by, so I made sure I was pressed into him firmly and suggestively.

  “What’s gotten into you?” he asked, but I put my finger to his lips and slid them into his shaggy, blonde hair. He took the hint and gave in to me. I felt his nose in my hair and his lips were all but touching my neck. He turned me so that my back fell into his chest, and I followed his moves until we were in sync. His hands were quick to explore me, and he took advantage of my sudden change of heart.

  He rested his hands on my hips and moved me so that I fell right into his movements. His hand slid to the center of my thighs, and I knew I should’ve pulled away from him, but I didn’t. I didn’t even like Clay like that, but I was furious from seeing Beck with Emily; I just wanted to reciprocate their shameless actions.

  Clayton shoved me and I stumbled forward into a group of guys who didn’t even seem to notice; they just kept jumping. I spun to see why the hell he’d shoved me, and I saw him staring at Beck, who was standing across from him, his eyes wild and angry looking. Clayton’s hands were thrown in the air—his white flag waving—and I realized that Beck had actually shoved him, and in turn, shoved me.