Toxic Bad Boy (7 page)

Some moments were so
important they burned into a girl’s memory forever. After so long
apart, meeting Caleb’s hazel eyes across the visitation room
instantly became one of those.

CALEB

The kid behind me nudged
my shoulder as I stood still in the doorway. It had taken only a
heartbeat for me to recognize her, despite the darker hair. She
looked incredibly beautiful.

She also looked
scared.

With a deep breath ending
on a
whoosh
, I
approached the table she sat at. The expression in those pretty
blue eyes was a mixture of nervous and cautious. The pink staining
her cheeks charmed me, but I didn’t like her discomfort. Even in
our changed circumstances, we were still
us
.

She got to her feet as I
rounded the table, pulling her up for a brief hug. We were only
allowed a hug at the beginning and end of a visitation. I wouldn’t
miss either of my chances. Fuck, she smelled like perfection. With
her face tucked into my chest and my eyes squeezed shut, I could
pretend for those short seconds nothing bad had happened to my
girl.

Reaching for her hand, I
took the seat across from her. I wanted her right next to me, but
it was against the rules. Normally, breaking the rules wouldn’t
bother me but I couldn’t risk them banning Gianna from visiting
again. Besides, they had her down as my stepsister. The things I’d
be tempted to do with her next to me would raise
eyebrows.

Her palm was so soft as it
trembled in my larger one. Covering it with my other hand, I gave
her a reassuring squeeze.

“
How are you, Caleb?” she
asked, looking shyly at the tabletop.

“
Good, now that you’re
here,” I answered while handing her the gift bag. “Happy
Valentine’s Day, princess.”

Her smile was small as she
took the bag. Reaching in, she began pulling out the painting.
“Oh!” Her smile grew and her eyes lit up. “I remember this! It’s
really good, Caleb. Thank you.”

“
Next year I’ll take you
somewhere special for Valentine’s Day.”

Her lashes dropped,
shielding her thoughts from me. Placing the painting carefully onto
the table, she pushed a giant, heart-shaped box of chocolates
toward me. “I got you something, too.”

Pulling off the lid, I
popped one into my mouth. “Almost as delicious as your-”

“
Shh!” she interrupted,
blue eyes bugging out of her head.

I glanced down at her
chest and mustered an innocent expression. “What? I was gonna
say...lips.”

“
Caleb,” she began
hesitantly.

From her face, I guessed I
wouldn’t like what she would say next. Changing the subject, I
said, “Ian is going to be so jealous and I’m not
sharing.”

Her dark blond brows drew
closer. “I thought you two were friends now.” Her gaze darted to
where Ian sat with a girl wearing a skintight red dress that
showcased long legs I thankfully didn’t ever remember having
wrapped around me.

“
Ugh, maybe.” I devoured
two chocolates at once. “But he’s still a prick.”

Catching Ian’s eyes,
Gianna waved at him. He winked in response. Definitely a prick. “Is
that girl related to him?” she asked, knowing the visitation
guidelines.

“
A second cousin,” I told
her with a straight face.

Gianna took in the lustful
look the girl gave Ian. “Ew!”

I chuckled at her
disgusted demeanor. “I’m surprised your mom didn’t come with you to
visit me.”

“
Ha, ha,” she replied, a
grin curling her pretty pink lips. “Actually, you remember my
friend Gage I told you about on the phone last weekend?”

“
Yes,” I confirmed
slowly.

“
He gave me a ride. He’s
parked outside, waiting for me.”

Waiting for
her
. I hated the sound of that. I was the
one waiting for her. Waiting for the freedom to kiss her anytime I
chose. Waiting for the feel of her naked body against mine. Waiting
to be inside her again.

I couldn’t completely hate
this Gage guy. After all, he did bring my girl to me. “He touches
you, I kick in his face the minute I’m out of here.”

Fidgeting nervously,
Gianna whispered, “Caleb, he’s just a friend.”

“
Tell me you love me,” I
ordered her.

Her face relaxed, features
softening. “I love you, Caleb.”

I leaned in so our
foreheads touched. “I’m glad you came, pretty girl.”

“
Really?”

I didn’t like the surprise
on her face.

Scanning the room to make
sure the guards weren’t paying attention, I tilted her chin up to
steal a quick kiss. “Of course. I’ve missed you. Six more months
and we won’t have to be apart ever again.”

“
Really?” she repeated,
tears glistening, making her eyes shine like
aquamarines.

Screw the
guards
.

Gianna tensed as my lips
met hers, parting her mouth at my coaxing. The kiss went deeper as
I got lost in everything Gianna. A guard tapping my shoulder
brought me back to reality and I reluctantly pulled away. Breathing
hard, Gianna flashed an embarrassed look at the guard, muttering an
apology.

It was encouraging for the
future that she’d only stiffened at the beginning of our kiss. A
few hours with Dr. Adler had been spent discussing the continuation
of mine and Gianna’s sex life after I was released. I hoped for
things to return to normal, but Dr. Adler had warned that Gianna
may be hesitant.

With us now behaving, the
guard walked back to his post against a wall and I squeezed
Gianna’s hand. “Sorry, I got a little carried away.”

Her lashes lowered again.
“You still want me like that?” she questioned softly.

“
I always will. Nothing
could change that. I love you, Gianna.”

She leaned back in the
plastic chair, pulling her hand from mine. “I’m not the same,
Caleb.”

Reaching up, I fingered a
strand of her darker hair. “Yes, you are.”

Her head shook in an
attempt to deny my words. “Is there a restroom I can
use?”

“
A guard will show
you....” I said, trailing off as she jumped off the bench, already
heading straight for a guard stationed near the door.

GIANNA

Leaning against a stall
door in the women’s restroom, I managed to breathe through my
anxiety, holding off a full-blown panic attack. Every time I
freaked out, it got easier to deal with. The guard had escorted me
out of there before I’d completely spazzed out in front of Caleb. I
was trying to be the girl he met and dreaded him witnessing how
pathetic I’d become.

In front of the sink, I
studied the polished stainless steel sheet mounted to the wall
which served as a mirror. Wiping a finger under both eyes mostly
fixed my smudged makeup. I really did want to look pretty for
Caleb, but when I looked in the mirror all I saw was ugly. I’d even
worn my nicest heeled boots in a stupid attempt at being
attractive.

I felt like a fraud. My
mom was wrong. I was the one who wasn’t good enough for
Caleb.

Exiting the bathroom, the
guard escorted me back to visitation. Caleb had to hate being
treated that way. I was only getting a small taste of what life was
like for him in here.

I stopped by Ian’s table
on my way back to Caleb. Ian rose to his feet with a warm smile,
pulling me into a hug. “How you doing, beautiful?”

Ignoring his concerned
look, I forced myself to appear cheerful. “Really good, Ian. I
can’t wait till you and Caleb get out of here.”

Rubbing my back, he
gestured to the girl who glared at me. “This is my friend, uh,
Trisha.”

“
Hi,” I offered. After an
awkward moment where she simply stared unhappily at me, I said,
“See you later, Ian.”

Ian glowered at his
cousin, or whatever, as if he were about to bitch her out. “Yeah,
sure, next time you come.”

Hugs from Caleb and Ian
didn’t bother me, but the thought of sharing more than a kiss with
Caleb scared me.

CALEB

“
I like your hair,” I told
Gianna as she returned to her seat. It was a total lie. I wanted
her as she was naturally, but I figured females liked to try new
hair colors and the men in their life were duty bound to compliment
the changes.

“
Thanks. I like your hair,
too.” She reached out to stroke the fuzz on my head. Her touch was
as nice as I’d imagined earlier. “And you look bigger,” she
remarked, scanning my chest and arms.

“
Working out helps kill
time.”

“
I have a session with the
crew this afternoon.”

Shifting in my seat, I
thought of Jared lying in wait. “Any big plans tonight?”

She shrugged, picking a
chocolate out of the box. “Gage wants to see a movie. I’ll probably
ask Cece if her and Dante want to come.”

“
Like a double date?” I
asked in disbelief.

“
No,” she drawled
irritably. “Not like a date, like friends hanging out.”

“
Say you love me again,” I
commanded.

She huffed, faking
annoyance. “I love you, sometimes.”

“
Brat,” I teased. “My
brat.”

“
Ten minutes!” a guard
announced to the room.

“
Shit!” I hissed, my chest
weighted at the prospect of being separated from her
again.

“
I’m sorry,” Gianna
whispered. “It’s my fault you’re in here.”

“
It’s not your fault.” I
played with her fingers, wanting to hold onto her and never let go.
“Just promise you’ll come back soon.”

“
I promise,
Caleb.”

“
This sucks.” Memorizing
her face, I realized six more months would feel like a lifetime in
purgatory. “I want lots of pictures.”

“
I’ll send them,” she
assured me with a squeeze of my hand.

“
I’m gonna miss the fuck
out of you until you come again.”

“
Soon, I
promise.”

“
Stand up so I can kiss
you again.”

My pretty girl complied
and I held on to her until a guard ordered me to back
off.

Us inmates filed out
first. I took a last look back at her. I expected her to be doing
the same, but her head was in her hands.

The gesture alarmed me and
I was jittery for the next couple hours. At the first opportunity,
I requested phone time. Pulling a piece of paper from my pocket, I
dialed the number Ian had written on it for me.

He answered on the fourth
ring. “Hello.”

“
Gage?”

“
Who’s this?”

“
Gianna’s boyfriend,
Caleb.”

“
Oh,” he said slowly as
recognition hit. “Why are you calling me?”

“
So, you’re Kara’s
brother?”

“
Yeah. So you’re the one
who’s paying me?”

“
No,
Ian’s the one with the fat wallet. I’m just the
boyfriend
who got a hold
of Kara so she could help find someone to enroll at Gianna’s new
school.”

“
What that Josh guy did to
her messed with her head.”

Dr. Adler often urged me
to get past my anger. She asked the impossible. “Yeah, well next
time I put that fucker in the hospital, I’ll make sure it’s the
basement morgue.”

Gage grunted, whether in
censure or agreement I wasn’t sure.

In a rough voice, I warned
him, “Listen, I only need you to watch out for her until I get out
of here in August. Under no circumstances let her find out Ian and
I hired you. If that happens, she’ll pull away from the friendship.
From what Dante has said, she isn’t opening up to Cece, so your
other job is to get her to open up to you.”

“
Hey, it’s no hardship,
man. I hated Broomfield anyways and it was time for a change of
scenery. Living with my grandma is better than living with my
parents. Besides, Gianna is a cool girl and I like hanging out with
her.”

It killed me that he got to spend that time with
her. “Just remember, you’re getting paid to look out for her, so
don’t be stupid enough to fall for her. She’s
my
girlfriend and she’ll still
belong to me when I get the fuck out of here.”

“
Dream as if you’ll live
forever. Live as if you’ll die today.

-James Dean

MAY

seven months down, three
to go....

CALEB

Gianna would be going to
prom with someone else. I hung up the phone, leaning back in my
chair as I exhaled deeply. It had taken all my control to hold back
my displeasure when Gianna told me over the phone she’d be
attending prom with Gage.

Instead of raging or
whining, asking her not to go to prom at all since it wouldn’t be
with me, I’d encouraged her to go. Miraculously, I hadn’t choked on
the words. Assuring her I wanted her to go next weekend and
have
fun
had been
difficult.