Toxic Secrets (17 page)

Reed and David walked into the room, arms loaded up with presents, inevitably deflecting the unease floating around the room. “Jaxon, how about you get your butt over here and help us out instead of trying to woo these women with your mad piano skills?” Reed laughed.

Jaxon flashed a dimpled smirk at me before spinning back around on the bench, facing the piano. “I’ll pass. I’m not finished charming these ladies with my
other
talents yet,” he joked, laughing loudly.

When he grinned at me specifically and no one else, he threw me off balance. Especially since he had been ignoring me for the majority of the night. Attempting to gain my mental stability once again, I wondered if anyone else had caught on to how he had just emphasized the word ‘other’… or was I the only one with my mind in the gutter?

Suddenly, the room filled with a rich, soulful voice as Jaxon started singing ‘The Christmas Song.’ Everyone froze, surprised, and stopped what they were doing. Even David and Reed paused to watch Jaxon as his fingers flowed effortlessly over the piano keys, singing in perfect harmony. By the time Jaxon crooned through the first chorus, Kendra had made her way over to the piano, synchronizing their voices together. She carried a smooth tenor voice that matched with his perfectly.

I was utterly impressed by his musical talents. Music was food for the soul, and tonight Jaxon was spoon-feeding me his melodic capabilities.

Unfortunately, the night ended far too early. It was the best Christmas Eve dinner I’d ever had at Kendra’s, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Jaxon’s presence had anything to do with it. I couldn’t wait to get home and charge my iPad, an extravagant gift from David and Diana who went above and beyond on Christmas. Kendra had pouted over my gift because she’d felt like the all-day spa voucher her and Reed gave me wasn't enough.

With all the gifts I received tonight, the unexpected one from Jaxon stood out to me the most—a sterling silver elephant ring. It was the cutest and most unique thing I’d ever seen. The face and trunk wrapped around the finger, meeting up with the tail. I was baffled when I opened the gift, knowing I’d never told him about my elephant obsession. I’d pulled Kendra aside and asked if she had told him about my love for elephants, but she’d said no. Who would’ve ever thought I would receive two meaningful pieces of jewelry from two guys in the same day? Not me, that was for sure. I had to make sure I was careful when wearing them, too. I didn’t want to cause another stir with anyone again.

Gathering our gifts to carry out to the car, Jaxon took my gift bags from my hands. "Here Sweet Cheeks, let me carry your stuff for you. We don't want you to complete that fall you started when you first got here," he laughed.

Trying to cover-up blushing from embarrassment, I playfully smacked him on the arm.

He swung his arm out like he was about to hug me, then abruptly stopped and dropped it down to his side. He quickly crammed the empty hand into his front jean pocket. "Are you sure you're going to be okay driving in this cold, wet mess?"

"I'm fine. David checked the roads and said it's just rain and the temperatures are no longer below freezing." We stood there staring at each other in an awkward silence. "Thank you, again, for my ring. I wish I'd known so I could've bought you a gift.”

"Courtney, really, it's okay." He cocked his head to the side looking at me sheepishly. "I'm a giver, not a taker. Besides, spending the day with you was enough for me."

I resisted the urge to hug him one last time. His sweetness melted my heart. Regretfully, I simply sighed instead.

We said our goodbyes, and I was driving into my neighborhood when I swore I passed Maryann’s Cadillac. It was hard to tell through the rain and fog. I couldn’t figure out what she would be doing in my neighborhood at eleven o’clock at night in this treacherous weather. As I pulled in the driveway, though, realization dawned on me. I was ninety-nine percent sure Phillip was in that car, possibly stalking me… again.

Chapter 15 ~ Snow Princess

Christmas came and went too quick to enjoy, right along with the remaining days of the week. I’d spent every day and night until New Year’s Eve laboring away at the theater. I had volunteered to work more hours to make that extra buck to replenish my savings. Between Christmas and the upcoming ski trip, my bank account was nearly bone dry.

Phillip surprisingly kept his word by sending me various text messages on a daily basis, telling me again how thankful he was that I was giving him one last chance. It freaked me out seeing Phillip behave anything other than bipolar. I loved the rueful personality he had introduced. I just hoped it was here to stay. No matter how much I wanted to accept the new and improved him, my gut kept telling me to remain leery. I guessed time would tell.

Jaxon surprised me first thing Christmas morning by sending me a text saying ‘Merry Christmas’ and how thankful he was for allowing him to be part of our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. At first I thought his message went out as a group text, but, when I had asked Kendra about it, she’d said she never received any messages from him. He also stated how it was the best Christmas celebration he’d experienced in several years. Was it coincidental that we both adored that night more than the past Christmases? Why couldn’t I have met him a year from now? It would have definitely made life a little easier for me at the moment.

Knowing that I didn’t have the extra cash on hand, Kendra let me borrow one of her chic ski suits. I was decked out in all white, trimmed in sapphire. The light blue lining sort of reminded me of Jaxon’s eyes. From my bibs, coat, gloves, boots, and ski goggles, I was looking totally trendy. Even my head warmer was stylish. Standing in front of the mirror admiring myself, it didn’t matter how many times I twisted and turned, I found nothing in the outfit to flatter my curvy figure. Even though I was wearing the most fashionable ski attire to walk the runway, I felt more like the abominable snowman. I loathed having to wear bulky clothes. They always highlighted my chubby cheeks, making me look like I was storing nuts for the winter. Fretting over my appearance was solely because of Jaxon. Secretly, I wanted to look appealing to him.

After removing the bibs, I folded them up and placed them in my duffel bag. I left my hair in its natural state—curly and unmanageable. Not wanting it to hinder my ability to ski, I decided to pull it up tight in a ponytail. I applied a little mascara over my short eyelashes to bring life to my sleepy eyes and painted on tinted gloss to hide my corpse-ridden lips. Death warmed over wasn’t exactly the look I was going for. Getting up at five o’clock in the morning so we could leave by six was unheard of. My brain didn’t function at that hour.

I left mom a note, letting her know I should be home around nine o’clock that evening. She despised technology, so sending her a text would’ve been a waste. Over the last two weeks, I had barely even seen her. Between the extra hours we both were putting in at work, it felt more like we lived alone. We were lucky to even have Christmas morning together.

The raucous sound of a horn reverberated through the house. I grabbed my duffel bag and phone before braving the freezing cold. My tummy started twisting in tight knots as a nervous surge shot through me. I would have been lying to myself if I said I wasn’t excited to spend the whole day with Jaxon. Nobody but me needed to know that minor detail, though.

As I ran to the truck’s back door, Reed still felt it necessary to pound on his horn. I was mortified. Regardless of whether my neighbors had to work or were off on vacation, I didn’t think they’d appreciate the boisterous noise.

As soon as I opened the truck door, Reed, Kendra, and Jaxon were laughing so hard they could barely breathe. “Would you stop it, Reed?” I exclaimed seething and speaking through a clenched jaw. “You’re going to wake up the whole freakin’ neighborhood. It’s six o’clock in the morning, you ass!”

Reed was trying to catch his breath, “You… are… so… easy.”

He started laughing even harder. I glared at him then whipped my head to the side, shooting Jaxon the same look. Once Jaxon had registered my expression, he turned to look out the window, stifling a full-fledge belly laugh.

“Screw you, Reed. Screw all of you!” I huffed, reaching up to smack Reed in the back of the head. “Who’s next?”

He jerked his head out of my range. “Ow!” He exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. “What the hell, Courtney? We were just having a little fun with you. Damn, you didn’t have to get all violent with me.”

Not able to hold it in any longer, I started giggling. “Dang, Reed, you don’t have to act like a little candy-ass. I was just having a little fun with you,” I said, mocking him. Kendra and Jaxon started laughing louder, making jokes at Reed about how he got schooled by me.

“You think you’re cute, do ya? Well, let’s see how cute you think you are now,” Reed chuckled, laying on the horn as we drove through the neighborhood.

Lunging my entire body toward the front of the truck, I used all my strength to pull Reed’s arms off the steering wheel. He had them laid across it, using his elbows to press the horn. “Stop, you crazy lunatic!” I tried shouting in between laughing.

Just as I was able to slightly tug Reed’s arms of steel, I felt my ribs under attack, sending me into a thrashing frenzy. My limbs were flying in every direction, waiting to make contact with something or someone. Kendra quickly let go, taking cover. It was my best defense mechanism, and it worked every time.

I sank back in my seat, breathing heavily, drained like I had just competed in a Tough Mudder.

Everybody was still laughing, including me. “You almost made me piss my pants, Kendra,” I muttered, then slapped my hand over my mouth.

As soon as I said it, I was horrified. I’d been so caught up in our teasing, that I’d forgotten Jaxon was sitting right next to me. Kendra, Reed, and I were all contented enough in our own skin to be as crude as we wanted, and we usually were, but I wasn’t comfortable enough with Jaxon yet to show my true colors.

Apparently, it didn’t seem to faze Jaxon at all seeing that he handed me a napkin, telling me I could probably fold it up so it would fit in my panties. “I would give you a pad, but I don’t use them. I prefer tampons,” he said straight-faced. Of course, Kendra and Reed started with the cackling laughter again.

My face was burning from such intense heat that my hair should probably have burst into flames. As usual in Jaxon’s presence, I was lost for words.

I was too embarrassed to look at him as I heard him chuckling lightly beside me. I snuck a peek, finding him watching me, assessing my reaction. He gave me his deep, dimpled grin then curled his forefinger, giving me a come-here motion. Not trusting him, I gave him a skeptical look.

“Sweet Cheeks,” he whispered, curling his finger again for me to move closer. I decided to see what he wanted so I scooted close to him. I was about to jump back when his face leaned in close to mine. Reaching up, he cupped his hand around my ear. The smell of peppermint lingered as I felt his warm breath spread across my neck. His lips faintly brushed my earlobe as he whispered, “It was Kendra’s idea to harass you. She used the whole celibate threat if he didn’t follow her orders. Cut him some slack. Please?” The word please lingered on my ear much longer than necessary, and it sent shivers up my spine.

Not sure if I was imagining things or if I was wishing for them, but I swear he smelled my hair before pulling away.

Trying not to draw any attention, I nodded without looking at him.

“What are you two being so quiet and sneaky about back there?” Kendra and Reed both asked simultaneously. Kendra turned completely around in her seat to get a better view of us.

Jaxon cleared his throat, shaking his head, “Nothing, I was just letting Courtney know I was just teasing her.” He looked over at me giving me a wink. My eyes shot up to Kendra really quick to see if she had seen the wink, but thankfully she had already spun back around in her seat, ignoring us. Once Reed shouted ‘deer,’ she became too focused on catching a glimpse of one running across the highway.

My heart was pounding so hard that the beat was vibrating through my ears. I tried to control my breathing without making it noticeable. At this moment, I was very happy to be layered in winter clothing so that my chill bumps would be hidden.

Was it really necessary for him to tell me that little secret in such an intimate way? Should I have taken his gesture as flirting, or did he encompass a natural swag? Was he going to give me the cold shoulder now? Was I overthinking things?
God! He confused the hell out of me.

The two hour drive to the ski resort passed all too quickly. After our goofing around and possible flirting, I fell asleep.

Stirring from my slumber, I faintly heard Jaxon’s voice and felt him nudge my shoulder. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We’re here. Time to hit the slopes. Reed and Kendra are already on their way to the front office.”

As I woke up, I found that I had been leaning on the palm of my hand against the window, and, because of this, my hand was asleep, giving me no warning of the drool puddled up in my palm. Once I felt wetness on my cheek, I knew I had to quickly recover before anyone saw. Facing my window, I discreetly reached down, wiping the wetness onto the seat of the truck. Reed would kill me if he knew I smeared saliva on his baby, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

I groggily stumbled out of the truck as a mixture of bitter cold and snowflakes danced across my face. “Did the forecast call for snow today?” I asked Jaxon across the back of the truck as he was putting his gloves on.

“Reed said it was calling for a couple of inches up here, but nothing to interfere with our plans,” he shrugged. He didn’t seem too concerned so I chose not to worry about it either.

My teeth chattered as I quickly put my bibs and pulled my puffy coat back on. I looked around, assessing the resort. My eyes widened like saucers as I gauged the steep slopes. I felt a twinge of sickness punch me in the stomach. Jaxon grabbed me around the shoulders, pulling me against him. “Don’t worry, we won’t make you ski the Black Diamonds on your first try,” he chuckled. “I’ll save those for last.”