Toxic Secrets (9 page)

“Wow, I’m surprised,” he said shaking his head. “You seemed pretty blitzed last night. I thought for sure you would have either puked your guts out or woke up to a splitting migraine.” He stretched with a yawn before sitting up on the couch.

I couldn’t help to sneak a peek of the muscles straining against his sun-kissed skin as he stretched past the length of the couch. “Yeah, I’m pretty surprised myself. I guess I was given the ‘get out of hangover free’ card. I just wish I could remember what happened last night.” I found my chance to throw the memory loss in before I was questioned about the kiss.

Jaxon’s elbows were resting on the top of his knees with his body hunched over, rubbing his face with the palms of his hands then through his hair. He stopped all movements and turned his head to look at me incredulously when I revealed I had no recollection of last night. “Seriously? You don’t remember anything from last night?”

“Well, I think I remember everything up until about the time we left. I remember freezing my butt off outside, then falling asleep in Reed’s truck.” Shaking my head, I acted completely oblivious of any events afterward. “Nope, nothing else.” I hesitated. ”Oh God! Please don’t tell me I did something crazy, you have a look on your face that screams I did something I’m going to regret,” I exclaimed, trying to express a look of horror on my face.
That should make me sound believable enough.

“No, no, not at all. You umm… you were a sweetheart last night and I enjoyed our date,” he said grinning then looking away in thought. A teeny swarm of butterflies erupted in my stomach as I hoped that he was smiling from thinking about our kiss. “Actually, we all should get together again and do something fun before I go back to California.”

Literally, I reached up to touch my chin to make sure my jaw was not hanging open in shock of his statement. My mood slowly started to match the weather outside.

“Hold up… back up,” I frowned, holding my hand up to stop him from saying anything else. ”Seriously?” I asked, repeating his one worded question. “How could you enjoy my company when you were my full-time babysitter? What’s the fun in that?”

Jaxon stood up from the couch and handed me the remote control before making his way to the kitchen. “Sweet Cheeks, you are the best entertainment I’ve had since I’ve been in this God-forsaken little town. You want some coffee?” he asked, interrupting himself. “You have to remember where I’m from, and, to be honest, since I’ve been here, I’ve been contemplating suicide because this little town is boring as hell.”

Still stuck on the nickname he labeled me with, I had to know where it originated from. “Why do you keep calling me Sweet Cheeks? Are you making fun of my chipmunk cheeks?” My back faced him in the kitchen, and I was unable to see his expression to my confrontation, so I leaned around the recliner and looked back to gather a response.

“Does it bother you?”

“Please don’t ask me a question without answering mine first.” I scolded.

“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, and I won’t call you that again if it bothers you that much,” he said with genuine apology in his eyes.

I tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear that fell obstructing my view of Jaxon. “I didn’t say yay or nay if it offended me. I just want to know why you keep calling me Sweet Cheeks.”

Without hesitation, Jaxon confessed, “You have the two sweetest sets of cheeks I’ve seen on a girl.” He gave me a quick wink. “I think your chipmunk cheeks, as you call them, accentuate your beautiful face, and, I’ll just be honest—damn woman, you have one fine ass. I’m not apologizing for that comment, so don’t ask me to.” Jaxon continued making coffee as if what he just said wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I was dumbstruck.

Quickly, I turned back around in the recliner hiding the red heat I felt rising from my neck to the top of my head. I expected hot lava to burst out of my ears like a volcano. He made it obvious he was attracted to me, said he wanted to hang out more, abruptly stopped a kiss before it went any further, clearly stated he was a man-whore, and declared he wants to be my best ‘guy’ friend. At that point, I was righteously confused. In all probable cause, my best defense was to just go with the flow and let the chips fall where they may. If he wanted us to be friends, then we’d keep things platonic, but, if his interest spiked to another level, well I may just go against my better judgment and reconsider staying single.

“Thank you, I guess?” I said, still hiding behind the recliner.

Jaxon rummaged through Reed’s cabinets, most likely looking for clean coffee mugs. Reed only kept a limited supply of necessities to accommodate a bachelor. “Sweet Cheeks, don’t feel embarrassed. That was certainly a compliment. You should feel smug given that I hand those out very sparingly.” I jumped when I heard the cabinet door slam shut. “Damn, does Reed only own two coffee mugs?”

I wasn’t sure if he had asked me or a phantom because I was still hung up on his rare accolade. Jaxon started washing dishes, apparently giving up on finding any more coffee cups. “Do you drink your coffee black or do you like cream and sugar?”

Peering around the recliner, I soaked in the pleasant backside of Jaxon as he washed a few dishes. I wasn’t sure if I was tuning it out, but his throat sounds didn’t seem to be as annoying as last night. Aside from staring at his protruding, tight butt and clearly defined back muscles, I noticed two small angel wings wrapped around a heart on his right shoulder blade with writing etched inside the heart. They were pretty, and I wondered what they represented.

“I like cream and sugar, but don’t worry about it. I’ll fix it myself. I like my coffee sweeter than most people,” I said, getting out of the recliner to join him in the kitchen. I needed to guzzle a gallon of water before I enjoy any coffee. “By the way, where is Reed?” I asked, surprising myself with how I felt a little more comfortable in his presence. Reaching into the fridge, I grabbed a bottle of water. I quickly gulped it down before Jaxon could watch me.

Jaxon turned to hand me a cup he’d just finished drying. I dumped a little creamer and an overabundant amount of sugar into my cup. “He left right before you woke up to grab a few items from the grocery story. He said he wasn’t prepared for company and didn’t want to be branded as a bad host,” he chuckled as he filled my cup. “I told him it didn’t matter, that I was the one imposing—”

“You’re not the only one,” I interrupted.

“Well, I didn’t want to speak on your behalf. That wouldn’t be fair to you. Besides, you had a reason to stay. I didn’t.”

“So why did you?” I blurted, not meaning for it to come out loudly.

“I don’t know. I guess I wanted to follow through with my babysitting job until big bad dad got home,” he said laughing. “No, I’m kidding with you. Really I don’t know, I guess maybe I find that I just enjoy your company.” He smiled, showcasing his perfectly, white teeth and those dreamy dimples I was such a sucker for. “So… what’s on the agenda today?”

His question was a great way to avert another revelation of his.

“Work,” I deadpanned.

“All day?”

“No, not all day. Five until closing.”

He stayed quiet for a moment, except for a little throat clearing. Feeling his eyes on me, I looked up from staring a hole into my coffee to find them studying me. Quickly, I looked away, not wanting to make eye contact. He took a sip from his coffee, then started, “Well, how about we go out for lunch before you go to work, my treat?”

My first thought was what Phillip’s reaction would be if he saw me out with Jaxon. “I don’t know, Jaxon. Aren’t you sick of looking at me by now? I know I’m looking pretty close to death warmed over at this point.” I ran my fingers through my hair again, trying to untangle all the hair products Kendra swore was a necessity the night before.

“To be honest, I think you look pretty damn sexy with the fucked-up hair.” He reached out to thread a few strands through his fingers. “I don’t think it’s possible for you to look ugly. Few people are born with natural beauty. It’s a rarity, but you are one of those few truly blessed,” he said in a low raspy voice, holding my eyes with his intense stare. He must’ve seen my face quickly flush because he released my eyes giving a crooked grin. “Don’t feel uncomfortable with my observations. I call it like I see it,” he said matter-of-factly. “I believe in pure honesty. Sugar-coating the truth only results in heartache later. So, as a fair warning, if you don’t want the God-to-honest truth about something, don’t ask me.” He raised his eyebrows, walking out of the kitchen into the living room with a take it or leave it attitude. I made a mental note to never lie to him. It was obvious the truth was something of importance to him.  Already, I started off on the wrong foot with him when I told my first fib this morning.

Jaxon claimed his spot back on the couch hugging his coffee with both hands. “So we’re going to lunch, right?”

Doing what I did best, I gave in without a fight. “Sure, but I need to call Kendra. I’m sure she’s been blowing up my phone, and I need to go home to shower and change.”

Chapter 9 ~ The Caretaker and the Dictator

After a morning of true confessions with Jaxon, answering Kendra’s missed texts and phone calls, and Reed’s failed attempt at making us breakfast, I finally made it home. Jaxon had the bright idea for us to have lunch, but, having a better idea myself, I mentioned our plans to Reed and Kendra, inviting them to join us. Spending more time alone with Jaxon and his outlandish comments was not something I could endure twice in one day.

As soon as I walked through the door I jumped in the shower. The bathroom door creaked as my mother poked her head in. “Kendra wants to know if you can meet them at one o’clock instead of twelve?”

“Tell her that will be fine.” I could hear my mother repeating my words as she closed the door. Knowing her, she would keep Kendra on the phone, trying to find out who all “them” included.

I loved my mother more than anything in this world, and we had that mother/daughter relationship most girls dream about, well… we used to. We had always been very close, if you excluded the past three and a half years. When Phillip and I started dating and became more serious, I pushed her out of my life to put him first. Our constant fighting and bickering was usually due to Phillip. She thought he was the devil, and I thought he was God. They always say moms know best, and it turned out everything she ever said about him was right. He was poison to my mind and soul, and I nearly drowned in his toxic love.

Over the past month and a half, we had slowly built our relationship back up to where it used to be. I tried to spend time with her, talking and just hanging out when she was not working. My mom was a CNA at a nursing home and put in either twelve-hour shifts or eight-hour days six to seven days a week. She always claimed there was a shortage of caring and qualified nurses, plus the extra hours earned the extra income she deemed necessary. Therefore, we didn’t get to have quality time very often, so we would try to make the most of every minute we could. Going against her rules of not working until I graduated, I took a part-time job at the local theater as soon as I turned sixteen. I loathed the extra hours she worked to pay the bills, and I only felt it was fair to earn my own money to spend on gas, clothes, eating out, and other unnecessary luxuries.

Feeling as if I just washed a pound of make-up and hair products from my body, I added the pound back on by lathering myself in cotton candy-scented body cream. It was a favorite of mine that my mother kept in stock for me after Bath and Body released their new flavors for spring and summer. I lightly raked a wide-tooth comb through my wet locks, letting them dry naturally to prevent frizzing, and decided to spend a little quality time with my mom since I had an extra hour to spare. I could never get back the years we’d lost, but I was determined to make up for that crucially misplaced time.

Since I would be leaving straight from the restaurant to start my shift at the theater, I threw on a little make-up and my work uniform. Mom snuggled in a blanket on the couch watching one of her infamous love stories on Lifetime. Sitting on the couch with her, I cuddled up to her side under the fleece blanket and laid my head on her shoulder. Breathing in the smell of baby powder always made me think of comfort, soft skin, wisdom and love—the best way to describe my mom. We sat snuggled next to each other in silence watching her movie… and then the interrogation started.

“So, who is Jaxon?”

My assumption was right. She wasted no time finding out who I was having lunch with today.

“Oh, Mom, I know you have already asked Kendra for details, so why are you asking me something you already know?”

“I just wanted to hear your side, that’s all. Nothing more.” I could hear a smile in her voice.

 “He’s Reed’s cousin from California. What he’s doing here in North Carolina is beyond me, but I know he won’t be here for very long. I think he’s just visiting family for the holidays, but I’m not sure.” I started to pick at the fringes on the blanket. “We never really got the opportunity to sit down and chit chat last night. Loud music and dancing isn’t the best atmosphere for getting to know someone.” The tequila flowing through my veins had me knowing Jaxon on a completely different level, one I know my mom wouldn’t approve of. Turning my head, I gave her a sideways glance and a slight shrug. “That’s pretty much it.” Being honest with her, made me realize that I didn’t know much about Jaxon at all. I was ready to set up a little Q & A session at lunch today. I found Jaxon intriguing, and I wanted to know more about him.

“Aside from what little you know, did you like him? Did you have fun with him?” Mom asked.

Yes!
 Trying not to answer too quickly, I paused a moment. “Yeah, we had a pretty good time. He’s one heck of a dancer. You should see him move, Mom. He puts most hip-hop dancers to shame.”

Mom gave me an arched eyebrow response. “Does Phillip know you went out on a date?”

Doing a complete one-eighty, I turned to face her, wondering where this question stemmed from. “Nooo, not exactly,” I said, drawing my words out giving her a quizzical look. “Why do you ask?”