Chapter 71: Chapter Ten

Demetri

So, I officially looked like some creepy stalker. Really, it was a first for me. I mean, I liked Alyssa, but not enough to actually stalk her every waking move.

She must think I'm a total and complete lunatic. I wouldn't blame her if she burned my numbers tonight in a trash can and cast a spell over the fire to render me unconscious.

I tapped the pamphlet against my leg as I walked slowly around the darkened aquarium. It wasn't very impressive for being the one tourist attraction. In fact, it was quite small.

But the seals were kind of cool, and they did let you touch a lot of the animals. The five-year-old inside of me was pumping his fist in the air when they said it was okay to touch the octopus.

I sighed and walked by the miniature sharks, or whatever the heck they were called. My thoughts took me back to meeting the guy Alyssa had been with. Was he a boyfriend?

Maybe I read her all wrong. She didn't seem to appreciate his protective stance.

But even I had to admit he was some serious competition in the looks department. Obviously, I needed to be lifting more and stop being so lazy after work.

“Demetri?” I heard my name, and then a body ran into me so fast I nearly fell into the glass aquarium, to release the tiny shark to feed on every human in its wake.

“Lyssa? What's wrong?”

Her face was flushed, her nostrils flared. Was she crying?

I leaned in closer. She backed up as if scared. “I, uh, I'm scared of sharks.”

“It's in a glass cage.” I pointed out.

“You nearly broke it.”

“Because you ran into me.”

“Do you want to hang out or not?” she huffed.

What. The. Hell.

Something was up.

So I nodded my head and grabbed her hand. She didn't pull away.

I was never one for drama with other dudes.

Maybe it was because I always won, except when it came to my brother. Hence the need for drugs in the first place. I wonder what that said about my personality?

Rejection leads me down a path of destruction? Awesome.

At any rate, my motto had always been that when women someday take over the world, I'm going to need all the testosterone on my side that I can get.

“So where to?” I asked once we were out in the warm salty air.

Alyssa looked down the boardwalk. “Wanna go for a swim?”

“Do you have wetsuits?” Last year I tried to get Nat to swim with me in the ocean and nearly froze my toes off. She thought it was hilarious.

“Yup, follow me.” She led me down a few steps, then walked into a surf shop. “I need an extra large and an extra small.”

“The extra large is for me.” I winked at the lady behind the desk. She blushed.

Alyssa hit me. “Pretty sure that's obvious, Dem.”

“Aw.” I tilted my head to the side. “I have a nickname too!”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it kind of sounds like damn, which means to go to hell. I thought it fit.”

God, she was beautiful when she was feisty. “You care.”

“I don't care.”

“Admit it, you kind of do.”

Our argument was interrupted by the sales lady. I insisted on paying for the rentals.

Alyssa pointed out the dressing rooms, and I ran in to change.

Extra large was not large enough.

Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Who did they make these things for? Fifth graders?

I cleared my throat a few times and tried to give the boys some room. Hopefully, I'd still be able to reproduce after this little adventure.

I felt myself flush when I emerged from the dressing room. Alyssa had put her hair back and looked like a goddess.

Trying not to kiss her today was probably going to be the hardest thing I'd ever done. Even harder than giving up drugs. Hell, she was like a drug. I just wanted to be around her all the time.

“Ready?” She bit her lip and crossed her arms. Her eyes scanned me with amusement. “A little tight?”

“I'm fine.”

“You sure?”

“Let's go.” I put my arm around her and led her out of the store.

****

The water was just as cold as I remembered, but it was at least eighty-five out, so at least the air was warm.

“You ever use a skimboard before?” Alyssa called out to me.

“No, but I surf. I think I'll be okay.”

She shrugged.

I was not okay.

I fell on my ass at least twenty times while she skimmed by me like a pro.

“It's the wetsuit!” I shouted as I fell for the hundredth time.

“Sure it is!” She called to me as she yet again completed another perfect skim across the waves.

I gave up and lay down against the sand, letting the cold water run over me. Maybe if I pretended to need CPR she would have pity.

“What are you doing?” Her body cast a shadow over me, stealing my warmth.

“I'm cold. Hungry. I suck. Take me home,” I whined, though I would rather lie here all day with her than go home.

“You're cold because you're sitting there like a beached whale. You're tired because you keep falling, and you're hungry because we skipped lunch.”

“I like your deduction skills.”

She put her hands on her hips. “I like that you know how to use a word like deduction.”

I propped myself up on my elbows. “I did graduate from high school, you know.”

She patted my hand. Awesome.

“So you want to quit? I mean, you were the one that was banging down my door early this morning begging me to be your friend…”

“I didn't beg. Rock stars never beg.”

“You must be really lonely if you want me for company.” Alyssa blushed and looked away, licking her dry lips.

“I've been watching you.”

Shit. That came out wrong.

Her horrified glance told me I needed to make it better and fast. “I've seen you a few times around town and, honestly, ever since you yelled at me, I kinda realized something about myself.”

“Oh yeah?”

I nodded. “I like being yelled at. I like being held accountable. I thought, you know, since you have magic taffy powers, you could probably handle all my shit just as well as anyone.”

She sighed heavily. “I'm not so sure about that.” Without hesitation she jumped to her feet and attempted to dust the wet sand from her body. “Look, maybe this was a bad idea.

“Do normal people do that?” I asked, incredulous.

She grinned, nearly blinding me with the way her face lit up. “No, not normal, but you aren't really normal.”

“I prefer abnormally awesome.”

“Okay, abnormally awesome person I can't get rid of… What's the verdict? We going to quit and walk away friendless, or are you going to get your ass in the water and make me proud?”

I hung my head and cursed. “I'm not a quitter, but you need to at least show me how to do this. I feel like a four-year-old watching an Olympian.”

“Deal.” She held out her hand to help me up.

The next hour went way better than the first. I was actually starting to get the hang of it when a huge wave rolled in. I missed it and jumped off the board.

Alyssa was facing me, a huge grin on her face. The tide had started to come in, so the water was up past her waist.

Either she didn't see the giant wave heading for her, or she was going to go for it.

I tried running toward her, but the wave crashed on top of me. I spit out the sea water and swam to where I thought I saw her fall. My eyes burned as I dove into the water.

I saw a flicker of something dark. I reached out and touched it. The wetsuit.

With a curse, I pulled her to the surface. She wasn't moving. I knew we were close to rocks, but not that close.

My muscles burned as I swam for a few feet then carried her to the shore and put her onto the sand.

“Alyssa?” Frantic, I put my head against her chest listening for any sort of breathing. No sound.

I unzipped her wetsuit and began CPR, breathing into her mouth.

“Come on, baby, come on.” I breathed into her mouth again. A large red gash was bleeding from the top of her head. I needed to get help.

Just as I was getting ready to jump up and attack an old man who just happened by, she coughed up water.

I dropped to my knees next to her and rubbed her back as she coughed the sea water near my legs. Her lips were turning blue.

I pulled her into my lap and pulled down the rest of her wetsuit and covered her with the towel we'd brought out. I knew she was probably just in her bra and underwear, but she needed heat.

My skin sizzled as it made contact with hers. I wrapped my arms around her tightly and began running my hands fast over her arms.

“You scared the hell out of me.” My voice wavered.

“Sorry.” She croaked. “I didn't see the wave.”

“No shit.”

She laughed and looked up at me. “I promise it wasn't part of the plan.”

“Plan?” I didn't like that her teeth were still chattering.

“To drown so you'd give me CPR.”

“Oh, right.” I tucked her head under my chin. “Actually, you kind of stole my plan.”

“Sorry.”

“It's okay. Maybe I'll let you save me tomorrow.” My hands froze on her arms as the reality of what I just said hit me. Was that what I was doing? Using her to save myself? No.

I wasn't using her, but I wanted her. I wanted her more than I'd ever wanted another girl.

It had been years since I'd felt even close to this way about someone. The last time I did feel this way, she betrayed me and then died.

Talk about a poor track record.

I sighed and continued moving my hands over her arms.

“So you and Nat?” Alyssa whispered, her voice still sounding hoarse.

“Wow, news does travel fast in this town. To be fair, she was actually on the news with me for like an entire year.”

“Remember, I don't watch TV.”

“I thought you said you didn't have TV.”

“I lied.”

It was torture trying to keep my eyes from looking down at her chest, as her breathing slowly came back to normal. I clenched my teeth and looked away.

“What do you want to know?”

“You guys dated?”

“Yup.”

“What happened?”

“Lots happened.” I swallowed. It wasn't that I wasn't over Nat.

I just had a hard time talking about my own stupidity to a girl I was trying to impress, and I knew that if I told her the whole sob story she'd run away screaming.

I mean, I was a complete prick to my brother and to her. I didn't want Alyssa thinking that I was the same guy anymore. Because I wasn't.

“It's a long story. I'm happy for her, though, we're still really close.”

“That's it?” She pushed away from me and shivered.

I cursed and pulled her close again. “Tell you what. A secret for a secret.”

“W-what?”

“You heard me.” I reached down and tilted her chin up. “If I tell you something that's hard for me to discuss, then you need to tell me something that's hard for you. That way we'll be even.”

Alyssa tried to pull her chin away. I wouldn't let her.

She glared.

I smiled.

We were like fire and ice, and I loved it.

I could tell she was getting uncomfortable, because she refused to look at me; instead, she bit her lip. “I'll try.”

“Good.” I released her chin, but she didn't move to the position she was in before. Instead, she leaned forward.

Alyssa's lips were parted just slightly. Now that the panic was over, I remembered what they felt like to touch. Just one kiss. What girl freaks out over one kiss?

I cupped her face and touched my lips to hers, just barely. I didn't want to scare her, and I didn't want the kiss to be one of those kisses that happen after a near-death experience.

Her mouth was warm and inviting; it tasted like the ocean. I had never been one for good self-control. I used my tongue to part her lips, just a bit. I wanted to taste more.

She stiffened, and then opened her mouth.

I took full advantage.

My arms went around her waist, pulling her tighter against me. In the back of my mind, I remembered that my wetsuit was too tight for me to be in any state of arousal, but I didn't care.

Trouble. She was absolute trouble. Clearly, she had no idea how good of a kisser she was. As her tongue tangled with mine, her cold hands came up to cup my face.

I allowed myself to completely lose control. Never had I ever felt the need to be so vulnerable with another human being.

It scared the hell out of me.

I pulled back.

Her face was flushed, her lips swollen. I wished in that moment I could convey to her how beautiful she was to me, how wanted she was, how treasured she was.

I wanted to lay claim to her, but at the same time just hold her hand. I wanted to sleep with her, but at the same time, the idea was almost repulsive.

But it didn't keep me from wanting to give it to her.

To give her everything.

I sighed. “You're a good friend.” And insert nail into relationship coffin here.

I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up, not allowing her to say any sarcastic remark back. My lips found hers again as I twirled her around.

After a few minutes I pulled away and placed her on her feet. “Can you walk?”

“After the kiss or after my near drowning?” She lifted an eyebrow.

“Oh, I totally forgot you almost died. I was just thinking about the kiss,” I teased.

Her eyes widened and then a horrified look flashed across her face. She jumped away from me, jerking up her wetsuit. Without saying anything, she took off toward the boardwalk.

“Lyss, wait up.”

“Don't call me that.”

“What? Lyss, what happened?” I grabbed her wrist to try to get her to stop.

“This was a mistake. We can't be friends, Demetri. It won't work.”

“I agree.” I cursed. “I want to be so much more than that.”

What the hell was I doing? I'd known her a total of two weeks, and that didn't really count, considering I'd been stalking her! Drugs. I needed drugs, not a girlfriend!

Alyssa licked her lips and looked away. “I don't know if I can handle it.”

“And I can?”

She looked at me. I mean, really looked, as if she could see to the depths of my soul. “We're screwed up, you and me.”

“Don't I know it.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “But what if that's what makes us perfect for each other?”

“What if you take the one part of me that's finally started to breathe without crying?”

Her honesty shocked me. I didn't have any words to give her. I didn't think one mind-blowing kiss would cause us to get this serious.

“Slow.” I reached out to her, grazing her arm with my hand. “Let's go slow, because I really need a friend right now.”

“So it's about you?” Her eyes crinkled as if she was trying not to smile.

“Always is. I am a celebrity, you know.”

“Right.” She laughed and kicked some sand with her foot. “We should get cleaned up.”

“Dinner.” I blurted before I could retract the statement and punch myself in the face. “Let me cook you dinner.”

“Are you good?”

Confused that she would ask such a silly question, I laughed. “I'm good at everything. Yeah, I can handle dinner.”

Alyssa didn't look convinced.

“Please?” I was ready to get on my hands and knees. She was the first person since Cassie who had made me feel things I thought I didn't possess anymore.

With a huff she kicked more sand. “Fine, but no kissing.”

“I can't promise that I won't kiss you.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Fine, I promise I won't kiss you unless you ask me to.”

“Confident.” She arched an eyebrow and laughed.

I didn't really know what to say to that, so instead I leveled my gaze in a challenge. “I'll see you at seven.”

“But I don't know where you live.”

“The piece of paper you probably threw in the trash — my address is on that.”

“It's trash day. It's already gone.”

I sighed. “Do you really want to play this game? You know you dug it back out, minutes after you tossed it. So see you at seven.”

My self-control completely shot, so I left before I mauled her on the beach and had my way with her.