Poison Me

by Checketts, Cami

  She felt horrible. He’d planned an original date, and she’d acted like a brat over getting wet and being bitten by a few ants. “Jake, I’m sorry. We don’t have to go. I’m sure we’ll have fun once we dry out and I stop itching.”

  He smiled. “That sounded really convincing.” He set her on the ground, opened the back door of his truck, and retrieved a blanket. After wrapping it around her, he picked her up and carried her back to the shore, sitting her down twenty feet from the home of the biting ants.

  “Do you really want to stay?” he asked, his dark eyes searching her face.

  She pulled the blanket around her shoulders, relishing the warmth. “I really do. We can go to dinner anytime. How often do I get the chance to have an experience like this?”

  Shaking his head, he laughed. “Experience might be the right word.” He bent close, brushing his hand along her neck. “The bumps are disappearing. Will you be okay if we stay?”

  Her neck tingled from his touch. She’d gladly endure biting ants to feel his hands on her. She captured her lip between her teeth to stop it from quivering. “Yes,” she whispered. “Let’s stay.”

  “Do you think you can avoid any mishap while I get the equipment?”

  “I’ll try.”

  Jake left her on the blanket. Chanel watched him go, touching the spot where he’d brushed her neck. When he leaned into the truck, she strained to see him. He looked really good in damp American Eagle jeans.

  A few minutes later, he’d helped her bait a hook with a worm, and they were sitting side by side watching the water sputter along its centuries-old route.

  “Have you ever been in love?” Jake asked suddenly.

  Chanel placed her hands behind her, digging her fingers into the damp earth. She barely noticed the blanket as it slipped from her shoulders. “That was random,” she managed to say in an even tone.

  He smiled. “Got to draw you out somehow.”

  “Another set of twenty questions? I thought we were done with the rough part of the date.” She groaned. “I don’t know if I can take anymore.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I’ll be gentle. Now answer the question.”

  Chanel’s smile fled. She covered her birthmark with her fingers. “I’m twenty-six years old. Of course I’ve been in love before.”

  “Twenty-six and gorgeous.” Jake lifted a strand of damp hair and tucked it away from her face.

  She gulped, not daring to move. How could he be so good-looking and smooth, yet caring? She didn’t know if she could trust that the combination was genuine.

  “Why do you touch your birthmark so often?”

  Chanel quickly brought her fingers to her lap. “Just a nervous habit.”

  He nodded. “That’s good. I was afraid you were embarrassed about it.”

  “I used to be.” Chanel shrugged. “I used to cover it up to hide it. I guess I still do when I get uncomfortable.”

  Jake studied her. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

  “A little bit.”

  “I’ll finish twenty questions quickly. Number three, I think. How many times have you been in love?”

  Chanel rolled her eyes. “I am not telling you that.” She couldn’t look at him. Instead, she focused on the water dancing over the rocks, and the sun setting behind the mountain.

  “Tell me about the most recent,” he said.

  A laugh escaped on a breath. “You don’t give up, do you?” Nearby, she heard a woodpecker tapping out a rhythm.

  Jake’s fingers lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his dark gaze. “Not when I find something worth my persistence.”

  The sights and sounds of nature faded. There was only Jake, the warmth of his touch, and Chanel’s heart trying to explode out of her chest. He broke the contact, reaching for a broken sapling and stirring the water with it.

  “What was your last boyfriend like?” he asked.

  “A lot like you,” she muttered. Looking at Jake, Chanel saw Ace, the man she’d fallen so hard for she thought she’d broken every bone in her body. She shuddered, wrapping the blanket tighter around her legs.

  “Aha. He was a lot like me.” Jake stroked his chin. “Let me see if I can define my characteristics—sexy, smart, charming.”

  She shook her head. Her eyes focused and she could see Jake again. Thank heavens. “Yeah, all of the above. A real schmoozer.”

  “A schmoozer?” His brow wrinkled. “I’m a schmoozer?”

  “Sexy, smart, charming?” Chanel elevated a shoulder. “A definite schmoozer.”

  His fudge-colored eyes lost their warmth. “Ouch. That hurt worse than the hit to my shoulder.”

  Before she could explain away her comments or reassure him and herself that he wasn’t like her ex-boyfriend, Jake stood and checked the lines. Tossing his head, he muttered, “Not a darn nibble. You have to be patient when you’re fishing.”

  “I can do patience,” she said, grateful for the interruption of his dissection of her past love life.

  He looked at her. “Yeah. You are one of those types.” He smiled. “I like that about you.”

  Chanel blushed and looked down at the fishing pole in her grasp. She called him names, and he told her what he liked about her. If she kept this up, they’d never reach a third date.

  Jake sat next to her again, so close she could smell that tantalizing cologne. Her perfume had probably been washed off in the water, but he smelled and looked better than ever.

  He reached over and brushed his fingertips over her arm. “So, what happened to the first schmoozer?”

  Chanel sighed. “You just don’t give up, do you?”

  Jake shook his head. “Not often. What happened with you and him?”

  She tightened her grip on the fishing pole and let out a long sigh. “I left him.”

  “It hurt you to leave him,” Jake said softly, touching her face with his hand.

  She let herself lean into his touch before turning away, curling her legs underneath the blanket, and watching the stream. When would she forgive herself for loving Ace, for trusting someone who could betray her like he did? She didn’t think Jake was similar to him. She wouldn’t be here if she did. She should apologize for saying that, but didn’t know how to bring it up again.

  After several minutes of silence, she glanced at Jake. “What about you? Ever been in love?”

  He looked at her. “Once.”

  “Only once.” How many hearts in Preston, Idaho, must’ve ached to be that once. “What was she like?”

  Jake cleared his throat and looked away. “An angel.”

  He killed his girlfriend. Chanel pictured the beautiful blonde in Jake’s photo albums. “What happened to her?”

  His broad shoulders hunched. He pulled his baseball cap farther over his face but couldn’t hide the misery in his eyes. “She had to be with the other angels.”

  ***

  The Friday-night movie blared in the theater room. The janitorial staff quietly cleaned and organized the dining room in preparation for Saturday. Michael marched down the hall toward Ruby, a sparkle lighting his eyes.

  Unfortunately, all Ruby could see was Ellie’s frantic face as they parted moments before. “You search the first floor. I’ll take the second and third.”

  “Search for what?” Ruby asked.

  “Marissa. She’s got a cold, but that wouldn’t keep her from poker. She won’t answer her phone, and her door’s locked. We have to find her!”

  Ruby had searched with no luck. She felt a sudden chill. Where could her friend be?

  When Michael reached her, she instinctively extended her hands to him. He rubbed his thumbs gently along both her palms.

  “Marissa’s missing,” she blurted out.

  His brow furrowed. “Where have you looked?”

  “Ellie’s taking the second and third floor. I’m supposed to look down here, but I can’t find her.”

  Michael pulled her close and stroked her back. “We’ll find her. I’ll go search the
gardens and forest.”

  Ruby leaned back so she could see his face. “But it’s dark.” She shuddered. “Do you think she’s out there alone?”

  “If she is, I’ll find her. You keep looking inside. Ask some of the staff.” He jerked his chin towards the dining room. “Someone might have seen her.” He released Ruby and started to walk away, but turned to give her a smile. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be right back.”

  Ruby watched him go, then headed for the dining room. They had to find Marissa. They just had to.

  ***

  Jake jumped to his feet, effectively stopping Chanel from asking more questions about Angela.

  “I don’t think we’re catching anything,” he said. “Time for the second part of the date.”

  “I’m scared to see what else you have planned.”

  Jake laughed, and the tension faded from his face. “I can understand your concern.” He walked to his truck and returned with a pie box, paper plates, forks, and a thermos. He opened the box with a flourish. “Turtle cake from Coppermill.”

  Chanel looked in the box. “I’ve never heard of Coppermill, but this looks divine.”

  “What? You’ve never heard of Coppermill? Guess I need to take you to dinner tomorrow night.”

  She grinned. Even after this disaster he still wanted to be with her again. “Sounds good—and hopefully a bit safer than tonight.”

  Jake served her a piece of cake and waited until she took a small bite.

  She savored the perfect combination of brownie, chunks of dark chocolate, caramel, and pecans. “This is good,” she said and then swallowed. “Sorry to talk with my mouth full. That was gross.”

  “Nothing you do is gross.” Jake watched her as she took another bite. He brushed a crumb from her lips.

  She blushed. “Aren’t you going to have some?”

  “It’s more fun watching you eat it.” He cut himself a piece and poured them each a paper cup full of milk.

  “I love that you brought milk,” she said.

  “I drink a lot of it.”

  “Good boy. My dad owned a dairy farm for a few years.”

  “You a farm girl?” He smiled. “I can’t quite picture it.”

  “It’s true.” She took another small bite of her cake, trying to make it last as long as possible.

  “Where was this dairy farm?”

  “Iowa.”

  “Did you milk the cows?”

  Chanel licked her lips and caught him staring at her mouth again. “I milked once with my older brother. When we got home I washed my hair three times, but couldn’t get the stench of the barn out of it. I snuggled up to my dad on the couch and made sure he got a good whiff.” She winked. “Never had to milk again.”

  Jake arched a brow. “What a woman thing to do.”

  “I know. My brothers still tease me about it.”

  He’d hardly touched his piece of cake. “So Iowa to Vegas?”

  “No. I told you we moved around a lot. My dad could never quite find his niche. He lost the farm and then…” Chanel played with her plastic fork, feeling the familiar pang on her father’s behalf. “We tried Michigan, Louisiana, Colorado. When I got a scholarship to UCLA, I jumped at the chance to try out a new state.”

  She glanced at Jake. His eyes said he didn’t believe her.

  “You have no place to call home,” he said.

  “Not really.” She attempted a smile. “But I loved Iowa and the dairy farm.”

  Jake grinned. “Everything except milking?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Where are your parents now?” he asked, setting his plate aside.

  Chanel stacked her empty plate under his half-eaten piece, wondering how he could waste such perfection. “New Mexico.”

  “And you went from California to Vegas?”

  She met his warm gaze. “Yeah. After graduation I was offered a job with activities at Bally’s. It was great until…” She could’ve bit off her own tongue. It was one thing to tell him about her family, but Vegas was a subject they didn’t need to broach. “I just needed a change.”

  His eyebrows lifted. “Being ambiguous again.”

  “It’s a gift.” Her fishing pole bent. “Jake!” She tried to turn the reel, but her hands were shaking.

  He wrapped his hands around hers and helped her wind the line. The crickets chirped and the stream gurgled, but all Chanel could hear was her heart thundering against her chest.

  When she saw the fish, she laughed. “You didn’t tell me we were fishing for guppies.”

  Grinning, Jake pulled the line toward them, removed the hook from the fish’s mouth, and gently released the little creature back into the stream. “The fishing is more of a novelty.”

  After re-baiting Chanel’s hook, Jake cleaned up the dessert and walked back to his truck. Night was approaching quickly, the truck barely visible in the near-dark. She couldn’t see Jake, but moments later she heard the music. “Lazy yellow moon comin’ up tonight, shinin’ through the trees. Crickets are singin’ and lightning bugs are floatin’ on the breeze. Baby get ready…”

  Jake was standing above her. “You ready?” He offered her a hand up.

  When Chanel stood, they were only inches apart. “For what?”

  He took her hands and started dancing to the music, swinging her out, then into his chest. She laughed and tried to keep up. He twirled her, flipped her, and her favorite—pulled her in close a few times. Singing along to the song, she was having a great time until her bare foot struck a rock.

  “Ouch.” She let go of his hands and started hopping on the other foot.

  Jake lifted her into his arms as easily as a twenty-five-pound bag of sugar. “Are you okay?” He held her foot up, trying to inspect it in the near darkness.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I just banged it on a rock.”

  “I forgot you were barefoot.” His breath came in short puffs, his face inches away.

  “I’m fine,” she said, forgetting the pain as she reveled in his touch.

  The song ended and a slower song began. Jake swayed with her in his arms.

  “You should put me down,” she said. “I’m too heavy for you to hold.”

  He pumped his eyebrows. “I’ll put you down after.”

  Chanel’s breath caught as his peppermint-scented breath touched her cheek. “After what?” she whispered.

  Jake’s lips pressed against hers and she didn’t need another answer. She wrapped her arms around his neck, lifting herself closer into his embrace and returning the pressure on his mouth. Pleasure radiated from her lips and throughout her body. He gently set her on her feet, wrapped his arms around her back, and continued working his magic on her mouth.

  Suddenly, the music stopped. Then a car door slammed and tires squealed into the night. Chanel jumped and pulled away from Jake. They stood watching the vehicle’s taillights disappear.

  “That was weird,” she said.

  “Weird?” he asked. “Maybe I need to try it again and see if I can get a better analysis.” He kissed her and she responded wholeheartedly, trying to remember if Ace’s touch had ever felt this good.

  When Jake finally released her and she could speak again, Chanel said, “I didn’t mean the kiss. I meant the music stopping and that car.”

  Jake laughed. “I know what you meant, I just wanted an excuse to kiss you again.”

  “You don’t need an excuse,” she said, her face growing warmer.

  His hand trailed up her arm and to her face. He stroked her cheek with a feather-light touch, then bent to touch his lips to hers again. “So I can do that anytime I want?” he asked against her mouth.

  She captured his mouth with her own. Much later she pulled away and said shyly, “Sure, if I can have the same privileges.”

  He chuckled. “Sounds like a fair trade.”

  A car drove past, its wheels spewing gravel at Jake’s truck. He winced. “Wonder if that’s the same idiot that came by before.”

&
nbsp; Chanel shivered, suddenly afraid of the dark night.

  He wrapped his arm around her. “You’re cold.”

  She tried to smile. “My clothes haven’t dried out yet.”

  Jake lifted her into his arms and carried her to the truck.

  “You’ve really got to stop doing that,” she said. “You’re going to break your back.”

  “It’d be worth it.”

  He settled her into the truck and hurried to retrieve their fishing gear and the blanket. Then he climbed in the driver’s side, tucked the blanket around her, and stole a quick kiss.

  He pulled away from her and reached to turn the key but stopped. “The interior lights didn’t come on,” he muttered. He flipped a few switches. Nothing happened. “They didn’t just turn the music off,” he said.

  Jake leaned across her and retrieved a flashlight from the glove box. After popping the hood latch, he swung open his door. Chanel waited, wondering what was wrong and praying she wouldn’t have to walk back to the retirement center in heels or barefoot.

  Less than a minute later, he closed the hood and opened the truck door. The interior light illuminated the cabin. He climbed into the truck, and the engine fired on his first try. He gave her a tight smile. “Those kids must’ve thought they were funny.”

  “What did they do?” She clutched the blanket between her fingers.

  “Nothing big. Disconnected the battery cable.”

  A shiver ran the length of her spine. “Do you think they were just messing around?”

  Jake untangled her fingers from the blanket and wrapped his hand around hers. “Kids don’t have much to entertain them when they live this far away from the city.”

  Chanel clung to him. “Guess I’ve spent too much time in Vegas where you have to be cautious.”

  “Yeah. There’s nothing to worry about in a safe little town like Preston.” He winked and pulled her closer. “Besides, you’ve got me.”

  She laughed. “How could I need anything else?”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ruby watched Jake walk Chanel to her apartment door. With one arm around her waist, he drew her close and brushed his lips over hers. “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow,” he said against her lips.