"Are we going already?"
"Sure," he says again, flicks the cigarette butt aside, and walks around the car.
Delsin sits down in the passenger seat and flips down the sun visor. He studies me in the small mirror. "Did your friends give you a hard time?"
I shake my head. "Not really."
"What is it then? You look a little pissed off," he decides.
"Maybe that's because they were trying to convince me that you're the devil in a skater disguise," I grin.
Delsin laughs. "Not the devil himself. I'm more like a demon ... an evil incubus who sucks away the energy in a woman's body ... with sex."
"You're the devil incarnate alright," Avery chimes in gleefully and starts the car.
I can't help laughing again now, too.
After a while, Ave turns on the radio, probably because the car is filled with an awkward silence. My favorite song comes on and I start to sing along softly.
"You have a nice voice, Camille," Delsin suddenly says, studying me again in the visor's mirror.
My reflection blushes. "Um ... uh, thank you."
"No need to get uncomfortable. Raise your voice. It's much nicer than this crow's one," he says with an encouraging smile.
"I don't think she's a crow," I say sheepishly.
"Who isn't a crow?" Ave asks.
"Pink," I say.
"Right, I'm with Camille. She's not a crow at all. She has an impressive voice," he says.
"Of course you're taking her side," Delsin smirks.
***
After the guys have discussed the singer and her songs for a while longer, we arrive at the beach. We find a place close to the water's edge. I am still wearing my top and skirt, because I don't feel comfortable showing my body in a bikini. At home this isn't a problem, as I can lie behind the house where nobody can see me. It feels strange though on a public beach.
"Where are you from, Camille?" Delsin asks.
"Texas."
"That's where your cute accent comes from," he grins.
I shrug.
"Aren't you warm?" he asks when he lies down next to me.
"I'm dying! But the fact is, I have no sunscreen, so I'd rather not get undressed.”
Delsin pulls his bag closer and pulls out a bottle of sun oil. "Want me to put it on you?"
I exhale, and my bangs fly up. "Okay." I get up again and pull my skirt down. Delsin isn't wearing his shirt anymore, but I didn't notice that before. His body commands my attention now, while I step out of my skirt and sandals.
He is staring at me. "Do those legs ever end?" His eyes wander down my legs. "Oh, there they do." Then he smiles up at me.
I suppress my own smile and pull off my top. Then I sit back down on my towel.
"Should I put it on your back?" Delsin asks a second time.
"That would be nice." I reach into my bag and pull out a hair clip. I pin up my hair so it will not get in the way. Delsin moves to sit behind me, stretching out his legs on both sides. I flinch when his cold fingers touch my heated skin.
"Take it easy. I won't harm you," he whispers close to my ear.
I feel cornered, but I don't want to let on. I must resist him. On no account I want to end up as another one of his trophies, whose underwear he keeps somewhere in his one-night-stand souvenir chest. I close my eyes when he starts to apply the sun oil and to massage my skin. But then I shake my head at myself and grab the bottle. I pour some oil into my own palm to put on my arms, legs, and stomach.
He suddenly pulls down the straps of my bikini top. "What are you doing?" I ask, confused.
"Still getting the oil everywhere," he says, and I can feel the tips of his fingers moving gently across my back.
I turn my head briefly. Avery is gone. Oh, no. "Where did Ave go?"
"Dunno. In the water?"
I rub the oil into my skin more quickly, hoping to escape this dangerous closeness faster this way. He is dangerous. A no-go. He is Delsin Rough, the ruin of my purity and virtue, and oh my god, I sound like a frigid spinster again. A soft sigh of despair escapes my lips.
"Wow, I seem to finally get some reaction from you," he chuckles as he pulls the bikini strap up again.
"Yes, but that was not a sigh of bliss, but one of torment," I counter.
"And wow again. You really make sure you put me down, any chance you get," Delsin remarks.
"I don't even mean it that way. Somehow, it happens automatically when you're around."
His hands slide around my midriff and come to rest on my belly. "And why is that so?" he whispers.
"I don't know ... But maybe it's because you're a wretched ladies' man," I breathe.
Delsin knows exactly what to do, how to touch me to make me drop my resistance. I don't know why I turn to putty in his hands.
"Please let me go," I say in a soft voice.
"I like it like this," he whispers into my ear. Then he nips my earlobe softly, stroking it with his lips.
"Delsin ... we can be friends, but I will not go to bed with you and become one of your conquests. And the talk of the town," I explain, but my voice still sounds way too soft.
His fingers caress my belly; then move upwards to the hem of my bikini top. "Who says I would tell anyone?"
"I know you cannot keep your mouth shut, but what's more ... I don't want to go to bed with you!" I try to break free from him, but he holds me tight. This is getting old.
"Why do you keep running away from me?" he asks, genuinely wanting to know.
"Because ... because ..."
"Yes?"
"Because my instinct tells me to," I finally force out.
"As if I were the wolf and you the little rabbit I want to kill," he muses.
I nod slowly.
Delsin lets me go. "Fine. If you really insist, I won't touch you anymore. Only if you ask me to," he decides and stands.
I get up, too. "I think I'm going to take a swim. I'll be back." And with that, I run into the surf. The water is freezing cold, but it's exactly what I need. There's a throbbing between my legs, and I can still feel his lips against my ear. I force myself into the deep water, step by step, until I am submerged up to my shoulders. I start a few breast strokes. This man is really toxic for me. My facade is crumbling to pieces when I am with him. I simply have to return to being the viper I was yesterday. How can a few brief conversations and a night in my bed change so much? It is impossible to fall in love because of such inconsequential things. Or is it? I know I will not throw myself at him, not even when hell really freezes over. I am too proud for that. And I really don't want to be looked at with that mixture of pity and disgust that his previous conquests were greeted with. I close my eyes, pinch my nose with my fingers, and dive down under the waves. I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't put on waterproof make-up. When I come up for air, someone grabs my upper arms. I flutter my eyelids open and look at him. Avery is smiling right into my startled face. "You look as if you'd just received a blow with a baseball bat," he states.
"That's pretty much the way I feel," I say weakly.
"Why?"
"Delsin Rough," is my only answer. Because only his name says it all.
Avery turns around to face the beach, his back to me. His eyes probably roam the sand for Delsin. "Hum. I think you ought to stay here for a while longer. He's already got someone pushing her tongue down his throat."
"I cannot believe it," I flare before looking past him. Delsin is really rolling around on our towels with some girl. "I wouldn't be surprised if he screwed her right there, in broad daylight," I say, my voice ripe with indignation. I was replaced within less than five minutes! How does he do that?
"Take it easy, Sweetie. You don't want him anyway."
"That doesn't mean he's got to show that little respect!" I explain, annoyed. "I should go home."
"Why would you? When has Delsin become a good enough friend of yours so he can disappoint you with stuff like that?" Ave asks, nonplussed.
"Maybe this morning. I think. In
any case, he knows my opinion on affairs and all that. He simply could have shown a tiny little bit of respect," I explain. It hurts me to see Delsin with this woman. After all, he kissed me this morning, or afternoon - I am not sure about the exact time right now, and it does not matter. Just a few minutes ago, he was nibbling at my ear. "I think the problem is a different one. You're falling in love with him," Avery muses.
My laugh is forced. "That's a bunch of crap. I am not falling in love with Delsin Rough. I don't even know him."
He shrugs. "Then I must be wrong. I'm sorry."
"Maybe though ..." I grin up at Avery and stand next to him. "Maybe I should spoil his little encounter."
"I wouldn't do that," Avery warns.
"Why not? He kissed me yesterday night. He kissed me this morning ... He's had it coming, and it serves him right, Ave."
He utters a sigh of resignation. "Okay, but I will stay here. I don't want to be a witness."
"Fine. See you in a few." I am still grinning when I swim back towards the shore.
"Good luck, Sweetie," Ave calls after me.
"Thanks." When I feel the ground beneath my feet, I stand up straight and walk through the surf. Straight to the spot where Delsin and the woman are still rolling around on our towels. I can see their tongues dueling, and it makes my blood boil. I finally bend down and push them off my towel. "Excuse me ... I want to get dry." I keep standing over them, so the water drips from my hair. She starts to sqeal when the droplets hit her back. "Oh, fuck, are you mental? You're getting me wet!" she croaks.
I raise an eyebrow. "You're at the beach, wearing a bikini. You're supposed to get wet here. If I were you, I'd worry more about letting this guy stick his tongue into your mouth. Do you have any idea where else it has been?" Then I squeeze the water out of my hair, squarely on her.
She yelps. "You bitch!"
"Oh. Tell me more, good girl," I shoot back as I sit down on my towel.
Delsin tries not to laugh. "You better go now, Jordie."
"Why?" she whines.
"Because I have to get some things straight here. I'll call you later," he explains calmly and shoves her gently away from himself, sitting up.
"Okay. Just call me when you're done." She gets up and marches off through the hot sand, while I towel my hair dry.
"What was that supposed to be, Camille?" Delsin asks.
"What was what supposed to be?" I echo, feigning confusion.
"Why did you provoke her like that?"
"I did not provoke her. I merely wanted access to my towel, which you two were using for your screwing practice. Sorry if I spoiled your party, but you shouldn't have invited me to come," I answer, matching his ostentatious calm.
"You are jealous," he states.
"I am not jealous of your little exploits. I could have my own if I wanted to, but I care about my reputation. You obviously don't, because you seem to want to be the male college whore," I rant, suddenly annoyed.
"What is your frigging problem?" he shouts, now also irritated.
"You! You're my frigging problem, Delsin. You invite me to come here, and then you all but screw some slut right on my towel. I honestly don't know why I let you sleep at my place last night, or why I even speak with you at all. Maybe I thought that deep inside, you were a normal guy after all," I say loudly. Then I stand and put on my top and skirt. "Don't call me again ... oh, whatever, my number will be deactivated soon anyway. But just leave me the hell alone, you asshole."
I kneel in the sand, fold my towels and put them into the bag.
Delsin grabs me by my wrist. "You are such a frigid bitch," he growls.
That is enough! I swing at him with my other hand, hitting his cheek so hard my palm hurts. Yes, I really ought to find a better strategy than violence, but this time, he really went too far.
"What is wrong with you?!" he yells at me and lets go of my wrist.
"What is going on here?" Avery's voice interrupts our row. He has returned from the ocean.
"Your stupid best friend here frightened Jordie away, and then she hit me in the face," Delsin explains angrily.
"Oh, and your horny best friend is so eager to become known as the town whore that he works on that title while I go for a swim. Yet he was the one who dragged me along on this outing, practically begged me to come," I chime in. "Whatever. I'm out of here. See you, Ave." I turn to him and plant a kiss on his cheek. Then I grab my bag and my sandals, and walk towards the boardwalk.
I hear Ave and Delsin argue, but I don't stop and I don't care. I will go home now, snuggle up with a good book and not leave my room before Monday morning. I've had enough of this weekend. It has been shitty right from the start. Yesterday, we wasted our time watching the skate battle. Today, Delsin nags me until I come along, and then he sets me up like this. Tomorrow, I will stick my nose into my course materials and study.
"Camille," Delsin calls after me when I have reached the asphalt.
I roll my eyes before I turn around. "What do you want?" I ask when he has caught up with me.
"You forgot your sunglasses. And Ave is forcing me to apologize."
"You can stick that where the sun don't shine." I grab the sunglasses from him, put it on and turn away.
"You're such a bitch," he mutters.
"And you're an asshole. We've established that already," I say calmly and start to walk away. Leave me alone, I think, and quicken my steps.
"Why won't you give me a real chance?" he asks, still following me.
I turn around with a jerk. "I gave you a chance, but you blew it when you decided to roll around on my towel with Jordie - or whatever her name is. I really thought we could be friends, but we can't. We're too different. You're living in your world and I in mine. Please leave me alone, Delsin," I say, feeling agitated.
He snorts. "You did not give me a real chance."
"Yes, I did!"
"No, you didn't. Alright, so I was being an asshole, but dear god, this is who I am. I want to have fun and not sit around waiting for true love like some frigid baboon. I enjoy having sex, whenever and with whomever I want. Don't you do the same?" he asks in an upset voice, but quietly enough so the people around, walking their dogs or skating, cannot overhear us.
I bite my lower lip so hard it hurts. Then I turn and rush away from him.
"Camille!" he says in a desperate voice, still trailing me.
"What do you want?" I yell at him. If he knew I am still a virgin, he'd probably laugh at me.
"I want an answer."
I stop abruptly. "I don't do it," I simply say, looking down at the ground.
"Why not?"
"Because I am waiting for true love, like a frigid baboon," I whisper. Then I run away.
"Shit," I hear him curse, but this time he does not follow me.
I run until I reach the next bus stop, flop down on the bench and wait. The next bus won't be here for another twenty minutes, so I lean back and close my eyes for a moment.
Ten minutes later, my phone rings. "Oh, I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair." I rummage through the bag and pull it out with a sigh. I was so clever as to choose the same ringtone for both my phones. This time, it's the new one. It's Avery.
"Hi, Ave," I say.
"Hi, Sweetie, where are you? Delsin and I are heading home, so I can pick you up and drive you home, too," He suggests.
"I'll pass on that."
"If she doesn't want to come because of me, just give me my board from the trunk and drive her home," I hear Delsin say behind Ave.
"Did you hear that, Sweetie?"
"Yes, I did, but I'm already sitting at the bus stop and the bus is coming any minute now. You two go home without me. I'll be alright. But thanks anyway."
"You're sure?" he asks.
"Yes, I'm sure. Thank you."
"You want to hang out tonight? I'm in the mood for some Italian food, but I can't cook, so I could take you out to dinner," Ave suggests.
"We could cook together,"
I offer.
"Cool. Will you come over?" I take a deep breath. "If Delsin won't be around, I'll come over."
"He'll be there, but I swear he will not get on your nerves," he promises.
"Okay. I'll be there around seven thirty," I concede, even though the mere thought of Delsin makes me upset again.
"Great. See you then, Sweets."
"Bye." I hang up and put the phone back into the bag.
Only a moment later, the bus arrives. "I'm not sure their idea of 'on time' is the same as mine," I murmur as I get up and board.
Luckily, my stop is not far from campus and thus, from our apartment.
Chapter 4
Finally I can get off the bus. It was a long ride and the bus was smelly. The campus is deserted and peaceful. Here and there, you can see small groups of students lying in the sun or playing football. The majority probably spends the day on the beach. I hope that Hailey and Thalia aren't home, for I'm not in the mood for their inevitable sermon. They would grill me for details, and I shudder at the thought of their inquisition.
My mood is dark when I walk the last block to our apartment. I have been ignoring my phone, which has emitted the text message sound several times already.
Ten minutes later I open the front door, step in and slip into my room. Stealth mode.
"Hailey?" Thalia calls out.
"No, it's me," I say. So much for stealth mode, I think.
"You're back early," she states as she steps into the hallway. I turn to her. "It's too hot outside. I've had enough already."
"Okay," she nods. "And you're sure it has nothing to do with Jordie and Delsin?"
"Are you a spy?" I counter, surprised.
"Jordie is in some of my classes, and we just talked on the phone because I needed some notes from last week. Missed Tuesday's class."
Great. Just great. So the story is already making the rounds.
"No, it only has to do with Delsin. Do you have any idea how awkward I felt? He begged me to come on this trip, and then he acts like a horny ape the minute I go for a swim," I explain, letting my bag drop on the floor.
"Because he kissed first you and then Jordie?"
I lean against the wall and tip my head back. "Yes," I groan, feeling cornered.
Rough: Daunting Temptation (Coral Gables Series Book 1) Page 4
