Toxic Secrets by Jill Patten Page B

Neither of us were sure of what we were even laughing about, but we both seemed to find it impossible to stop. I chanced a glance over at Jaxon, and he was once again staring at me, this time shaking his head with a playful smile on his face.
    Reed stepped between us, taking the bottle from Kendra’s hand. “No more for you two ladies. I’m not being held responsible when your mothers find you staggering into their houses.”
    “Party pooper,” Kendra pouted.
    “Yeah, you’re going to think party pooper when you are puking your guts out later. You’ll be thanking me for this come morning, and, don’t worry, I’ll let you know how you can repay me,” Reed said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. Kendra reached over to grab Reed’s head with both hands, pulling him to her as she whispered something on his lips before giving him a deep kiss.
    Jaxon cleared his throat again. Thanking him for another interruption from awkward silence I asked, “Are you getting sick?”
    “No, why?”
    “I noticed you keep clearing your throat. I just thought maybe you had a sore throat or something.”
    “No, just a little tic I have. Is it bothering you?”
    “Oh, no, not at all,” I lied. Actually, it was annoying the hell out of me. “What do you mean a tick? Like the kind that gives you Lyme disease?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. My brain was feeling a little foggy, and I hoped my words weren’t coming out in a slur.
    “No, it’s the kind that causes you to make sudden movements or sounds that you are unaware of and are unable to control,” he said laughing.
    “Oh.” Now I felt kind of stupid and guilty for being annoyed by something he couldn’t control.
    “It’s a form of Tourette. Have you ever heard of that?”
    “No.”
    “Google it sometime.” His face turned blank as he seemed to ponder something. The atmosphere suddenly changed.
    “You want to go back inside and dance? I don’t think these two lovebirds are ready to detach yet,” he smiled, his thumb pointing to Reed and Kendra locked in a strong embrace.
    “Sounds good to me.” As soon as I stood up, the trees starting spinning and I came close to losing my balance.
     “Whoa, Sweet Cheeks, you think you can stay vertical long enough to dance?” Jaxon asked as he grabbed my waist to steady me.
    “As long as I’ve got you to hold me up,” I giggled.
    Looking up with blurred vision, I clearly became aware of the vivid, blue eyes staring back at me. Our proximity was mere inches, and the smell of his cologne mixed with the mint on his breath left me woozy. I could feel his ragged breath on my face, and I urgently wanted to kiss him. The lines were getting blurred, but I didn’t care. I reached up to lightly brush my fingertips through his short buzz-cut hair along the nape of his neck, all the while gazing in his blue eyes.
    “You don’t want to do this,” he whispered, as he reached up to remove my hand from his head. Not letting go of my hand, he intertwined my fingers through his as he released my waist and pulled me back inside to follow him. In my inebriated state, I knew he wanted me. I could see the wanton battle in his eyes. He just struggled to restrain the lust more than I could.

Chapter 7 ~ A Kiss of Rejection
    For the first time in my life, I was shit-faced drunk, and Jaxon was my first-class babysitter. He was very attentive to my needs—frequently asking if I needed anything, asking if I felt okay, and making sure I didn’t fall flat on my face by keeping his hands on me at all times. I felt a smidge of guilt for not being the perfect date, but, moreover, I thoroughly enjoyed the attention I was receiving from him. Phillip hadn’t cared about my well-being since the early months of us dating, so I milked it for all it was worth, and, by the smile Jaxon kept plastered on his face, I think he enjoyed it as much as I did.
    My attempt to kiss Jaxon had miserably failed, but I wasn’t ready to surrender. Friend or not,