Bad Taste (Part I) // Colby Brock

81 - Rebecca

How I managed it, I wasn't really sure. All I knew was that I pulled as hard as I could on his hand using the side and all of my weight, and then I was underwater and there was a huge splash behind me. I reacted fast, rising to the surface and pulling myself up onto the side. I left my legs in the water as Colby popped up, his long hair in his face. He shook his head—partly to get rid of the laughter of the others—and his hair whipped water in every direction. One little spot hit my leg but I didn't care.

To even my surprise, I laughed quietly. He looked annoyed, though he was hiding it well. I just knew his little ticks by now, including that glint in his eye when he was mad. "I'm gonna kill you." He growled. Katrina cast a nervous glance to Xepher in the corner of my eye.

"Have fun trying." I teased without a heartbeat.  Katrina eased up when Colby didn't attack me. Instead, he flew to the side of the pool and pulled my hands around his neck all in a blur, dragging me into the water. My legs wrapped automatically around his waist as his hands rested on my lower back drifting dangerously lower.

Admittedly, I was lost in the blue of his eyes instantly. The silver was expanding and contracting a little randomly as he lost and gained control of himself over and over again, but my focus was on that piercing blue that shook me right down to my core. I felt a rush of raw emotions I'd been trying to ignore this whole time flooding through me and tainting every one of my organs. It felt like it would be impossible to live without him. Could I breathe without him? Could my heart beat without him?

Those terrifying thoughts were enough to break me out of my stare. We weren't being paid attention to that much, the others chatting amongst themselves. Anybody who's voice I couldn't hear, I guessed was eavesdropping on someone else or secretly watching us.

I tried to act like I had never been lost, though I wasn't sure how much time had passed by already. I leaned down and kissed Colby's cheek towards his ear. "Not sorry." I whispered.

He breathed a sigh. "I know you're not."

"Good."

He unexpectedly leaned over and lightly nipped the worst mark he'd made on my neck. It occurred to me that no one had mentioned the faint trial of bruises all down my torso, but I reminded myself that they already knew what had happened last night. I had to bite my lip to stop any noise escaping my mouth, clutching the fabric of his t-shirt at the shoulders.

As soon as he started to pull back, I seized his lips. No matter how wound up I actually was, however, the kiss didn't feel hungry, but rather full of something else. Passion, maybe. I didn't know. It was just strong and made my heart skip a beat.

KATRINA

I looked over at Colby and Rebecca after a few moments and smiled to myself. They were kissing, but it wasn't just any kiss: it was the kind of kiss that love was built on. The kind of kiss that said 'I need you' and 'I can't live without you'. Deep but not hungry, passionate but not lustful. I recognised it from a number of Sam and I's kisses, and it made my heart warm to see both of them like that, even if I knew she was still mad at him. Something told me that wouldn't last long—neither would Colby's decision to try not to go all the way yet.

When I glanced at Sam up on the sunbed, I saw him thinking the same thing as he watched them for barely a second then looked at me. We communicated silently the feeling of 'finally'.

Since Colby's clothes were wet anyways, when he moved, he didn't entirely get out of the water. He sat on the side with his feet in the pool and Rebecca rested facing away from him between his legs. He rested his arms over her shoulders, connecting his hands with hers and intertwining fingers. They always did that.

They were conducting themselves into their usual method of entertainment: eavesdropping on the rest of us. Rebecca was hardly a part of the conversation Tara and Xepher were having and Colby wasn't making any effort at all to look distracted by something besides our voices. I was talking to Cassie about something that actually regarded Rebecca: clothes.

"I wish I had a bunch of clothes tailored specifically for me." Cassie said cheerfully as she nodded her head towards her bathing suit. "Imagine this, but made for me. I'd always look perfect."

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "You basically always look perfect anyways, Cass."

She made a face, her fangs slipping from her gums for half a second—not enough for a nosy Rebecca to notice. "But I cheat."

"Hardly." I assured. "I'm sure you looked just as beautiful and irresistible before that. Reggie didn't have a hard time being attracted to you."

"That's different." She scoffed.

"Hardly." I repeated.

Cassie shrugged and didn't say anything else, bending her fingers this way and that to get them to crack. Fortunately, that was something vampires were still able to do; cracking knuckles was fun and it felt so much better afterwards. Not to mention how good it sounded with each crack. Just as she opened her mouth again, a phone started ringing just beside the sunbed Rebecca had occupied. Sam grabbed it and threw it to Colby, who had more chance of catching it. He handed it to Rebecca. She scowled before she answered.

"What?" It was comforting to know that's always how she answered the phone. But it looked as though she was building towards being furious as her eyes glazed over with pure rage. I noticed Colby was frowning slightly, listening in to her conversation. After barely a second, she shrieked and it hurt even my ears. "YOU INCOMPETENT FUCK!"

I looked at Sam for an explanation, but he was silently watching and listening too. Rebecca used her grip on Colby's hand this time to get out rather than pull him in. I watched as his eyes moved instantly to her wet body. The silver ring expanded to the corners of his eyes before he twisted his head away. Rebecca was walking—no, stomping—to the sunbed already.

"You better goddamn find them before I fucking chop your head off. I promise you, it won't be the only thing chopped off." My eyebrows raised. I had to fight not to burst out laughing. "I don't give a shit! You're fired if you haven't found those by the end of tonight... no, I'm not going to help you, you piece of shit... you call the others... Jax, you are pushing your fucking luck. Don't think I've gone soft just because—" Rebecca cut herself off, glancing at Colby. I knew that he had visited her while she was at the office. What had happened? I was suddenly crazily curious.

"You better be calling me in ten minutes saying you've found them. You're scared of me, you do not want to face the wrath of my fucking mother... oh, good, you aren't completely fucking useless! Find that shit now." Rebecca hung up and threw her phone down to the ground. Thankfully, it didn't break—her cover was strong enough to protect her phone from her anger lapses.

Now I looked again to Sam for answers, though it wasn't very difficult to realise what had happened. Sam was staring at Rebecca cautiously, his eyes somewhere around her hips. At first, I thought he was looking at her ass, but then I realised her hands were practically shaking. She seemed angrier than usual—frustration with Colby and now this built up. It was as if Colby knew he was part of the problem, because he was only looking at her calmly from beside the pool—if a little longingly.

After a long couple of seconds, Rebecca turned to us, fire in her eyes. "I'm going to break my employee's face. Toodles."