Purity Z Storms (purityzstorms) wrote in low_tide, @ 2009-12-06 19:14:00 |
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Current mood: | flirty |
Flash Back
July 4, 2009
Key West, Florida
"Hey, man! Put this on!" With a light thunk, a plastic top hat landed on Hayden's head.
He took it off and looked at it. Stars and stripes, like Uncle Sam. He dug living in America, but no way in hell was he walking around a party wearing a flag on his head. He set it on a rustic deck chair and ambled down the steps with a cup of keg beer. The owners of the beach house had a narrow strip of waterfront, which was separated from neighboring property by a jetty. On this side of the barrier, grills smoked in a sand pit and a volleyball net had been set up. A couple of local guys played island music on guitars and animal-hide drums.
Hayden knew the hosts, two real estate agents in their early thirties. Monied but down-to-earth, they showed up at his bar for drinks on Thursday nights. Since he didn't feel like spending the holiday at work, he accepted the invitation. Looking around in the golden light of the tiki torches, he recognized some of the people. Key West was a small island, so the familiar, tanned faces of its residents were easy to pick out.
Sandals were kicked off and set aside so that pale toes could wriggle into the sand. Brushing a few strands of dark hair behind her ear, Purity listened to the music and let her body sway slightly where she sat. Taking a sip from the plastic cup in her hand, the witch sniffed the air and relished the mixed scents of sea and food. She'd been day dreaming again, and was brought out of it with a light nudge to her side. "I was saying, I bet you five bucks that I can get everyone running into the water by the end of the night."
Snorting into her cup, Purity gave the blond woman an amused look, she knew her from the times she'd been at Hayden's bar, but other than that she didn't know much about her. "You sound confident." The witch considered this as she looked around slowly. The people there were pretty laid back, but there were a couple she doubted would do it, including herself. "If you can get everyone to do it, then yeah, you have yourself a bet." Gripping the woman's hand, she shook it with a grin before the blond got up to socialise.
Turning as she sipped at her beer, the witch caught sight of Hayden and gave a wave.
Holding his beer up, he took a seat on the sand. "Hey." Stretching out his long legs, Hayden sipped to keep foam from spilling on his jeans. "I didn't know you were gonna be here," he said and gave her a smile. "This saves me from making friends with a bunch of strangers. At least they're not stingy with the drinks." From what he'd seen, the kitchen was well-stocked with alcohol and another keg waited in the garage.
So far, he'd explored the first floor of the house, gawked at a swordfish mounted over the mantle, eaten a hot dog, and dropped ketchup in his arm hair. But there was only so much wandering around he could do. Introducing himself and being outgoing was a lot easier when it was part of his job.
Cradling the plastic cup in the palm of her hands, Purity tilted her head as Hayden sat down with a soft kind of smile. "That goes both ways." She gave a suspicious kind of look around before leaning in to whisper under her breath, "I'll have you know, I was invited." Then she sat back up and sipped at the slowly warming beer. "I think it's the owners other half, she stops by The Garden every few days to get fresh lilies, apparently they make her bedroom smell wonderful."
This obviously amused her in some way, but she shrugged lightly and rolled her eyes. "I'm not one to turn down a party, even if I hardly know the other guests." The end of the sentence was dry, and for a moment she let her elbows rest on her thighs. Long shorts covered them, and her arms were mostly bare from the short sleeved shirt she had on. There wasn't much effort put into her outfit, but it worked all the same.
"It would be rude to raid their kitchen for chips or something, right?" As she said it, Purity slid her gaze to Hayden and quirked her eyebrow. Casually one sand covered foot lifted to flick some onto his outstretched legs.
"Hey! Cut it out!" He laughed and swept the sand off. "You keep that up, you're going in head first." A warning gesture was given at the water, which looked like black ink under the low-hanging moon. Waves lapped leisurely at the beach.
Purity's gaze swept to the dark sloshing liquid trying to creep up the sand and whined low in her throat. Eyebrows knitted together as she gave Hayden an almost pleading look. "Don't do that. I didn't bring extra clothes, and it'll be cold, and wet, and then I'll have to hurt you." Nodding as if trying to get him to agree, the witch sighed and buried her toes back into the sand. "Fun sucker," she muttered under her breath, though the corners of her mouth twitched as she fought a smile.
He drank some beer and put the cup in the sand, turning it back and forth to carve out a natural cup holder for it between his shoes. "Forget the chips, though. They've got brownies." He rested his arms on his knees. The one closest to Purity nudged her.
Rolling the cup between her palms, Purity watched the bubbles rise and pop with a quiet hiss. "Brownies trump chips," the witch agreed, putting her drink down before turning to shove Hayden and help herself up at his expense. "Ever so sorry." She grinned, anything but. "If you want one you'll have to go with me, otherwise I'll eat yours on the way back."
When she jostled him, his calf muscle smacked into his cup. A few ounces of beer sloshed onto the sand and soaked it. "Ah! You spilled my--!" Growling and pretending to be pissed off, he reached out and tried to snag her arm, but all he got was the hem of Purity's shorts. He tugged hard as he staggered to his feet. At least one thread popped loose in the progress.
"No! No!" She saw him reach out to grab her, and pivoted to try and make a quick escape, dark hair falling into her vision. Purity felt her shorts strain against her hips as Hayden used the leg of one to climb up.
He picked up his cup. "I think I want two brownies." He rubbed his stomach.
The witch stumbled for a few steps before shooting a glare over her shoulder. "Well I hope you choke on the second one." Of course she didn't mean it, but the timing had been perfect. Falling into step with him, Purity kept one eye on him as they walked up the steps and into the house. Sooner or later Hayden would take a drink, and she'd be waiting.
He waited until they were side-by-side in the food line to lean into her ear. "So when are you gonna go out with me?" He had to yell over the music. Hayden picked up a paper plate and tapped it on his palm. A plate wasn't required for a brownie, but it gave him something to fiddle with. He inched down the line, past the bowls of tortilla chips and salsa. "I've only been asking for... what, three months?" He grinned. Yeah, he wasn't an idiot; he knew she liked women, but the way she messed around with him gave Hayden hope that she might be into guys, too. A guy could dream. And daydream, but he kept that kind of thing to himself.
Purity didn't bother with a plate, though she did pick at a few chips as they walked along, crunching them happily until that question was asked. Then she inhaled crumbs and choked into her hand for a few seconds. Well, wasn't that dignified. Composing herself as best she could, the witch pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear and casually leaned over the table to pick up another chip. "That depends." She fought a grin and gave Hayden a very blatant look over, complete with quirked eyebrow. "When are you going to give me a good enough reason to agree?"
Purity could have been joking, but her gaze lingered on his just long enough to make a person wonder, then with a crunch her gaze was dropped and she was looking for the brownies as she chewed.
"I--" Hayden hesitated and looked at his outfit. He frowned. He wasn't a bad-looking guy, was he? He ate his vegetables. Maybe he ought to shave more often. "What, like a product demo?" He inched sideways and browsed the food. The cheese doodles called his name. He ate one and shrugged. Spotting what he wanted, Hayden swatted her ass with the paper plate and cut around Purity. ""I guess I could do that." If you're not doing anything later." The brownie dish only had two left. He stole both and left her standing with the crumbs.
After a beer refill, he made his way back outside, balancing the brownies and dodging the hot path of a girl's sparkler while she danced drunkenly around the deck.
She turned when he hesitated and lifted an eyebrow again, only the smile on her features was positively wicked as she waited. Purity snorted a little and quipped, "Product demo? I meant a reason, like, we have lots in common or..."
The smack with the plate didn't hurt, but she yelped all the same through surprise and slapped Hayden's arm as he moved around her. By the time he was walking away the witch realised he'd grabbed the brownies and her jaw dropped. Following him with narrowed eyes before stalking after him, Purity was certain that two could play at that game.
Almost losing an ear to the woman with the sparkler, Purity breezed up to Hayden and let her hands find his waist from behind. It was a light touch, but enough for her to rub the side of her cheek against his arm. "I'm not doing anything right now." Which was a lie, she was putting a plan into motion. Letting her feet guide her around so that she faced him, Purity gave a coy smile and leaned in, only for her hand to snatch what she wanted.
Now that she'd stolen one of his brownies, Purity decided to take his cup with her other hand and stepped back, just for good measure. Sipping the beer first before taking a bite out of the brownie, the witch sighed happily and chewed. "Mmm, thanks."
"Oh yeah, hrrrmmph, you're welcome," he grumbled. Hayden took an enormous bite out of his brownie. The flavor of moist chocolate and walnuts was gratifying, but he decided he would sacrifice it to wipe that look off her face. Purity looked like a cat who'd gotten her cream. Now that he thought about it, that was how Purity always looked when he drooled on her heels, trying not to stare at her stomach. Yeah, he needed payback, alright. The time had come for tomfoolery.
"Sharing is caring." With gentle but insistent fingers, he smashed the remainder of his brownie against Purity's mouth. He sucked the crumbs off his thumb and forefinger.
Feeling rather pleased with herself, the witch opened her mouth to say something smart, a bad move on her part because Hayden took the opportunity to practically gag her with the remaining half of his brownie. Startled, she clamped her mouth shut but choked anyway, hurriedly trying to chew and swallow before she made a mess of herself. Chocolate crumbs were smeared around her face and chin, and she could feel the moist sponge glue itself to her teeth.
Purity didn't say anything for a moment, instead she took a large gulp of Hayden's beer and sighed, quietly regarding her own brownie as her eyes danced across his features. "Is it really?" She flashed a smile that a pirate with rotting teeth would have envied, and promptly tipped the beer out in front of his feet. Purity didn't get any on his shoes, but it was enough of a distraction to smear the remaining brownie over the man's grizzled cheek and around to his mouth. "Hey check it out, you look like you've been talking shit, literally."
Stealing a napkin off of someone's plate as they walked by, the witch wiped her own face and tried to pick the sponge off of her teeth with the tip of her tongue. "Be honest," she said dryly, though amusement was hinted through that tone. "How much do you want to kiss all this crap out from between my teeth?" She grinned at him again and pointed. "So sexy, right? I should make you find me a toothbrush."
Chuckling, Hayden wiped at his face. "After you compared it to a mouthful of shit?" He chewed and shook his head. "Nah, I think I'll pass."
Purity was smirking again. "It could have been worse, at least it still tastes good." Disgusting as it was, she had a point. Which only made her sad after a second or two because now there was none left. Damn it. She hadn't thought that through.
Calmly, he kicked off his shoes and let his toes wiggle in the cool sand. Then he shelled the t-shirt over his head. His torso was broad and muscular, but paler than his arms, which saw more sun when he drove in his Jeep. There was blondish-gold hair curling on the middle of his chest and down at his belly button. By the time he unbuckled his jeans, it was getting obvious what he was up to, but the shock value of watching him strip down to his boxers in the middle of a party, totally uninhibited, probably delayed any reaction. He left his clothes in a pile.
Her attention was caught by the sight of broad chest speckled with wisps of blond hair. Purity caught herself staring longer than necessary, yet when she went to look away her gaze landed on Hayden's hands. Slowly the back of her neck began to burn as the blush swept over her. "What are you--" Eyes, eyes, loot at his eyes! The question was never finished though because the answer was given freely.
"I think I need a bath." Squatting down, he grabbed her around the hips and hefted her onto his shoulder. "What about you?"
When he took the liberty of picking her up like a rag doll she found her chin an inch away from his mid back. Right around that time everything clicked into place and Purity let out a shriek. "Nooo! Not the water, Hayden, you wouldn't!" Despite how it sounded, it wasn't a challenge, it was sheer disbelief. She had clearly stated that she hadn't brought clothes to change afterwards, and it left her closer to losing five dollars to that woman.
Wriggling like a child, legs and arms flailing as if it would help, Purity listened to the lap of the sea against sand as they got closer and tried to forget that they were at a party possibly being watched. The salt air tickled her nose, and in sudden panic at the prospect of being tossed into the water, the witch stopped struggling and latched onto Hayden tightly like a clamp.
"I wouldn't, huh?" The more she squirmed, the tighter he held on. "You don't think so?" The view was pretty good, too. When she kicked, all he could see were long legs and a nice ass, and he was a sucker for those parts of the anatomy. Laughing, Hayden walked down the slope to the water. His feet plunged into the ocean and kept wading, water splashing around his calf muscles. The sand was coarse and bits of coral stung the soles of his feet. He spun around to face the beach house. They had a small audience.
"Alright, you've got two options. One..," he caught his breath, "Make out with me. I'll let you take your shirt and shorts off before you go swimming. Two... I just fall over and take you with me." A wave lapped at the backs of his knees. "Count of three to make up your mind. One!"
Purity was whining again, she could see the water as it sloshed around Hayden's ankles and could only watch as it began to work up his legs. This was not part of her earlier plan. So far from it that she was in fact orbiting around it. Then Hayden stopped, and the witch resisted the urge to dig her short nails into his back. "That's your proposition? How would I even get out of them if you're standing in the sea, and I don't want to swim!" Though there was no mention of the kiss, as if that would somehow admit defeat, and she wasn't ready to do that.
Obviously she didn't find this a very fair deal, but then again since she was currently staring at his back muscles tensing under his skin, she realised she wasn't in much of a position to argue her demands. Time was running out, and as soon as Hayden reached the count of two, Purity was shouting, "Wait! Wait, don't..." She was stalling, trying to think of anything to do, and coming up with only one idea. "I'll rip them off, I swear." Slender hands wormed into the fabric of his boxers and she twisted the waistband around her fingers. Now if he tried to drop her he'd expose himself to the people cheering them on.
As his shorts cinched, he jerked. "You think I care?" he announced with bravado.
"I hope you do," was the muttered response as Purity tightened he grip on the material to signal she meant business.
Okay, so he did. Hayden wasn't really self-conscious, but the whole crowd didn't need to see his dick. He was just as worried that Purity would give him a nuclear-powered wedgie. The inseam of boxers might chafe. "Man! What's a guy have to do for a kiss?" He sighed and hauled them up the beach. When he got to dry land, he dropped onto his knees and bent forward, depositing Purity on her back in the sand. He hoped a few grains worked their way into her panties. "Fun sucker."
Starting to feel a little light headed from hanging over Hayden's shoulder, the witch was glad to feel herself being set back against the dry sand, the blood rushing from her head left her a little dizzy. "Holding a girl with her ass in the air isn't how I'd go about it." Purity shot back, splaying out on the sand just to breathe. "Yeah yeah, what are you?"
Because he didn't know when his next opportunity might come, Hayden licked a chocolate crumb off her bottom lip. "Hmm, you were right. It does still taste good." Any second, he figured, Purity was going to knee him in the balls. He straightened up.
With her eyes closed she she felt Hayden's warm breath against her skin before that very fleeting touch of his tongue. Yet just as she leaned up as if to increase the contact, he was pulling away to stand up. Flustered by her own reaction the witch used her feet to hook around the back of Hayden's ankles. "Aren't men supposed to be aggressive when they see something they want?" She tugged his feet out from under him and scrambled across the sand as he landed on his back, ignoring the round of applause it caused.
Using his stomach as a seat, Purity settled herself on Hayden and brushed her hair behind her ears. "Now what were you saying tastes good?" Time to turn the tables.
"Whuh-- shit!" Despite some arm-flailing, his ass caught the worst of the fall. Speaking of sand in uncomfortable places... The air 'whoofed' out of his lungs as Purity sat on his diaphragm. It looked a lot worse than he felt. "Brownies," he answered and wheezed for dramatic effect. Hayden reached up and cradled the back of her head. "But women taste pretty good, too." He didn't have to be mocked twice. He got up on an elbow and kissed her, working his fingers in the short locks of her hair. She tasted like chocolate and his beer. He noticed she had a really nice, full mouth.
The wheezed response caused a bit of a giggle to escape Purity's throat before she caught herself. Since when did she ever giggle? Too late to worry about that now though because she felt Hayden's fingers push through her short hair and graze her scalp. It was a firm touch but oddly tender. "I know, I've had my fair share," was the mumbled response as she felt her heart beat speed up a little; the moment to stay or run was almost over and the witch made up her mind as soon as his lips touched hers.
"Do me a favor," he muttered, trying to hold back a grin. "Wiggle a little lower?"
Fingers splayed across his broad chest and Purity felt the soft hairs tickle against her palm. "Didn't your mother ever tell you to be careful for what you wish for?" Granted that wasn't a wish, but the witch did the math and realised that it could be used to her advantage. A little revenge wouldn't hurt, right?
With her lips close to his, Purity felt the slight stubble scrape her chin, and could smell the earthy fragrance of his body wash. "It's been a while, I might need some guidance." She tried not to grin as she subtly slid lower down his body. Yes, she did indeed wiggle, but only for a few seconds before quipping, "Guess you should have been more specific."
He had groaned and flopped his head on the sand. But he picked it back up. "You want me to spell it out?" The tone of his voice rose a notch with his good-natured disbelief. "Fine." He looped an arm around her back to keep Purity from going anywhere. Then he cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Purity?" he yelled, straining against the weight on his abdomen. "Would you mind grinding your pubic bone against my crotch for a while? I think it would feel awesome."
He wasn't sure if the increased volume carried his voice up the beach or not. The music was really loud and a lot of people had gone back to talking. Just in case she tried to escape, he bunched his fingers in her t-shirt. "That better?"
"Can men with your kind of muscle spell, or do they just grunt?" Purity snorted, confident that she had the upper hand now. That was until Hayden grabbed her and suddenly she felt much smaller in comparison to him. With their bodies crushed together, all pretense of a struggle was gone and the witch caught her breath.
Only to groan out when he shouted. Mortified wasn't even close to how she felt right now. There was no way she could wriggle free without, well... No. So instead she reached up and captured Hayden's chin with her fingers and forced him to look at her. "What, you're suddenly seventeen again? Next you offer to show me around the house?" Purity cringed slightly at how lame it sounded, but he was a distracting her, even the scent of his skin was taking up her thoughts.
Letting his chin go the witch bit her lower lip and laughed a little, more to ease her own embarrassment than anything else. "Whatever you're thinking, remember where we are, I have no desire to become a public show." Purity patted the side of Hayden's cheek lightly. Twice.
Hayden snorted and patted her shoulder, an answering gesture. "Yeah, yeah. Nice try." His voice strained as he sat up, carrying her with him, so that she rested on his thighs. "You're the one who knocked me down and straddled me in public." There was a bunch of sand in his hair. He felt some of it sift onto his shoulders. Behind them, the party kept going in full swing. It was fully dark now. Down the beach, a neighbor set off the first of their fireworks. Small displays would go on for most of the night on the island.
Purity snorted and looked at him with an over the top shocked expression. "After you turned into G.I. Joe and carried me off on your shoulder." Casually as he sat up, the witch lifted her hands and busied herself with brushing the sand off of Hayden's shoulders. She couldn't help it, she was smiling, and when the first firework went off she leaned back and looked up at the sky, watching as it exploded with sparks of colour.
"By the way," he said. His hands fastened lightly around her hips. "If you ever say yes and go out with me, I'll be a decent guy. I'll buy you a hamburger first." He grinned.
Returning her attention back to Hayden, she quirked an eyebrow. "You let me eat your fries too and I might just say yes." Lightly her nails scraped across his pale shoulders and down to his tanned biceps, which she squeezed before catching herself and taking her hands back. Purity cleared her throat, and let her searching gaze find his eyes. "Maybe you just like the thrill of the chase."
Hayden winced. "Yeeeaah... and maybe you just like running away." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm willing to risk it."
His skin tingled from the tracks of her fingernails. Women could wreck a guy's composure like that. He couldn't tell if she did it on purpose or just got caught up. There wasn't one type of girl he went for. Bookworms, athletes, girls next door, bad girls, down-to-earth girls... he pretty much just liked girls, unless they were air-headed or conceited. He didn't typically go after unattainable women, not being fond of begging like an idiot. But there was a quality about Purity that he liked, an earthiness. She was mysterious and kind-of familiar, too, like an old friend, which didn't make any sense. He kept wanting to hang around her in hopes of figuring it out.
"Tell you what. Why don't I, uh, put my clothes back on?" He thumbed towards the pile. "Not that I'm complaining," he looked at her proximity to his skin, "Definitely not complaining. Then we'll find some seats and sit and watch the show. Later on, you can decide whether or not to give me your phone number." He rubbed her sides. She was narrow and lean, like a runner.
Purity let out a sigh, her head tilted to the side as she regarded Hayden. When it came down to it, the witch knew she liked him, and perhaps that was why she engaged in the hard-to-get game. Though it was the risk part that she didn't feel as strongly about. What if they ruined the start of a beautiful friendship? Would they get it back? The community wasn't all that big, and his bar was the one she haunted the most.
So why was she actually considering it? Purity wasn't the kind of woman to rush out and do the stupid, but there was something so very honest about his eyes. Even his strong grip had seemed tender in some moments. Taking the opportunity to run her hand through the soft curls on his chest one more time, the witch chewed on her lower lip and glanced up at Hayden through her lashes. "Or..." She swallowed the wave of vulnerability that washed over her and cleared her throat. "I could give you it now and you can get dressed while I find the seats."
Wriggling free, the witch used the tip of her finger to carve her number into the sand by Hayden's legs, then stood up before she could change her mind. Dusting her lanky frame down, Purity caught his gaze and felt herself smile, albeit somewhat bashful, before turning on her heel and jogging up the beach to the party.
Over his shoulder, Hayden watched as she hurried off. The water skimmed his toes, which brought him back to reality. "Shit!" He read her number a few times to memorize it and got up as carefully as he could, trying not to destroy the digits, in case he forgot them by the time he reached his pants and programmed it into his cell.