Butterflies in Honey (Growing Pains #3)(62)

Krista answered, “I thought it would be cool to know them once, so I looked it up and learned it. Then I made Sean learn it when we lived in San Francisco. So really, it could be gibberish, but it was the same gibberish, so it worked.”

“And you let her teach you something you probably never thought you’d use?” Marcus asked Sean.

“She was naked. How could I say no?” he answered with a laugh. Krista punched him on the arm. It was actually true, but he didn’t need to advertise it. They were getting a little too liberal with their personal information.

Sean, Marcus, Janice, and Krista all got off on the fifth floor. The others said they’d see them in a little while. The boys, who were rooming together, headed to their room. Janice and Krista headed to their own. Krista wanted a nap before dinner. Plus, she had to get ready. No time to spare.

Sean wasn’t allowed to follow.

Chapter Eighteen

It was twenty minutes to six and Krista was in a bustle to finish up. She did her hair in a loose curl. It was casual, but still elegant. For makeup, she did a smoky eye and neutral blush and lip. She walked out of the bathroom in her black bra and panty set with the intention of putting on her dress and heading down. Instead, she walked out, saw Sean sitting on the bed waiting for her, and froze.

He looked up, his eyes flashing as he held her. His eyes traveled slowly over all exposed flesh, working down her body, lingering on her lacy panties, then back up, lingering on her br**sts, and then mouth.

Krista quickly stepped back into the bathroom. The only other option was just as quickly step closer to him. She didn’t have much control left, so she had to exercise it while she did.

“Privacy?” she asked loudly.

“That’s what a bathroom is for,” he said with a deep, husky voice.

“Well, I need to put on the dress. Would you mind f-ing off so I can do that?”

“Not at all.”

Krista peeked her head out and caught him still sitting on the bed, looking her way with a small smile. When he met her eyes, his mouth twitched up into a mischievous smirk.

“Busted,” he said quietly. His phone rang as he was getting up.

“Hello?” he asked, slowly sauntering into the outer room. Janice must’ve been elsewhere or she never would have let Sean in the bedroom part of the room.

Krista snuck out, grabbed her dress, and ran back to the bathroom. She eavesdropped to Sean’s phone call as she slipped into it.

“What’s up?...I’m in Krista’s room. She’s getting dressed…The red one…I don’t know, it’s red. And sparkly…Marcus, I don’t know about these things. It was on the bed. She’s putting it on now…Hang on—Krista?”

“What?” she yelled.

“Is the red dress the conservative one, or the slutty one?”

“Conservative.”

“Marcus?...Yeah, it’s the conservative one…I’m sure it will. She looks good in anything—wait, here she comes now…” Sean took the phone away from his ear and looked at her. His eyes, once good-natured, turned soft. “You look beautiful, Krista. As always.”

She smiled like a dumb girl. Hearing you’re beautiful is always nice.

“Thanks,” she muttered sheepishly.

Sean smiled at her, let his eyes travel her body again, then turned back to the outer room and put the phone to his ear. “Marcus?...Yeah, she looks great…I don’t know what frumpy is…”

“Tell him I do not look frumpy!” Krista yelled as she looked for earrings.

“She says she doesn’t look frumpy…I don’t know. Listen, we’ll be down in fifteen or less…Yeah, fine…What?”

Sean glanced back toward Krista then hunched slightly and went out of view.

“It wasn’t my idea,” he said lowering his voice.

Krista naturally listened harder.

“No—I tried but you know how she is…” He must have been talking about the dunk tank. “I don’t know. She made the best of it, I think, but it got to her. Then that f**k-stick Blake’s comment… I know. I’d love to rip his arms out of his sockets and beat him with them. Tory heard about it and was furious. If Krista wanted to, she could sue for sexual harassment, and no matter what attorney Tory found, she would win…I know. Ron apologized to her, so that was good, but it just reinforced how she was feeling the whole time here, you know? I can see the strain on her…Yeah, listen, I’ll see you in a while. She’s bound to be finished…” After a pause Sean sighed dramatically. “Fine. Krista, what shoes are you wearing?”

“What?” she called. She didn’t want him to think she heard the whole conversation. It was important to be sneaky when one was up to no good.

“Shoes—what kind of shoes?” Sean walked back into the room.

Krista held out her foot for inspection. As he looked at them with a furrowed brow, he said into the phone, “Red ones… Christ Marcus, I don’t know. They have a heel, they’re red, and I can see her foot a little…“

“Tell him the peep-toe, three inch heel. They match the dress perfectly.”

“I hate this,” Sean said to Krista while holding his cell phone away from his head a little. Then he haltingly repeated what Krista had said. “Why don’t you just—“ Sean apparently got cut off, then rolled his eyes. “Fine. Krista, wear the black strappy ones.”