Dedicating this Chapter to Bookaholic4eva. Thank you soo veryy much for being so supportive & dedicated towards this story. This is to tell you how much I've apprecaited your wonderful comments on this story. :) Hope you'll continue enjoying my works. :)

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CHAPTER - 33

FIGHTING THE TENSION

Visiting Miami and not going to a beach is like going to a strip show and not watching the hot girls strip. Impossible. Things were better as we had our main schedule of shoot at a private beach. The entire team was busy setting up their equipments for the shoot and was busy with their job related works. While I was busy basking in sun's glory. Getting a little nicely tanned was a plus side of this trip.

"Sunbathing. Huh?" I opened my eyes and saw Brianna towering my laying body.

'No sh*t, Sherlock!' would have been the appropriate answer to her obvious question but I decided to not let the matter extend and just muttered, "Yeah!"

Smiling slyly at me, she sat down on the beach recliner placed beside mine. "So, where were you last night?"

"Huh?"

She bit her lips and peeked at me from under her eyelashes. "I came to your room last night, but you were not there," she said in a low seductive voice, but all I could hear was desperation.

Before I could open my mouth to ask her to stop these ways with me and to show her desperation somewhere else, one of the assistants called us, "Everything's ready."

I looked towards him and nodded my head. I stood up from my sunbathing seat and went where the team was waiting for me. Very happily, I might add. Girls like Brianna were a huge turn off for me. There was a time when I used to bang at each and every opportunity I got. I had met girls who wanted the same things from me as I had wanted from them. The deals were done and thrown away.

But then, everything changed. All because of the girl who was standing a few meters away from me and looking into her camera with complete focus. Things started changing five years back when she left me without so much of a word, that is if I didn't include the letter. There were times in these five years about which I didn't like to remember or talk about. There were times when I had searched for her on all world famous social networking sites for hours, but never got even a clue as to where she was. There were times when in Hendersonville, I used to go to my school's terrace and think about the date we had. There were times when I...

"Keith?" Her voice broke away my trance and brought me back to the reality.

"Yeah?"

She tilted her head to the side and looked at me with slight concern. "You okay? I've been calling you for about a minute." Was she? Just as I was about to say that I was okay, she added with a teasing voice, "Missing Veronica?"

This was like splash of ice cold water thrown at my face. What the f*ck was wrong with me? What was the need to think about those five years that held no importance in my life now? What was the need to think about Kim when I was so over her now? What was the use of thinking about times I had spent with her when there were much fresher and nicer times I had spent with Veronica?

Probably it was all just this place; the place that held one night memories of Kim and me. Maybe it was just this beach; the same private beach where Kim and I had seen the sky change its colors eight years back. I was just getting slightly nostalgic.

'And girly.' A voice with in my head snorted at me.

Ignoring that voice and the insane thoughts in my mind, I answered Kim, "I'm okay. I just want this sh*t to get over soon."

She looked at me with narrowed eyes for a minute and it was like we were having a staring match. I had no idea what was going through in her head, but did I want to know? Hell, yeah!

"Kim, can we please finish this shoot soon. I've to do so much in these two days," I reframed my earlier sentence. "No, actually. We both have a lot to do in these two days."

The thin line on her face slowly twitched up in a smile and I smiled back at her. With that, we got back to work.

"Now, remove your shirt," she told me when she had clicked numerous pictures of me in way too many poses. This was getting slightly tiring. No matter how much proud and over-confident I was about my body; posing for pictures was not my thing. Ask me to play football, and I could do it for hours even without complaining.

But, I was not to be told twice to remove my shirt. I was damn hot and sexy. Football had just helped in adding points to my already awesome body. So, without any reluctance of any kind, I removed the blue shirt and tossed it around.

Kim was busy looking into her camera, probably reviewing all the pictures she had just clicked. Brianna who was sitting right behind Kim was gawking at me like I was her prey. Andy was looking at me with those huge eyes that had started to creep the hell out of me. "Remove your shorts too, please," he requested in a daze.

"We never planned a shoot of him without shor-" Kim stopped whatever she was saying when her eyes landed on me or rather my abs.

A smirk made its way on my lips when I realized that she was literally gawking at me at that moment. Was this really the Kim I used to know? Her mouth was slightly open as she stared at my bare chest. The words she was saying a moment ago had vanished and dissolved in her mouth.

How in the world could I let this opportunity go and not tease her?

So, to have a little fun of my own, I lifted my arms above my head and stretched them, so everybody present could enjoy the 'muscle flexing' display I was giving completely free of cost. I did this for about a minute, stretching my arms, giving everyone a good view of my abs and obviously everyone enjoyed it, even the girl on whom I had always thought I had no effect on - Kimberly Jones.

I stopped doing my little exercise session and that made Kim stop gawking at me. When she realized what she was doing, she snapped her eyes to finally look away from abs and focus on my face.

Red!

She was the definition and perfect example of the color red at that moment. She avoided my playful gaze, but it was of no use at all as she had been caught. Red handed. Err... red faced, actually.

A chuckle escaped my lips and before I had the chance to tease the hell out of her, everybody started working again and resumed the shoot. Throughout the hours of shoot, Kim avoided talking to me about anything other than the poses she wanted to click me in. Whenever we had even an eye contact, she avoided my gaze by looking anywhere but me.

My ego had never been on such a high. It was on a completely different altitude.

"Congrats!" I told her the moment she had stopped packing the equipments with her team.

She looked up at me and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "You haven't even seen the pictures yet. FYI, your fans are going to go crazy when this issue will be published," she told me with slight pride in her eyes. Her eyes were proof enough that she loved her work. She looked happy and content.

Shaking my head at her, I took few steps towards her and stopped when there was very less distance between us. "I wasn't congratulating you for that."

"Then?" She looked up with confusion fogging her brown eyes.

A smirk made its way on my face and I told her the reason of congratulating her, "You finally hit puberty." She gave me her most ridiculous expression mixed with confusion. My smirk grew bigger and I explained, "It took you long eight years to see how hot and sexy I am."

Her mouth gaped open just as her eyes did in shock. "Shut up!" she grumbled, once she had overcame the effects of blushing red like a ripe tomato.

Laughing, I kept my hand over my heart and said in a mocked hurt voice, "You wound me." She rolled her eyes at me and moved past me towards the van. Grinning, I sprinted after her and started walking just a step behind. "I'm so impressed by your comebacks these days." She looked at me from over her shoulder and glared at me. "I'm dead serious," I said with the most serious face known to mankind. I mimicked her by saying in a bit girly voice, "Shut up." Her shoulders tensed for a second as it seemed that she was trying her best to find some comeback and shove it in my face. When no reply came from her as her shoulders slumped down a bit, I continued with fake appreciation, "I mean, how did you manage to come up with something so nice and tongue tying? It's commendable, Kim."

She groaned. "Get lost, Warren!"

I held back my laughter and told her, "Here you go again. 'Get lost'. Wow! So original."

We reached the van and she took out her bag. I looked towards the beach and saw everyone having fun in the water. The need to be in the water took over me. I decided to bask in my new found glory of 'sexiness approved by Kim' later and informed Kim, "I'm going inside the water. Don't miss me much." With a sl;ight smirk on my face I turned my back to her, but stopped when I heard her voice.

"You sure you wanna go? I was just about to poison your drink." Her voice had the confidence that she had always had while saying her comebacks.

Not been able to stop my laughter, I grinned at her after turning back and told her genuinely, "Well done!"

She chuckled and bowed in thanks. "Don't I always?"

******

"Has someone ever told you that blue looks so sexy on you?"

I rolled my eyes as I heard this and focused back on the water in front of me. The sun was out. The weather was good. The company I had, however, was not.

Oblivious to my disinterest and irritation, Brianna continued, "But I think, you look a lot sexy and irresistible without any shirt on." She gazed at my bare chest with complete lust in her eyes. She was hot in that purple skimpy bikini.

But, she was acting bit way too desperate. And, I was a committed man. I was not a cheater.

One thing was sure, if Brianna was going to stay by my side for even the next two minutes, I was going to die of utter boredom. "Why does your tongue waggle so much?," I asked her with least interest and turned my back at her to look towards the other side, towards our crew vans.

In that moment, all the boredom was thrown out of Miami as my eyes settled on the brown eyed brunette coming in my direction in an orange colored bikini. Her long toned legs were in display and so was her perfectly slim waist. Her long brown hair was flowing in the air like a model's. I was at a loss of words or breathe.

I was simply unable to tear away my gaze from her perfect body and no breathe was reaching my lungs. I was breathless and speechless.

At the sound of throat clearing, I looked away from her body to look at her face. She was smiling a very innocent and fake smile. Ahh... the trouble!

"Congrats! You finally hit puberty," she mocked me with a smirk on her face and this time, I was the one who felt blood rushing to my face.

The tables had turned.

Clearing my throat, I tried to get my senses back and told her, "I'm just surprised." Her smirk grew bigger and I continued, "I never knew you were a girl." I glanced at her breasts as I said this and watched as her smirk vanished. Gone was the playful look from her eyes, which was replaced by her narrowed eyes. Laughter escaped my lips and to save my a*s from Kim's wrath, I started sprinting towards the water where everybody else was already enjoying. The sound of her laughter and her steps could be heard from behind me, indicating that she had started following me.

I slowed down once the water was up to my torso. Instantly, I turned around and Kim jumped on me. With all her force, she started hitting on my shoulders midst her own laughter. Her slaps and punches were like touch of a feather. She started saying incoherent words in between her laughter and her hits, while all I could do was laugh. I laughed till I realized the position we were in. My chest was in complete contact with her bikini clad front; her legs were wrapped around my torso. Not a safe posture for guys.

Slowly, my laughter died and I stared at her laughter filled face. She looked so carefree, just like she used to look five years back. She was enjoying her time here and her eyes were a huge give away of this fact. She looked beautiful as her eyes shone with joy and her lips stretched in that beautiful grin. I couldn't do or say anything other than staring at her.

It took her a few moments to realize that I had stopped laughing and eventually, her laughter died too. Her eyes, slowly, mirrored the seriousness I was feeling inside. Her hands were wrapped around my neck and mine were wrapped securely around her waist, just above her hips.

All that was needed to be done was move my face two inches closer to her and the deed would have been done. Just as I was about to do the same, a very shrill voice reached my ears, making us gain our senses and making Kim remove her legs wrapped around me. She stood up on her own legs and took two steps backwards. She avoided looking at me and stared at the water below.

I ignored my name being called in Brianna's shrill voice as all my focus was on Kim. "My ears would start bleeding if she'll continue speaking." I tried my best to change the uncomfortable atmosphere that had suddenly enveloped us and said the most rubbish thing I could think of.

My trick worked as when Kim looked back at me from the very interesting water, she looked both relieved and thankful. "I second that," she muttered and shot me a smile.

*****

For probably the tenth time in the last five minutes, my gaze travelled towards the clock resting on my bedside. The clock itself seemed tired to show for the tenth time it was thirty minutes past twelve. Earlier, I had planned so many things to do at night and enjoy Miami's nightlife to the fullest but the little incident at the beach had me all confused.

This was not happening. Not at all!

Just as I gathered enough sense to go out and wander around Miami alone, I heard a knock on my hotel room's door.

For the eleventh time, my gaze went back to the clock and I realized that the second's needle had taken just one complete round since the last time I had looked at it. I shook my head to clear up the remains of any further confusion and walked towards the door when the banging became louder.

With confusion inside my head as to who could be here at this time, I opened the door. My eyes landed on the creature standing there in white ghostly clothes. Its hands were out in front to scare me and mouth was open in order to eat me. The eyes were hollow black.

A sigh escaped my lips and I mumbled, "What do you want Kim?"

I watched as her hands that were earlier wide open to scare me, fell on their sides. Her mouth that was wide open to eat me, changed to a pout - a scary pout. "How did you know it was me?" she asked, lifting up the white cloth from over her face.

I opened my door to let her inside and told her as a matter of fact, "No ghost needs to knock."

She snickered at me. "Do you still believe in those stories that we used to hear in childhood? Ghosts can walk from closed door and all?"

I tilted my head to the side and studied her white costume. "You're the one to say?" I asked sarcastically and she grinned in reply.

"It's a boring night." She changed the topic. I couldn't agree more and just nodded my head in agreement. After silence of a few minutes, she jumped slightly and looked at me with those happy, wide eyes.

"What did just occur in your head?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and folding my hands over my chest.

She laughed lightly and answered in one word; one word that was enough for me to agree with her; one word that was enough for both of us to leave my room. "Brianna."

"Now listen! You go inside and start making some creepy voices. Once she'll wake up, I'd come inside too. We'll just have to run together or else we'll be caught." I, too, was dressed in a weird black colored costume now. I had no idea from where Kim got these but they were good.

She looked at me with a grin and said, "And I thought I was the evil one."

Light laughter escaped my lips and I told her, "The black evil dress you got me is showing its side effects."

She laughed back and I motioned for her to enter her room very cautiously. Apparently, bribing one of the helpers with money along with my next match's ticket was all it took us to get a copy of Brianna's room's swipe card. Very quietly and trying to keep her laughter under control, Kim entered her room. She took two steps inside and turned back to look at me with tightly closed lips. I raised my eyebrows in confusion and Kim pointed towards her white clothed nose. I moved slightly towards the room and heard her snores. I, too, tried to stop myself from laughing.

Kim started making scary, weird sounds. She started with low pitch laughter in a very shrill voice and I looked at her in surprise. Slowly, she increased her pitch and started laughing loudly. I was standing at the door and I couldn't see Brianna's reactions. But, judging by her loud breathing and trembling voice, one thing was sure, she was terrified.

"Who... who are you?" she asked in a very trembling and scared voice. "Please don't kill me," she literally begged.

Kim let out a much more wicked laughter which reminded me of witches from the bad old tales of childhood. She was good! Making those weird noises, Kim jumped on her bed and Brianna let out a terrified sequel. "I'm not here to kill you," Kim told her in a very shrill voice. In all honesty, even I couldn't recognize her voice.

"Th-the-then... wh... why?" Brianna stammered.

There was silence for a minute and I wondered what was going on inside. Not being able to see that part of the room from where I was standing was a drawback. Just as I decided to peek inside, Kim's voice filled the air. "Our king has decided to make you our queen."

"No!" Brianna screamed, making me lean against the door as I doubled with laughter.

"Oh! Yes!" Kim jumped away from the bed, so I could see her now. "Our king has fallen in love with you."

Brianna kept screaming a series of 'No' and Kim continued laughing her evil laughter. That was my cue to enter the room. My outfit was scary and if Brianna was so scared to look at Kim's costume then, she would be terrified to look at mine, that I was sure about.

I took heavy steps inside the room and asked in a loud gruff voice, "Where is my queen?"

Brianna's trembling expressions changed to that of a very horrified one as her eyes landed on me. "Here she is, Your Highness," Kim answered with a high pitch giggle. She was so good! If I was so not in character, I would have applauded for her.

I took slow steps towards Brianna and she buried deep inside her quilt. "No! Leave me, please! I don't want to be your queen. Pl-please," she begged. Her lips were trembling and her eyes were filled with terror. I leaned so close to her that my fake elongated nose touched her cheeks and she flinched. I growled heavily and jerked back.

I moved my gaze back to Kim, who had her head bowed as if I really was her King, and told her, "I don't want her."

Kim's head snapped up to look at me and she asked, "But, why?"

My deadly, scary gaze went back to Brianna and I saw her sigh in relief. She smiled lightly and I continued, "You can never be the man your mother is."

With that, I turned back and got out of the room, but not before laughing a full booming and scary laughter. Kim too laughed at what I said, but changed it to a sprint of coughs. Without looking back at Brianna, I sprinted towards my room with Kim following me.

Once inside the room, Kim shut the door behind her and we removed the cloth from over our faces. We both started laughing till we had tears in our eyes. She was leaning against the door and I was towering her.

"You... you can never... be..the man your.. moth-mother is?" Kim asked between her laughter. I laughed harder as I realized what I had just said to Brianna. "That was incredible, Keith." She started laughing again, making me continue my laughter.

We laughed for I don't know how long, but this time it was Kim who stopped laughing first. I looked down at her as my own laughter started dying. She was breathing heavily just as I was and her eyes were fixed on mine. The laughter had disappeared and was now replaced by something serious. That was when I realized that the distance between us was almost negligible.

In a moment, the air around us had changed from fun-filled to that of tension filled. The tension was sexual tension; way too much sexual tension that I had been facing since the start of the day. Taking a step towards her, I vanished the little distance that was left between us and Kim let out a gasp as our chests touched. Gulping the Texas sized lump in my throat, I caressed her arms through the white costume and saw her shudder. She didn't stop me which was good, as I wasn't sure if stopping me would have worked at that time or not. I snaked my arms around her slim waist and leaned closer to her. With that action, she brought up her hands to my chest and that touch was enough to throw away any sense left in me. I leaned closer to her and brought my lips to the side of her neck. I left a trail of light kisses from her earlobe to her throat and with each kiss, her grip on my costume tightened. I started moving up, kissing her soft skin, kissing her jawline and felt the excitement touching high peaks inside me. She moaned lightly, when I kissed the side of her mouth. Her voice was heavenly and I couldn't control myself any longer.

I took the plunge and forgetting about each and every thing in my life, I leaned to vanish the distance between us.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. It was more like someone knocking sense in my mind and I jerked back from Kim in one quick motion. Bewildered, I looked back at Kim and she too was looking at me with eyes wide as saucers. We both were on the same level. We both couldn't believe that all this just happened. We kept looking at each other with wide, questioning eyes. It was like we both were searching for answers in each other's eyes or in this uncomfortable silence.

A loud knock on the door again broke away our focus from each other, and Kim turned away abruptly. She pulled back her face cloth so she was again covered from head to toe in her costume and I couldn't see her face. I wanted to talk to her. But, about what? There was nothing we could talk about.

Taking a few deep breaths, I moved towards the door to confront whoever the intruder was. I opened the door and what I saw, definitely confused me.

"Surprise!" Adam and Lee shouted with happy faces and open arms.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" I asked with disbelief and ridiculousness clear in my voice and on my face.

The grin from Adam's face fell flat just for a second and he informed me, "We're here to celebrate your last weekend as a bachelor. Woot woot."

'Thanks for the reminder,' I wanted to say. "You've got be kidding me," I said instead.

"No! We're not," Lee told me, looking at me strangely from head to toe. "What?" was all he could ask as he took in my appearance.

Adam was least concerned about it and probably didn't notice my weird costume as he pushed me aside and entered my room with a huge grin on his face. He spotted the white ghost with deadly-hollow black eyes and mouth. He stopped abruptly and started shouting in complete horror. With those shouts, he ran out of my room and all I could do was stare at my best friend's running back in disbelief.

Kim removed the cloth from her face and looked between Lee and me in confusion. Lee took in mine and Kim's costume and nodded in slight understanding. Then he looked back towards the way from where Adam had ran away.

I waved my hand in dismissal and told him, "He deserved it."

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A/N

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