*to start off, the song that inspired this chapter is "the perfect mistake" by cartel. you'll see why when you read... anyway, i'll be posting the full 'BEWL playlist' at the very end, so you can listen and reminisce. ;) and, as a side note, the two perv-buddies in the last chaper, dan and fraser, are named after two real people, who really are that perverted. i thought it would make a nice addition to the story. anyway, on with the fic!*

Chapter 36 - - Giving In: It's Not So Bad

It was difficult to decide why I basically began an underwater make-out session with Kaiba. I mean, yeah, it was interesting to see him relaxing in the pool - - and even more interesting to watch the surprise in his face - - but it's not usually my modus operandi.

So, as I stripped down in my room as the sun set, toweling off my sticky, water-wrinkled body, I pondered my "Kaiba situation." Since we were on the second floor, I wasn't too worried about being spotted, standing in front of the window completely naked.

Could it be that you're in love with Kaiba? Marnie had asked me in an e-mail yesterday. I mean, I saw the looks you got when you thought about him. And the way you talk about him in our messages. I'm sure Joey can see that, too.

And he had. He might have been teasing, but he said something about 'getting lovey-dovey with money bags,' so I assumed he knew about my feelings as well.

"It's only physical," had been my mantra this whole trip. And that was partially true; I was very attracted to him for his body. He had a great figure. But, then, I could see that under the icy shell, Seto Kaiba had a heart of gold. He simply never let it show.

I'd watched him around his brother, seen the humor in his eyes when he made me angry. I suppose the best analogy I could muster was that of a pineapple, stupid as it may seem. Sharp and intimidating on the outside, but nice and sweet on the inside.

I chuckled softly. Kaiba as a fruit. Now that was something to laugh at.

Bending down, I plucked a discarded silk robe from the floor and wrapped it around myself. I had just finished tying it when there was a rap at the door of my room, light and hesitant.

"Come in," I called, then added jokingly. "I'm clothed."

Kaiba stepped in, gazing at me, looking ashamed. It was an unfamiliar expression, on him, at least. "I need your help," he said.

A million possible options zoomed through my mind at once. "What do you need help with?"

He sighed. "How much do you know about burns?"

XXX

"OW!" Mokuba cried, pressing his face into the comforter beneath him. He was lying face-down on his bed, grimacing, while Celeste rubbed aloe vera on his back, where there was a large patch of skin that was colored a searing, sympathy-enciting shade of red. She sat beside him, a bottle of the cooling gel between her legs. Kaiba leaned against the wall nearby, his arms crossed over his bare chest.

"Just try and ignore it," she soothed, squeezing another dollop of aloe into her hand.

"How can I?" Mokuba groaned, wiggling beneath her touch. "It burns!"

She smoothed over an area on his shoulder. "What sunscreen did you use, anyway?"

"The orange one, on the kitchen counter. Ow."

She turned to Kaiba and tilted her head, asking him silently to retrieve it. He went quickly to the kitchen, grabbed the bottle, and returned to the bedroom, tossing the sunblock to her.

"The same one I used," she mused, reading the label. "SPF eight. You re-applied it after three hours, right?" Quickly, she checked her own shoulder for a similar burn and found none.

Mokuba lifted his head, flinched at the pain it caused, and said blankly, "You're supposed to re-apply it after three hours?"

Kaiba banged the back of his head against the wall. Celeste dropped her face into her clean left hand.

"And there's your problem," she declared. "This stuff loses its potency after a while, between the pool and your sweat and how well it absorbs into your skin. Plus, the sun's a lot stronger here. Be careful next time."

"Right," Mokuba whimpered. "Ow..."

"Let one of us know if you feel dizzy or sick, okay?" she requested, more gently.

"Okay. I just wanna sleep now." He wriggled up higher on the bed and flopped into the pillow.

She smiled, then capped the bottle of aloe, got up, and left, with Kaiba trailing after a tad more slowly. Once they were in the kitchen area, she set the aloe bottle on the table and turned to Kaiba with a smirk.

"So...why did you ask for my help anyway?" she asked, leaning against the counter.

He frowned slightly and averted his gaze to the window. "I had no idea what I was doing," he replied flatly. "I practically raised Mokuba... but I'm of absolutely no use in a situation like this." Shrugging, he added pointedly, "The motherly crap."

Her teeth flashed in a full-fledged smile, and she strolled up to him. "You've done just fine with him, Kaiba. He's a great kid - - even if it was his plan the entire time to hook us up."

"Right," he agreed, sighing. He glanced at her, at the devious twinkle in her eyes and the tempting curve of her chest beneath the thin robe. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing," she said, and started walking off.

He took a firm hold of her wrist and yanked her back, her body slamming into his. He remained fixed to the spot.

"No you don't," he teased softly. "I was planning to finish where you left off in the pool, Miss Dawson."

"Were you now, Mister Kaiba?" she asked, leaning closer.

His eyelids lowered, brows rose, and mouth covered hers, gaining access easily. He wrapped his arm around her back and hoisted her up so that she would stand on his feet, which would make their height a bit more equal. His free hand fondled her breast through the fabric of her robe, rubbing in circles with his thumb. He grew tired of that, though, and pushed the robe aside for skin-to-skin contact as his lips traveled down to her neck.

She tilted her head back, and he trailed kisses up and down her throat. "Seto...," she rasped.

"Yes?" he asked, his voice muffled. She smelled like chlorine, coconut sunscreen, and orange soap. It was an intoxicating combination.

"I...I need to shower." She pulled away suddenly, her face unsure.

"W-what?" he stammered, taken off guard.

"I stink. I. Need. To. Shower." Her eyes glittered, and she hurried off, entered the bathroom, and closed the door. A moment later, the hard blast of the shower was heard.

What...just happened? he thought, bewildered. It had seemed like she wanted that... but she ran off, her tail between her legs.

What the fuck is going on? !

With a jolt, the answer clicked in his mind. A sly smile crossed his lips, and he followed her to the bathroom.

When he opened the door, the steam had already clouded the mirror and shiny fixtures with fog, and the air was thick with it. Beyond the shower curtain, he could see the outline of her figure beneath the shower head, carefully washing her arms, shoulders, and chest...

Just the thought started to get him hard. He tried to remove his wet swim shorts as quietly as possible.

Celeste abruptly stuck her head out, just as he dropped his trunks. Her hair was plastered against her head, and her mascara was running. Surprisingly, it was attractive to him.

"I thought for a second you wouldn't figure it out," she murmured as he pushed the curtain aside and stepped in with her.

He smirked, pulling her close. The feeling of her skin, slick and hot, against his was unimaginably pleasant. He groaned softly, then growled, "I figure everything out. Fact of life."

She shoved him back, putting him directly beneath the stream of heated water. "And now you're all wet. Fact of life."

His hair sagged down into his eyes, blocking his view of her entirely. "Fuck," he muttered.

"Let's," she laughed, and started to scrub at his scalp. Only after the scent of orange reached his nostrils did he realize she was washing his hair with her shampoo.

Two can play at that game, he thought, and, pushing his bangs out of the way, snatched up his body wash, drizzled some into his palm, and lathered it onto her chest and neck. "Gotcha," he taunted.

"Hey!" she protested. She grabbed for her bar of soap at the same time he found his shampoo.

He smirked as they ended up washing each other, and finally he gave up the game and pressed her to the comparatively cold tile wall. She squeaked in surprise, and then was silent as he kissed her, hitching her leg around his waist.

She was still toying with him, obviously, but now there was no doubt in his mind.

Tonight was the night.

*see? the reason for the song, as i must explain, is that seto is celeste's perfect mistake...and oh boy is she makin' it! anyway, i must leave you hanging for ONE MORE CHAPTER. call me evil if you wish, but i intended for it to be this way. haha. i'm so mean to my readers. stay tuned!*