Chapter 19

I stared into those dancing blue eyes as his answer slowly made its way past the fog in my brain.

That little shit!

I shoved him.

Brady stumbled backwards with a chuckle. "Okay. Enough talk," he said as he lunged forward and unceremoniously threw me over his shoulder.

A screech left my throat. "What are you doing?" I shouted, beating against his back. "Let me down!" I kicked my legs, fighting and failing to wiggle free.

"There's still so much to show you!" Brady called out.

"I can walk!" I continued to beat away at him, but he didn't even flinch. I was like a fly buzzing around a jackass's– well–ass, and I had a perfect view of said ass, and it was... Damn him! "Put me down!"

"Almost there, Sweetheart. Just a little further."

"No! Put me down, now!" I screamed. "I swear, Brady! If you don't put me down right this second–"

He cut me off, "We're here!"

Here? He'd walked maybe twenty feet! "Good! Then let go of me dammit!"

"Are you sure?" he sang. "I rather like this position." His heavy palm came hard and swift against my backside.

I screeched again. "You mother– Put me down!"

"As you wish." He released me, only not in the way I'd imagined. I wasn't slowly lowered, but dropped. My feet didn't gently reach the earth, but instead, my entire body made a splash as I was engulfed in bright neon purple water.

I scrambled to the surface and heaved a breath. "What the fuck!" I glared at him.

Brady stood on the bank, doubled over in his laughter. "What? You don't like it?"

"I hate you!" I screamed. "You–are–such–an–asshole!"

Brady's smile dulled, and his expression grew grim. "I was only playing. I didn't mean to make you mad. Here, I'm sorry." He held his hand out to help me.

Begrudgingly, I trudged forward and accepted the offer. Brady lifted me up easily enough, and I was just about to get a foothold on the bank, when I was once again falling backwards into the murky abyss.

I spluttered as I stood.

Brady's laughter reached a new height. "Your face!" he guffawed. "Ah, that's priceless."

I watched him through narrowed eyes. He was such a dick. Always. Here I stood, once again, his human joke. An idea struck me, and instead of trying to get out again, I slowly made my way backwards into the deeper water. Two can play this game, genie. "You're such a jerk!" I yelled again once the water reached above my navel. "I don't know why–AH!" I pulled myself under as if something had jerked me away, and through the murk I heard him call out.

"Amelia!" Another splash much larger than mine hit the water, and only a moment later, I was once again wrapped up in a large pair of–far too sexy–arms. Brady pulled me above the surface, then palmed each side of my face. "Are you okay?" His eyes ran over me, wide and wild, checking for injuries.

"Something grabbed me," I said in as scared a voice as I could, and believe me, I had experience in such things. "It pulled me under. This is your fault."

Brady held me tighter. "I'm sorry. God! I'm so sorry." He scanned the water. "Don't worry, I've got you now."

Something gripped my ass, hard, and I let out a yelp.

Brady looked down at me with wide, not so innocent, eyes. "What is it? Did it try to grab you again?"

I gave him a flat look. "You did that."

He gasped in the fakest outrage I'd ever had the dissatisfaction of witnessing. "Sweetheart! I would never." It happened again, and my traitorous brain's reaction was to move away from it, which ultimately meant me moving closer to much more dangerous areas.

"Stop it!" I smacked his chest. His naked chest. "Where is your shirt!" I tried to pull away, but Brady gripped me tighter, lifting me up and wrapping my legs around his waist.

His head fell back, and a booming laugh once again filtered out of his chest. He spun us around, then his eyes met mine. "This is fun, huh?"

"No!" But my chest was full of stupid flutters. His face when he laughed like that, combined with the feel of his bare skin beneath my hands, and my most intimate parts so close to his... It was unfair. I was losing it. The pull grew and strengthened until it became a physical thing, like gravity. "Why?" I breathed as my traitorous body changed course and fought to get closer.

Brady's smile fell, and his grip tightened. The feeling electrified and pulsed, like a tether between us. My heartbeat drummed within my chest as we stood silently gazing at one another. There was no playfulness to Brady's dark look. His arms held me close. I could feel each time his chest rose and fell, the beat of his heart. It, too, was racing. Each thud matched the pace of mine, and each beat seemed to resonate with some deep part of me.

"Why what, sweetheart?" His voice was deeper, rough.

It took a moment for me to respond. My hands instinctively ran over his shoulder blades, the lines of his bare back. I'd never felt so tempted. I'd never been this close to a man before, and I had no idea what it was I really wanted. "Why do I–"

He leaned forward, lowering his face until his lips were less than a breath from mine. "Why do you what?" As he spoke, his breath fanned my face, cool and minty.

I stared at his lips, and some deep part of myself urged me forward. It whispered, like a demon on my shoulder, tempting me to fill the gap, to taste... Before I could think past the fog, I gave in and closed the gap, connecting us in a kiss softer than the touch of butterfly wings.

A growl left his chest, and the sound sent a shock through my entire body. Brady's grip tightened as he took control, his tongue dipping into my mouth and turning my innocent taste into a devouring.

I didn't fight back, couldn't have even if I tried. It was too nice, too intense, too tempting. I matched his urgency with my own, but couldn't keep up.

Brady's left hand gripped my thigh, holding me in place as his other travelled upwards to entangle into my hair. I fought back, but not for an end. I didn't want an end. Who would ever want an end to this? More. I wanted more.

My nails dug into his shoulders and pulled as I caught his bottom lip between my teeth.

Brady hummed low and deep inside his throat, and his hand moved to grip my face. "I've waited so long to hold you like this," he said. I tried to close the gap he'd created, to kiss him again, but Brady held me in place as his eyes roamed over my features. He kissed one cheek, then the other, then my nose, then once more upon my lips, soft and sweet.

"Brady," I breathed. It sounded like a plea.

His eyes glittered. "What, Amelia? What do you want?"

I didn't want. I needed. My legs flexed as I fought to get closer to him, and his hand gripped my face when I tried once again to lean forward.

"No, sweetheart. You have to say it. I can't if you don't ask me– out loud."

My mouth opened but no sound came. The gears within my mind turned as I tried to articulate what it was I wanted. What did I want? The more I pictured it, our position, other possible positions...

My cheeks grew hot and my chest seized, only not from passion. Mortification. Confusion.

What the fuck am I doing!

"Let me down." My voice shook.

Brady stiffened, and I watched the bone along his jaw tighten and jump, but he didn't argue. Slowly, painfully slow, he lowered me down into the water until I was standing on my own, then in a flash, he was back on the bank.

I stood in place for a long drawn out moment, trying to understand what had happened to me. I'd been so... eager. What had possessed me? What had come over me?

Brady kept his back turned as he pulled his discarded shirt over top his head. His body was stiff, his motions robotic.

I swallowed hard and started to wade my way towards him. For as beautiful as this world was, I needed to get out of it, to go back to my dorm, somewhere I could think clearly.

The water splashed when I pulled myself onto the bank, and Brady stiffened more at the sound. He didn't turn. He didn't look at me. Instead, he kept his back to me, and murmured in a low strained voice, "Lets get you dry." The minute he spoke the words, his hand flicked and it was like I'd never gone into the lake at all.

His shoulders heaved before he turned and finally faced me. "You ready, sweetheart? I'll take you home now."

I nodded my head, and he opened his arms.

I stared at the invitation for only a moment's pause before I entered the embrace that had almost cost me my soul.

Brady wrapped me tightly to his chest, then leaned his face down to my ear. "I want you to know," he whispered. "I didn't plan that."

Then the world was once again turned to light, and within a breath, I was plopped onto my mattress, inside my dorm room, alone.

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