AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But I’m not doing any of that. I’m here with him, learning to do something I’ve always wanted to learn, but now I’m only doing it to help him and his friends out of a bind. And I’m doing it in a rush, no less.
It kills me a little bit to bite my tongue and keep my mouth shut, but I do it. What I’m not going to do is argue with him. I’m going to show him, and I’m going to be the best damn student he’s ever taught.
Then we’re going to win that stupid competition, and he’s going to have to get down on his knees to thank me. It’s the only acceptable outcome I can foresee. The three of them will see whata girl like mecan achieve when she goes all in.
Side by side, we walk out into the water until we’re about hip deep. We both hop on and start to paddle out. Thankfully he doesn’t take us out too far because I really don’t want to be out in the ocean when it gets dark. I mean, the staff houses are all lit up already, and I can see places around the resort that are lit up as well, so I know I’ll be able to see my way back to the shore, but still… sharks, and just no thank you.
Don’t think about sharks right now, Greer.
We sit here for several minutes in companionable silence as we straddle our boards and watch the sun sink lower and lower into the horizon.
If we stay much longer, it will get cold and the light will be gone, so we really need to head back in. I absolutely do not want to mention this to him though, because he looks so peaceful in this moment. It’s like all of his troubles have just melted away and I’m seeing the realest version of Brady for the very first time.
I’m not quite certain what to do with him.
“I’m a dick,” he murmurs quietly as he reaches out for my hand.
I allow him to lace our fingers together, but I don’t look at him. I don’t want him to see how surprised I am by his confession.
“You’re nothing like what I thought you were going to be, Greer, and sometimes… hell,allthe time, I don’t know what to do with that. Or you.”
I don’t know what to do with his confession, but it’s what I’ve been waiting to hear from him—or something similar to it.
“Thanks,” I mutter under my breath, because really what else am I supposed to say to that? And his dark blue eyes are doing all sorts of strange things to my insides and my belly is full of butterflies.
I’ve never once judged him for having a job, for working for my dad, or for just being from different worlds, like Matt said the other day. I’m not that kind of person. I’ve been nice to him from the start, but he and his friends have judged me at every turn.
Is this him finally accepting me for me and getting over his bullshit?
I freaking hope so, because I’m tired of it. I just really want them to see me forme.I don’t want to just be some rich girl to him. I want him to see me as a woman, and I want him to want me because I want him so badly it’s starting to make me feel stupid and desperate. These are things I’ve never felt before, and Lord only knows what they’ll cause me to do.
My lips tingle as I remember that kiss I shared with Matt. I want more ofthatand so much more from all three of them.
Does he know that one of his best friends kissed me like he’d been dying for a taste of me? Would he be bothered by it and turned off?
We paddle back to shore just as the last little bit of the sun sinks into the water. We do it in silence, but it’s peaceful, and we’re a lot closer than we had been when we headed out.
I think he felt what I felt, and he didn’t want to sever our fledgling connection by putting too much distance and too many words between us. Or maybe my mind is seeing only what I want it to see.
When we step out of the water, he takes my board from me and tosses it onto the sand beside his own.
Now that the sun’s gone down, I’m a wet, shivering, cold mess. I hadn’t noticed how cold I’d become while we were out on the water, probably because I was too fixated on obsessing over Brady to notice.
I find my towel in my bag where I left it and quickly wrap it around myself. I stuff my cover-up and my flip-flops into the bag and turn to find Brady wrapped up in his own towel, only his is around his waist and his too tempting chest and abs are still on display. It’s like he knows I enjoy the view and he can’t help but torture me with it.
“Come on, grab your board. We’ll dump them at my place, and then I’ll walk you home.”
I don’t want to go home, but I’m not quite ready to push my luck with him just yet. I don’t think I could face rejection right now.
I also love that all of them make a point to walk me safely back to my room, like they care about my well-being. I’m fully capable of walking myself, but it’s still a nice gesture.
He assures me that our boards are safe on the sand right in front of his place, but that doesn’t seem right to me. Anyone could come along and just walk off with them, but he doesn’t seem concerned. I feel like I’m leaving him with extra work to do when he gets back and think he’s taking it easy on me by not making me put my own board away. I don’t want special treatment, I want to be treated fairly, like an equal member of the team.
He surprises me by taking my bag from me and slinging the strap over his shoulder with ease. Then he further surprises me by taking hold of my hand like he had in the water and lacing our fingers together.
I’m not sure holding hands so publicly is something we should be doing, especially when they are all being so cautious with me because they work for my dad, but it sure feels nice. It’s not like we are going to run into the man himself out here, but we could run into some prick like Tristan, and he’s got a big mouth.
I have this urge to protect them, and it’s not something I’m used to feeling for people outside my family.
