Superb and Sexy (Sky High Air #3)(58)

And bathroom.

The shower was empty now, and off, but it’d been neither a little while ago, and even as he thought it, Maddie’s fingers started tapping on the computer beneath the bank of the monitors. “Ten years ago, there weren’t monitors in the bathrooms,” she said.

“That seems to have changed,” he said, sounding perfectly calm but actually perfectly pissed.

“Yeah.” Her voice was grim as her fingers worked, and then suddenly, the bathroom monitor flickered and changed.

Rewound.

And yeah, there it was—him in the shower with Maddie, standing face to face with her beneath the water. Their mouths were moving, but all that could be heard was the rush of the water, none of their words. Good to know that plan worked. He had his back to the camera, naked and wet, bare ass and everything.

Brody remembered that part distinctly because it was where Maddie had told him “not here.” At the time, it’d been hot as hell, standing there with a soapy woman, and under any other circumstances, even just watching would also still be hot as hell.

But this…this was an outrageous invasion of privacy, and the thought of anyone else’s eyes seeing it filled him with fury.

Not a new feeling for him here on Stone Cay.

The movie kept playing, probably because Maddie stood there, finger on the keypad, as stunned as he.

On the monitor, he hugged her to him. He watched her arms go around his shoulders, grip him tight, then gently push him away.

Then his black and white self brilliantly shifted to expose Maddie full frontal, her gorgeous face tilted up, eyes closed as the water ran over her.

Needing to rip the monitor off the wall, he stepped forward, but Maddie reached out and slapped a hand to his chest, holding him back, her gaze still glued to the screen.

Reluctantly, he once again watched, struck by his black and white expression—he was looking at Maddie with everything in his eyes.

Just seeing it brought it back, how he’d felt in that moment. Apparently for her, too, because next to him she swore, and with a tap of her fingers, the images were gone.

There was a beat of silence.

“I should have known. I’m sorry, Brody. I’m deleting the whole thing.” She said this tightly as her fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard. “The entire night. Hold on.”

He was clenching his jaw so tight he was surprised his teeth didn’t shatter, but then all the monitors went blank, and she smiled grimly. “Look at that—there’s been a little mishap. Okay, a major one. All the security monitors are down.”

“For how long?”

“I’m thinking until they can get a tech here to fix it, which means a boat, which means it won’t be until after we’re gone. But there’s no guarantee.” She reached for the laptop. “I’ll be quick.”

Brody paced behind her, one ear cocked for the slightest sound, his gut twisted with stress and the need to protect this woman at any cost.

“There’s nothing here,” she said after a moment, sounding bitterly disappointed. “Nothing I can take with me.”

“Shut it down then; we’re done.”

“Yes,” she said, agreeing with him for once, though the victory felt hollow because she was quiet, too quiet, which meant he had to rein in his own urge to go postal. If she was going to be coolheaded and calm, then f*ck it, he’d be coolheaded and calm, too. Being taped while in the shower? No sweat. He wasn’t even going to blink.

Hardest thing he’d ever done.

“You look all calm,” she said. “But I know you’ve got to be just as pissed off as I am.”

That she knew him, that she’d admit it completely disarmed him for a moment. Disarmed and charmed. “Yes.” He let out a breath. “Very.”

“I’m not sure what to do now.”

This admission was even bigger, and he reached for her hand. “We can’t leave until dawn.”

“No.”

“Then I think you know exactly what you want to do next.”

“Yeah. I know you think it’s stupid to search, but…”

He hated buts. Unless it was her butt. Her bare butt—

“But I have to get some proof of Rick’s activities. If I don’t and he follows through with his threats, it won’t be Leena going to jail.” She let out a breath. “It’ll be me.”

“For what?” he asked in disbelief.

“If I tell you, this conversation is going to deteriorate pretty quickly.” She turned away. “In fact, your feelings for me are going to deteriorate pretty quickly.”

“Not possible,” he said flatly, turning her back to him. If she thought she’d be going to jail for killing Rick, then no way because he was going to be the one to do it. “Tell me.”

She let out another long breath. “Leena didn’t kill Manny. I did.” And with that, she headed to the door.



Maddie got as far as reaching for the door handle before Brody managed to grab her hand and halt her progress.

She couldn’t blame him—she’d just dropped quite a bomb. She’d hoped to never have to tell him about killing Manny. She’d hoped to never have to tell anyone.

Brody just stared at her, the air weighted with his disbelief and shock. “What did you say?”