Just Kidding (SWAT Generation 2.0 #1)(15)

But I’d forgotten how fast Derek had gotten.

When we used to do this, he’d been a gangly teenager with poor reaction time.

Now? Well, now he was a badass ninja who could do things that I couldn’t imagine.

Just as I took a step back, Derek’s hand locked on my wrist and pulled me toward him.

Despite fighting as hard as I possibly could, his strength was just way too much for me to ever put up a solid fight against.

“Noooo!” I cried out. “Save me, Katy!”

Katy was too busy laughing her ass off hanging onto Logan to do anything.

My mother just watched, unaffected, as chaos ensued in her kitchen.

“Daddy!” I yelled. “Help!”

My dad, who was on the back porch talking on the phone, flicked his gaze over his shoulder.

He took one glance and then turned back around as if my imminent death didn’t affect him in the least.

“Daddyyyyyy!” I cried again as Derek finally got his arms around me and was pulling me in. “Help, Daddy! You told me you would always be there!”

By this point I was screeching.

“Don’t you dare, Derek Dammit!” I burst out when he started heading toward the back yard.

“Don’t I dare do what?” Derek asked as he transferred my entire body weight to one arm and reached for the doorknob.

I fought harder, knowing where this was going, kicking, screaming, and biting.

“Oowww!” Derek said when I bit him on the forearm. “That hurt!”

Yet he still didn’t let me go.

And when I went to bite him again, he took that moment to yank the door open and start running.

“Daddy!” I cried out again. “Please! I’ll buy you a cookie!”

Dad watched, dispassionate, as Derek carried me to the edge of the pool.

“You throw me in here, Derek Dammit, and I’ll…”

I hit the water with a rush.

And the water that was cold—so fucking cold—year-round.

I froze my ass off as I sank like a stone to the bottom of the pool.

I stayed there for what felt like forever, until I couldn’t possibly hold my breath anymore.

By the time I breached the surface, there was a very worried looking man gazing into the pool at me.

The moment I gasped in a breath and opened my eyes, I found Dax’s panicked eyes looking into mine.

“I thought I was going to have to jump in there after you,” he said, sounding winded.

I grinned.

“Rowen used to swim in high school,” Dad said as he pocketed his phone. “She’s got a hell of a gift for holding her breath, too.”

I looked back at Dax to see him holding his hand out for me.

I took it, gasping when he lifted me out in one swift move.

One second I was in the pool, and the next I was standing beside the strong man with my clothes sopping wet.

“What did you do to your brother?” Dad asked.

I saw my brother on the deck talking to Logan and Katy.

Katy was still hiding behind Logan as if that would save her.

It would… for now.

“Excuse me,” I said as I swept past Dax and my father.

Dax moved to the side so I wouldn’t get him wet, and I grinned.

I wasn’t grinning at Dax, though.

I was grinning at what I was about to do.

Which I did in the next second.

With Derek’s back to me, he hadn’t seen me coming in time.

By the time he had noticed, I was already wrapped around him, soaking him.

“Fuuuuck!” Derek said as he tried to get me off.

“You ready?” Luke asked Dax, his voice sounding unperturbed and used to the chaos of the household around him.

Dax flicked his eyes once more to me, then to my father. I watched from my perch on Derek’s back as he tried to get me off without hurting me.

“Yep,” he said, eyes filled with amusement. “Ready when you are.”

Dad and Dax left.

Katy and Logan left.

My mom left.

Leaving just me and Derek on the back porch.

He hadn’t spilled a single drop of his coffee.

“For the love of all that’s holy, Rowen,” he growled, grabbing hold of my leg and squeezing. “I swear to God. If you don’t get off, I’m going to fucking kill you.”

I let him go, then made sure to stick my tongue out at him.

“I told you I had an appointment,” he grumbled darkly, looking at his very wet t-shirt.

I rolled my eyes and walked into the house, uncaring that I was dripping on the floor.

“Hey, I hope you’re going to clean that up!” my mom said from the counter.

“I’m not cleaning up shit,” I told her. “You deserve the wet puddles, thank you very much.”

My mom snickered as she grabbed her keys and her purse and started out the door.

I ignored her too and made a hasty retreat to my room. By the time I got back out, Derek was shrugging into one of my dad’s t-shirts that said, “Beer me, please.”

“Nice,” I said as I studied the shirt. “What’s this appointment for?”

He ignored me.

“Why couldn’t you take Dad to work?” I wondered.

“Because I have to go to a doctor’s appointment before I go in today,” Derek answered.