Bad Things (Tristan & Danika #1)(52)

He closed the door softly behind me.

He drove for a solid five minutes before either of us spoke.

“Is this your car?” I asked.

He gave one short nod as an answer.

The next stretch of silence was very nearly unbearable. I felt my heart pounding in my chest while I waited to see what he had to say. My thoughts were a little manic; going from wanting to chew him out, followed by the strong urge to apologize. The last thing in the world that I wanted to do was come between brothers, but on the other hand, I could argue that I wasn’t coming between them, since Tristan and I were supposed to be platonic.

I was at war with myself, at war with my own innate logic, and my out of control emotions. Tristan had that affect on me.

“I just have two questions, and then I’ll drop it.” His rough voice in the darkness made me jump.

“O-Okay.” I hated the weak thread of my voice.

“Was all of this because you were upset about last night?”

I cringed. That was just the question I hadn’t wanted, because finding the answer required me to be brutally honest with myself.

“In part it was,” I finally answered. “I wanted a distraction from you.”

“Okay. I wish you had just told me that. Second question, are you really interested in my brother?”

I breathed a sigh of relief. That one I could answer honestly and easily. “Jared is great but I already told him I couldn’t date him. I don’t have those kinds of feelings for him.”

Tristan exhaled noisily, then fell silent.

We didn’t speak again until we were back at the house, and then only to say a brief goodnight.

Tristan slept on the couch, and I felt vaguely like I was being punished.

I tossed and turned all night.

He was gone by the time I was up the next morning. I stewed about his absence all day, especially since he didn’t call or text me once.

I fell asleep quickly that night, exhausted from the bad night of sleep the evening before.

I was so relieved I wanted to cry when I found him sleeping on the couch the next morning.

Ivan and Mat had slept over at a friend’s house down the street, and so the house was quiet as a tomb. I tiptoed away silently, letting him sleep. There weren’t many mornings in the house where it was peaceful enough to sleep in, and it was a pity to spoil one of them.

I decided to go swimming. I shunned my black one-piece again, donning my bronze bikini. It was a silly thing to wear to swim laps, but my pride won out for that one.

I had lost track of the number of laps I’d done when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.

I swam to the side of the pool, clinging to it as Tristan approached. He was already wearing black swim trunks. The look on his face could only be described as repentant.

He dove into the pool in a mouthwatering display, swimming straight to me. He crowded me against the side. “I was a complete ass the other day,” he said quietly, earnestly. He kept moving close until we were nearly hugging. “Forgive me?”

I didn’t even hesitate, just nodding as I watched him steadily.

He bent down, wrapping his arms around me.

I threw my arms around his neck, hugging him back.

His arms tightened until we were pressed close. He held me like that for a long time, no funny business, just good old-fashioned holding.

“Did you and Jared make up, too?” I asked into his ear.

He pulled back, and I was sorry I’d broken the spell. “We did. He was pissed at me, but we’re good now. It didn’t hurt that you’d already shot him down.”

“He told you that?”

“He did. Is that true?”

“Yes. I already told you that.”

He grinned his most troublesome grin—a mixture of joy, mischief, and the best dimples in the world. It was the smile that got me every time.

He swooped me up in a cradle hold, moving to the pool stairs. I should have seen it coming, but a shriek of surprise escaped my lips as he threw me back in the water with a happy laugh.

I came up sputtering. “You made me do a side flop. That hurt.”

“You could always pay me back and throw me in.”

It was stupid, but I tried. I only ended up pushing him in, and following closely behind.

He threw me over his shoulders. I shrieked and started slapping at him when he carried me to the diving board and started bouncing.

“You weigh too much to be doing that,” I yelled at him. “We’re going to break this thing!”

He threw me in, and I surfaced in a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

“You’re out of control,” I scolded him, backstroking away from him.

He followed with a wicked smile.

“What’s gotten into you?” I asked him as he crowded me into corner of the pool.

He kissed me, and the world disappeared.

It was a hair pulling, legs wrapping, mouth bruising, earth and soul shattering kind of kiss.

I’d wanted him from the moment I’d laid eyes on him, but something integral inside of me changed with that kiss. I needed him, needed something that our relationship did for me, and I decided with that kiss to stop being such a pu**y about it.

He curved his mouth over mine again and again, deep, sweet, drugging pulls that only made me crave more.

My arms were around his neck, my legs around his waist, before I even realized I had moved. I shifted until his thick erection was nestled in just the perfect spot.