Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail(21)

"You were showing off?"

"I don't know. It doesn't matter. I won't do it again, promise. Just don't beat me up. If you can do that, I don't want to know what Viola can do." Brady lifted his head. "Thanks, man. I think you saved my life."

"She, huh…okay," Matt only said before he jerked a thumb behind him. "There's a whole bunch coming. Party's not the same without you, man. We brought the party to you. So…I don't think I've ever seen anything like that."

Brady laughed. "She's all prim and proper around you guys, but trust me, she's a spitfire."

"Yeah…" Matt didn't look reassured. He looked alarmed. Then we heard shouts from the path and a whizzing sound was soon in the air. Brady reacted before anyone else. His arms dropped \ and he jumped in the air to catch a flying football. As he fell to the ground, a perfect catch, five guys rushed around Matt and jumped on top, but he was up and running in the opposite direction. They ran after him.

"There's a clearing over there," Matt explained.

I turned back and saw it was just the two of us.

"I'd ask you out if I was pretty sure Brady wouldn't kick my ass."

"What?" My cheeks got warm.

Matt grinned. "That was hot. I didn't…Brady always said you weren't what you look like, but that— Wow. If Brady didn't have dibs on you, I'd be all about you."

I heard a husky, deep throated chuckle from behind us and turned to see Clarissa. Her hands were tucked into her frayed miniskirt, but she shook her head. "You wouldn't have a chance, Matt. Leave her alone before you scare her to death."

"I'm just saying—"

"Don't. You don't got a chance." She shooed him away. "Go play football with the rest of the manly men."

Matt started walking backwards, but argued, "I'll go, Clarissa, but only because you're right. I don't want to scare Rayna. I'm man enough. I don't need football to prove that. One thing I'm pretty sure you can attest to."

"Get lost before I start speaking the truth about your 'masculinity.'"

Matt tipped his head back and laughed, but then turned and was gone in the trees.

"He's…a handful." Clarissa shook her head and then eyed me up and down. "So what was that about? I didn't think Matt would be your type."

Flushed, I hung my head. I didn't have a type. I wasn't Matt's type and I really wasn't Brady's, but I only shrugged. "He saw me get mad at Brady about something. That's all." I didn't know what Brady was talking about. I wasn't even beautiful, much less "hotter" than Clarissa.

"Cat got your tongue?"

I jerked a shoulder up and still watched the ground. I'd never been chatty with anyone except Brady.

"Ah, hell. Here." She held out a lemonade drink.

I hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I just—Brady said some stuff."

"Brady can be an idiot sometimes. He's way too protective of you, and if you ask me, you should drink if you want. You're not going to hell. You're not going to become someone like me. You can have fun for one night. Brady needs to lighten up, at least when it comes to you."

I remembered her words from before. "Is that what you meant when you said that stuff about letting me be grown up?"

Clarissa smiled tightly and adjusted her top. "I think Brady needs to stop holding your hand with everything and let you learn a few things."

"What do you mean?"

"You know, it's not my place. Brady would throw me in jail for saying something."

"No, no. I meant…" Did she mean…like, sexual things? Would Brady want me if I knew something more about sex? Would he…no. I couldn't go there.

"I'm just saying that you seem really cool, but I know Brady doesn't bring you around half the time. And when he does, he doesn't let you out of his sight for more than a few minutes. Tonight was the exception, but I think you had more to do with that than him. Am I right? You two have a spat or something?"

"Or something," I muttered. I didn't really know what the "something" was, but there was definitely a "something."

"That's what I thought." Clarissa turned and looked around. "I haven't been down here in a long time. I used to come here to make out with my boyfriends."

"I bet you and Brady used to come here…"

Clarissa looked at me, an odd emotion in her eyes. "No, actually. He knew about this place, but he never wanted to come here. He said it was 'precious childhood stuff'. I never knew what he meant, but it didn't bother me. Brady does what Brady wants to do. I always knew that." She swung her piercing eyes to me. "Just like I always knew I wasn't the girl for him."

I opened my mouth to ask her what she meant when we heard a smattering of giggles and high-pitched whispers. Clarissa cursed under her breath, latched onto my arm, and dragged me behind a clump of trees. I glanced at the road behind us, but she was intent on watching whoever was coming down the path.

"Clari—"

"Sshh!" Clarissa hushed me and elbowed my side. "I hate these girls."