Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail(40)

"Hey, guys." He moved towards me. "This is Rayna."

"You're the infamous Rayna," one of the guys sneered, but I caught the amusement in his eyes.

"Don't touch her. Don't look at her. Don't speak to her," Brady casually warned and then picked me up and deposited me on the tube.

"Oh!"

He kicked off down the river and floated with an arm holding my tube. As water dripped down his face and flattened his hair, Brady grinned at me. His eyes sparkled brightly and I found myself almost breathless when he added, "I don't want to punch anyone later."

I melted inside a tiny bit and reached out to trace a water drop from his cheekbone. "I don't think that's a healthy outlook on life."

"Not if you're having my baby," he whispered.

My heart skipped a beat. When he said those words, they sounded like a loving caress.

"Hey, Remy! We're doing shots. You want one?"

With a wink, he shot off the tube and flipped himself backwards in the river. A second later he surfaced and was beside his friends in a flash. Four of the guys lifted a shot in the air, each tanned and muscular, but when Brady tipped his head back for the shot, the others did as well. That was how the rest of the afternoon went. Brady stayed next to me for the most part, but a few times his buddies would call him over for some drinks. I caught curious looks from some of them, but no one approached. They adhered to Brady's not-so-subtle warning.

"I should be annoyed with you right now," I remarked later as my hand dipped into the water and my head rested on the tube, a couple inches from where Brady held on.

"Why?" Brady asked in a monotone as he watched the group behind us. Clarissa and her friends had all waved to Brady when he first joined the group, but seemed content to stay in their own group. It had taken me awhile, but I figured out most of the people weren't students from school. This was their normal partying group. Where they had come from, I had no idea.

"Because you're all protective right now." I lifted my head up and made sure to look him square in the eyes. "You don't have to do that, you know. I don't know if I'm pregnant. Chances are really good that I'm not, and I don't want you being like this just because you feel like you have to be."

He narrowed his piercing eyes and considered me a moment before he replied, monotone, "Trust me. You having a baby is the last thing on my mind."

"But then…why did you bring it up?"

He shrugged. "I only mention it because I know you're worried about it. I'm not really. I should be, but I'm not."

I opened my mouth, flabbergasted, and then shut it again. He was such a boy; of course he's not worried. He won't be having the nine-month sabbatical.

"And if anything happens, I won't leave you high and dry. You could shoot me and I'd still be knocking on the door with flowers." He stared at me, long and hard. "You're stuck with me, Rayray."

My knees melted and I almost slipped from the tube. Brady shot a hand out and steadied me. Then he leaned closer, an intimate look in his eyes. I held my breath and my eyes widened when he grew even closer till I felt his breath against my cheeks.

Then we heard Clarissa shriek from behind us, "Kid! You made it!"

Brady stiffened before he jerked his head up.

I almost fell forward, but caught myself this time. When I looked Kid was frowning down at a drunken Clarissa. Josh stood behind him and both wore black swim trunks with a whiskey bottle in hand. Neither of them had towels or inner tubes. Josh stood an inch taller, but the familial genes were unmistakable with their dark brown eyes and soft prettyboy features. The only difference was Kid's jet black spiky hair.

"What the…?" Brady stopped short as he caught the look between Kid and Clarissa.

I scooted forward and grasped Brady's arm. Then I jumped on his back. The inner tube be damned. "She likes him. Let them be."

He grasped my arm, but didn't push me off. He just cradled my arm and stared back at them.

"Brady," I urged and clung tighter. "He's not here for me. She wants him."

"He wants you," he wrung out and dipped back down into the river. As the water swirled around my shoulders I wrapped both my legs around Brady's very chiseled waist. Then I placed my mouth near his ear. "I might be carrying your baby so focus on me. Leave them alone."

I felt the air leave Brady as he turned in my arms and legs. We were now face to face and he pulled me forward to tighten my legs around his waist. His hands found my own waist and he squeezed both sides. "Fine," he growled as his eyes lingered on my lips. "But don't expect me to be nice to him."

"He used to be your best friend."

"No, he never was. He's not you."

My eyes clung to his as I held onto him with every bit of strength in my body. When he stood in the air, two things exploded within me. One, I was pretty sure I was in love with Brady. And two…I'd just gotten my period.

It was an awful feeling when something other than water dripped between my legs. I pushed away from him and clasped my legs together. The water erased the feeling and I was tempted to ignore what had just happened.

"Rayna, what are you doing?"

"I—" I couldn't say it, but I had no idea what my plan was. I just needed to get away because I was going to die from embarrassment. If everyone else saw, but could they see? We were in a river.