Brazen (Brazen #1)(8)

“I’m not naked,” she mumbled.

He reached down to retie her straps. When he was finished, she rolled back over. She put a hand to her eyes to shield the sunlight as she stared up at him.

“See?” she challenged. “I’m dressed.”

“If you call that dressed,” he said darkly. “And what the hell’s up with the belly ring? Did Zane talk you into that?”

A hoot of laughter rose from the pool.

“See, I told you he’d blame me,” Zane called.

“You don’t like it?” she asked Seth.

“For God’s sake, Jasmine, you didn’t used to cavort around half naked or put unnecessary holes in your body.”

She worked to keep the amusement from her face. “I’m not a little girl anymore, Seth. I’m all grown up. You can’t expect me to look like a sixteen-year-old forever.”

It was the wrong thing to say, and they both knew it. He sobered, and she looked away, embarrassed by the memories conjured for both of them.

“Just get some clothes on,” he said gruffly. “Here.” He stripped off his T-shirt and tossed it to her. “Put that on. You’re going to get burned if you’re not careful.”

She watched as he walked to the far end of the pool where Carmen had set up a table with snacks and drinks. The horseplay resumed in the pool, and she wondered just how much of their conversation the others had heard.

She was about to toss aside Seth’s shirt and ignore his dictate when Toby pulled himself over the side of the pool and headed in her direction.

Instead of stopping to talk to her as she expected, he simply reached down and plucked her out of her chair. He grinned wickedly.

“Time to come in,” he said.

She immediately began to struggle. “No!”

He obviously thought she was playing because he ignored the panic in her voice and started to sprint back to the pool. She writhed in his arms, desperate to make him stop. Her chest began to close in on her, swelling with the god-awful fear she’d lived with for so long.

She heard a shout in the distance. Saw Seth start for her, but he’d never reach them in time. Everything moved in slow motion. She registered Zane thrusting a hand out, trying to stop Toby. Heard Seth’s snarl of rage.

Oh God, not this, not the water. She whimpered as Toby jumped into the air. They seemed suspended for a moment, and then they hit the water, his arms still tight around her.

As the water consumed her, closed over her head, she began to fight. It was her worst fear all over again. The man shoving her underwater, terrorizing her, holding her under until she nearly passed out only to yank her above water and start all over again.

They sank to the bottom, Toby still holding her. He had no idea of her fear and why should he? Her chest felt near to exploding. Darkness swirled around her. She gave one more effort to free herself, to somehow shove herself to the surface. To escape the nightmare.

Just when she knew she was going to black out, strong hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her upward. Zane. They broke the surface, and she clutched desperately at his neck. She heard desperate sobbing and realized it was her making the terrible noise.

“Shhh, baby, you’re okay now,” Zane whispered in her ear as she choked and cried, coughing up water.

He held her tightly against him as she buried her face in his neck. She trembled from head to toe, panic quaking over her.

Zane eased through the water, swimming with her in his arms as she clung to his chest. When he reached the side, another set of strong arms lifted her up and out of the water.

“Jasmine, honey, are you okay?” Seth asked in her ear as he cradled her dripping body to his.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried harder. He tensed against her, anger billowing from him. He strode around the pool toward the patio doors. In the distance, she heard Zane issue a sharp reprimand.

“Don’t you ever f**king touch her again, you got me?”

Then she heard no more as Seth closed the doors behind him. The air-conditioned air blew over her, raising goose bumps on her skin. She shivered against him, whether more in fright or cold she wasn’t sure.

He took her upstairs to her room. Once inside he set her down, holding on to her as she got her feet underneath her.

“Stay right here, baby. I’ll be right back with a towel.”

She shook like a leaf, clutching her body with her arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn’t get rid of the awful tension in her chest. It still felt as though she couldn’t breathe. She sucked in air, trying to ease the ache.

Seth returned and wrapped a warm, fluffy towel around her. Then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. He set her down, taking care not to jostle her. She sat there, the end of the towel gathered in her hands, held tightly, her lifeline.

“Jasmine,” Seth said gently. “Honey, talk to me. Are you all right? I’m so damned sorry that happened to you. I swear I’m going to kick Toby’s ass.”

She opened her mouth to try and tell him she was okay, but she wasn’t. Another sob escaped her chest, followed by another and another.

Seth cursed under his breath and took her in his arms, holding her tightly as he rocked back and forth. Behind him, the door burst open. A few seconds later, she heard Carmen and Zane asking about her.

Seth continued to rock her even as he asked Carmen for a sedative. Jasmine buried her face in his thickly corded neck. She felt such a fool. It had been years since she’d needed the tranquilizers the doctor had prescribed for her panic attacks.