Choices (17 page)

Chapter 36

When I wake up, the first thought I have is that Declan did not call or text me last night when he got home.
It’s not a surprise that I didn’t hear from Brody.

I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering
how much things are going to change between Declan and me. My heart breaks a little when I imagine my life without him in it. But last night’s kiss is burned into my memory.

When
Declan’s lips touched mine, they whispered of safety and comfort. It was a kiss between two friends. And it felt wrong.

Brody’s lips give and take, demanding that I step out of my comfort zone.
Asking me to take a leap of faith.  When he kisses me, I forget who I am. I forget where I came from, and I have to believe that I’m headed for something better. His lips give me hope.

I am trying to convince myself to get up and do something productive when my phone rings. Thinking it is Jenna wanting to go get breakfast, I jump to answer it. I am stunned when I see Brody’s name. My nerves immediately come to life.

“What’s up?” I force the words out, hoping my voice doesn’t give me away. This is only the second time Brody has called me, and my heart pauses when he speaks.

“
Mornin’, Quince. Did I wake you?” He sounds as if he’s been awake for a while. From the few times we’ve been together, I can totally tell he is a morning person. I, on the other hand, am not. And people like that usually annoy the crap out of me. Today, I make an exception.

“I’m co
nscious and breathing, but I haven’t convinced myself to get out of bed yet. Why? What’s up?” I have the fleeting thought that I am dreaming.

“Can you be ready in 30 minutes? I’ll pick you up.” I shoot up out of bed and run to my closet.

“Um, sure.” I frantically search through my drawers and closet, discarding clothes on my bed. “Where are we going?” I hope he can’t hear the sudden panic in my voice.

“To the cabin.
I’ve got something to show you. Be prepared to swim.” His voice becomes more playful, and I wonder what he has up his sleeve.

“Ok.
Gotta go. See you in a minute.” I hang up on him this time.
What the hell? Did he just say swim?
The idea of Brody seeing me in a bathing suit appalls me, but seeing him all wet and sweaty might be worth it.

I braid my hair and wrap it on top of my head. Jumping into the shower, I lather and rinse as fast as humanly possible. I grab my bathing suit and examine myself in the mirror. For the life of me, I just cannot imagine what a guy like Brody wants with a girl like me. I certainly don’t look like his usual hook-ups.

When I run down the steps and out the door, he is already waiting for me. I open the door and hop into his Jeep. He throws me a smile and speeds away. For a minute, I examine his profile while he drives. He looks so relaxed, a lazy smile on his face. Again, he has on a baseball cap turned backward. Wayward curls sneak out around the edges of the cap.
How can he look so adorable yet so hot at the same time?

“So, what do you want to show me?” I’m too nervous to enjoy surprises.

Smiling, he reaches out and pats my thigh. “I guess you’ll just have to see when we get there.” He absently rubs my leg with his thumb. “I think you’re going to like it.”

Now, I really want to know what it is. “No fair. I don’t even like surprises!” I laugh because I can tell he’s enjoying this game.
But I really am anxious. For the rest of the drive, I sit back and enjoy the view. The sun has already risen, and it is peeking through the mountains at us. I relax into my seat, wondering what the heck he’s up to. With the top down, the wind in our hair, the drive is over much too soon.

When we a
rrive, Brody hops out of the Jeep. He comes around and opens my door. The moment my feet are on the ground, he pulls me into his arms. “We can’t do anything else until we get this out of the way.” He cups my cheek in his hand, his thumb running along my bottom lip. When he lowers his head, he pauses just before his lips meet mine. “I dreamed about these lips last night.” He steals my breath when his mouth covers mine. He sucks my bottom lip into his mouth, and I open for him. His tongue meets mine, and my knees are suddenly weak. I want more. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he growls deep in his throat. When he finally pulls away, I take a steadying breath, and he chuckles at me. “If you keep that up, you won’t ever get to see my surprise. It’s supposed to rain later, so we better get going.” He reaches into the car and grabs some sunscreen and a few bottled waters.

He leaves me breathless. I don’t know how he turns it off so quick
ly, but my body is still trying to recover. Will I ever be able to look at him without wanting him?

We sit on the steps of the cabin while I apply sunscreen. Taking the bottle from my hand, he pours some into his own hand. Very gently, he begins to apply the sunscreen to my forehead and down my nose. He takes his time, making sure to cover my whole face.
This, from the man who doesn’t do relationships. And he wonders why I’m confused.

Once we are ready, we find the trail and walk into the woods.
I inhale deeply, allowing myself to enjoy the fresh air. I begin to lag behind, and he slows his pace. When I am alone with Brody, it is easy to pretend I know what I’m doing. It’s just that when we get around other people, I can’t relax. It’s like I am trying to be someone I’m not. Here, like this, I don’t feel the need to pretend.

“Brody, what do you like about me?” My conversation with De
clan is still fresh on my mind.

We take a few more steps, and just when I
begin to think he didn’t hear me, he stops and turns to me. Looking into my eyes, he says, “Everything.” His blue eyes darken, and I am certain he can see right through me. Exhaling sharply, his arms drop to his sides and he continues walking. For a moment, I am frozen in place, and when I come to my senses, I have to rush to catch up.

Instead of turning toward the lake, we stay on the trail, headed downhill. Ahead, I can see a break in the trees, and I wonder where we are going. At the edge of the woods, Brody turns to take my hand, and we step into the clearing together. It takes my breath away.

The whole valley is alive with flowers. The mountains are covered with trees, changing colors for Fall. I walk into the flowers. Butterflies flutter over the valley. I’ve never seen so many in one place before. Standing with my arms spread around me, I turn in a circle and take in the view. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.

“I kno
w you said you would love to see the snow on the mountains, but I didn’t want you to miss this. It’s even prettier in the Spring, but this only lasts a few weeks before the leaves fall.” He’s looking toward the mountains as he talks, and I can see the wonder on his face.

“Oh, Brody, this is beautiful! I love it!” I close my eyes and breathe deeply. The flowers spread their perfume over the valley, and
hope flares brightly inside me. I wish it could always be like this.

“This is only part of your surprise. Come on, it’s just a little farther.” He takes my hand, and I can feel his excitement. “I found these years ago when I was exploring the farm.” We get closer to the trees, and my curiosity is piqued when I hear running water.

Brody stops and I step around him. There is a shallow stream running into a large pool of water. With the trees surrounding it, we are very secluded from the rest of the world. Steam rises from the water, and I ask, “What is it?”

“It’s a hot spring. The spring runs down from the mountains, and it pools here. The water is about waist deep
. Come on.” He kicks off his shoes and pulls his shirt over his head. His swimming trunks hang low on his waist, and I am rewarded with a view of his stomach and chest. He looks at me expectantly, but I am suddenly self conscious. I’m wearing a bikini, and although it is very modest, I still don’t want to strip in front of him.

A slow smile spreads across his face. “
Here. Let me help you with that.” He reaches for my shirt and pulls it over my head. When his hand brushes the underside of my arm, I shiver despite the heat. He reaches for my shorts and slides them down my legs. “See? That wasn’t bad at all.” No, it wasn’t bad. It was tortuous.

“
It’s not fair when you distract me to get your way.” I smile and walk into the stream.
It is freakin’ cold!
I jump back, and Brody catches me. “I thought it was warm!”

He has the nerve to laugh at me
. “
Not there. Down here.” He leads me to the edge of the pool and slowly wades in. It feels amazing. Following him in, I walk to the side and sit on a rock that juts out into the water. Brody comes to stand in front of me, pushing my legs apart so he can stand between them. I sigh with contentment. “I thought you didn’t like surprises?”

“Brody, you can surprise me like this anytime
.” Wrapping my arms around his neck, I lean in and brush my nose against his. Staring into his eyes, I forget everything. It is as if the rest of the world no longer exists. “Kiss me.”

His eyes grow dark, and he roughly takes my lips. He pushes me up, pulling my legs around his waist. I can feel him against me, and I know he’s feeling what I am. Breathless, I lean back against the rocks
, watching as he rakes his hand through his unruly hair. I am mesmerized by the trail of water trickling down his chest.

“I could stay here forever if you always looked at
me just like that.” I don’t understand what he means, but I can’t take my eyes off him. “Everything.” His voice deepens while he looks into my eyes. “I like everything about you, Quince. I like the way those little wisps of hair frame your face. I love your eyes, so deep I get lost in them. Those lips I can’t resist. But I like
you
, Quince. The first time I saw you, I was drawn to you. I knew right then that you would turn my world upside down. It scared the hell out of me, but I knew I’d follow you anywhere.” He just made me feel beautiful, really beautiful, for the first time in my life.

There are no words for that. Instead, I wrap my arms around his neck and roughly kiss him. I twist my fingers in his hair and wonder why I haven’t done that before. Besides his eyes, his hair is the sexiest thing about him.
But it’s what he hides on the inside that I so desperately want to see.

I hear a distant roll of thunder, and Brody jerks away. “Sounds like we better
head back.” I giggle when his eyes widen in fear. “What? You think it’s funny?” He begins tickling me, and I squeal. “Now you know my secret. I don’t like thunder and lightning.”

Summer thunderstorms are common in the South.
They are stunning and sometimes, destructive. I can remember lying in my bed during thunderstorms when I was a little girl. The thunder boomed with power, and the lightning flashes danced across my bedroom walls. Katie was afraid of thunder, and she would crawl into bed with me. Snuggling together, we would trade secrets and giggle until we drifted back to sleep. That was before the Katie I knew went away.

“Oh, come on,
scaredy cat.” Reluctantly, I take him by the hand and lead him out of the water. Throwing on our clothes, we begin the walk back to the cabin.

The heat is stifling, but I can feel a shift in the air. The storm is close. Brody
is closer. He tightens his hold on my hand, a vulnerable look on his face
.
I smile to myself.
So he isn’t invincible after all.

When we break through the trees, the sky opens up and drenches us. I let go of Brody and run into the rain. I raise my arms to the sky and laugh out loud. My hair is wet and hangs limply down my back. I turn to Brody, inviting him to join me. He looks terrified, but he runs to me.

“Are you crazy?” He still looks terrified, but a smile sneaks onto his face. His hair falls over his eyes, and I reach to brush it away. He suddenly pulls me to him, his mouth meeting mine. There, with rain running down our bodies, we kiss as if nothing else matters.  When he breaks the kiss, he takes my hand, and we run up the steps to the cabin. I giggle the whole way. I feel so free.

I wait just inside the door while Brody goe
s to get some towels. Although it was hot and muggy outside, I am freezing inside. I begin removing my wet clothes. Standing only in my bathing suit, I am relieved when Brody skips down the stairs with our towels. Shivering, we dry ourselves quickly.

Brody takes his shirt off, and wraps
the towel around his waist. I’m shocked when he reaches under it and pulls his shorts off. “What? You want some help with yours?” He asks while tugging on my towel.

“Brody!
Don’t even think about it!” I try to run, but he catches me around the waist. I struggle against him and try to push him away, but he distracts me when his lips graze my shoulder. I am going to lose this battle.

All of the fight leaves me, and I slump against him. Turning, I reach out to trace his tattoo. His eyes suddenly grow serious, and he doesn’t move while I explore his body. This is his fraternity crest with a num
ber on it. His pledge number. 389.
Sexy
.

“Quince.”
He breathes my name, as if he’s whispering a secret. “Believe me when I say I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want this.” He lifts me off the ground, and I wrap my legs around his waist. I can’t control myself any longer, and I begin to plant soft kisses across his collarbone. When my lips reach his neck, I stop to lick the soft skin under his ear. His breathing changes, his muscles twitching under my hands. Slowly, he lowers me until I am standing in front of him. His hands explore my body, down my sides to my waist.