She went into a copse of trees, gingerly changing into the one-piece. Nervously, she came back out, but no one looked in her direction as she walked into the cold water. Cash was already in, waiting for her.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“I’m a private person,” Rachel defended herself. “It’s freezing.”
“You’re shy,” Cash corrected. “But Lily is, too, and she manages to go swimming with us. You’ll warm up in a few minutes when you get used to it.”
Rachel treaded water as he talked, not noticing he was gradually maneuvering her toward the part of the water that was shaded from view by the bank from the overhanging trees. She stopped following him, but Cash swam back to her, sliding his arm around her waist and bringing her slick body toward his.
“Need my help warming up?”
She placed her hands on his muscular chest, her eyes going to the tats on his bulging muscles. “Do you have a tattoo like the rest of the men?”
Cash raised a brow, letting her turn his back to her. It was on the back of his shoulder. She looked closely at the separate symbols, a laugh escaping her.
“Each symbol represents a member, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.” He turned back to face her. “Guess which one is mine.”
“I don’t have to, I know. Greer and Tate have come home busted up too many times from those brass knuckles of yours.”
As they talked, their bodies drifted into the deeper, shaded water. Cash’s arm slipped around her waist, pulling her close once more, at the same time Rachel turned toward the shore. Someone had turned on some music, and she could hear the soft sounds from the bank.
“Your friends like to party, don’t they?” she mused.
“They work hard and play hard.” His mouth brushed the side of her neck.
Rachel turned her head away, placing her hands on his chest. “Stop, Cash. I’m going back to shore.” Cash’s hand tangled in her fiery hair.
“When do you play, Rachel? I never see you around town, just having a good time. Don’t you want to let loose and have fun?”
“I lost control one time with you, Cash, and look what happened.” Her voice tightened as his mouth traced to the base of her throat, his tongue licking the droplets of water pooled there.#p#分页标题#e#
“Was it so bad, Rachel?” he murmured, his mouth going to the curve of her breasts exposed by the modest swimsuit.
When her hands moved to his shoulders, trying to push him away, Cash tangled his legs with hers, forcing her to hold onto him to keep from slipping under the water.
“Not until you opened your mouth to the whole town.”
Cash lifted his head. “If I hadn’t said anything, would you have ever told your brothers?”
“Of course not.”
“So it worked out, didn’t it?” Cash’s smug face had realization dawning on Rachel.
She began hitting his chest. “You bastard. You deliberately humiliated me in front of everyone in town,” she yelled.
Cash grabbed her hands, twisting them behind her back and holding her in place with his strength. “What I did was force you to admit you were attracted to me. Even if we had started seeing each other, you would have dreaded telling them and put it off, worrying about their reactions. I took that pressure away from you, like pulling a band-aid off a sore.”
“Did you see how they freaked out? Tate said some hateful things to me.”
Cash’s face tightened. “What did he say to you?”
“Never mind,” Rachel said haughtily. “You threw me under the bus then weren’t there to protect me from the consequences. Thanks for nothing, Cash. Can we go back to shore now?”
He didn’t release her. “They are your crazy-ass brothers, Rachel. If I had planned to keep you away from them, then I would have handled it differently. I knew you would want to maintain your relationship with them, though, so only you could handle them, and you did. They’re afraid, if they say anything to you now, you’ll run off again.”
She bit her lip. He was right. If he hadn’t interfered, it would have driven a wedge between her and her brothers. This way, they had learned she could stand on her own two feet without them.
“Of course, if I never saw them again, it wouldn’t break my heart.” His mouth returned to her breasts, tugging down the top of the swimsuit before nuzzling her.
She felt a rush of warmth between her legs as she began to get aroused, her hips unconsciously pressing against his. The feel of his hardened cock against her stomach had reality storming back as his hand released hers, going between her thighs and slipping under the material to rub her clitoris.