Page 37 of Bad Boy Rebound

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Brax

I was having a really hard time focusing on the world around me, especially since Amanda was easing into the lake, her firm butt highlighted in her black and raspberry pink swimsuit.

Although it was hot outside, the lake was still a bit chilly. She kept glancing back at me with eyes wide. It was our second excursion to the lake. The first had been interrupted by a thunderstorm that had come in from the coast.

Today we’d come out on the Harley, and I’d savored having her hold onto me tight as I maneuvered the winding roads.

Throughout the past week, after spending every day and all but one night with her, I was hooked. Toast. Game over. I had so many thoughts racing in my head, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to share those thoughts with her. I considered her my girlfriend, but she hadn’t said anything to Toby yet. I was giving her the lead, wanting her to be comfortable and at ease with telling her family and friends.

Normally I would talk to Toby about it, and yet how could I? This was his sister we were talking about, a sister who had been treated horribly by her ex. He had laughingly said over pizza the other evening that he might set her up with Marie’s brother. I’d clenched my teeth so tightly together, I think I heard one of them crack.

I had to believe that even if she had the opportunity to date someone else that she would choose not to.

Yet what did I know…unless I just came out and asked her?

I sat back on my elbows, a satisfied grin on my face as I watched the woman who had come storming back into my life take a few more steps into the lake.

“It’s freezing,” she said, looking at me over her shoulder as she took another step into the cold water. “Come in with me.”

Doing as asked, I walked up behind her, slid my arms around her, and held her tight.

With a throaty moan, she rested her head back against my shoulder.

“Are you coming over tonight?” I asked, my heart rate accelerating as she looked up at me with a smile.


“That depends. Are you cooking?”

I kissed the top of her head. “I suppose I could whip something up.”

“You know, a girl could get used to this.” She kissed me, then took a step forward and dove under the water.

My heart missed a beat, and I followed her into the water and caught her around the waist. I was tall enough that the water was still at chest level, but she had to tread water to stay afloat.

I reached out and pulled her to me. Her legs fastened around my waist, her arms around my shoulders.

My hands cupped her butt.

The old couple who had been on the shore were no doubt getting a show, but what they couldn’t see they would have to imagine.

She stared at me for a few long moments, her beautiful blue eyes sliding downward. “How can I resist you?”

With her hair slicked back off her face, her features were much more delicate, almost fragile. My fingers slipped along her jaw then passed over her lips. I could hardly believe that this incredible woman was mine. At eight, I had thought I loved her, but what I felt then was nothing compared to what I felt now. I loved Amanda Hathaway, and I didn’t know how to tell her. Blurting it out didn’t seem like the right thing to do, and saying it right after making love didn’t seem appropriate either. The words caught in my throat, and I hesitated. Everything I was experiencing was new to me. I didn’t know how to say what I felt. Did I put myself out there and take a chance at being rejected?

What if she didn’t respond, or what if she was shocked or even turned off?

All my life I’d had a hard time expressing my emotions, and now when it was most important to say what I felt, I was at a loss as to how to say it. I wanted her with a desperation that scared me.

“What are you thinking?” she asked, resting her forehead against mine.

I pulled her tighter to me, wanting her to feel what she did to me. Her lips curved into a sultry smile as she felt the evidence of my desire.

“I feel what you’re thinking,” she said with a deep-throated moan that made me even harder. “But what else are you thinking?”

Her cheeks were a soft shade of pink, and tiny freckles were sprinkled across the bridge of her nose. “That I can’t wait until we’re home and I have you in bed.”


Tags: Julia Templeton Romance