“Brayden,” I pleaded.
“Sorry man, but Lily will have my ass if she realizes I let Melody eat half a bag of animal crackers on my watch. One sec. Allison, would you take her for a minute? Thanks.” I heard the creak of the back-porch door. “Okay, I’m all yours.”
“Listen, I need a favor, but I need you to keep this quiet.”
“What’s up?”
Closing my eyes, I gripped the phone tight against my ear. “I really don’t want to go into this over the phone, so can you please come down here?”
“You sound really weird.”
“Yeah, you would too if you were handcuffed to the fucking shower!” I snapped before I could stop myself.
A long silence came on the other end. “I’m sorry, but did you just say you were handcuffed to the shower?”
“Yeah,” I growled.
“So what the hell do you need me for? Get the key from Mia and—”
“She’s gone.”
“What?”
I heaved a frustrated sigh. “Bray, I’m standing here buck-ass naked, shivering, and hanging by one arm from a shower head. Do you think I could explain all this shit later?”
“Okay, okay. I’ll see you in a few,” he replied, before hanging up.
I eased the phone back on the ledge of the sink. Then I eased back and waited. The moment the front door opened I knew I was in trouble. Brayden had pulled an uncharacteristically douche move—he wasn’t alone.
As I heard the guys shuffling up the ladder to the loft, I closed my eyes and let loose with a string of f-bomb-laced expletives. When Brayden appeared in the doorway with Jake and Rhys, I shook my head. “I thought you promised not to say anything.”
“Yeah, well, while I was on the phone with you, Mia came to the house looking for a car to borrow, but she was so upset, Abby wouldn’t let her drive.”
Jake shot me a death glare. “Thanks to your douche move, I didn’t get lunch, and I’m going to have a pissed fiancée when she gets back.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Oh, I’m so fucking sorry. Could we focus on the fact that I’m the one handcuffed to a shower right now?”
Rhys snapped a picture on his phone. When he glanced at it, he grimaced. “Dude, you didn’t smile.”
“When I get loose, I’m going to kick your fucking ass!” I growled.
Jake snickered. “I’d be a little nicer to him, man. If he were to leak that pic of you, it could be really bad for your rep. I mean, the cold water has totally obliterated your dick.”
I lunged for him and Rhys with my free arm. They both clambered backwards out of my reach. “All right, knock it off, assholes,” Brayden shouted over our scuffling.
“I’ll go get the key,” Jake said. While he went into the bedroom, I let my head bang back against the tile.
Brayden cleared his throat. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
Raising my head, I peered at him. “Thanks.”
He held out a fuzzy towel, and I took it from him to start drying my face and what parts of my body I could reach with one arm.
“Man, what happened? You and Mia seemed so happy,” Rhys said.
“Kylie showed up, used the hide-a-key, and ran into Mia downstairs.”
Rhys winced as Brayden let out a low whistle. Jake, who had returned with the key, shook his head. “Damn, dude, that fucking blows.”
“No shit,” I replied as I toweled my hair a little more furiously. As Jake worked at getting me free, I turned to Brayden. “Did you know Kylie was coming?”
“She called Lily last night, and I guess Lily mentioned we were here.” At my scowl, he held up his hands. “We sure as hell didn’t invite her. Besides, I thought whatever was between you two was in the past.”
The handcuffs snapped open, and I was no longer a shower prisoner. As I rubbed my aching wrist, I replied, “It was—it is. But for some reason, Kylie still seems to think I’m interested in a booty call.”
Brayden grimaced. “She’s a wonderful baby-sitter and loves the hell out of my kids. But honestly, she makes the worst choices in life.”