Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail

"You know—" Brady cut himself off and stood.

I caught myself before I fell behind him.

"I—" He stopped again, ran a hand through his hair, and paced from my dresser, the bed, the window, and the closet. I moved to sit against the headboard and curled up underneath the blanket. As I watched him pace, restless, I closed my eyes for a moment, just a moment, because I could smell him on my pillowcase.

"I changed my mind." He stopped to stare at me.

My eyes snapped open and I knew that he wasn't even seeing me. He was seeing something else.

"About what?"

"I'm going to Cumberly's. You want to go?" Brady pinned me down with his eyes.

"Uh—" I froze. "I…don't know, Brady."

"Come on." He sat on the edge of my bed and caught one of my hands. His thumb rubbed the inside of my palm. "Please? You'll keep me from getting in trouble."

‘Or we’ll get in more trouble.’

"Please, please," Brady whispered and bent his forehead to rest against mine.

‘Oh no.’

I felt his breath on my cheeks and found myself weakening. "…okay…"

He flashed a smile before he pressed a quick kiss to my cheek and forehead. "Thanks, Ray." His cheek rested on my forehead for a moment, just a quick moment, before he pushed off. "I'm going to sneak home first. Meet me at the car in thirty minutes."

He threw open my window and swept out. I sat down with a thump.

We'd been in our own little conclave and the phone rang. We weren't going to the party. We were safe in our world. Now we were going. What had just happened?

I stared at my closet. I was back at square one. I had no idea what to wear.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Everyone knew where Dr. Cumberly lived. He was the one and only town's dentist. He owned the mansion that stood elegant and statuesque as it looked over Lake Parley and the Northshire Folk Golf Course. It was a ten minute drive, most of it over gravel roads, but Brady sped twenty over the speed limit. When we got closer, both sides of the road were lined with cars.

He pulled into her driveway and headed toward the opened garage where people stood with cups in their hands. Matt Krone, another football player, waved when he saw Brady at the steering wheel, and jerked his head to the sixth garage door.

Brady nodded. A moment later, the door lifted so he could pull in.

I hadn't realized that I snorted until Brady asked when he turned off the engine, "You got a problem?"

Where did I start? "You have your own parking spot?"

"What?" Brady shrugged a tight shoulder, but a smirk appeared. "Henry Cumberly likes me."

"Yeah, right. Dr. Cumberly."

"I caddied for him in eighth grade."

That's when he started caddying for the dentist's daughter, but in a whole other way.

I had hated Brady that summer. "Maybe I'll get drunk tonight,"

"You don't drink."

He turned toward me and hand could've rested on my shoulder, but he let it hang from the seat. I glanced at his fingers for a moment. They were strong, but the symbol on the inside of Brady's wrist was where my gaze lingered. It was the Hebrew symbol for faith. I hadn't been there when Brady had gotten it, but it always hurt that he wouldn't explain why he'd gotten it. Maybe there was a reason for that.

Maybe it was the same reason why I glared at him and folded my arms across my chest. "Maybe I should start."

Brady lifted an eyebrow. "We both know what happened the first and only time you've drank."

I narrowed my eyes. "That tractor was going anyway. Just because I'd had a few doesn't mean that's why it rolled."

"Rayna," Brady smirked. "...you were three sheets to the wind. And yes, you rolled the tractor all on your own. The tractor didn't roll itself. And let's not forget who took the blame."

I rolled my eyes, but my cheeks got hot.

"Hey!" Matt Krone rapped his knuckles on the window. "You two getting out or what? I've got a brewsky for you, Brady."

Just like that, my best friend flashed his trademark smile and threw open the door. I was slower, but when I came around to the driver's side, he already had two bottles in his hands and three football players surrounded him. Brady was loved. We all knew that. Everyone else saw the flash, but I was the only one who saw his eyes harden with a warning when our gazes locked.

With a sniff, I turned my back and went inside.

Dr. Cumberly had spared no expense when it came to his home. The kitchen too, with a sink made of marble and the keg right beside it, inside a decorated plastic pool. As I caught sight of another cooler in the dining room, I headed in that direction. And just as I bent down and retrieved a vodka drink, a pair of tan golden legs stopped right beside me. A lot of girls had pink frosted toenails, but my guess was on one person and I looked up to Clarissa. She had a smirk on her face that made her look even sexier, sultry even.