Page 47 of Leave Me Behind
I frown at him. “Eren, I would never wear it.”
“Why not? I saw you eyeing that woman’s pretty dress.”
I reluctantly look away. “Because I don’t need anything for my squadmates to think less of me,sir.” I use the term for emphasis. Everything he’s trying to do for me has me on edge. Why is he being so nice? Trying to get civilian clothes for me? My fingers curl against my pants anxiously.He’s trying to push me back into society. He’s trying to nice-guy me into quitting. Does he feel guilty about it?My stomach sinks.
His eyes soften on me and pool with anguish. Then, he taps his fingers on the table and banishes all his emotions.
“Bunny, we’re going. It’s an order.” His voice is firm and his face stoic.
I stare for a few seconds before sighing.
“Fine.” It’s not like I’ll have to wear it.
“We’ll go after we catch some waves.”
My spine stiffens. “What?”
“You can surf, can’t you? Oh, come on, don’t give me that look. You have to at least try,” Eren says as he lifts his hand for the bill.
Did Bradshaw tell him I’m scared of the ocean? No. He wouldn’t. But why is Eren staring at me with something lethal in his gaze? Can he see the horror in my expression already?
Goddammit.
Somehow, he gets me in a swimsuit. I stand in the sand with a board I have no intention of using clutched to my side. Just staring at the ocean makes me queasy.
Eren has already ridden a few waves with ease. His muscles slick with the ocean’s spray. I watch and envy his fearlessness.
A hand lands on the nape of my neck. My elbow instantly flies back to hit their stomach and gets caught by the person’s other hand.
“Easy killer, it’s just your favorite fuck boy.” Bradshaw’s voice is heavy with a smirk.
I jerk out of his hold and, to my displeasure, there he stands looking like a god of land and sea. His swim shorts are black and hang low on his hips. They don’t do anything to hide the bulge in his pants. His chest is all muscle, corded and tattooed. His jawline is rimmed with ink and the fresh scab on his neck makes my stomach twist. Those pale blue eyes flick down to me, interest dancing behind them.
He grabs the top of my board and leans against it with a smug grin. His maskless face startles me for a moment. I almost forgot he had one beneath it. I wish he didn’t. It would make it easier to resent him.
“I thought you were scared of the ocean—now you’re surfing?”
I glower at him. “Eren is surfing.I’mstaying right here.”
“I’ll take you out there.” He takes my board under his arm and my wrist in his free hand.
“Wait!” I try to pry off his fingers, but he has a vice grip. He wades straight into the waves and my heart drops when the water hits my knees. “I said stop!”
Bradshaw turns and pulls me into his chest, hooking his arm around my lower back and dipping down to speak quietly in my ear.
“You keep yelling and making people look at us and I’ll really give you something to scream about, Bun.” He pulls away and winks at me with a fake-ass smile. His white teeth flash and make my core heat. “Now, behave.” I breathe in sharply as his cold hands curl around my sides and lift me up onto the board.
He makes me feel helpless and small when he controls me like this. It’s a shot to my nervous system and I can’t help but enjoy it. I’m always the most dangerous person in the room, but around Bradshaw I feel vulnerable.
The dark waves ahead look endless. Fear threads through my veins and I swallow the lump in my throat.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask in a low, defeated tone.
Bradshaw hops on behind me and pulls my ass to his crotch. His stomach warms my back, making me lean closer. “Because, have you ever had the chance to put a little rodent in the middle of the ocean and watch it squirm?” He laughs as he angles the board to the vast sea.
“Rabbits aren’t rodents you idiot. They’re lagomorphs.” My retort loses its bite as I grip the board like it’s a lifeline. My shoulders tremble as we get deeper and further away from the shore. I look for Eren, desperate to call out to him, but he’s nowhere in sight.
“Why am I not surprised you know something as useless as that, Bun?” Bradshaw whispers against the shell of my ear. My skin pebbles.
