Page 48 of Losing Forever
His reply—Not sure. Why?—was more annoying than helpful.
Once we reach the house, I secure the boat and help Braylee onto the steady dock. Her hair lashes around her, giving her an otherworldly look.
She tries to push the strands from her eyes with both hands. A gust catches the hem of her cover-up, exposing her bikini bottoms.
“Go ahead inside before it rains. I'll get the cooler,” I say, but the words are clipped by an even louder bang of thunder.
Braylee jumps and shrieks, covering her ears. Her features widen with fear and her skin pales.
“It's okay.” I touch her biceps and feel her tremble.
Embarrassment shows in her eyes. She glances at the ocean in the direction of the thunder and then back at me. “It's from the accident. I don’t mean to react this way. It just happens.”
“PTSD?”
She nods.
One of the guys on my college baseball team had a brother who was a firefighter. He got caught in an explosion when they were putting out an office fire. His body healed but his mind still struggles. Any loud sound puts him back in that moment and causes severe anxiety.
Fuck the cooler. I wrap my arm around Braylee and start up the dock toward the house. Strands of her hair bat my cheek.
She glances up at my face. “What about the food? We were going to eat it.”
“I'll get it after I get you inside.” I tighten my hold on her.
“I don't need you to escort me, Grayson,” she says but doesn't try to pull away.
“Maybe I need to be escorted.” I wink, not sure if she even sees it through all the hair flying about her face.
The scent of rain hangs heavily in the air. Mixing with the surrounding mangroves, it smells like a rain forest. The green leaves and palms sway with the racing wind. Debris flies around, and something gets caught in my eye. I rub it and hurry our pace.
Thunder claps again.
Braylee flinches and clutches her arms around my waist. I love that she reaches to me for comfort, although it could be because I’m the only one here.
A drop of rain splashes my cheek. “We should hurry.” Wooden boards bounce under my heavy steps.
The moment we step onto the pool patio, rain pours from the sky.
Braylee shrieks and breaks from me, running toward the door that leads to the first-floor bonus room. I'd been going slower than I wanted for her. Now, I'm racing to catch up.
She tears open the door and hurries inside, with me right behind her. Rain pounds the patio and pool. I close the door just before another rumble of thunder sounds.
Braylee stiffens but doesn't look as terrified as before. She shivers and rubs her arms. The air conditioning blows cold, chilling our wet skin.
“I'll get us some towels.”
I collect two from the nearby bathroom and set mine on the bench by the door so I can wrap her. I've never pampered anyone like this before and kind of like it.
“Lift your hair.” I spread the towel behind her, waiting for her to move her dripping strands.
Instead, she holds still, her gaze locked on my bare rain-splattered chest. She drags her powder blues up to my face. What she does next stuns me to the core.
Her hands lower to the hem of her short cover-up and she pulls it over her head, tossing it onto the wooden bench.
I should put the towel around her. Instead, I stare at her creamy skin, long torso, pert breasts, and hard nipples covered by small triangles. Her body is lean and long, like a dancer—a ballerina—or some shit like that. I'm instantly hard and feel like a prick because she's shivering.
Before I jump her, I force myself to act and cover her exquisite body with the fluffy towel. Then I step away and grab my own towel.
