Page 62 of Keep Me Safe

“To go blow some shit up,” he responds with a grin.

“Alrighty then, well, have fun!” I call as he starts the boat and drives away.

Pulling off Noah’s shirt, I fold it and set it on the dock, my shorts following. Brennan’s eyes scan my green bikini as he removes his shirt, exposing his toned torso. This is the kind of guy I should be into. He’s not bad to look at andmy age.

Maddie seems to notice his perusal, glancing at me with a questioning look. I shrug, shaking my head. Without warning, Brennan takes off running and jumps into the water at the end of the dock, splashing us. I yelp, looking down at him, my head tilting in mock annoyance.

“You getting in?” he asks, pushing his wet hair out of his face.

“Let me just get used to it first,” I say, sitting on the dock and dipping my feet into the water.

“Suit yourself,” Maddie says, jumping into the water beside Brennan.

“Maddie!” I yell as she reemerges at the surface.

A deep laugh comes from behind us as Jared walks up with my drink and a couple of towels. Setting them down on the dock, he takes his shirt off before jumping in the water, too. Brennan swims up to my legs, his hands gripping the wood on either side of me.

“It’s not even that cold, come on,” Brennan whines, his hand sliding onto my thigh. I suck in a breath as the cold from his hand hits my warm skin, and my heart skips. I wish I could say it is from excitement, but the weight of anxiety crushes my chest.

A throat clears from behind me, and Brennan’s eyes move up to the source of the sound. Before I even turn around, I know who it is.

“It’s time for fireworks,” Noah says.

Turning to look at him, I notice his gaze is fixed on Brennan’s hand on my thigh.

“We’ll just watch them from here,” I tell him.

His jaw tightens as he looks at me. “Could you actually come help me with something, Kira?”

What could he even need help with?

“Now.”

Sighing, I look down at Brennan.

“Sorry guys, I’ll be right back,” I say, pulling my legs out of the water and standing to look at Noah, anger rolling off him in waves. Without a word, he turns, walking toward the house. Ihave to almost run to keep up with him as we pass everyone in their lawn chairs chatting.

As we make it to the door, he opens it, gesturing for me to go inside. No one else is in here. They’re all outside, getting ready to watch the fireworks. The glass door slides shut as Noah spins around to face me.

“What was that all about?” he asks, his voice low.

“What do you mean? Did I do something wrong?” I ask, knowing damn well what I was doing.

“That kid. Why were you letting him touch you?”

Irritation bubbles up in my core at his question. I knew he was jealous, but the fact that he thinks he has any claim over me is ridiculous.

“Why do you even care? You’ve proven you don’t want me or at least won’t let yourself have me, so what’s the problem with me getting that pleasure from someone else?”

“Oh, I highly doubt he would be providing much pleasure,” he says with a low chuckle. His eyes darken as he steps closer to me, leaning down so our faces are only inches apart.

“You’ve been parading around in my shirt all day in front of everyone, and then you have the audacity to let some other guy touch you,” he growls.

I shudder at his statement, and the closeness of our bodies threatens to break my resolve. Behind Noah, blue sparkles paint the nearly black sky, followed by a loud bang. Keith started the fireworks.

“I’m not yours, Noah. You don’t get to tell me who I can and can’t fuck.”

I try to keep my voice from shaking from the pure need coursing through me now. He’s so close, and I’m all too awareof the few places our bodies are touching. His hand slides up my torso to my jaw, forcing me to look at him instead of the show outside.

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