Page 6 of Love Unexpected
Max reached out and grabbed her ankles. “Got you!” he said with unrivaled enthusiasm.
And unrivaled strength, apparently.
Rosie immediately lost her balance, toppling backward into the water. I barely had time to shove Max out of the way and lift my arms up before she fell on top of me. The unexpected force of her fall knocked me off my feet and we both ended up under the water. My hands snaked around her waist on instinct and stayed there until we were both on our feet and upright, water streaming off our faces.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She looked up, her eyes finally meeting mine. Only then did I realize how close together we were standing. Her hands were on my arms, just above my elbows, as if she’d used them to brace herself and find her balance.
A sudden awareness prickled my skin, heightening my senses, amplifying every sensation coursing through my body. The warmth of her fingers on my arm. The softness of the skin at her waist where my hands still held her steady. The rise and fall of her chest, only inches from mine.
Rosie broke away first, releasing my arms and taking a huge step away with a slight shake of her head. “I’m good,” she said hastily. “Thanks for breaking my fall.” She turned and looked at Max, leaving me motionless where I stood. “You got me!” she said playfully, hoisting Max into her arms. “You are one scary shark.”
I turned away, only to catch Dani staring at me, her eyebrows raised quizzically. I lifted a shoulder in her direction, already knowing what she was thinking. She’d pair me off withanyoneif it meant getting Bridget out of my life. But it wasn’t that easy. Bridget fit my lifestyle. She didn’t mind the attention. The fans. The frequent live streams and interactions. And that mattered.
An uneasiness settled into my gut, my sister’s words sounding in my brain without her even needing to speak them.
It isn’t all that matters, Isaac, and you know it.
Chapter Three
Rosie
Well,thathad been a close encounter.
I could still feel the warmth of Isaac’s strong hands around my waist, could still see the beads of water dripping down his surprisingly ample chest.
I’d never seen Isaac without a shirt on.
Well, that wasn’t true. I’d seen him in random videos over the years when his antics had required swimming, but I’d never seen it in person. Definitely not from only six inches away.
And then the way his eyes had searched mine. He’d genuinely been concerned about me. But of course he had been. If I knew anything about Isaac’s nature, it was that he genuinely cared about people.
“All people, Rosie,” I muttered to myself as I changed out of my swimsuit. “Isaac cares aboutallpeople. Not just you.”
Still, there had beensomethingin his eyes. Something that made me think...
A sharp knock sounded on the door. “Are you finished up in there?” Bridget called, annoyance clear in her tone. “I’m literally dying out here.”
I sighed. I gave myself one final once-over in the mirror above the sink. My hair was already starting to dry, my mass of curls looking more like a frizzy helmet than an actual style. I’d been warned about Charleston humidity, but this was ridiculous. Maybe I’d ask Dani what product she used on her curls. They always looked perfectly contained and controlled. And her hair was twice the length of mine.
“Just another minute,” I called to Bridget. I stuck my head under the sink, gasping when the cold water hit my neck, and worked the water through my wild hair. A few minutes later, I finally emerged from the bathroom, my hair tamed into being presentable at least, if not quite fantastic.
Bridget leaned against the wall across from the bathroom door, her eyes trained on her phone. She’d finally put clothes on—something I immediately noticed because she wore a Red Renegade t-shirt. Could she like the band as much as Isaac did? The t-shirt was definitely vintage, featuring the cover art from the band’s 1983 limited release album. It was the kind of t-shirtonlya true fan would wear. Maybe I hadn’t given her enough credit.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I said, motioning to the bathroom behind me. “I’m done now.”
She glanced up from her phone for a split second but otherwise didn’t move. “No worries,” she said, her fingers still flying over the screen.
Why had she seemed so annoyed before if she wasn’t in a hurry? Still. I wanted to like this woman. To believe there was a reason that Isaac liked her.
“That was their best album, in my opinion,” I said, motioning to her shirt.
She looked up one more time, her eyes blank. “What?” She motioned to her phone. “Sorry. I was...preoccupied.”
“Red Renegade,” I said. I pointed to her shirt yet again. “The ’83 limited release. It’s their best one.”
She looked down, as if seeing her shirt for the first time. “Oh. Right. I wouldn’t know. I pulled this out of Isaac’s laundry basket. I liked the colors, so he said I could keep it.”
