Page 38 of Beautifully Used
“Maybe,” I reluctantly admitted.
“Well, if you really want to know, it’s got to be more than just a maybe. I don’t reveal such secrets about myself to people that are just curious. I need to know they’re invested.”
I laughed. “Invested in what?”
“The time. It’s a long story.”
“Okay, then. I want to know.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep. Completely invested here.”
“Let’s see, where to start.”
“How about the beginning?”
“All the way back there?” He laughed. “Nah, how about a couple of years ago?”
I nodded, not really caring where he started, as long as he did.
“Okay. A couple of years ago I had a girlfriend.” He stopped and glanced at me. “No need to look so shocked. I’m capable of having a monogamous relationship.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“No, but that look on your face said it all. Anyway, I had a girlfriend. In fact, I loved her very much, and I thought she loved me. Everything was going great until about six months into the relationship. She got pregnant.” I almost stopped walking in shock. Not at the fact that she had gotten pregnant, but at the prospect of Brodie being a father and having never mentioned it before. Where was this baby now? Brodie kept walking, keeping his gaze straight ahead, and I kept my mouth shut and listened. “She had an abortion. She didn’t tell me until after she’d had it. She never gave me the opportunity to want to be a part of her and the baby’s life. When I asked her why, she said she didn’t love me enough to want to bring a child into the world with me. All those months together I’d thought her feelings for me were the same as mine for her.”
“I’m so sorry. That is enough to make anyone steer clear of committing to someone again.”
He shrugged. “Maybe.” He finished his beer and set the cup down in the sand.
“You’re not going to leave that there?” I said.
“No. I’ll pick it up on the way back. But right now, this walk has gotten a bit too serious for me.” Brodie let go of my hand and ran a few steps in front of me, then turned suddenly and swooped up water in his hand, spraying me all the way up to the waist with the salty wetness. I screamed in shock as he laughed.
“Oh, boy, you’re really gonna get it now, buster,” I yelled and ran after him, my wine spilling down my fingers as it sloshed over the rim of the plastic cup. I didn’t care. I had one thing on my mind, and that was getting him back. I bent over, and with as much force as I could gather, sprayed water all over the front of him. I even got his face. “There! Take that!”
Brodie swiped his hand over his face and said, “Oh, so you wanna play dirty, huh?” By the sinister grin on his face, I knew I was in for a very wet adventure. So I ran. I took off down the beach, laughing, taking the smallest of moments to set down the wine, not really caring if it tumbled over. I headed toward a jetty of rocks up ahead. As I approached the mountainous barrier, I realized I’d gotten myself into a no-way-out situation. I couldn’t go into the water where the rocks dipped into the sea; I didn’t know how deep it was, not to mention the waves crashing up against the rocks that would probably kill me. And I certainly wasn’t about to try to climb over them. I didn’t have a chance to do either one as Brodie grabbed me around the waist laughing. “Got you,” he claimed as he hoisted my legs up under this arm and headed toward the water.
“No! Don’t throw me in. Pleeease!” I begged.
He kept going into the water. His jeans had to be soaked. I knew I was done for. I glanced down at the water and screamed and laughed as a large wave flowed past us, crashing against his legs and spraying water up on me. “You don’t think you deserve to be dunked?” he asked.
“No! You started it.” With my arms around his neck, I hung on to him so tightly, I wondered if he realized how wonderful it felt. I unconsciously turned my face into his chest as another wave splashed up on us. He smelled really good. A woodsy smell. A bit like the earth, the wind, the water, and the sun all mixed together, but with a hint of fruit, like mango or something. I took a mental note to snoop at his cologne bottle and check it out. How can you live with a guy and not know what kind of cologne he uses? Well, we didn’t share the same bathroom, for one. In fact, I’d never even peeked into his room. My thoughts about his cologne left me almost as quickly as they’d come as Brodie knelt down, keeping me in his arms, and let the water flow over us both. We were both soaked. My hair was so wet it clung to my body in ringlets. “Brodie, I can’t believe you did this.” I laughed.
“We needed the refreshment after being cooped up in the car all day. Besides, it’s nice to hear you laugh.”
I sighed. “I didn’t realize I’d been such a Debbie Downer.”
He laughed. “Not so much a Debbie Downer as a Wilma Worrier. Look.” He gestured toward the horizon. “The sun is setting.”
“God, it’s beautiful. Look at all those colors. The orange and purple. You were right. This is a great sunset.”
All of a sudden, he let go of me and I slipped down into the water up to my neck. Before I had a chance to even comprehend what had happened, he stuck his hand out for me. “Come on Wilma, we have some alcohol to drink.”
I took his hand and he helped me to stand. As we made our way through the waves and back to the beach, I couldn’t resist giving him one more splash. This time, aiming directly for his face and managing to get his hair as wet as mine. I ran again, and he chased me. But he was so much faster. He grabbed me around the waist, but this time he didn’t pick me up. Instead, he tackled me to the ground. Somehow, I managed to wrestle my way on top of him. Or maybe it was Brodie who positioned us that way. All thoughts of wrestling left my mind as my eyes caught his and I realized our lips were only an inch apart. We were roommates. Platonic roommates. I had no business having the feelings I was suddenly experiencing for him. Being with Brodie this way had to be wrong. But for the first time since I’d known him, well, let’s be honest, I’d always wanted him. I just didn’t know until that very moment that I did. I decided to throw caution to the wind and close the distance. I kissed him. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do. I didn’t care.
Chapter 31
