Tyson looks at Kyle. “Training was good, we crushed it. Going to kick some ass next week,” he replies looking at me; his eyes have brightened now that we’re talking about football. That was Tyson trying to sound tough when I know he’s really a teddy bear.
“Awesome, like you guys ever lose anyway,” I say honestly.
“So who are your friends?” he asks sarcastically.
“Well you know Lucas, Cassie’s boyfriend, and this is his friend, Kyle,” I tell him as Kyle stands up to shake his hand. Tyson hesitates and then shakes it.
“Nice to meet you, Tyson,” Kyle states looking a little puzzled, especially as Tyson’s eyes keep finding mine. I’m sure he is wondering if we were ever together. Tyson nods not saying a word in response to Kyle.
“Well, Brooke, I’m famished. I need a hamburger with everything on it, so I’ll see you tomorrow at the lake,” he tells me stirring the pot and catching me by surprise. He even bends down to kiss my cheek. Is he claiming me as his property?
“See ya,” I reply as he and Jake disappear.
Now, I’m even more confused than I was earlier. That was Tyson being protective, but what right does he have when we are nothing more than friends? He can’t do that.
The waitress brings our food at the perfect moment. I keep quiet and dig in welcoming the distraction. I can feel Kyle’s eyes on me, but I ignore them. After we eat, the conversation is a little awkward.
“How about we get out of here?” Cassie suggests, and I nod. It’s after nine, and I need some fresh air.
“You guys could come to our place. The garage has a pool table and foosball,” Lucas states trying to keep the night going.
“I should get home. I have a kid brother, and he’ll be waiting up for me. You know how Dylan is, Cas,” I reply. It’s not entirely a lie.
“Yep, you are his idol,” Cassie replies, following my lead.
“I can drive you if you’d like, Brooklyn?” Kyle offers. I’m sure he is just trying to be nice unless he is planning on a good night kiss. “Lucas can go with Cassie,” he adds. Something tells me this was how they planned it.
“Um, sure,” I answer as I feel like I have no other option. I don’t want to be rude. I look at Cassie, who is smiling and nodding. We walk to the exit, and I instinctively turn back to see Tyson staring at us. It’s so awkward.
I can’t let him see me get in Kyle’s car. I wave at him, and he waves back, still looking pained and frowning. I force a smile to tell him it’s all good, but he looks away.
Kyle is behind me when we exit, and he puts his hand on my lower back. Just great, the icing on the cake. I hope to God Tyson didn’t see it.
As the cool fresh air enters my lungs, I inhale it deeply. This whole thing was a mistake.
“Cassie, I’m actually not feeling well, hun. Do you think you could drive me home?” I ask and put one hand across my stomach. I look into Cassie’s eyes and plead with her.
“Yeah sure, Brooke. You do look pale. You wouldn’t want to throw up in Kyle’s car,” she answers, and I know I will owe her big time.
“I’ll come over after I drop her off at home, baby,” she tells Lucas and kisses his lips.
“I’m sorry, Kyle. It must have been something I ate. I had a great night. We should do this again another time,” I say apologetically, trying not to lead him on. This was a mistake. I’m just not ready. I know that now.
“No problem. I hope you feel better,” he replies smiling, though looking a little forlorn. “Bye, Brooklyn,” he says as I turn and head toward Cassie’s car. I feel the tears well in my eyes. Jesus, the guilt I am feeling mixed with my confusion has made me emotional.
I hastily climb into Cassie’s little hatchback. I look into the café, but I can’t see Tyson. As we drive home, I burst into a flood of tears. All of the feelings of guilt, betrayal, and love come to a head and come crashing down. The tears fall and fall—I can no longer control them.
“Jesus, Brooke, the date wasn’t that bad.” Cassie giggles.
I laugh out loud. Thank God, I need to stop crying. “Shit, Cassie,” I state to her as I realize.
“You are in love with Tyson,” she declares beating me to it.
“Holy fuck, is it that obvious?” I shout.
“Well, yeah! It’s been obvious for months, but I thought you would get past it and fight the urge,” she replies honestly.
“I can’t fight it anymore, Cassie. I can’t deny my feelings anymore. It is hurting me to keep them inside,” I say truthfully, for once in my life.
“You know he feels the same too, right?” She looks at me smiling.
“No, I don’t know that,” I respond. Well, sure, I’ve noticed a few things but nothing concrete.
“Oh my God, Brooklyn, you are blind. He is totally in love with you,” she declares loudly.
“I’ve seen him check me out a few times. Sometimes, I find him staring longer than he should, and tonight, he was all possessive,” I answer. “But he’s a teenage guy. I thought he was just perving on my assets,” I add now feeling more confused.
“It’s so much more than that. Trust me!” Cassie almost shouts the statement. “He is trying to protect your friendship just as much as you are, honey,” she adds as she reaches over and rubs my arm.
If everything Cassie is saying is true, then we need to have a serious discussion. No more dates with other people, and no more pussyfooting around the subject.
I just hope to God Cassie is right. Rejection from Tyson will be like a knife in my chest.
I still feel confused and guilty the next day after my date with Kyle, so I send Tyson a message. His response is pretty short, so I know he is pissed.
Me:
Hey, are we still hanging out today?
Tyson:
So you’re not hanging out with Kyle today?
Yep, he is definitely pissed.
Me:
No, I told him I was feeling sick and left early with Cassie.
Tyson:
Really? I thought you two looked perfect together.
Me:
Look, Ty, cut the crap. If you’re too busy, then I’ll find someone else to hang with.
Tyson:
Sorry. Yes, I want to hang out.
Movies or the lake?
Me:
The lake sounds great. Sunshine and water—two of my favorite things
Tyson:
Meet you there in thirty mins?
Me:
See you there.
I feel the butterflies start to flutter in my stomach. A whole day at the lake with a half-naked Tyson? I take a deep breath before I internally combust just thinking about it.
****
In a flash, I’m dressed in my favorite bikini and sarong. It’s nothing special, very basic and black, but it does great things for my boobs and my butt. I’ll never be the girl who wears a skimpy bikini, or one with extremely high cut, barely-there briefs, but that is who I am, and I’m happy with that.
I gather my Betty Boop beach towel, bottle of sunscreen, sunglasses, and baseball cap that says ‘Just dance’ and throw them into my blue and white striped beach bag. My black flip-flops are on my feet, and I’m ready to roll.
“Bye Dad, bye Dylan. I’m meeting Tyson at the lake,” I shout as I collect Dad’s car keys from the hook and head out to his sedan.
Ideally, I’d love a car of my own, but until I get into the workforce, that won’t be happening anytime soon. I can’t put that kind of pressure on Dad. He is a single father with one income. So his old, gray Chrysler suits me just fine in the meantime.
The traffic is minimal for a Sunday, and the trip is straight along Hawks Nest road, a nice scenic drive. As I arrive, my windows are down so I can feel the warm breeze against my face and hear the cicadas buzzing in the trees. I drive into the parking lot; there are only two spots left, and it’s a tight squeeze, but I manage to park and climb out with enough space.
There’s nothing worse than having to climb over
to the passenger door and get out when someone parks way too close.
I throw my beach bag filled with my necessities over my shoulder and search for Tyson, but he’s not here yet, so I set up my towel on the shore in front of the large oak tree—it’s always been our spot.
It doesn’t get much better than a day at the lake. Already, the vitamin D is soaking into my skin and making me smile. I remove my white tank top so I can avoid tan lines on my shoulders. My dance costumes are quite revealing, so tan lines are always noticeable. After placing my tank into my bag, I relax on my towel, tuning out the rest of the world, and just enjoy the sun's gorgeous rays.
That relaxation is short lived. I feel a dark shadow blocking my sunshine. I open one eye to find Tyson hovering above me.
“Get out of my sun, would you?” I say trying to stir him up.
“I hope you have sunscreen on Brooke, it’s going to get hot today. I can feel it burning already,” Tyson declares, causing me to roll my eyes, and then I frown realizing he is right. I haven’t put any on yet.
“Shit, you’re right. I haven’t applied any yet.” I hate that he is right.
Tyson lays his blue Indianapolis Colts towel onto the shore and strips off his pale blue shirt, before collapsing on the towel. I can’t help but notice his nice toned chest; it’s not something that you can miss, and it’s a wondrous sight.
Remembering the whole sunscreen conversation, I pull it from the bag and pour the white sunscreen onto my palm and rub it into my arms, then legs and across my chest and stomach.
“Do you need me to put some on your back?” It makes perfect sense since I can’t reach it myself. His muscular hands on my skin … I don’t know if I can handle that right now.
Before I can answer, he has grabbed the bottle and poured the sunscreen into his hand.
“Okay, spin around,” he tells me. Well, orders me actually. It all happens so fast, so I turn and put my back toward him, and within five seconds, his hand is on my bare flesh. The cream is a little cold on my hot skin, so it makes me jump.
“Ahhhh, that’s cold,” I say so he doesn’t think I jumped from his touch alone.
“That’s because your back is so hot. You are already burning, Miss Waters,” Tyson states to me. Something about the way his deep, hoarse voice says the word ‘hot’ is damn sexy.
Tyson rubs the cream first on my shoulders and squeezes giving me a little massage. It feels so good. His fingers manipulate each shoulder blade as he rubs the cream in deep. As his fingers reach my lower back, I shiver a little as he grazes my spine and the top of my bikini bottom. Is he doing this on purpose? Because it’s getting me super hot.. I feel sweat beads form along my forehead.
“Okay, it’s all rubbed in,” I announce and spin around on my towel.
Tyson looks hot and bothered too. There is a band of sweat along his top lip, and something inside me wants to wipe it away with my thumb. Our eyes connect as he rubs the remaining cream along his rippled chest.
“God, I can’t wait to dive into that water,” he declares, and I nod. I’ll be doing the same thing once my cream has dried.
“Give me ten minutes so my sunscreen doesn’t wash off. You can go in if you want and I’ll meet you out there?”
“Nah, I’ll wait for you. Hey, sorry about my texts earlier. I was out of line,” he confesses out of the blue.
“Don’t worry about it, but I just wanted to clarify that is was nothing. Well, sure, Cassie had every intention of setting me up with Kyle, but I’m not interested,” I disclose hoping to end this drama once and for all.
“You deserve to be happy, Brooke, and if that Kyle guy can make you happy, then maybe you should go for it,” he adds. Well shit, I was not expecting that.
“I don’t need a man in my life to be happy,” I reply defending myself. God, I’m one of the most independent people he knows, so why is he pushing this?
“You need a guy to take care of you, one who’ll treat you like a queen,” he states, and I’m a little taken aback by his words.
“I can take care of myself; I’m not some weak woman. Just leave it. You are impossible, Tyson, you know that, right? Can’t you just agree with me for once that I don’t want or need a man in my life?” He is so damn stubborn it drives me up the wall.
He smirks that gorgeous grin knowing he is getting under my skin. “No way. I’m right on this one. Every girl needs to find her prince charming, so suck it up, princess,” he states to me as I frown showing my disapproval.
“You are so infuriating at times.” I give him a shove showing him I mean business.
He catches my hand and threads his fingers through mine.
“Is that all you got? My granny could fight better.” He antagonizes the hell out of me. He’s going to regret this for sure.
With our fingers still entwined, I scream and push with all of my strength into him. Tyson goes backward, tumbling into the grass and drags me with him.
“Getting better, but still a pansy little girl,” he declares squeezing my fingers.
“I’ll show you, pansy,” I yell and shove him extremely hard to the ground, where I’m still attached, so I land on top of him.
“Well, that is more like the Brooke I know,” he replies and pulls me closer around the waist causing my body to press against his. Our faces are inches from each other, and I can feel his solid chest rising and falling. I can feel his heart thudding.
“Now, what would you do if a stranger grabbed you like this and wouldn’t let go?” he questions as I struggle in his grasp.
“Well, that’s easy,” I reply, and I lift my right knee into his crotch. It’s not forceful, but enough for him to feel it. I see his face scrunch up in shock.
At that moment, I realize my knee is touching his hardness. Awkward. So I quickly remove my knee and try to break free, but he is not budging.
“Tyson, let me go,” I tell him feeling hot and bothered.
“I’m just showing you what happens if you don’t look after yourself,” he states smiling widely. He has such a weird way of doing things sometimes.
Fuck. I have my arms wrapped around Brooklyn’s petite waist. At first, I was just playing, but now with her body flush against mine, I can’t bring myself to let go. Not with her soft skin beneath my fingers clothed in only her bikini top and sarong, which is sliding down showing her sexy hips.
When her knee touches my crotch, I’m hard as steel. I’m sure she feels it. She still has a sarong around her waist, but her legs are on full display. Now, her hands are on my shoulders trying to break free from my grasp.
“Why do you look so pleased with yourself?” she questions me smiling widely.
She tries to move away, so I stubbornly tighten my grip and my fingers graze her velvet skin again. This time, I get goose bumps as she pushes harder against my chest trying to break free.
Oh God, she is so close I could kiss her. I glance at her lips, imagining just how good they would taste. Her smile changes and her mouth widens as realization kicks in. She bites her bottom lip as her eyes dart around before her bright blue irises find mine again. Panic hits.
Her knee is back on my groin. “Ty, if you don’t release me now, I will use all of my strength with my knee this time,” Brooklyn warns me.
“Don’t take it out on the boys, Brooke,” I joke.
“The boys will be fine if you let me go, asshole,” she says seriously and then smirks and pushes her knee a little harder.
“Okay, okay, easy there.” I loosen my grip and let my fingers graze along her back as I release her. I see the goose bumps form along her arms, and I swear I hear her gasp.
“Good choice,” she jokes as she removes her knee and backs away from me. Works for me since now I can enjoy the view of her cleavage. I’m a glutton for punishment.
I can’t take my eyes off her as she throws her sarong on the towel and runs off into the cool water, no doubt to cool down from that moment.
That was intense and hot. I just wante
d to kiss those plump lips and wrap my arms around her properly. I can’t deny my feelings or wait any longer. Finding the perfect time to confess my feelings is going to be hard.
So I run into the water and sink beneath the coolness, invigorating my mind, refreshing my skin, and decreasing the boner I’m still left with. When I surface, Brooklyn is sitting on the shore wrapped in her towel. I stay in the water longer, enjoying the tranquillity and refuge from the stifling heat.
When I make my way back to my towel, I notice Brooklyn’s eyes darting around. Then she reaches for her singlet and starts to dress.
“You’re going already?” I question her little puzzled. I thought we would be here a few hours.
“Yeah, I have an essay due tomorrow,” she replies, and I’m sure it’s a lie since she is not one to forget things like that.
“That sucks. I thought we were hanging for longer than one hour,” I say to her truthfully, feeling a little annoyed.
“Sorry, Ty, at least we got to swim, right?” she responds in typical Brooklyn fashion. Find the positive in any negative.
“Yep, that is true. So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at school,” I respond as she gathers her beach bag and towel.
“Yep. See ya, Tyson.” She ends the conversation as she heads off toward her car.
I’m left feeling numb, unsure of what is going through that mind of hers. Did I overstep the mark? Is she blown away by my forwardness, maybe even repulsed? I saw her body language respond to my touch, but maybe her mind is the opposite.
I’m totally sure about one thing, though—I need to tell her how I feel. If we could be together, I would be the happiest man on the planet. But if the feeling is not mutual, I need to know. I can be her friend if that is what she wants, but I’m falling in love with her, so I need to know sooner rather than later. I know there will be consequences, but I’ve made my choice.
Either way, I can’t lose her.
I hightail it across the shore to my car, almost hyperventilating.
I can still feel Tyson’s rough hands on my bare skin, the goose bumps that crawled along my skin. My heart was beating out of control, and I couldn’t breathe.
TYSON CAINE: Book 1 in the Brothers in Arms Series (Brothers in Arms Book 1) Page 7
