“What are you doing here?” a quiet but intense voice murmurs into my left ear, sending shivers coursing through my body.
Chapter 37
Helen
Ifeel like I’ve been caught by the principal—or what I imagine it must feel like to be caught doing something wrong by an authority figure, since I don’t have much experience with that. Okay,anyexperience with that. I’m pretty sure my high school principal never even knew who I was. My grades were good but not stellar, I never got detention or ditched school or smoked in the bathroom or whatever else teenagers do to get in trouble. I don’t even have the imagination to guess what other kinds of things might get someone on the principal’s radar.
But somehow I have no trouble imagining Thad as the stern principal catching me doing something naughty. Calling me into his office. Telling me in that gruff, stern voice that I need to learn my lesson?—
Whoa. Where the heck did that come from?
Swallowing, I pivot to face him, hoping that absolutely none of that weird mental detour is showing on my face. Knowing my face, however, that hope is probably in vain. I do my best to smile, probably overcompensating with my cheerfulness, and wave at him for good measure. Okay, definitely overcompensating. “Hi, Thad! Funny meeting you here.”
“Is it?” he retorts, not looking in the least bit amused. “Is it funny?”
My whole body is on alert, bracing myself for the moment when he takes in my outfit. Half-anxious, half-hopeful that his eyes will linger like Shane’s did. But Thad doesn’t move his eyes from mine. He looks seriously pissed. And not in a fun-but-stern, spank-me-over-the-desk kind of way.
“I thought we agreed you were going to stay in the hotel,” he says to me through clenched teeth, the muscle in his jaw doing that flexy thing again.
I’m so not used to actually being in trouble that I feel myself dialing up my positivity, as if through sheer force of sunny willpower I can convince him not to be angry at me. “So actually, itisa funny story—the sorority girls sort of ambushed me and did a whole makeover thing. That’s why I’m here, wearing barely any clothes.”
I wait to see if he’ll take the bait, finally check out my outfit, but his eyes remain locked on mine, and his face remains unsmiling. I give a nervous laugh. “I guess it’s more situationally funny than humorously funny.”
Thad’s eyes flash at me. “You need to get off this boat. There are other people on board who really don’t want me taking Dean into custody. I can’t have you getting in the way, distracting me.”
His tone wipes the uneasy smile from my face. I no longer feel the need to diffuse the tension, because nowI’mpissed, too. “I’m not here to distract you—but if I am, I feel like that’syourproblem, not mine. Because I’m here to help my brother and make sure he stays safe.”
Thad inhales sharply through his nose, stepping in closer to me. That muscle in his jaw jumps, like he’s clenching his teeth, hard. “If you’re not here to distract me, then why the fuck did you wear this dress?”
I still haven’t seen him actuallylookat what I’m wearing. But that look in his eyes, the closeness of his body, makes me feel more undressed than any single piece of clothing ever could.
“Helen, here’s your drink.”
I startle, turning to see that Shane is back, with my white wine in hand. He offers Thad one of his winsome smiles—though something about it seems a little strained. Calculated. “Hey, buddy,” he says to Thad, as if just noticing him. “Glad you could join us. Sorry I didn’t bring you a drink, too.”
Shane steps in unnecessarily close to me. Too disoriented to think better of it, I take the drink he’s handing to me. As soon as Shane’s hand is free, he touches my arm. “You okay? Things seemed a little…heavy when I walked up.”
I open my mouth to respond, but Thad cuts me off, taking me by surprise by closing his hand over my arm that’s closest to him. “Fuck off, Shane. We’re in the middle of a conversation.”
Shane responds by closinghishand over my other arm. “Language, Thaddeus. The fair Helen of Troy is present.” Despite his light tone, Shane is glaring at Thad over my head, and his grip on me tightens.
What the Hootie and the Blowfish is happening…? I don’t fully understand the exchange going on between these two men—I mean, I get they’re having some kind of pissing contest, but I’m not sure how I got dragged into the middle of it. And I’m a little worried they’re actually about to start playing tug-of-war with my body.
“Hey, do I get a say in this?” I let stern-inner-city-teacher Helen’s voice come out. “Or is it inconvenient when the fire hydrant has an opinion?”
Shane frowns at me. “There’s a fire hydrant on board?”
Thad, at least, loosens his hold on me, though his expression doesn’t become any less intense. “Do you want me to leave you with Shane?”
My mouth runs dry. Honestly, I’m a little scared of Thad’s ferocity. Goofball Shane is a much more familiar, digestible alternative to…whatever is going on right now between Thad and me.
Shane must sense this, because I can hear the smirk in his voice as he trails his hand down my arm. “Come on, Helen. I, for one, would love to have your help finding your brother. And whatever else the night might bring…”
My body makes the decision for me. Shane’s innuendo, the feeling of his fingers trailing down my skin, making me shiver—and not in a good way. I instinctively step in closer to Thad to get away from him.
Thad responds by putting his hand on the small of my back. It’s a protective, almost primitive gesture—like he’s announcing to anyone who might be looking, and Shane most especially,This is my woman. Back off.
I shouldn’t find this absolutely thrilling. But I do.
