Page 25 of Wicked Rush

“I want a towel.” She shot him a wicked smile, cocking her head.

“How about we help each other?” he suggested, standing.

“I can’t…” Braelynn stopped short of begging and considered climbing out of the pool nude.

“Towels,” he continued, approaching a large teak armoire. The doors opened, revealing neatly stacked rolls of brightly colored beach towels. Lars tucked a couple under his arm and returned to the edge of the pool, twirling the key.

“Can I please have one?”

“I’m thinking we should do an exchange. A towel for the truth. Fair is fair.” He shrugged and tossed them onto a chaise. “But this key here. It’s what I’m most interested in.”

“You weren’t lying.”

“There’s something I don’t get.” Lars fingered the inscription. “What could this open that is so valuable you’d be willing to break into my house?”

“I’m not doing this,” she challenged. “I’m not answering another question while you’re out there and I’m here like…” Braelynn glanced down at her breasts, and quickly peered back up to him, pressing her body against the side of the pool, concealing her nudity.

“Ah, is that all?” he replied.

“What the hell do you mean ‘is that all’? I’m not dressed.”

“I told you you can trust me.”

“I don’t,” she fired back.

“If it was just a matter of clothes, you should have said so.” Lars gave a laugh and strolled to the set of stairs that stretched the entire width of the far end of the pool. With a tug, he peeled off his white t-shirt.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Braelynn’s pulse raced at the sight of his hard broad chest. She noted the flirtatious flicker in his eyes, his sexy smile leaving her tingling in desire. As he slid his thumbs into his shorts, tugging downward and revealing a deep v, she covered her eyes with her hands. Oh no…he doesn’t think he’s going to… “You can’t do that!”

“Do what? Just leveling the playing field.”

Every traitorous cell in her body lit in awareness as she heard the splash of him entering the water. Braelynn tried not to stare at him but couldn’t resist the temptation. Like Neptune himself, he broke the surface, shaking the moisture from his hair. Droplets rolled down his chiseled abs, the edge of the liquid teasing his pelvis. Her breath caught as he brushed a hand over his hair, continuing to grin. He lifted his right hand out of the water, and the key came into view.

“Do you like games, Brae?”

“Um, what? Games?” she stuttered, unable to look away as he grazed a palm over his chest.

“You want a towel so you can go home. I want answers about what’s going on here.”

“But…”

“Ah, ah, ah…my turn to talk,” he shushed her. “You see I’m a patient man. But last night, well that changed everything.”

“I told you I…” she began but he held up a silencing hand.

“This is how this game is going to work.”

“I don’t want to play…” she tried to interrupt.

“You don’t have a choice.” Lars dangled the key in the air. “Here’s how this is going to work. For every question you answer, I move a foot toward you. I figure I have about ten questions max. Truth for the key.”

“You’re serious?” She let go of the edge and trod water.

“Completely. Once I reach you, it’s yours.”

“I’m free to go?”

“Yes.”