Secrets Abound (Supernaturally Bound Book 1) (25 page)

“Play another song.” I said, making him laugh.

“Or we could do something else.” He said, causing a flutter in my stomach.

“Like what?” I asked, secretly wanting him to suggest we take the short trip to his bed.

“We could go swimming.” He suggested. I laughed at his completely unexpected response.

“Maybe if I had a swimsuit and it was July.”

“Our pool is heated and you don’t need a swimsuit.” He said. I raised a brow at him. Laughing, he continued, “My sister left a ton of clothes here. I’m sure she has a few swimsuits.”

“A used swimsuit?” I asked, continuing to be difficult.

“No,” He reached over and grabbed my hand, pulling me up. “My sister hasn’t even worn ninety percent of her clothes. I bet we can find one that still has the tags on.”

Empty of excuses, I allowed him to lead me to a room down the hall and into the huge closet. Seriously, it was the largest closet I’d ever seen. It was bigger than my bedroom. In the far left corner, there were ten bikinis hanging up, and he was right. At least half of them still had their tags. He grabbed a light green one and handed it to me.

“This one matches your eyes.” I grabbed the hanger with the tiny garment and followed him back to his room.

He grabbed a pair of trunks out of his chest of drawers. He removed his shirt and threw it in a basket by his closet. I spared a moment to admire the muscles in his chest and stomach and boy were they something to admire. Glancing back up to his face, I saw him giving me an amused look.

“Don’t stop on my account.” He gave me a wide grin. I felt my face heat up, and I knew my cheeks were red.

“Where can I change?” I asked.

“Right here.” He said, still grinning. My eyebrows went up and he said, “Alright, I’ll change in the bathroom.” He sauntered out of the room, closing the door behind him. Pulling off my clothes, I folded them and placed them on the bean bag. I slipped on the bikini bottoms with no problem. They fit perfectly, but when I tied the top on, I realized it was slightly too small. The material covered my nipples but not too much else. Oh well, I guess it was better than skinny dipping.

“Are you almost done?” I heard Eli ask from the other side of the door.

“Getting there. Are you sure your sister doesn’t have one in a larger size?” I asked hopefully.

“I’m sure. She doesn’t buy clothes that are larger than her. She says it’s like telling her body that it’s okay to gain weight.” He said.

“Oh, gee thanks.”

“I said that’s what
she
says. Why? Is it too small?” He asked.

“The top is a little.”

“Hurry, the suspense is killing me.” I could hear the smile in his voice. I rolled my eyes as I tried to maneuver my boobs around in the tiny top.

“Tell me, does it make you sad that there’s a naked girl in your room, and you’re stuck on the other side of the door?” I teased.

“No, I’m sure the hidden camera in my room caught it all.” I heard him say. I paused, glancing around the room. “Bridget, I’m kidding.”

“I knew that.” I said, opening the bedroom door and stepping out. His back was turned to me, and he was texting someone.

“Sure, you…” He said, turning around. “Wow, you should definitely be wearing bikinis more often. In fact, you should just throw out all your other clothes.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.” I laughed. His gaze slowly scanned my body from head to toe.

“Is that a tattoo?” He asked, reaching down and brushing his fingers across my hip. My skin tingled under his touch. My first reaction was to tell him the truth, but it looked so much like a tattoo, I didn’t know how to explain what it was.

“Something like that.” I settled for nondescript.

“What’s the design?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I teased.

He smiled widely. “Yes, I’d really like to see the rest of it.”

He pulled me against him, placing one hand on the small of my back and the other on my jaw. He stared down at me with hungry eyes that told me he wanted to see more than just the tattoo. I gasped at our sudden closeness and met his eyes with an expression that I was sure mirrored his own.

My brain was telling me to immediately go back into his room and get dressed, that this was a dreadful idea. However, my body was saying something completely different. He pressed his mouth to mine in a deep kiss that gave me chills down my back. I responded by pushing harder into the kiss. I pressed my body against his, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“So, where is the pool?” I asked, breaking the kiss.

He let out a soft sigh and led me down the stairs. His pool was out back and even though the sun was shining, it was anything but warm outside. We practically ran the distance to the pool, but just as Eli had promised, the water was warm. It was a good thing I had worn waterproof makeup because the first thing Eli did was push me into the deep end and jump in after me.

“Hey!” I said when my head resurfaced, but he merely laughed and flipped his shaggy hair, splashing me with more water. I lowered my head under the water, allowing my mouth to fill up. I popped up next to him, squirting it in his face. He grabbed me around the waist, lifting me up above his head. “Don’t you dare!” I yelled at him, laughing as he tossed me up and dunked me. “This isn’t fair. You’re stronger than me.” I pouted.

“Then you should just forfeit.” He said, moving toward me. His expression told me he wasn’t done with me, yet. I backed up away from him until I hit the side of the pool.

“Never.” I said, going back under the water.

I grabbed his legs and lifted them out from underneath him. He fell backward but was back up in no time. When I resurfaced, though, I felt a breeze somewhere it hadn’t been before. I glanced down and saw that during the last escapade, my top had come untied. Eli’s expression showed surprise but abruptly changed to hunger.

My brain yelled for me to tie it back, but the way he was gazing at me was causing my body to react with a tingling urge I couldn’t suppress at the moment. Once Eli realized I wasn’t covering up, he slowly swam over to me. As he brushed my cheek with one hand, the other slowly caressed its way down to the side of my breast where his ravenous gaze fixed.

With a moment’s pause, he glanced up as if asking for permission. The words were forming on my tongue but seemed to be stuck there. He took it as a silent acquiesce and swiftly overcame his hesitation. I felt the warmth from his mouth on my pulsing nipple which immediately caused sensations in other parts of my body that I was finding difficult to control.

As he released my breast, I let out a disappointed sigh which brought a smile to his lips. He was quick to capture his next prey, causing my gasp of approval. He responded with his own groan as he suckled me with so much force that it felt as if he was trying to capture all of me. My body erupted with a burst of desire beyond my control. I slipped my fingers through his wet hair as I forcefully moved his mouth up to meet mine.

Without any resistance, he responded to my demand, slipping his tongue in past my lips as his hand filled the void left by his mouth. Losing all sense, my body unwillingly released a guttural cry that could only be described as pure sexual hunger. I possessively wrapped my legs around his waist. His hands moved further down to my hips, pressing me closer with a thrust to the thing he knew I wanted most.

I released a raspy moan as the pressure ignited a yearning deep within my core. Encouraged by my reaction, Eli pressed harder into me. My body shuddered in longing as it ached to allow him full access. I wanted to give in.
I was going to give in.

“Ahm…” I heard someone behind us make a coughing noise and it was like a slap of cold water to my face.

I immediately was snapped out of my uncontrollable lust. I instinctively attempted to jerk away, but Eli’s grip tightened not allowing my escape. Puzzled, I met his eyes. With a playful rise of his eyebrows, he glanced down, reminding me of my exposed state. He pressed himself against me in an attempt to cover my bare chest.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” Eli said, giving the unknown person a look of annoyance.

“Do I need an invitation to see my own brother?” I heard the man say. His brother? Oh, well, this was a great first impression. “Besides, I just thought you would want forewarning that you’re going to have some company. They are coming down the drive.”

“It must be Grey and Hail.” Eli explained, facing back to me. “We should probably go get dressed.”

“Well, I will leave you to that.” His brother said, and I heard his footsteps fade.

As soon as the door closed, Eli loosened his grip, allowing me to retie my top. He stole one last kiss before we made our way out of the pool. Stepping out of the warm water, my legs trembled from a mixture of cold and nerves. I couldn’t believe how close I just came to having sex with him. How could my body so desperately want something it had never even had? If things had been left up to it, I’d already have slept with two guys.
I mean, what the hell?

By the time I finished dressing, I could hear Eli’s voice talking downstairs. I decided I desperately needed to brush through my hair, but I couldn’t find my purse and realized it must have still been in Eli’s car. Strolling down the stairs, I saw Eli speaking with a guy who had to be his brother. He had the same hair color as Eli, but his cut was cleaner. He appeared to be twenty-three or so and was a bit taller than Eli. His eyes were a dark green, but there was no mistaking the resemblance. They had the same smile that appeared to have been cut out of a magazine and taped to their faces. I wondered exactly how much his brother saw of us,
of me,
outside and embarrassment flushed my face, once again. I paused at the bottom of the stairs hoping to collect myself before facing them, but Eli spotted me and waved me over.

“Bridget, this is my brother, Sam.” Eli slid his arm around my waist.

“Nice to meet you.” I told him.

“Yes, and it’s nice to see your face. And might I say, what a lovely face it is.” Sam said, giving me a wink. Eli didn’t seem amused, and his arm tightened around my waist. Sam smiled at Eli’s reaction. “Calm down, little brother. You know I’m more into blondes, anyway. But then again, it’s always fun to change things up.” Being in the center of their sibling rivalry was starting to make me uncomfortable, so I decided to make my escape.

“Eli, I left my purse in your car. Is it unlocked?” I asked him. He pressed a button on a small device. I heard a beep from out front. “I’ll be right back.” Eli was still glaring at his brother as I slipped out the front door. I wasn’t sure if it was my embarrassment or what, but I got an unsettling vibe from Sam. Something about him just didn’t sit right with me.

I opened the passenger door to Eli’s car but didn’t see my purse. Hoping no one would come outside and see me, I bent over to check under the seat. It had gotten shoved back halfway. When I lifted it out, I spotted a piece of paper. It was a receipt of some sort. His car was spotless, and I hated to leave the piece of trash in it, so I grabbed it, as well. Curiosity got the better of me, and I unfolded the paper. It was a receipt for a shoe store at the mall. I glanced at the date and realized it was from the same day Cassie and I had been there. I remembered searching for him that day, but then again, that mall was huge. Without thinking about it, I stuffed the receipt into my purse, figuring I’d just throw it away later.

The sun was beginning to set as Eli drove us to an unknown destination. Well, at least it was unknown to me. Eli had firmly stuck to his notion that it was a surprise. I’d argued it wasn’t fair that Hail and Grey knew where we were going, but it was no use. Well, wherever we were headed, it involved us switching to a blue Camaro. Eli said it was a ’67, but it had to have been restored because it appeared brand new. I glanced at the car behind us through the side mirror. Hail and Grey had each taken their own cars, which I didn’t understand but whatever. Apparently global warming doesn’t concern the rich. After all, it
is
a poor person problem. I wanted to pinch myself for that thought. It was going to be harder than I suspected to cease the snarky, rich people comments, but at least they were now restricted to my mind.

“Where are we going?” I asked for the billionth time when I saw a sign saying we were leaving Lincoln.

“You are incredibly impatient.” He laughed.

“So, I’ve been told.” I said with a flirty smile.

Of course, I left out the fact that I’d mostly been told by Aiden a million times. I stared out the window as we drove further and further from civilization. I tried to think of where we could be going, but I was at a loss. Things didn’t become any clearer when we parked on the side of an abandoned road. Hail and Grey’s cars pulled up beside us.

“I don’t get it.” I said, turning to Eli.

“You will.” He promised with a huge smile as he hopped out of the car. “Come on. We’re early.”

I leaned against the hood of his car, waiting for something to happen while Eli chatted with Grey and Hail. After ten minutes, though, a few other cars showed up. Four guys and one other girl joined our circle. Figuring I’d already asked too many questions, I decided I’d just wait to see what was going to happen.

“How’s it hangin’?” A tall, scrawny looking guy said to us. He had a six pack of beer in one hand and keys in the other. “I’m kicking your ass this time. I made some modifications and upped the horsepower in my car. You don’t stand a chance.” He told Eli.

“We’ll see about that.” Eli responded coolly.

“So, can
arm candy
there be trusted?” The scrawny guy asked Eli, as he gave me an up and down appraisal.

“Would she be here if she couldn’t?” Eli replied easily. They stared at each other for a second more before Mr. Scrawny seemed to decide that I was worthy of whatever was about to happen.

“Well, in that case, my name is Ron, but everybody calls me Torpedo because once I leave that starting line, nothing slows me down until I cross that finish line.”

“I heard it was because you always shoot off without making it to the finish line.” Hail said, and everyone laughed.

“That’s funny coming from you, Speck.” Ron growled and Hail reddened.

“As interesting as you think you’re sex lives are, who’s up first?” Eli said

“Hail and Angelo.” Ron told him. “You and I are up next, Eli.”

I was still confused as to what exactly we were here for, but as Hail moved toward his car, I started to get the idea. As Hail and Angelo lined up their cars next to each other on an invisible starting line, Eli grabbed my arm and guided me over to the spectators. Placing his arm around my shoulders, he drew me close.

“Have you ever seen anyone race before?” Eli asked me.

I shook my head that I hadn’t.

“It’s simple. They drive down to the twin oak trees and then turn and first one back to the starting line wins.” Eli explained.

“So, just like in the movies.” I replied with renewed interest.

“Well, it’s a bit more than that.” He said with a laugh.

“Like what?” I asked.

“Danger, for one. A major adrenaline rush, for two. And, of course, the cool nicknames.” He grinned.

“And what’s your cool nickname?” I inquired.

“Lightening,” Eli said proudly.

“Why lightening?” I asked.

“Because he’s wicked fast off the starting line, always the first to leave, and usually the first back.” Grey said, before Eli had the chance to answer.

“Yeah, I’m kind of awesome.” Eli winked.

“So, tell me, how do you get that gigantic head of yours to fit in such a small car?” I teased, giving his chest a poke.

“I would much rather have a gigantic head than a small one.” He whispered so close to my ear I could feel his warm breath trace along it. I felt a tiny amount of heat spread throughout my body at the memory of earlier in the day. I had felt just how large his ‘head’ actually was.

Our attention snapped back to the race when we heard the sound of the engines revving up. The girl I’d heard someone call Tracie was standing in between the two cars holding a flag. She was wearing tight jeans and a red top that showed off her remarkably oversized chest. I wondered just how much of it was paid for with daddy’s money. Her hair was a wavy, honey blonde and she had a tan that seemed out of place for March weather.

“Ready.” She yelled over the roaring engines. “Set. Go!”

They sped off without a second’s hesitation. I was shocked at the speed they were achieving. Excitement soared through my veins, and I wanted nothing more than to be a part of this.

“I want to ride with you.” I told Eli.

“Are you sure?” He observed my face curiously.

“Positive.” I gave him a smile that I was sure came paired with a gleam in my eye because he gave an amused grin.

“I knew you’d like this.”

“How’s that?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re like me. You like excitement. You love the thrill.” He said, hitting the nail right on the head.

“What on earth would make you think that?” I asked, unable to stop the grin that spread across my face.

“It’s in your eyes. You can tell a lot about a person by their eyes.”

He didn’t give me time to react before he leaned down and kissed me. It was soft and left a fluttering sensation in my stomach. As we heard the cars hurling back down the road, my eyes were glued to them. It was too close to tell who would win. The closer they got though, the more Angelo’s car began to inch ahead. When he flew through the finish line, he had only won by a bumper. The cars slowed and pulled back into their spots off the road. Everyone cheered as Angelo strutted back to the group. Hail’s mood was still light after the defeat, even with Angelo’s taunts.

“Come on. We’re next.” Eli grabbed my hand.

Everyone gave us looks of shock when he led me to his car. I guess it was unusual to have passengers. I smiled at the thought of being the first girl Eli brought with him in a race.

I drew in a deep breath and stared out the window as Eli moved the car into starting position. There weren’t any streetlights on this road, but the night sky was bright with stars, so visibility wasn’t an issue. As Eli revved the car engine, it gave a fierce roar like a caged animal dying to be released. My heart seemed to share its sentiment for it was trying its hardest to escape the confines of my chest.

“Are you ready to win?” He gave me a smug grin as he shifted gears.

“Alright, boys! You know the rules, so let’s stick to them, okay?” Tracie screamed over the noise. “Ready, set, go!”

Eli slammed on the accelerator and we took off. Adrenaline shot through my system as we sped next to Ron’s car. Both cars seemed to have equal power and neither was getting too far ahead of the other. It was still neck to neck when we reached a turn in the road. Straight ahead was a clearing off the road that had a couple of trees to the side. I assumed those were the twin oak trees and this was where we turned around. I grabbed a hold of the seat, bracing for the sharp turn.

Eli slammed on his brakes while shifting gears at the same time. There was a loud squeal from the tires as the car did a clean one-eighty. Ron didn’t have as easy a time as we had. He lost control for a second and spun a couple of times before returning to the road. There was no way he’d catch up, now. As we sped through the finish line, Eli let out a triumphant scream. I smiled, feeling equally as ecstatic. Eli wasn’t kidding about the rush. It was spectacular, unlike anything I’d felt before.

We sauntered back to everyone cheering and congratulating Eli. Tracie rushed up and threw her arms around him, causing a spark of jealousy in me. I shot a dirty look to the side of her head, but it faded when Eli moved away from her and wrapped his arm around my waist. I reached up and gave him a kiss. I hesitantly moved away, not wanting to stop but also not wanting to put on a show.

The exhilaration from the race left me in a light, carefree mood. We spent the next few hours sitting on the hood of his car, watching the rest of the racing. Every once in a while, I’d glance over and catch him staring down at me with something inscrutable in his eyes. The night was chilly but between the warmth from Eli’s arms and the heat from his engine, I didn’t notice.

Other than the embarrassing moment with Sam, today was everything I could have asked for. It was exactly what I needed. Snuggling closer to Eli, I felt his arms tighten around me. I wanted to stay like this for days, but the racing was over and everyone was packing up to leave. I slid into Eli’s car feeling tired and restless at the same time. I didn’t want to go home just yet.

“Can I ask you something?” I turned to Eli, giving him my sweetest smile.

“Uh, oh. This can’t be good.” He smiled cautiously.

“Can I drive?” I asked, leaning over to him. He hesitated, appearing unsure, so I reached up and kissed him on the neck. “Please.” I felt his body shudder under my lips.

“This is so unfair.” He said, but he was smiling. “Alright, but only for a few miles and just so you know, I never let anyone drive my car. You should feel special. In fact, you might want to pay me back with something
you
don’t let other people do.” He gave me a mischievous grin.

“You want to read my diary?” I teased.

“That’s not exactly what I had in mind, but I guess I could settle with reading all about your wild fantasies of me.” He said.

I let out a short laugh. “Yeah, as if I’d put something like that on paper.”

“Well, then, I guess you’ll just have to show me.” He lowered his head pressing his lips to mine.

“So, are you going to stall all night, or am I actually going to get to drive this thing?” I cocked my head to the side, giving him a grin.

“Fine.” He bent down, pressing one more kiss to my lips. “Please don’t kill us.” He shot me a smirk and opened the car door.

Once we had switched seats, I twisted the key in the ignition. It purred to life, and I could feel its power vibrating underneath us. Releasing the clutch, I slammed on the accelerator and shifted into second gear with no kick back. Elation building inside of me, I increased the speed as I smoothly shifted into a higher gear.

“You’ve done this before.” Eli’s eyebrows rose up.

“Maybe once or twice.” I gave him a side smile but kept pressing down on the gas.

“You are so hot, right now.” He said, and my smile spread further on my face.

I steered the car into an empty parking lot, slammed on the brakes, and jerked the wheel to the side. The car spun around, leaving donut rings on the cement. My heart was racing by the time the car stopped and I yanked the parking brake.

Exhilaration and adrenaline pumped through me, clouding my thoughts. With a fierce look, Eli pulled me closer to him, meeting my lips with his. Without hesitation, I crawled into his lap and pushed further into the kiss. Our hands were everywhere as our mouths melded together. My fingers laced into his soft hair, gripping tightly as his lips moved down my neck.

When I finally found the strength to pull away, it took us both a long moment to catch our breaths. Eli studied my face with soft eyes. For a second, I thought I saw a look of longing and regret in them, but it was gone too fast to be sure.

“Where’d you learn to drive like that?” His eyes still searched my face with an unreadable expression.

“Chad taught me. We used to take his dad’s car out for joy rides.”

“You are full of surprises.” He smiled, tugging me down for a gentle kiss.

The ride home was quiet, but sweet. I stared out the window at the passing buildings as I tried to place the feeling I was having.
Happy
. That was it. It had been such a long time since I’d felt just pure happiness. It was usually laced with something else. The closest I’d come to this feeling was when I was with Aiden. Thinking of Aiden, I twisted my bracelet around on my wrist. Even when I’d been upset with him, I still wore it. Not that I’d let him see it. I usually kept it under my jacket sleeve.

I was sleepy, but not wanting to lose this feeling, I fought the need to close my eyes. I wondered just how long life would allow me to feel this way. I knew it wouldn’t last. The universe never seemed to be on my side. Sometimes, I wondered what it was I did in a past life that left me in such karmic debt.

Eli parked his car on the side of road between mine and Aiden’s house just in case Judy peeked out the window. Eli got out of the car and hurried over to my door. Normally, I might’ve felt awkward having a guy open the door for me, but tonight, it simply felt nice. I stepped out of the car and straightened my dress.