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7
“Where’s your hat?”
The voice came from behind her, startling her so badly that she found herself slipping forward into the pool with a scream.
She landed with a splash, the cold water moving over her head. For a moment, she just floated there at the bottom of the pool.
Well, she had been thinking how nice a swim might be. She’d spent most of the morning in her playroom trying to gather up the courage to go downstairs, knowing she might run into one of them.
Mainly Brick.
Sexy, grouchy, Brick.
Somehow, the little sleep she’d got had been filled with dreams about him. And in most of them, he’d taken on the role of her Daddy. Which was ridiculous. Because the only kind of Daddy she’d ever want would be patient and kind and sweet.
Someone more like Xavier.
Not Oscar the grouch.
Something grabbed her around the waist as she lay there, floating, and she turned, trying to fight them off. Then she saw Brick’s blurry face. He grabbed her, thrusting her up into the surface.
Darn. There went her swim.
Well, she didn’t have her floaties anyway. Not that she needed her floaties or her blow-up lifesaver or her giant mermaid floatie. But really, what was the point of going swimming without those things?
Couldn’t bring them out while she had Brick, Elias, and Sterling here. Which is why she’d been sitting forlornly, with her feet in the water, before Brick snuck up and scared her.
What a grumpy butt.
Speaking of Mr. Grumpy-Butt, he was currently losing his cool right now.
“What the hell were you doing by the water if you can’t swim!” he yelled as he dragged her towards the stairs. “God damn it! Why do you have a pool if you can’t swim? There shouldn’t even be water in here. What were you thinking sitting on the side of the pool?”
She stared at him in shock as he kept raving at her. He started up the stairs with her in his arms. Why she wasn’t panicking at being held by him, she wasn’t sure. Maybe it was because one of them ought to stay calm.
Or maybe it’s because you like him holding you.
Nope. It wasn’t that. No way. No how.
But then he stopped and glared down at her. How could he be sexy even when he was insane?
It was hard to work out.
“Are you listening to me, Juliet?” he snapped.
She shook her head before she thought better of it. His gaze narrowed. He muttered something under his breath that she was certain wasn’t at all flattering to her.
“Hey, what’s going on? We heard yelling.”
She looked over at Sterling who had spoken. Elias was behind him, studying them both with one eyebrow raised. They had strange looks on their faces that she couldn’t figure out. She stiffened and attempted to get out of Brick’s hold.
“Stay still,” he commanded.
She glared up at him.
“I’m not putting you down until I know you’re all right. Actually, maybe we should take you to the hospital. You could have swallowed water. Sterling, get her a towel. Elias, start the truck. We’ll take her there now.”
Now she started wriggling in earnest.
