“This is fine,” I said, reaching for th
e shirt.
He wouldn’t relinquish it and I was too weak from nearly drowning to put up much fight. He laid the shirt on the driver’s seat of his Jeep and reached for the one I wore.
“What the hell are you doing?” I swatted his hand away.
“Helping you,” he looked at me like I’d lost my mind. Turning to Thea he asked, “How’d you guys get here?”
“Rae drove,” she answered.
“Get your stuff and go get her car and bring it over here. I want you guys to go back to the dorm.”
My eyes widened. I didn’t want Thea to leave me alone with her brother. The guy was dangerous in a too-sexy-for-his-own-good kind of way and I didn’t need any kind of temptation.
“I don’t want to drive Thea away from the party,” I said.
Cade grinned slowly and I knew I was in trouble. That smile spelled dangerous. “I can take you back to your dorm. Thea grab Rae’s bag.” I’d completely forgotten I’d left the bag where we’d been sitting.
Thea nodded, eyeing her brother and I with a shrewd look. She couldn’t seem to figure us out. I saw Xander waiting for her by the gate. She seemed reluctant to leave me alone, but eventually she went to do as her brother asked.
Cade tugged at my shirt and this time I was unprepared since I’d been watching Thea abandon me.
He managed to get it off of me before I could stop him and I knew the moment he saw.
Air hissed between his teeth and his fingers hesitantly brushed against the raised pink skin on my stomach.
“What happened?” He asked. I was surprised that there was no disgust in his tone.
“Something I don’t want to talk about,” I growled angrily. I didn’t like for people to see the scar. It raised too many questions I didn’t want to answer.
Cade sighed and his damp hair fell over his forehead. “Okay.”
I balked in surprise. I couldn’t believe he was letting it go so easily. He helped me into the dry shirt that was much too large. It smelled like him—fresh cut grass and rain. He pulled his own shirt off and tossed it into the duffel bag. He didn’t put a dry one on which meant that his perfect chest was on display for me. A man’s chest shouldn’t be a work of art, but Cade’s was.
“I don’t have another clean shirt.” He explained when he saw me staring. Somehow, I doubted that.
Thea returned with my bag and handed it to me.
“I can take you back to the dorms if you want me to,” she said timidly.
“I’m fine,” I assured her. “I can drive myself.” I was already pulling my car keys out of my bag.
“Nice try.” Cade snatched the keys from my hand and tossed them to his sister. “You,” he pointed at her, “can drive her car home when you’re ready to leave. I’m taking Rae back to the dorms.”
I resisted the urge to stomp my foot like a child. I did not want to be alone with Cade Montgomery.
But nobody argued with Cade, that much was obvious. What he said was law around here.
Fuck that.
He could take my keys but he couldn’t take my legs. I was walking back to school. It might’ve been an eight mile walk but I didn’t care.
While he was distracted with talking to Thea I walked away.
I hadn’t even made it off the property when he caught up to me.
He grabbed me around my waist and tossed me over his shoulder.