Attached to You (Carolina Rebels 4)

“Sometimes, but unless it’s a kid, they don’t come up to me. I guess I don’t look approachable.”

She frowns at that, but our group number is finally called to the starting line. Thank goodness. I laugh as Deanna starts to stretch, which earns me a glare, especially since I don’t. After a few minutes, the horn sounds and the crowd takes off for the first obstacle: climb up onto an inflatable platform so you can take the monkey bars across. Deanna and I are side by side as we go across.

“Fuck, I have no upper body strength,” she groans on the fifth bar.

“If you don’t make it to the end, that’s a point for me,” I remind her as I pass her. She huffs. I make it to the end and turn around in time to see her fall on the fourth to last bar. “That’s okay, darlin’. Maybe you’ll do better on the next one.”

“Don’t gloat. It makes you ugly,” she snaps as we jog to the next one. She curses as we climb onto another inflatable platform. This one is more like an open bouncy house that we have to jump across, but there’s a cliff at the end and Deanna beats me to it. “Ha!” is all she says, sticking her tongue out at me as we jog on.

Some of the obstacles are seemingly easy. There’s one with giant red balls and you have to run or jump from ball to ball without falling off. I manage to make it a ball farther than Deanna does before falling off. We slow down a tad, too. It might be a race, but I’m not leaving her behind. After climbing over walls, doing a sort of slip-n-slide, going through a foam pit, and a few other obstacles, there’s only one left. We’re tied essentially.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Deanna asks as event staffers hand us life jackets. We have to make it across these log-like walkways, which are over water, while these giant balls swing around. If you lose your balance or get hit, it’s the water for you. “It’s a bit nippy out here today. I can’t wait to feel the water.” She rolls her eyes.

“Then I suggest you don’t fall in.” I grin.

Deanna decides to go first. She takes a deep breath, her eyes on the balls, and then starts running. Her focus switches to her feet. She never sees the ball coming. I can’t help but laugh. Seeing her fly through the air for those few seconds and making such a splash is hilarious. I can only hope that I don’t suffer the same fate.

Once she’s out of the water on the other side, I’m given the okay to proceed. I carefully go across, hurrying when a ball comes and pausing as another comes in front of me. Then, I make a run for it.

“Oh, son of a bitch. Seriously?” Deanna mutters when I reach her. “I’m totally blaming the fact that you can skate on this. That has to be the reason you have such good balance.”

I shrug. “Let’s call it even. Whoever crosses the finish line first wins?” We hand our life jackets back. Deanna clutches the cloth of her shirt at her stomach and wrings it out. I’m suddenly distracted as hell. Her workout clothes were fitted on her body before. Now? Tighter than a glove.

She looks up at me. “Sure? I love running in wet shoes. Ready?” Deanna takes off before I answer. My eyes follow, fixed on her legs and then her ass. The sight of it getting smaller is what actually springs me into action and into a comfortable run behind her.

You know, I think we need to start running together. Just like this. Her in front, me two to three feet behind to watch her body as she runs. I could run all day, hell, for weeks, like this.

“Yes!”

Startled, I blink. Deanna turns around to face me and dances. Her breasts bounce, stealing my attention until I hear, “I won!” What? Damn her and her addictive body. “Wait.” I place my hand on her waist. “We need to go back and have a re-do.”

“Why?” she demands.

“Because I forgot to try.”

She scoffs. “Too bad, so sad, sucker. Take your lame excuse and shove it. You lost to a girl, an unfit one at that, and now I want my prize.” She grabs my hand and drags me away from the crowd and

toward the parking lot.

An uneasy feeling rises within me. “What’s your prize?”

“You’re about to find out.”

This can’t be good. When we arrive at my truck, I grab the towels from the backseat that I placed in here before I left the house and hand them to Deanna. She wraps one around her while putting the other where she’ll sit. It’s a bit chilly, so I turn the truck on to warm her up.

“What’s your prize, darlin’?”

“I want an orgasm before we leave.”

“No.” The quick response comes out harsh and louder than I intended. There are cars upon cars around us. Anyone could walk by at any time!

“Yes,” she replies evenly.

“Deanna, if someone sees, or if we get caught, do you know how much trouble I’d be in?”

“We won’t get caught. It’ll look as if we’re just sitting here. I don’t want to completely put you at risk, Brayden.” It irritates and bothers me that she sounds hurt with that last bit.

“Any risk is too much in this case.” I don’t even know how she’d like to receive her prize.