Chasing Red (Chasing Red 1)

He looked at me like I had sprung another head. “Right now?”

“Right now,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Why?”

“Please.” My face burned. “Just get them.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What are you not telling me?”

I wanted to scream with frustration. Why couldn’t he just get them?

“I’m not moving until you tell me why,” he insisted.

I groaned, pressing the heel of my hand to my forehead—but when I felt the material floating away again, I quickly held it down.

He wasn’t going to budge. I had to tell him now…

“My…panties.”

His eyes automatically shot down to the water.

“Don’t look!” I yelled.

A wolfish smile spread on his lips, a twinkle in his green eyes. “What about your panties?” he drawled.

I cleared my throat. “The band tore apart.”

“Huh?”

“The band holding it all together, it…” I closed my eyes, breathing for a moment before opening them again.

“Tore apart?” he provided.

I wondered what he would say if he knew he’d caused the band to break. He would never stop teasing me.

“Maybe you need help buying…panties next time. From an expert.” He winked.

I glared at him.

“Did you tear them apart…on purpose?” he prodded.

I clenched my teeth. He was not going to let it go.

“You did it, you big jerk! When you dragged me down earlier…”

His grin reminded me of the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland. I glared at him, daring him to say something.

“Just. Get. My. Jeans,” I grated out.

His eyes were still gleaming, which made me nervous. What was he thinking?

“If I get them,” he said casually, as if he were talking about the weather, “what do I get for it?”

“What?”

He chuckled, low and sexy. He reached for a lock of my hair, but I jerked back, moving away from him, kicking underwater while holding my fragmented panties. He only gave me a knowing grin and leaned into a backstroke, leisurely floating around me, circling me, like a shark sniffing prey. “I think you heard me.”

“Caleb,” I warned, but suddenly I was feeling giddy.