He's the One (36 page)

‘God! I don’t know – I haven’t even considered that – I just thought Cory had come up with this lie to make himself sound better.’ Brooke suddenly felt a surge of excitement. This did sound plausible. And she really wouldn’t put that kind of behaviour past Zac. She had always known that there was a dark side to him.

Then her hopes were dashed when Mila said quietly, ‘But how would you ever prove that he did that? Zac’s hardly likely to admit it, is he?’

‘Bollocks!’ Brooke came out with her new favourite expletive. ‘Okay, back to square one.’ She finished her wine. ‘I could at least put it to my mom – find out if she ever worried that Zac spied on her.’

‘Maybe you need to stop thinking about it for a while – do something to clear your head,’ Flynn put in. She looked over at him, lying back on the picnic rug, arms behind his head, mirrored aviator shades on his face making him look even cooler. His t-shirt had ridden up, revealing a tantalising expanse of hard, flat abs. Yeah, what she’d really like to do was cuddle up next to him. Damn it! Of all the boys in Brighton, why, oh, why did she have to fall for him?

‘Okay, I’ve got a challenge for you,’ Flynn said, sitting up.

She really hoped he couldn’t read her mind …

‘How about going for a swim? You haven’t been in the sea since you’ve lived here, have you? It should be a rite of passage for anyone moving to Brighton.’

‘Like, der! Why would I go in that freezing cold,
probably dirty water? There isn’t even any decent surf!’ Brooke was appalled by the idea. Yes, the sun was shining, but it wasn’t hot by her standards. She was wearing a hoodie and shorts and still had goose bumps from the sea breeze.

‘It won’t be so cold. Go on, I dare you,’ Flynn taunted her. ‘Or are you too much of a wimp? Do you need to wear your gold wet suit?’

Okay, that did it. She could never resist a challenge. Brooke stood up and began stripping down to her bikini. ‘Last one in is a wuss … or what is it that Harry says? A big girl’s blouse. Yeah, Flynn, you’re a big girl’s blouse – probably a pink one with a pussy bow.’

That was all the encouragement he needed to peel off his t-shirt. She tried not to stare at his bare chest and broad shoulders, but it required some effort to redirect her gaze at Harry and Mila, who remained sitting where they were, defiantly holding on to their wineglasses.

‘And what about you two?’

Harry shook his head. ‘You might want to take part in this macho, Bear Grylls-style posturing, but I do not. I only swim in the Caribbean.’ He pronounced it like an American. ‘Not that I’ve ever been, but one day I will.’

‘Yep, I’m with Harry,’ Mila added. ‘We’ll watch. And drink wine. Not that you’ll be in for long, I reckon.’

‘I can’t believe what little faith you guys have in me!’ Brooke declared. ‘I expect it from Flynn, but you two?’

Harry shrugged. ‘You’re an LA princess, you’re not going to last two minutes in the icy Channel.’

She looked over at Flynn. ‘Ready?’

‘Yeah, just let me dump my phone and wallet.’

But Brooke was already taking off and running towards the sea as fast as she could in flip-flops. Once
at the shore she kicked off her shoes, took a deep breath and raced into the sea, wincing as her feet came into contact with the sharp pebbles. Her plan was to get straight in and swim but she just couldn’t.

‘It’s freezing!’ she squealed, waist-deep in water and feeling as if her body was going into shock from the cold.

Flynn came rushing in after her. Instead of hesitating as she had, he dived in and then swam effortlessly out to sea in a stylish front crawl. Naturally Flynn would be good at swimming – he seemed to be good at pretty much everything, she was starting to realise. Then he about turned and swam back towards Brooke, who was still wincing at the cold sea lapping against her.

‘It’s much better to get straight in. Honestly, after a few minutes you won’t feel the cold.’

‘What are you talking about? My teeth are chattering so much I can hardly speak. I’m going to get pneumonia and it’s my birthday next week. I’ll have to cancel and it’ll be all your fault!’

From the beach Harry and Mila raised their glasses. ‘It looks so lovely,’ Harry called out, ‘I’m so sorry we can’t join you.’

Flynn didn’t reply but swam up to Brooke. He put his arms round her waist, but there was no time to enjoy the contact as he lifted her up and … no! He wasn’t going to do this, was he? Fuck! He was! She screamed as he raised her up and pitched her into the sea. She had the good sense to shut her mouth as she went under and then surfaced, spluttering with indignation. God, her hair was going to look beyond terrible! She smoothed it back, glared at Flynn and then turned her back on him and swam out to sea, willing her body to warm up as she sliced through the water. She did some fifty or so strokes then paused,
treading water, and looking back at the beach. Flynn was swimming after her.

‘See? I told you – it’s refreshing, isn’t it?’

‘That’s one way of describing it,’ Brooke muttered. ‘So, as you can see, I’m not a wimp.’

He grinned at her. ‘No, you’re not. You’re full of surprises, Brooke, that’s why I like you so much.’

Like as a friend, or like as something more? The thought sent a warm glow through her …

‘So, I’ll race you back – if you like I can give you a head start,’ Flynn teased.

She was still so shaken up by the compliment, yes, an actual compliment from Flynn, that she struggled to keep up with him, but then she had a sudden burst of power and overtook him – not for nothing had she been surfing since the age of eight. From the beach Mila and Harry were whooping and cheering. ‘Go, girlfriend! Go, Brooke!’

It was hard making an elegant exit out of the water when there was sharp, pointy shingle underfoot, rather than smooth white sand, but somehow Brooke clung on to her dignity.

Mila handed her a towel.

‘You could have someone’s eyes out with those,’ Harry commented, gesturing at her nipples, that were visible through her red bikini top.

‘The cold has that effect,’ she retorted, wrapping herself up in the towel, and all three of them watched Flynn emerge from the sea. Brooke was sure she wasn’t the only one who was transfixed by the sight of his wet shorts clinging to his thighs, lean hips, and, well – phew! Let’s just say the cold didn’t seem to have affected him in the way it did most men.

‘Brooke! You won,’ Harry declared. ‘Girls win! Boys in the bin! Or something.’

Half an hour later she had showered and changed, as had Flynn. Because he hadn’t got any spare clothes he was only wearing a towel and his t-shirt until his shorts dried in the tumble drier. It was disconcerting knowing that he was naked under the towel, which happened to be pink and didn’t make him look any less manly.

She was expecting that Mila and Harry would stay and they would order in a takeaway, but Harry said he had an essay to finish and Mila said that she was going to go to the gym. Neither reason seemed plausible, especially when Harry winked at her when he said goodbye. And just in case his meaning wasn’t clear enough, he whispered, ‘Enjoy. And remember, I need to know
every
detail. You owe me.’

‘So what do you fancy?’ Flynn asked when she wandered back into the kitchen. He was leaning against the counter and checking on his phone for takeaways.

It was on the tip of Brooke’s tongue to say,
You
. Instead she replied, ‘Thai.’

‘Sounds good. There’s one here, take a look at the menu and I’ll order.’

Their hands brushed as he passed her his phone, which immediately sent a flash of desire through Brooke.

‘I’ll just check if my mom wants something,’ she said quickly. What was wrong with her? Her heart was beating so wildly and she was having such incredibly lustful thoughts about all the things she wanted to do with Flynn and to him … starting with ripping off that towel.

But that feeling went as soon as she knocked on her mom’s bedroom door and discovered Liberty curled up in bed with the curtains drawn.

‘Can I get you anything, Mom? I’m about to order some food in. Flynn’s here.’

There was a muffled sniff from under the duvet and then, ‘No, thanks, honey, I’m fine. I just need to sleep off this headache.’

Her mom didn’t sound fine – she sounded as if she’d been crying.

‘Are you sure? I could stay up here with you. We could watch a film together. I could tell Flynn to go.’

‘Really, Brooke, I’ll be fine.’

She hated leaving her mom in that state, but there was nothing she could do. Downstairs Flynn had put his shorts back on – just as well – and switched on the stereo. Alicia Keys, good choice.

‘You like your R&B, don’t you?’ he commented, handing her a glass of wine.

‘Yeah, through and through. My ex was into thrash metal, I should have known from the start that it was never going to work.’

He grinned. ‘Nope, I can’t exactly see you at one of those gigs.’ He paused. ‘How’s your mum?’

‘The same – she claims to have a headache. Broken heart more like.’

‘So how about you contact Cory and tell him about the theory that someone hacked into her email?’

She thought of how angry and dismissive he had been yesterday. ‘I think I’ll pass on that. I don’t think it will make any difference.’

‘Don’t look so sad, you’ve tried. Maybe it just isn’t meant to be.’

It felt as if they were going round in circles. She couldn’t talk about it any more. ‘Yep. So shall we order? I’m starving.’

Despite worrying about her mom, Brooke had a great evening with Flynn. She loved spending time
with him, loved the banter they shared, even more so now it was tinged with flirtation. Sure, it was bittersweet because she didn’t know where she stood with him and there was always Eve in the background, and there were several moments when she wanted to ask what was happening between him and his ex (if she was his ex), but she didn’t want to spoil things.

‘So are you looking forward to your party?’ he asked her towards the end of the night, when they were clearing up after dinner.

‘Yeah – I was dreading it when I moved here, but now I think it’s going to be good. Have you decided what you’re going to wear?’ She tried to block out the image of him in leather trousers that instantly came into her head. No question, Flynn would look seriously good in leather trousers and nothing else but leather trousers. FFS, this had to stop! The swim seemed to have unleashed her inner sex demon.

‘It’s going to be a surprise.’

‘Hey, that’s not fair! I’ve told you about the gold dress.’

‘Well, you’ll just have to wait and see.’

‘I have ways of making you talk,’ Brooke replied, and advanced towards him. ‘I happen to know from Harry that you’re really ticklish.’

‘Don’t believe everything Harry tells you, he’s a compulsive liar and I swear I’m not.’ But Flynn folded his arms together.

‘Oh my God! I’ve found your fatal flaw! You act so cool and together, but it’s all a big con trick!’ Brooke pushed him against the wall and tried to inch her fingers under his arms. He was already laughing helplessly. But then the tables were turned on her as he grabbed her wrists.

‘Seriously, Brooke, you have to stop!’

‘Make me,’ she teased him, ‘I could do this all night. I’ll film it and put it on YouTube. I’ll get so many hits, it’ll go viral.’

‘No, you won’t. You like me too much to humiliate me.’

‘Oh? You sound very sure of yourself.’

‘Yeah, I reckon you like me as much as I like you.’ He was leaning closer to her; she could feel his warm breath against her face. Closer still, and his brown eyes were locked on hers. And then his lips brushed against hers, sending shockwaves through her. Closer still and the light touch became a kiss, his mouth soft on hers, a gentle kiss at first that blossomed into a deep, sexy, passionate kiss as he put his hands on her waist and pulled her against his body.

‘Like’ didn’t even begin to cover the emotions he stirred up in her. She was crazy in lust with him, every part of her longing for his touch, tingling, burning, melting. She wanted him so much; it was breathtaking, mind-blowing. Every fantasy she had ever had about him gathered into one moment, here and now.

But suddenly she froze as she heard the unmistakable sound of her mom coming downstairs. They sprang apart guiltily just before Liberty walked into the room.

‘Oh, hi, Flynn, I didn’t realise you were still here.’

Liberty was dressed in her white silk robe. Her face was drained of colour and her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. She looked terrible.

‘Shall I make you a cup of tea?’ Brooke asked, tucking her hair behind her ear and hoping that her mom didn’t notice her flushed and dishevelled appearance.

‘Thanks, that would be lovely. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation.’

‘It’s fine. Actually I’d better go. I’ve got to get ready for the art trip – we’re going to Berlin for a week and
leaving tomorrow. ’Bye, Liberty, I hope you feel better soon.’

Flynn grabbed his jacket and headed for the front door and Brooke followed him, hoping that his hasty departure wasn’t because he regretted what had just happened.

‘So, I’ll see you at the end of the week,’ he said, ducking down and kissing her cheek. Her cheek! After what had just happened! That wasn’t acceptable! But then he seemed to change his mind and kissed her on the lips, and kissed her and kissed her, and she was almost ready to suggest they sneaked upstairs to her bedroom …

‘I wish I could stay,’ Flynn murmured when they broke off for air.

‘Will you text me when you’re away?’ She couldn’t quite believe she had asked this. In the past she had always played it cool with boys, the ice maiden, who didn’t need anything from them. But this was different … oh, God, this was so different.

‘Of course I will.’ And he kissed her again, then said regretfully, ‘I really have to go. See you on Saturday.’

He left before she could ask him about Eve.

Chapter 39

Liberty

Liberty was determined to put what had happened with Cory out of her mind once and for all. The weekend had been a write-off, but she had to pull herself together because there was so much still to do for Brooke’s birthday party and she wanted her daughter to have the most wonderful birthday ever, one that she would never forget.