Page 47 of August 20

She scoffed. "Are you serious?"

He nodded.

"You've kept me hostage for months. You've threatened my life. You've forced me to marry you." Her spine stiffened. "Now, you believe I need to get out of the house?"

He nodded.

She bit her tongue to keep her opinion of his insanity to herself and snapped the swimsuit out of his grasp.

"How did you get this?" She straightened. "It was still packed away in one of the boxes.

He raised his brows and refused to answer. She bunched the material in her hand. He must've gone through her things.

Her stomach fluttered at the idea of him fingering her lingerie—which she knew was also in the box with her swimsuit.

He waved his hand to get her moving. She rolled her eyes and walked to the bathroom.

She'd go along with whatever he planned because she wanted to understand his reasoning. Her mental well-being wasn't his sole purpose for taking her swimming.

Holding up the swimsuit, she wrinkled her nose. At one time, she'd worn that suit to attract men. It showed her breasts and her waist without risking the top coming off because it was all one piece, with the middle missing. Only two strips of material on her sides held the suite together.

She locked the door and proceeded to undress. Once she had the suit on and stretched it to cover her breasts and pulled the straps to give her more length, she put her clothes back on—rolling her bra and thong in a ball and hiding the articles in her hand.

When she walked back into the clubhouse, she went straight to Maverick and put her underclothes in the bag, trying not to draw attention to herself. Though she could feel several dozen eyes on her.

Maverick ogled her from head to toe and back up again, lingering on her breasts. Her nipples hardened. It no longer mattered that she was fully clothed. She felt like she stood in front of him naked.

She looked around the room, trying to find a clock. "What time is it?"

He held up one finger on each hand. So, it was eleven o'clock. Skye wouldn't get out of school until quarter to three.

Bane approached and nodded to Brooke before directing his attention to Maverick. "The pool's clear."

Maverick slapped Bane's shoulder and put his arm around Brooke's back, guiding her toward the door leading into the parts shop.

She looked at him as they walked through the building and out the front door. "What did he mean the pool is clear?"

"His ol' lady runs the pool." He kept pushing her forward along the sidewalk, coughing away from her.

"And?"

He stopped clearing his throat and said, "I rented the pool."

With his other hand, he massaged the front of his neck. Conscious of pushing him too far to talk, she tried to refrain. But curiosity got the best of her.

"Rented?" She hurried to keep up with his stride as they hit the steps next door, and she had to climb the stairs. "Just you and me?"

He nodded.

He guided her into a locker room before she could wrap her head around what was happening. He motioned for her to remove her clothes. She peered around the room. She'd missed a sign but assumed they were in a woman's locker room.

"Turn around." She grabbed the hem of her t-shirt.

He cocked a brow and continued to watch her. She flapped her hand at him to look away. His gaze only intensified.

She lifted her chin, determined to outdo him in everything. She removed her shirt, stepped out of her flip-flops, and pulled down her jeans.

When she was done, he pointed to the other side of the locker room. She walked around the showers and found an open door leading to the pool. Not waiting for him, she stepped out and gawked at what greeted her.