Taking The Reins (The Rosewoods Book 1) (15 page)

“Is it better or worse if I tell you I loved the show?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I’m used to it, so neither.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I did love it and thought you especially were great. You got robbed at the Golden Globes that year.”

He smiled as he looked down at me. “That’s what my mom said, but she might be biased.”

“She’s totally right,” I said. “And I’m not at all biased. I mean come on, you’re the fifth child actor I’ve hung out with this week alone—I don’t play favorites. So you can totally trust me.”

His smile widened, making his eyes crinkle in a very sexy way. It seemed the new and improved, completely exhausted Brooklyn who was too tired to be shy or concerned about what she said, was a hit at this dance.

“Thanks,” he said softly, validating I’d said exactly the right thing.

“So the guys call you Abe?” I asked lamely.

So much for that conversational hot streak.

He nodded. “So, tell me about you,” he said. “You’re quite the novelty around here, being the new girl.”

I blushed, feeling weird that the guys were talking about me. Although it’s not like it was something I could complain about to Jared (or, I guess,
Abe
, but calling guys by their last names seemed like such a...guy thing, I guess) who’d been in the spotlight for many years.

“There’s not much to say,” I said.

“What about your family? Where are you from?”

That was kind of a loaded question that I couldn’t really answer, so I told him about my time in London. Then he told me about a press junket he did around the premiere of a movie he had a tiny part in that took him to London, too. I didn’t want to seem starstruck, but his story was really interesting and his delivery was great; he’s really funny and a natural story-teller.

By the time the songs wound down and the lights came on in the gym, making us squint and mutter angrily, I’d come to realize I didn’t want the dance to end, despite my earlier desire for my bed. Jared was good company and I’d wished he’d asked me to dance earlier.

“Thanks,” I said sincerely.

“My pleasure. It was great to get to know you, Brooklyn. I have a feeling we’re going to see each other again soon.” He gave me another one of those mischievous smiles and a sexy little wink that made my stomach lurch. Especially when I realized he was still holding me. His hands tightened on me a little—it was kind of making me dizzy.

“I’ll be here next week to work with Dave on the inter-school projects. Maybe then,” I said, stepping back out of his grasp and giving him what I hoped was a matching smile, though I couldn’t bring myself to wink.

“Looking forward to it.”

“Come on, Brooklyn,” Celia said from behind me as she came up and looped her arm through mine. “The bus is leaving. Later, Abe.” She gave him a wave over her shoulder as she tugged me toward the door.

“He is super hot, so I get it,” she said quietly. “But what about Brady?”

“Brady wasn’t here to ask her to dance at the end,” Kaylee said as she materialized on the other side of me. “Abe asked her. Nothing wrong with dancing with him, too. Two hot guys, huh, Brooklyn?” She waggled her eyebrows at me.

I didn’t say it out loud, but actually, Jared made three hot guys I’d danced with that night.

~♥~

E
ven surrounded by a bus full of excited, chattering girls, I fell asleep on the way back to Rosewood. Kaylee had to wake me up and practically drag me up to my room while the other girls hung out in the lounge, rehashing the entire evening. Had I not been nearly comatose, I’d have joined them, but my brain just wouldn’t allow it.

And also, if I’d been conscious enough to identify it, I was nervous about being around Emmie; that dance with Dave had been awkward. Way awkward. And although I didn’t have a lot (okay: any) experience with guys, there had been something in the way he’d looked at me and I was terrified she’d seen it, too.

I’d been at Rosewood for two weeks and although everyone had been nice, the last thing I wanted to do was upset anyone, especially my roommate, the girl who had already done so much for me.

Once I got in our room and the door closed behind me, I unzipped Emmie’s dress and let it slip off my shoulders. I hung it up as I kicked off my shoes, moaning in relief as I did. I used the bathroom and swiped a damp Kleenex over my face to remove at least some of my makeup.

Then I fell into bed.

It had been both the most awkward and kind of the best night of my life. I had danced with three cute guys was my last conscious thought as I drifted off to sleep.

Only to be awakened not ten minutes later.

“B
rooklyn!” Emmie hollered, maybe for the first time, maybe for the seventh—I don’t know. All I knew was that she woke me up from a dead sleep.

And I was not impressed.

I rolled away toward the wall, prepared to ignore her until I could get back to sleep.

But one thing about Emmie that should come as no surprise by now? She would not be ignored.

“Brooklyn, you have to wake up. Seriously.”

And then it hit me that maybe she’d come to grill me about Dave. I turned and looked up at her, blinking away the cobwebs, even though I’d only been asleep for a few minutes.

She didn’t look mad. Actually, she was grinning; whatever it was, it wasn’t about Dave.

Relieved, I closed my eyes and mumbled something. Even I couldn’t tell what I’d intended to say.

She barked my name again and my brain finally clued in that I should just get whatever this was over with. I sat up and looked at her. She was holding out a printed card.

“What?” I whined.

“Look. Did you not see this when you came back?”

I narrowed my burning eyes. “See what?”

She shook it toward me. “This.”

“Not helping, Emmie.”

My roommate sighed and dropped to the edge of my bed. “You didn’t notice your underwear drawer was open and this was on top?”

Okay,
that
got my attention. I took the card and squinted at it.

I looked up at Emmie. “What does this mean?”

She rolled her eyes. “Panty raid, Brooklyn. They snuck in here while we were on our way to the dance and stole our panties.”

I looked around the room. Nothing had seemed out of place when I’d returned from the dance, but of course, I’d been focused on getting into bed as quickly as possible. “They were here? Wait...who?”

“The boys. Did you notice their pocket squares?”

It took me several long seconds to get it. And then, as Emmie stood there, watching me, her face pulled up in a smirk, like I’d seen on all those guys earlier...

“NO!” I said. “They were wearing our underwear as
pocket squares
?”

She tapped my nose. “Right you are, Sherlock.”

“Did you know this?”

She shook her head. “Not until we got back here. We aren’t the only ones with notes. Those rotten boys. I’m going to kill Dave.” But she hardly looked mad. She actually looked...giddy?

“So his orange pocket square?”

“One of my thongs.”

I looked down at the card still in my hand. Which meant...I swallowed. “And Jared’s pink one?”

Emmie pointed at my underwear drawer, still ajar. “Yours, I bet.”

“Oh. My. God. Are you serious?”

She nodded her head toward my open drawer before turning to go use the bathroom. “See for yourself,” she said over her shoulder.

But it wasn’t the missing panties that had me suddenly moving like I had a fire under my butt.

I swung my legs out of bed and jumped up. Digging in my underwear drawer, pushing my panties aside, trying not to think about boys going through all of my underwear (especially my torn, old ‘that time of the month’ ones) my fingers grasped the box tucked away at the back. Pulling it out, I held my breath and prayed silently that what was inside hadn’t been discovered.

But as I opened it and saw the inner compartment was still locked, I sighed in relief, thankful that all the boys got from me was a stupid pair of underwear. Glancing back at the bathroom, not wanting Emmie to see the box, I slipped it back into the drawer, surrounding it with socks and then rearranging the underwear which had been scattered by who knew how many boys’ hands.

“Why would they do that?”

Emmie came out of the bathroom that second, stripped down to her bra and panties. “What?”

I shook my head. “I was just wondering why they would steal our underwear?”

“Silly, Brooklyn. It’s obvious: because they’re
boys
and they want our attention.”

“Mission accomplished.”

“And I have to admit, the pocket square thing is brilliant—that none of them let on all night? Hilarious.”

I had to agree, although it was a little embarrassing if I really thought about it. “How many were in on it?”

She shook her head. “Not sure, but we got hit, Kaylee and Celia, Debbie and Sarah next door, Chelly and Naomi...most of the girls on our floor.”

“So just juniors?” I thought about all the boys who had pocket squares at the dance. There had been quite a few. With the exception of Brady, of course.

“Yeah. Dave and his friends. Not sure which one would have been the mastermind, though.”

“I guess Brady’s not friends with them?”

“Not really,” Emmie said with a frown.

“Did something happen?”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Like to make them not like him or something.”

She blinked and then her eyes widened like she thought I was upset about them not being friends.

“Oh no, it’s not like that. They like him and all. He’s just...I don’t know, a bit of a loner type. Like I said before, kind of broody, intense. And
way
too mature to sneak in here and steal panties.”

She gave me a look, but I could tell she kind of loved the attention. “Children,” she muttered, not fooling anyone.

“So now what? And more importantly, can I please get back into bed?”

She waved toward my bed and I crawled back in under the sheets.

“We’re not going to play into their game. Oh no...” she said with an evil smirk worthy of any good supervillain. All she was missing was the maniacal laughter.

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m leaving to go back to the lounge and the other girls; I’ll fill you in tomorrow. You look like the walking dead.”

I wanted to know what she had planned, but I
felt
like the walking dead, so I wasn’t even offended she’d said it. Grateful to be dismissed, I nodded at her and turned over, asleep in seconds.

I
woke up in a panic, terrified I’d overslept and would be late for my lesson with Brady. But a glance at the clock told me I had plenty of time: it was only 8:30.

I stretched, extending my arms over my head until I could push against the wall, and although some of my muscles still ached from overuse, overall I felt better. Maybe my body was getting used to the abuse.

Which made me think of today’s practice with Brady. Which made me think of
Brady
and dancing with him the night before.

Which made me shiver because, well, because he was sexy and intense and looked amazing in his riding breeches.

And then there was the fact that the girls seemed to think he was into me. If I allowed myself to think about it as though it was happening to someone else, I had to admit I thought so, too.

But then, as I rehashed the rest of the evening, I thought about dancing with Dave, which had been so complicated and awkward, but secretly thrilling, too. Especially when I’d caught him looking at me, like something was going on. Or maybe that he
wanted
something to go on. Even if nothing could ever happen with my roommate’s boyfriend and I would never let it, it was still secretly exciting to think maybe he was into me a little.

And then there was Jared, the former child actor who was now a big and very masculine guy, who, as all the events of the evening really started coming back to me, I remembered was currently holding my panties hostage.

That made me smile and blush at the same time. I wondered what we were going to do to get them back. I glanced over at Emmie, but she was still fast asleep, probably tweaking her evil plot in her dreams. Sure she was up late with the other girls, I got out of bed quietly so as not to wake her, and tiptoed to the bathroom.

~♥~

T
here wasn't enough time to really start in on any of my homework, so, although I’d be early, I got dressed for riding, plunked my helmet over my braid, and left my dorm room, leaving Emmie to sleep in. I grabbed some food on my way out to the stables, including an apple and some carrots for Charlie. I figured I’d take an extra half-hour or so to warm up and practice before Brady arrived.

Brady.

Thinking about him as I got Charlie saddled up, my heart sped up a little, and although I could try to deny out loud that he’d had any effect on me, obviously my body knew otherwise. That realization made me feel a bit dizzy.

Brady.
Very cute guy who was also into horses.

And was my teacher. Ugh.

No, I corrected myself; my
coach
. Who was less than a year older than me. I mean, if he had just been another student helping me out with my dressage practice, I wouldn’t think it was weird if we started dating. It wasn’t like he was forty and divorced or anything. He was just a senior:
totally
eligible for dating.

Dating.
My hand shook a little as I fastened the bridle on Charlie. I’d never really dated anyone. I’d barely even been kissed. Was I ready to do all that now?

Definitely.

“And why not?” I asked Charlie.

Charlie had no objections, so I gave him a friendly pat, finished getting him ready and walked him to the arena, laughing as he nudged me along with his nose. When I got there, the big door was already open and I realized quickly I wasn’t the first to arrive.