Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail

"I found 'em." I brandished the keys in the air.

Brady glanced at them. "Those are my keys. Thanks. I thought I'd lost 'em."

I muttered a curse and bent down again.

"Rayna," Brady said.

I froze. "What?"

"I have your keys."

I whirled around and barely managed to miss the dashboard. "You have my keys?"

"They were on the floor. You dropped them when you fell in my lap," Brady explained as he watched me with caution.

"Oh."

"Yeah…," He sighed and leaned back against the seat. He watched me instead. I ran a hand through my hair, proud that it didn't tremble at all, but I couldn't stop biting my lip. I always bit my lip. Brady's eyes shifted to my lip and a groan escaped him.

I looked up. Our eyes met and something electrocuted the air. Both of us felt it and my skin tingled. I licked my lips and I never lick my lips, but then Brady's mouth was there. I gasped and arched forward. My hands were twisted in his hair to hold him close. Then, as I felt myself wanting to climb on top of him, another car drove by and honked. Reality clicked in.

I shoved him away. "Stop." I wasn't sure who I meant.

"I can't help it. You just…when you bite your lip like that…" Brady groaned and ran a hand over his head. As I watched, my hand lifted to touch his hair.

"Damn it!" I firmly tucked my hand underneath my leg.

"I'm sorry!"

"No, not you, my…" hand. I bit back that word. "Nevermind."

"Okay."

"Can we just…?" My question trailed off when I looked where we were. Charisteaus and Law Associates were written in white lettering on their glass window. A picture of a hammer that hung over a gavel looked back at me. I could almost see an evil face leering through the windowpane.

"What are we doing here?"

Brady grimaced in embarrassment. "I panicked. Deputy Dog said to find a lawyer so I did."

"No self-respecting lawyer is going to be open at four in the morning." I glanced at the clock. "At five in the morning."

"I know." Brady slid further down in the seat. "What am I going to do, Ray? I screwed up this time."

Brady had beaten up Kid Stephens. And Brady had no father to defend him. He had foster parents who were neither wealthy nor powerful. My grandparents were well known in the community. Neil played bingo at the nursing home and Viola was popular with the Ladies' Aid, especially on the days they put brandy in their coffee. However, I couldn't picture those little ladies going against Frank Stephens, prim and properly drunk or not.

"Why did you beat up Kid? Why is he back in town?"

Brady groaned and then growled. I caught sight of his perfect white teeth. "He's back in town for your graduation."

"Huh?"

"That's what I thought too!"

I straightened in the seat to face him. Brady shifted to meet me, but his eyes traveled over my face: over my rumpled hair, and all the way to where my top had ridden up over my stomach.

"Stop it!" I tried to pull down my shirt.

"Sorry, I just…" Brady gestured to me.

I chose my battle. "If Kid really came into town for my graduation, that doesn't explain why you put him in the hospital."

"It's got nothing to do with you."

"But—"

"Leave it, Rayna."

"But—"

"I mean it."

I tried one more time. "Why—"

"I'll kiss you if you say one more word."

I shut up and crossed my arms.

Brady waited and when I didn't ask again, he started the car. "Nellie's?"

It was our tradition post bail. As we drove through town, my stomach grumbled, but I knew I wasn't hungry and especially not for Nellie's food. Brady liked to go there because it was the only gas station open twenty four hours a day and he loved the owner, Ned. Not me. I couldn't stand the old drunk.

When Brady pulled into the parking lot, I closed my eyes against the glare from the lights. Eight other cars were there with people that lingered around them. I recognized some of them as students from school, but saw others that had graduated in Brady's class a year earlier. Then I saw Clarissa Cumberly break away from a group and saunter towards us.

Brady saw her too and glanced at me. "Are you okay?"

"Are you insane?" I shot him an incredulous look. I loved that his on-and-off-again ex was going to see us now. We probably reeked of sex.

Brady paused as he had started to unbuckle his seat belt.

"What are we doing here?" My lip trembled a bit.

"We always come here."

"Yeah, but…" Was he that dense?

"I get arrested. We come here." Brady said it like it was simple, two plus two always equaled four.

"I don't feel up to Nellie's."

Clarissa circled around to the driver's seat and knocked on the window.