Free Wrecked by Elle Casey Page A

my dad or my brother, okay?”  The adrenaline was pumping through her veins, making her feel shaky.  Her fight or flight instinct was kicking in, and at this particular moment, she was choosing fight .
     Sarah put her makeup brush down and a slow smile broke out across her face.  “Easy now, killer, no harm meant.  Relax.”  She turned back towards the mirror, picking up an eyebrow brush.  “My father’s an asshole, and yours apparently isn’t.  Poor me, yay for you.  That’s life.  I’m over it.”
    Candi stood up and squeezed past her, heading towards the door.  “If you were so over it, you wouldn’t be wearing that outfit.”  Candi opened the door, stepped out beyond it, and slammed it closed before Sarah could respond.  
    Apparently now she was in the flight mode of the fight or flight instinct.  She leaned against the hallway wall and exhaled loudly.  Confrontation with Sarah was nerve wracking and not fun.
    ***
    The door next to hers opened and Kevin stepped out.  He stopped short when he saw Candi standing there, just a couple of feet away.  “Hey there, Gumdrop, what’re you doing out here?”  He took a look at the high color and frustrated look on her face, guessing instantly what had probably happened.  “Did you tangle with the tiger in there?”  
    Candi smiled back.  “I think so, if by tiger you mean Sarah.”
    “That’s the one.  Don’t worry about her.  She’s all snarl and no bite.”
    “I’m not so sure about that.”
    Kevin took her gently by the upper arm, steering her down the hall away from the rooms.  He continued, “Trust me – just don’t give in to her shit, she’ll back down.  She’s really a nice girl at heart – but don’t ever tell her that I told you that because I’ll deny I said it.”
    Candi said nothing in response.  She was too busy alternatively staring at his hand on her arm and looking up shyly at him.  
    “Aren’t you wondering where I’m taking you?” he asked, finding it amusing that she didn’t have a quick comeback for him this time.
    “Um, yeah, I guess.”
    He stopped walking and looked down at her, with only a trace of his earlier humor on his face.  “You shouldn’t be so trusting of guys, Candi.  You can’t let some guy just grab you by the arm and drag you through the ship.  You could get hurt that way.”
    She looked confused.  “Are you saying I shouldn’t trust you then?”
    Now it was Kevin’s turn to be uncertain.  He stopped for a second to think about what he had been trying to say, momentarily flustered.  “No, you can trust me.  I’m talking about other guys.”
    She smiled, seemingly amused by the fact that he was a bit unsure of himself.  “But you’re a guy who just grabbed me by the arm and is dragging me through the ship.”  She was teasing him, flirting back. 
    He recovered quickly, now on the solid, familiar ground of flirting with a girl.  He was an old pro at seduction, and this little bit of sweetness didn’t have a chance.  “You’re right about that, but I’m not just any guy, now am I?” He leaned a little closer to her while keeping his eyes locked on hers.
    Her breath started coming more rapidly.  He could see a slight sheen of sweat breaking out on her upper lip.  Her face began to glow a pretty pink.
    “Please let my deodorant be working,” she whispered, before her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.  
    He smiled, bemused.  “What did you just say?”
    “Nothing!” she squeaked.
    They heard a door slam down the hall and the sound of approaching footsteps.  “Hey, guys!  What’s up?  Where’re you going?  Mind if I go with you?  I was thinking about going to … ”
    Jonathan stopped short when he reached Candi and Kevin.  
    “Hey, Candi, are you okay?”
    The trance broke.  Kevin watched as Candi stepped back and quickly pulled herself together.  
    “Yeah, I’m great.  We’re just getting some air.  Where are you going?”
    “You’re