Page 58 of Off the Wall

“I can’t swim,” I shriek, just before he clambers over me, pushing my body below the surface. Panic surges up my throat. I choke, sputter, and kick, clawing at him, but his grip stays firm.

Why is he still holding on to me?

My legs pump, searching for the bottom to push off, but we’re in the deep end of the pool, several feet of water between me and the surface. I’m holding my breath—or my breath is holding me. Either way, I’m out of air in seconds. So why do my lungs feel full to bursting?

This must be what it’s like to suffocate.

My pulse races, but I will myself not to scream and let the water down my throat. Instead, I try to punch Warren to free myself, but the liquid slows the trajectory of my fist. I barely make contact with my stupid date’s chest. This only takes mere moments, although I swear my life’s flashing before my eyes.

My uneventful, loveless, adventure-lacking existence.

And that’s when I feel it.

A surge of water crests off to my left and forceful hands wrench me from Warren’s grasp. Strong arms lift me like my water-logged, completely clothed body weighs nothing.

In an instant, I’m propelled upward and out onto the edge of the pool. As soon as I’m safe, Cash rounds on Warren, who’s still in the deep end, scrambling to escape. Cash grasps him around the upper body, and lugs him into the shallows of the pool.

Away from me.

The brick of the coping is cool and slick as I crawl over to the lounge chair, choking and gasping.

A curtain of hair drapes along my face. My sweater is drenched and sucked onto to top half of my body. The bottom half of me feels vacuum sealed inside my skirt.

When Cash and Warren reach the steps, Cash hauls Warren up the stairs and out of the water—spluttering and shaking.

“Get your hands off me,” Warren squawks.

“Screw you,” Cash growls, still clutching his arm.

“I was just trying to help!” he splutters.

“Date’s over, Warren,” Cash snaps, dragging him toward the archway. “I’m walking you out now.”

Warren fills the air with garbled protests on the way to the lobby. “Let go of me,” he wheezes.

“Not until you’re gone,” Cash grumbles. “And if I ever see you near Nori again,” he threatens, “you won’t be alive long enough to beg.”

Chapter Twenty

Cash

As it turns out,good old Warren took off down the street with his tail between his legs. The guy probably only likes to fight women. The way he kept pushing Nori to swim after she said no … Man, I hate that he got so close to her. Close enough to drag her down into the pool with him.

The guy literally used her to try to save himself from falling.

I don’t want him touching her ever again.

I don’t wantanyoneelse touching Nori.

I lurch back through the lobby, every muscle in my body still tensed for battle. Nori’s still waiting for me in the courtyard, looking up at the stars. She’s bedraggled. But beautiful. I watch her for a moment, relief flooding my body. She’s safe. At least physically.

Emotionally, though …

She was in the water, being held down. And she doesn’t know how to swim.

“Are you all right?” I ask, concern clawing its way up my throat.

At the sound of my voice, Nori turns and locks eyes with me. “I will be,” she says. Her words are ragged. “Thank you.”

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