Page 25 of Love on the Run

So what if he took an extra five minutes in the shower? The heat and water pressure soothed his aching shoulders after an unnecessarily tough workout.

Clear-headed and ready for bed, Beau tiptoedout of the bathroom. The lights were still on, but there was no sign of Anna.

Good. She’d probably gone to bed already, and he could grab a pillow, hit the couch, and go straight to sleep.

He’d barely taken two steps into the common room before the balcony door slid open and Anna stepped inside. One hand gripped the towel at her chest, and the other shook as she closed the door behind her.

When her gaze met his, the color drained from her face, leaving dark circles under her eyes and pale lips. She’d been glowing when he left an hour ago.

“Anna?” Beau asked, taking a quick step toward her.

She melted just as he reached her, grabbing her body as her eyes rolled back and she went lifeless in his arms.

Gathering her to his chest, he knelt and brushed the wet hair away from her face. “Anna. Anna!”

Her eyes opened, and she blinked rapidly, grabbing for his shoulders. “What?”

Her skin burned against him, seeping through his clothes. “You’re burning up. Have you been out there all this time?”

“Um, yeah,” she said groggily.

Adrenaline surged through him as he wrapped her up and stood, cradling her in his arms. Gently,he rested her on the couch and pulled his phone from the pocket of his sweatpants.

“I’m fine,” she whispered, pressing her shaking hands to her temples.

No, she was not fine. As a matter of fact, Beau wasn’t fine either. His pulse raced harder than it had during his workout.

Travis answered quickly with a friendly, “Hey, man.”

“I’m here with Anna, and she just spent an hour in the hot tub and passed out. What do I do?”

Travis’s casual tone died, quickly changing to all business. “Is she conscious now?”

“Yeah.”

“How long was she out?”

“A few seconds.” A few seconds felt like hours when his chest seized, waiting that long moment for her to come back to him.

“Is she nauseated?” Travis asked.

“Are you nauseated?” Beau repeated for Anna.

She slowly shook her head. “No.”

“She probably got too hot. Try putting her in a lukewarm bath for a few minutes and have her drink lots of water. Eating would probably help too.”

The crushing fear began to ease as Travis’s calm tone gave logical direction. “Thanks, man. I’ll try that.”

“Call me back with an update,” Travis said.

Beau ended the call, putting the phone to theside and scooted closer to the couch where Anna lay. “How are you feeling?”

“A little better. I didn’t realize I was out there that long until it was too late.”

“Travis said you need to sit in a lukewarm bath for a little bit. I’m going to run the water, and I’ll be back to get you.”

She gave him a tiny nod as her eyes drifted closed. She wasn’t bouncing back as quickly as Beau hoped, but maybe the bath would do it.

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